Scott D'Amore is cooking something special in Canada
If you haven't been paying attention to the moves Scott D'Amore is making up north, you are officially behind the curve. Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling is not just another regional promotion trying to fill a high school gym; they are building a legitimate alternative with a production ceiling much higher than the standard indie fare. Adding PCO to the roster for their TSN Mayhem tapings is exactly the kind of unhinged, high-octane energy the squared circle needs in 2026. You want a guy who treats his own body like a crash test dummy in a blender? PCO is that guy, and he is a brilliant anchor for a brand-new television product.
The booth is going to be the real X-factor
We finally know who is going to be holding the microphones for the MLP Mayhem shows, and it is a surprisingly sharp lineup. Having professionals who actually understand the pacing of a television broadcast is the difference between a project that feels like a backyard mudshow and one that actually belongs on a national network. As PWInsider reported, the talent involved suggests a commitment to high-end presentation that usually takes promotions years to stumble into. If they can get the crowd mics right, this has the potential to sound better than anything currently airing on weeknight cable.
Meanwhile, the Japanese circuit is a total grind
While D'Amore builds his new kingdom, the daily grind in Japan keeps moving at a breakneck pace. Look at the numbers coming out of Shinjuku Face this week. Pro Wrestling Wave managed to pull in 189 fans for their Phase2 Reboot 7th Nami 1 show on June 1st. Watching Misa Kagura and Yumi Ohka work an 8-woman tag that hit the 15:35 mark with a finish like the Dendenmushi move on Miku Kanae shows the technical depth of that roster. It is a stark reminder that while the North American audience is obsessed with storylines, the actual wrestling in Japan is still hitting at a different intensity level.
Then you have the Pro Wrestling Noah Global Tag League, which hit night six on June 2nd with 283 fans in attendance. Watching Atsushi Kotoge and Hajime Ohara take down Alejandro and Hiroto Ts is a reminder of how high the floor is for these promotions. They are doing this every single night while we obsess over casting choices and TV deals. My only gripe? The crowd figures for these mid-week events in Tokyo remain stubbornly low. Seeing a legendary venue like Shinjuku Face only half-full for a tournament as historic as the Global Tag League feels like a crime.
Wrestling is bleeding into the mainstream, for better or worse
It is not just the ring work getting busy; it is the marketing side too. Lita is going to be headlining a Pro Wrestling night for an MiLB minor league team in Reading, PA, which is basically the ultimate cross-promotion for the suburban dad demographic. If that doesn't scream middle-aged nostalgia tour, I don't know what does. At least they are trying to keep the brand awareness high, even if they have to pivot to baseball stadiums to do it. Just give me more of this than the sudden influx of wrestling-themed horror movies dropping lately, which I am convinced are just tax write-offs disguised as features.
We are entering a summer where the business is fracturing into these smaller, more specific silos. Between PCO breaking tables for TSN and the steady, exhausting pace of the Japanese tournament scene, there is way too much to watch and not enough time. If I have to choose between a minor league baseball park meet-and-greet and a high-stakes tag league final, I know where I am putting my screen. Just don't blame me when you get hooked on the technical work and realize you've spent your entire weekend staring at a monitor.
