Rohan Raja On MLP Northern Rising: Everyone Was There To Make A Statement, I Feel Like We Did A Pretty Damn Good Job

Rohan Raja touts the importance of Maple Leaf Pro.

Fans were instantly hooked on the promotion when it first debuted in October 2024. The fanbase continued to expand following the media rights deal announcement in March, which brought the Mayhem show to TSN2 in July.

Speaking with Fightful Overbooked’s In The Weeds podcast, Rohan Raja talked about Maple Leaf Pro’s journey and how the wrestling industry has been craving a Canadian promotion.

“When did the very first show, I think it was October 2024. That was our very first show, we did like a two-parter type show. Ever since then, everyone that was there and the vibe backstage and having Mauro come back for the first time in a long time, it just had this immediate vibe back then. I was, man, I think we have something here, as long as the show goes well and everything. The show was great. It’s like every show we’ve been doing, it was like, okay, so what’s the next step? When we got the TSN deal, then it was like — okay, we have to prove that we belong on this network, because TSN is like the ESPN of Canada. It’s huge. Since we’ve been on that, even just walking the streets and stuff, you’ll see replays of MLP. It’s always on in like sports bars and different things, which is really cool. It’s like having to that more of an extended audience in Canada, which is what wrestling has been really craving, having its own Canadian promotion.”

Speaking about the promotion’s recent Northern Rising event, Raja looked back on an emotional moment with Adam Copeland.

“Then, if we fast forward to Northern Rising and the vibe that was there in Maple Leaf Gardens, as soon as you walked in, even seeing someone who grew up in Canada like Adam Copeland. Seeing him look at the arena and he had tears in his eyes, I’m like, ‘This guy has done everything in his career and he’s stepped in and he has that immediate emotional reaction.’ It just reminded everyone how big of a deal it was. It was just such an honor to perform in that venue. Everyone from that was on the pre-show all the way to the main event, everyone was there to make a statement. I feel like we did a pretty damn good job.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Rohan Raja talked about Andrade El Idolo’s viral pants moment in MLP. Check out his full comments by clicking here.

Fans can check out Fightful Overbooked’s full interview with Rohan Raja in the video linked at the top of this article.