Steve Maclin is not interested in facing a comfortable, celebratory version of Adam Copeland at Maple Leaf Pro Northern Rising. He wants the competitor who built a reputation on calculated aggression, opportunistic instincts, and a willingness to take every available advantage.
That is why Maclin has deliberately intensified the rivalry ahead of their scheduled singles match at MLP Northern Rising on Saturday, October 3. The event is set to be Maple Leaf Pro’s second Northern Rising show, and the contest with Copeland is positioned as its headline attraction.
Maclin has already shown he is prepared to take the issue beyond a standard promotional buildup. In a major escalation, he attacked Copeland during a recent episode of AEW Dynamite. The move gave the program a more personal edge and ensured that Copeland has another reason to focus on the challenge waiting for him at Northern Rising.
While some have questioned whether provoking a wrestler with Copeland’s experience and history is wise, Maclin sees that concern as the entire point. He does not want to avoid the version of Copeland that wrestling fans have come to recognize over decades. He wants to force that version to emerge.
For more background on this topic, read Dax Harwood Sees Stokely Hathaway as a Potential Lifelong Part of FTR.
Maclin Wants Copeland Fully Locked In
Maclin explained that the personal nature of the conflict is a strategic choice, not an impulsive decision. His aim is to make Northern Rising the one issue occupying Copeland’s attention as the date approaches.
“It’s funny that everybody keeps saying it’s not the maybe not the best decision to make this personal with Adam Cope. For me, that just is. I want to make this personal because I want him to only think about Northern Rising and Northern Rising alone. I want the absolute very best of Adam Copeland, I want the old. I want the Rated-R Superstar. I want the Ultimate Opportunist. I want the guy that I looked up to as a kid, as one of my heroes and now as somebody that’s a peer with him, I want the absolute very best.”
There is an important contrast in Maclin’s framing of the match. On one hand, he openly acknowledges Copeland’s place as one of the figures he admired while growing up. On the other, he is making clear that admiration will not lead to hesitation when they meet. Maclin now sees Copeland as a peer and a direct obstacle in one of the highest-profile matches on the Maple Leaf Pro calendar.
The references to the “Rated-R Superstar” and the “Ultimate Opportunist” are especially telling. Those identities represent the aggressive, resourceful competitor Maclin believes Copeland can still become when the situation demands it. Rather than hoping Copeland enters the match measured or restrained, Maclin is inviting the former world champion to embrace the qualities that made him one of the industry’s most recognizable names.
For Maclin, the matchup is not simply an opportunity to share the ring with a decorated veteran. It is a test of whether he can withstand—and defeat—the most dangerous possible version of that opponent.
A Headline Match With Real Stakes for Maclin
Maclin said he believes the match gives him plenty to gain regardless of the result, while also stressing that he intends to leave Northern Rising with the victory. His outlook reflects both the significance of the occasion and the confidence he brings into a meeting with a wrestler of Copeland’s stature.
“This isn’t some type of sunshine and rainbows matchup where we’re going into Maple Leaf Gardens and it’s this magical night for Adam Copeland. For me, I have everything to gain in this match whether I win or lose. That’s the fun part about this. I do plan to win, anybody going into any situation that doesn’t think they’re going to win is — I just think you’re an idiot. But for me, it’s going into this to get the absolute very best out of Adam Copeland because I know and I absolutely guarantee you’re going to get the very best of Steve Maclin.”
Maclin’s comments reject the idea that the main event should be treated as a homecoming-style showcase built around Copeland. Northern Rising may carry major significance for Copeland, but Maclin intends to make sure the spotlight does not belong to his opponent alone.
That perspective also makes the attack on Dynamite easier to understand. Maclin is not merely seeking attention through association with a major name. He is attempting to control the emotional terms of the contest. If Copeland arrives angry, motivated, and intent on responding to the disrespect, Maclin believes that will produce the exact kind of fight he is seeking.
There is risk in that approach. Copeland has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to thrive in hostile and high-pressure environments. A wrestler known for seizing openings can become even more difficult to handle when he has a personal grievance. Maclin is fully aware of that possibility, and he has chosen to embrace it rather than retreat from it.
Respect Does Not Mean Restraint
One of the more compelling elements of Maclin’s position is the way he balances respect for Copeland’s legacy with an uncompromising competitive mindset. He is not dismissing what Copeland has accomplished, nor is he pretending the October 3 match is ordinary. In fact, he is emphasizing Copeland’s history because he wants the challenge to carry as much weight as possible.
Maclin wants to face the man he once viewed as a hero, but he wants that man at his sharpest. The personal attacks and pointed words are not signs that Maclin has overlooked Copeland’s accomplishments. They are evidence that he believes those accomplishments demand a serious, physical, and emotionally charged confrontation.
That creates a clear theme for Northern Rising. Copeland will have the opportunity to answer a younger peer who has openly called for the ruthless instincts associated with some of the most memorable phases of his career. Maclin, meanwhile, has put himself in position to prove that he can stand across from a legendary opponent without being overwhelmed by the occasion.
Maclin’s guarantee is equally direct: fans will get the best version of him. That statement adds another layer to a match already driven by the question of which Copeland will arrive for the main event. Maclin is promising intensity, preparation, and the confidence of a wrestler who sees this as a chance to elevate his standing on a major stage.
Why the AEW Attack Matters
The fact that Maclin’s attack on Copeland occurred on AEW Dynamite gives the Maple Leaf Pro main event additional visibility and urgency. It took a match that was already notable on paper and turned it into a confrontation with a recent act of physical retaliation hanging over it.
Copeland now has a direct reason to make Maclin answer for his actions. Maclin, however, appears to welcome that response. His stated objective is not to catch Copeland unprepared or emotionally detached. He wants every bit of Copeland’s focus pointed toward Northern Rising, even if that means receiving the consequences of his own provocation.
That is a gamble rooted in Maclin’s belief in himself. He knows a victory over Copeland would be a defining accomplishment, but he also sees value in competing against a performer who is fully engaged and operating at the highest level he can reach. Maclin does not want any room for excuses, sentimentality, or questions about whether Copeland took the match seriously.
If Maclin wins, he will have defeated the version of Copeland he specifically demanded. If he falls short, he still expects the match to demonstrate that he was willing to challenge one of wrestling’s most established names head-on. Still, Maclin was clear that merely participating is not his goal. He believes entering a fight without expecting to win is the wrong mentality, and he is going into Northern Rising with victory in mind.
October 3 Will Settle the Challenge
MLP Northern Rising now has a main event fueled by more than professional respect. Maclin has turned his match with Copeland into a challenge directed at the veteran’s identity. He wants the opportunist. He wants the ruthless edge. And he wants the opponent he admired as a child to bring all of that into the ring when they meet.
Copeland’s response inside the ring will determine whether Maclin gets exactly what he asked for. But Maclin has left little doubt about his own intentions: he plans to arrive ready for the toughest possible version of Adam Copeland and believes the audience will see the strongest version of Steve Maclin in return.
On October 3, Northern Rising’s headline match will answer whether Maclin’s decision to make the issue personal was a calculated masterstroke—or whether he succeeded in awakening the very opponent he may have been better off avoiding.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.