Adam Copeland Praises Steve Maclin: “That Man Should Be The Most Wanted Free Agent In This Industry”

Steve Maclin is on the receiving end of praise from Adam Copeland.

Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling presented the Northern Rising show on October 3rd from the Mattamy Athletic Centre, a.k.a. Maple Leaf Gardens.

Headlining the event was Steve Maclin going one-on-one against Toronto, Ontario’s own Adam Copeland. Copeland scored the pinfall victory.

Afterward, he spoke to the crowd and heaped praise on Maclin. He said the former TNA World Champion should be the most wanted free agent in wrestling.

“No matter what I think of Steve Maclin as a person, that man should be the most wanted free agent in this industry. He’s that damn good.”

Cope praising Steve Maclin.

“That man should be the most wanted free agent in this industry. He is that damn good.”

#MLPNorthernRising https://t.co/MVkRDItXVj

— 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐕𝐞𝐧 (@WrestlingCovers) October 4, 2026

During the MLP Northern Rising post-event press conference, Copeland was asked about his decision to have Maclin as his opponent and explained why he selected Steve:

“I really like his style. He reminds me of a wrestler in the NWA. I could picture him in the Shelby, North Carolina high school gym trading punches with Tully Blanchard. He’s that kind of talent… I’ve always appreciated his work and what he’s done and also, how can you not appreciate a guy who bets on himself? Who walks away from something to try to get something more. That trait, I can appreciate and respect, and then, just from a style perspective, I thought, okay, our styles should match pretty well here. But you never know, right? Then you get going and I was like, oh, ah, man. Here we go. Alright.”

At the end of September, Copeland was competing in a Ladder match at AEW All Out. He and Christian lost their AEW World Tag Team Titles at the pay-per-view.

If the quotes in this article are used, please credit the original sources with an H/T to Fightful for the transcriptions.