Rhino Retains Open Challenge on MLP Mayhem

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s latest episode of MLP Mayhem aired on TSN2 on Wednesday, August 12, and the show’s headline moment saw former ECW and WWE star Rhino put out an open challenge to the roster. Bryce Hansen stepped up to answer the call, but it was Rhino who came out on top in the ensuing match.

Open challenges have long been a staple for veteran hard-hitters like Rhino, giving up-and-coming talent a chance to test themselves against a proven name while letting the star stay protected in victory. Hansen’s willingness to accept — described as reluctant — suggests MLP is building him as a scrappy underdog type worth keeping an eye on going forward, even in defeat.

Elsewhere on the card, the luchador duo of Mascara Dorada and Capitán Suicida picked up a tag team win over The Grizzled Young Veterans, the well-traveled duo of Zack Gibson and James Drake who have built a reputation across NXT UK, WWE and the global independent scene as one of wrestling’s most technically sound tag units. A win over a team with that pedigree is a notable feather in the cap for Dorada and Suicida, and could point toward MLP positioning its tag division as a showcase for high-flying, lucha-influenced action against more grounded, mat-based opposition.

The episode also featured a vignette for Bhupinder Gujjar, the Canadian strongman-turned-wrestler who has drawn attention on the independent circuit and in WWE developmental circles for his powerlifting background and physical presence. Vignettes are typically the first step toward an in-ring arrival or a rebrand, so it’s reasonable to expect Gujjar factoring into MLP programming in the near future, whether as a new signing, a returning act, or part of a fresh storyline push.

MLP Mayhem has increasingly served as a proving ground where recognizable names like Rhino and The Grizzled Young Veterans cross paths with regional independent talent, giving the promotion a mix of nostalgia value and forward-looking storytelling. For a Canadian promotion airing on a national sports network in TSN2, that blend matters — it offers casual viewers a familiar face to latch onto while still building homegrown stars like Hansen, Dorada, and Suicida.

With Gujjar’s vignette now in play and the tag scene heating up after the Grizzled Young Veterans’ loss, MLP appears to be setting the stage for its next block of storylines. Whether Rhino sticks around for more open challenges or Hansen gets a rematch remains to be seen, but Wednesday’s show gave fans several threads worth following as the promotion moves forward.