Adam Copeland isn’t coming to Maple Leaf Pro just because it’s another wrestling booking. According to Scott D’Amore, the WWE Hall of Famer is finally getting the chance to do something he never thought would actually happen—wrestle inside the building he grew up dreaming about as a kid.
Speaking during the MLP Mayhem post-event press conference, D’Amore explained that bringing Copeland to Northern Rising on October 3 wasn’t simply about signing a wrestling legend. For him, it was about bringing one of Canada’s biggest stars home.
“When you think of Canadian wrestling in the past 25 years, is there a name that’s bigger than Adam Copeland? I mean, as Edge in the WWE and now as Cope and Adam Copeland in AEW, he’s been at the forefront of the industry for over two decades.”
D’Amore said Copeland’s connection to Maple Leaf Gardens goes back long before he became a global superstar. Growing up in Toronto, he dreamed of one day wrestling in the iconic venue, riding public transit into the city and saving whatever money he could just to sit in the crowd and watch the stars perform.
“He grew up in Toronto dreaming of being a pro wrestler… scraping up all of his money to buy a cheap seat to the show, to go there and be able to watch wrestling in Maple Leaf Gardens.”
For D’Amore, the announcement is personal for another reason. Long before either man reached the top of the wrestling business, they were trying to make it together.
D’Amore revealed he and Copeland were roommates during their earliest days in wrestling while working in Moncton, New Brunswick, and said their friendship has remained intact for more than three decades.
“Adam and I go back to, jeez, we were roommates 30 years ago in our first territory in Moncton, New Brunswick. We were friends before that… and we’ve stayed in touch over the years.”
That’s why D’Amore believes this isn’t just another date on Copeland’s schedule. It’s the chance to cross something off a list that he thought would never be possible.
“For Adam Copeland, it’s huge because he gets to go wrestle and fulfill a childhood dream that he thought he was never going to get an opportunity to do.”
D’Amore also admitted the moment is just as significant for Maple Leaf Pro itself, calling it an honor to welcome someone he considers one of the biggest Canadian wrestling stars of the modern era.
“One of the biggest stars in wrestling, one of the biggest Canadian athletes of the last couple of generations is coming to Maple Leaf Pro for Northern Rising, and I don’t think it gets any bigger than that.”
Copeland’s debut was already one of the biggest announcements in Maple Leaf Pro’s short history. After hearing D’Amore explain what the appearance means behind the scenes, it’s clear this isn’t simply about adding another name to the card—it’s about giving one of Canada’s greatest wrestlers the opportunity to live out a dream that started decades before he ever became Edge.
Are you excited to see Adam Copeland finally wrestle at Maple Leaf Gardens, or is there another dream match you’d rather see at Northern Rising? Let us know in the comments below.
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