Rohan Raja has the opportunity of a lifetime on Oct. 3.
The “Ravenous” pro wrestling star will take on All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) Andrade at Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s (MLP) Northern Rising pay-per-view in Toronto with the AEW National Championship on the line.
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Raja suggested in an interview with OutKick Dropkick that a fire was lit under him after he was left off the first Northern Rising card. But being back at Maple Leaf Gardens – a historic venue in pro wrestling – has gotten Raja locked in to do some damage.
“I’m super excited for this. This is our second show in Maple Leaf Gardens and the first one I was left off the main card, so I had this like real chip on my shoulder since that day and then now coming back again and I’m one of the marquee matches on it, just goes to show all the hard work I’ve been putting in,” he said.
Raja, who lost the PWA Champions Grail earlier this year, has been on a tear since June. He has no plans of letting Andrade get in his way. He wants to steal the show with the Mexican grappler.
“To go against someone like an Andrade who is like pound-for-pound one of the best wrestlers in the world right now and he’s AEW national champion and I believe, wholeheartedly believe, that me and him are going to have the best match and we’re going to steal the show,” he said. “I’m training really, really hard for this. I’m trying to up my game even more. I’m looking at this match and I want to have the best match of my career at this point.
“So, taking that into account, I’m super confident that I’m going to walk away with it with the win. Everything I’ve been putting in, everything that everyone’s been watching on MLP ‘Mayhem’ week to week to week and still to come because we still got a couple more weeks before the pay-per-view. … There’s still going to be a couple things before the pay-per-view that’s going to get people really, really hyped for this match and I’m super excited, man, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it.”
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Raja has earned significant praise for his rise in the ring, including from MLP owner Scott D’Amore.
He told OutKick Dropkick he believed he raised his level to that of a main-eventer.
“It’s like when I come to the back after all of my segments, matches, promos and everything like that, hearing feedback like that, whether it’s directly to me or I’ve heard it somewhere else, is just very humbling and it reassures everything that I’m doing,” Raja said.
“And then hearing everyone backstage say all these nice things about me and putting me over and I think everyone has seen … I hold myself as like a top talent, but I think everyone, especially since we’ve been doing Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, but especially since we’ve been doing MLP ‘Mayhem,’ is like they’ve seen this next level I’ve added to like a main event status where I can hold main event ground and all my peers telling me that and all the respected people in this business, all the people backstage telling me that it is just a really nice thing because I am really working really hard and a lot of people don’t see what I put in behind the scenes, everything like that. So, it’s just a very nice thing just to be reassured that I’m doing the right thing. But everything I’ve known to this point now, the world and everyone else is seeing it now.”
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Here’s what the Northern Rising card looks like.
- Adam Copeland vs. Steve Maclin
- Priscilla Kelly (c) vs. Nikki Storm for the MLP Canadian Women’s Championship.
- Josh Alexander vs. Stu Grayson for the Undisputed MLP Canadian Championship.
- Brent Banks and Sheldon Jean (c) vs. James Drake and Zack Gibson vs. Judas Icarus and Travis Williams for the MLP Canadian Tag Team Championship.
- Dan Maff vs. Psycho Mike vs. Crazzy Steve in a monster’s mayhem match.
- Máscara Dorada, Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster vs. TJP, Johnny TV and Gabriel Fuerza in a six-man tag team match.
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