TL;DR

Canadian professional wrestling returns home, the Leafs shit the bed (again), and I’m officially broke.

The Passion Returns

On Saturday, May 10th, a Canadian professional wrestling company returned to the famous Maple Leaf Gardens for the first time since 1984 with Maple Leaf Pro: Northern Rising. I was lucky enough to have a pair of front row seats.

  • A photo of a rarely-empty Union Station, with sun pouring through the skylights in front of the entrance to the subway.
  • A photo of the exterior of Fran's Diner at College & Yonge in Toronto. It is a warm, sunny day with a clear sky.

Summer in Toronto, ain’t nothing like it.

Before doors opened, my brother & I headed to Fran’s Diner for a pre-show meal. I highly recommend the Monte Cristo. I also had a Shirley Temple to drink, because I’m not gonna not order one if I see it on a menu.

  • A photo of the interior of Maple Leaf Gardens, with the ring set up in the middle of the arena. The seats are mostly empty, with a few fans scattered around the front rows. The ring is lit up with bright lights, and the MLP logo is visible in the middle of the mat.
  • A photo of Zack Sabre Jr. and Jonathan Gresham locking up in the ring at Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling's Northern Rising event in Toronto.
  • A photo of “Speedball” Mike Bailey posing on the top rope at Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling's Northern Rising event in Toronto.

Watching professional wrestling on TV is fun, but nothing beats seeing it live and in colour; the closer the better. You just get a better sense of appreciation for it that’s hard to describe.

The real highlight of the night was the three-way match between Michael Oku, Gabriel Kidd, and Canada’s own “Speedball” Mike Bailey, who came out on top. After the match, Speedball noticed my Canadian flag and borrowed it to pose with it in the ring, but I guess they were short for time because production had already cut to a promo video, so he ended up taking it to the back with him.

The aftermath of which was captured on Speedball’s Vlog.

We stuck around after the show, and who comes out to meet us but Speedball himself, graciously returning my flag. We chatted for a bit before parting ways. What a guy, what a night.

MLP heads to Montreal in July. I guess I am too…

Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes

The Leafs crashed out of the playoffs, losing 6-1 in Game 7, their seventh straight Game 7 loss. I just stopped watching after it was 3-0. You just knew exactly what you were watching. Death, taxes, and the Leafs crushing your soul.
Fuck.

Beers and jerseys were thrown on the ice, even a few on the bench. The half-empty arena booed them off the ice during the post-game salute. Florida condescendingly threw a pity party in the presser, talking about how hard it must be to play in a market with this much pressure. Just the most insulting bullshit I’ve ever heard from a winning team, frankly.
WARNING: Turn down your volume.

Team President Brendan Shanahan has been relieved of his duties, and the Leafs will have big decisions to make on impending free agents in Mitch Marner and John Tavares. What’s that saying about the definition of insanity again?

All Out

AEW will finally return to Toronto for All Out 2025, a PPV event at Scotiabank Arena. It’ll be the first AEW show in Toronto since March 20th, 2024. I’ve been lucky to have attended every AEW that’s come to Toronto over the years, and even the pair of Hamilton shows they ran back in 2023 as well. You can guess where I’ll be on September 20.

FOMO got the best of me and I scored some tickets during the pre-pre-sale, almost identical to the seats I had for the 2023 AEW Collision show. Had I waited 48 hours, I could have bought similar tickets for half of what I paid. A lesson learned.

A photo I took from my seat at the 2023 AEW Collision show in Toronto at Scotiabank Arena.

I’m looking forward to a similar view for All Out 2025.

Highlights

Movies

Thunderbolts* 2025

  • Directed by Jake Schreier
  • Loved
  • `3.5/10`
  • Watched on May 12, 2025

Florence made me do it. Being the geek that I am, I happened to know a little bit more about Bob than most going into this. Not entirely sure how much longevity this group will have but I thought this was fun. And hey, no bomb and a timer!

The post-credits scene has me really excited for what’s to come. Can Marvel really Solve Everything?

I watched 9 movies this month:

TV

The White Lotus 2025

Season 3

  • Created by Mike White
  • Loved
  • `3.5/10`
  • Watched on May 1, 2025

I just don’t think at this age, I’m meant to live an uncomfortable life. I don’t have the will.

I’m late to the party on this one, and even though I binged the entire series over the course of a month, I didn’t think season 3 was as entertaining as the first two.

It’s just not the same without Jennifer Coolidge.

Favourite Episode: S03E05, “Full Moon Party”

I've been watching 9 shows this month:

Books

Earth X 1999

  • Written by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger
  • Loved
  • `5/10`
  • Read on May 23, 2025

Admittedly, I was baited into picking this up because I saw Alex Ross’ name on the cover and recognized his work on the gorgeous cover. But despite the interior not being drawn by Ross, I quickly became completely engrossed in this re-imagining of the Marvel universe, never knowing what to expect with each new chapter. I’ll be adding a physical copy to my library as soon as I can find one.

I've been reading 7 books this month:

Music

viagr aboys 2025

by Viagra Boys

  • Loved
  • `4/10`

Hangin’ out with a camera down my throat. They say my stomach’s merely fried from eating cigarettes for breakfast. But if I follow seven easy steps, I might avoid my death. The pyramid of health.

Favourite Song: “Pyramid of Health”

I've listened to these 12 albums the most this month:

YouTube
Only 359 days until I never go outside again.

I enjoyed these other videos, and you might too:

Purchases

An event used turnbuckle pad from Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling: Northern Rising, signed by “Speedball” Mike Bailey.

After Maple Leaf Pro: Northern Rising had ended and most of the crowd had gone home, I jokingly asked the ring crew if I could buy one of the turnbuckle pads as they were tearing down. I didn’t expect them to say yes, but I couldn’t turn down a chance to go home with a piece of Canadian wrestling history. To my surprise, they even had it signed for me as we were working out the eTransfer at the merch stand. A cherished memento from an unforgettable night.

A list of the other impulsive purchases I made this month that I don’t totally regret: