Various: Mistico Set for 4/17 Maple Leaf Pro Multiverse Event in Las Vegas, Ted DiBiase Jr. Welfare Fraud Criminal Case & Trial Update, Indies/Misc.

Mar 18, 2026

Mistico Announced for April 17th Maple Leaf Pro Multiverse Event

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling recently announced that CMLL and AEW talent Mistico will be making his official debut appearance for the company at their Multiverse event on April 17th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

One of the premier high-flyers in the wrestling industry today is joining the fight next month. CMLL's Mistico makes his MLP debut on Friday, April 17 when SLAMFEST presents Multiverse in Las Vegas! Get your tickets now at https://t.co/7ceA6qThip pic.twitter.com/hrvqbVW77z
— MAPLE LEAF PRO Wrestling (@MapleLeafPW) March 17, 2026

Ted DiBiase Jr. Welfare Fraud Criminal Case & Trial Update

As noted before, former WWE wrestler Ted DiBiase Jr. was charged in April of 2023 with several criminal charges by the United States Department of Justice over his involvement in embezzling welfare funds as part of a larger welfare scandal in the State of Mississippi. DiBiase Jr.’s attorneys had filed a motion this past February requesting a mistrial that was denied by the court.

WBLT Channel 3 reported that this past Monday’s trial hearing featured prosecutors presenting forensic accounting testimony alleging that DiBiase Jr. had received more than $2.9 million in welfare-funded money from two Mississippi nonprofits between 2017 and 2019.

FBI forensic accountant Matthew Auckerman reportedly testified for the prosecution stating that he analyzed over a dozen bank accounts tied to DiBiase Jr. and traced the funds from the Mississippi Department of Human Services through the two nonprofits organizations to him. Prosecutors stated that there was a spike in deposits during that period including more than $1 million received in a single day in May 2018. Prosecutors also stated that the money was intended to help needy families but was instead used by DiBiase Jr. for personal purchases including a $1.4 million home, a boat, a tractor, and a truck.

It was reported that witnesses testified that DiBiase Jr. never submitted expense or activity reports and claimed he was aware the money was meant for welfare programs. It was reported that the defense had argued that DiBiase Jr. did not steal the money and claimed he performed legitimate work under the contracts. The defense also argued that DiBiase Jr. was not required to document how the funds were spent.

In a follow-up report, WAPT TV reported that Tuesday’s criminal trial hearing for DiBiase Jr. involved the prosecution officially resting their case against him and DiBiase Jr.’s defense team began presenting their case before the court. It was reported that the defense’s first witness, Kevin McLendon, a former advertising executive and current software developer, had testified that DiBiase Jr. was pursuing a legitimate public-health initiative known as “Get Fit Mississippi.”

McLendon stated that this project was designed as a mobile app aimed at reducing poverty, promoting healthy eating, and addressing the state’s high obesity rate. McLendon also stated that the plan included distributing the app through high schools and installing it on government-issued smartphones. MccLendo also testified that DiBiase Jr. had spent four to six months meeting with officials from the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) to develop the concept for this app.

McLendon stated that he estimated the app would cost between $1.5 million and $2 million to build and the funding expected to come from MDHS. McLendon also stated that the goal was to create a platform that could connect residents to state services and resources.

Misc. Wrestling News & Notes

The National Wrestling Alliance recently announced that AJPW World Tag Team Champions Titans of Calamity (Ren Ayabe & Talos) are the next official team competing in this year’s Crockett Cup tournament at their Crockett Cup 2026 event on April 4th in Forney, Texas.

Major League Wrestling recently announced that NJPW and MLW talent KUSHIDA will be making an appearance for the company at their co-promoted MLW x NJPW FantasticaMania USA on April 12th in Charleston, South Carolina.

Japanese streaming service ABEMA recently announced they will be airing a special 30-hour broadcast on April 11-12 to celebrate their 10th anniversary. It was announced that Olympic judo gold medalist and NJPW talent Aaron Wolf will be making an appearance at this upcomoing broadcast event. It was also announced that Wolf will be competing in a special segment where if a fan is able to get a three count pin on Wolf, they will receive a 10 million yen ($62,000 USD) prize as a gift. Applications for potential challengers officially started on Tuesday, March 17th.

As noted before, a new American Gladiators revival series for Amazon Prime was filmed this past summer. This upcoming revival series features AEW talents Wardlow and Kamille, former WWE talent Rick Boogs, and indies talents Jessie Godderz and J-Rod among its cast. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that this upcoming new revival series is currently scheduled to premiere this Spring on the streaming service.

In a recent interview with WhatCulture Wrestling, Dani Luna gave her thoughts about her having to withdraw from TNA’s Genesis 2026 event this past January due to visa issues and her missing out on the chance to compete for the TNA Knockouts World Championship at the event as a result. Luna stated “Yeah, I mean, it was heartbreaking because obviously I felt like I put so much into… the build to that between, you know, the end of Spitfire to everything I did with Indi Hartwell to then turning that towards Lei Ying Lee. It felt like the rug was very much pulled from under my feet. But I do like to think I’ve kept hold of some of that momentum and it’s all about just rallying it and keeping it going up to getting it back now. It was a whole different champion. I’ve got to get a whole different game plan. But ultimately, I think, I win at the end, so i think it’s okay.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

In a recent interview with the Wrestling Life with Ben Veal podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page provided an update on fellow WWE Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts’ progress with his sobriety from alcoholism. DDP stated “We’re coming up on the 14th year of Jake being sober. I don’t even think about it anymore. I can have a drink around him. He doesn’t care. He used to say, ‘I’m a man, I deserve three beers. I can have three beers.’ At some point, I said, ‘When you’re really a man, it’ll be, I don’t need three beers. I don’t want three beers.’ I know what comes after that. It’s never any good. He’s doing so good.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

In a recent interview with The Stunner, former WWE and current MLW and indies talent Killer Kross gave his thoughts about the reactions some WWE talents have when they are released from their deals with the company. Kross stated “Most people, they have like a panic attack when they leave WWE. You know, I’ll be real with you. I’ll be straight with you. People freak out. It’s the most money a lot of pro wrestlers have ever seen in their lives. But something can happen when you work for any major organization where- if the business is with somebody else, you’ve got to take a backseat, and so does your love for this. You know, you have to be a professional before you’re an artist. But out here on the independents, that’s not the case. The best professional wrestling you will see will come from the heart, and ACW, they promote that. They support that. Tat’s why people love these shows. We had a packed house, full house here. It’s not just for me, it’s for everybody. They know what they’re getting when they walk through the doors. It’s 100% pro wrestling.” (Transcript h/t: Fightful.com)

In a recent interview with the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast, former WWE and current indies wrestler Chris Masters gave his thoughts about if he has any regrets with his wrestling career. Masters stated “Hindsight is always 20/20, but there’s a lot of things I can look back on now that I see much clearer now than I did back then. But wrestling, it’s tough. There’s so much to it and you only learn, really, gradually with time, you know, to master all of it, whether it be the politics or the in-ring stuff or your character and your presentation, all that stuff. So there’s a lot of stuff that I would have probably done differently or that I wish I had known back then, but I know that I know now, right? And the part that breaks my heart is, like over the last 10 years, I’ve been, I’m so comfortable in the ring. It’s my place of comfort. And I just know that I’ve had, you know, some of the best matches of my career. And the fact that those aren’t happening on a bigger platform, that breaks my heart sometimes. Because it’s like, it’d be nice for people to be [able to] appreciate my work and see what I can do now and the fact that I can go out here and do everything pretty darn well.” Master also stated that he is grateful to still be able to wrestle in front of good fans every week on the indies and he has been having a lot of fun doing so. (Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com)

As noted before, Sherilyn Guerrero, daughter of late wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero, had started training this past October for a potential pro wrestling career. In a recent interview with The Magic of Wrestling podcast, Guerrero provided an update on her training with Booker T and his Reality of Wrestling’s school for her pro wrestling career. Guerrero stated “I started training in around October, actually, and it was really cool. I got an ankle sprain in December so I had to sit out for a bit and then just start it back. Something about recovery helps you kind of recalibrate your intention and things with this. And oh man, training is just different now. Coming back into it and the coaches I have, they’re so great in the ring and out the ring. I hope that they all get that light they deserve because Booker has some really great people teaching their students and I’m so lucky. It absolutely is one of the greatest. Yeah, they have great people there. The coaches are great, they pour into their students in and out the ring. I don’t think anyone is scared to go to their coaches, everyone feels comfortable asking questions and trying things again because the coaches make it comfortable. And that’s so important.” Guerrero also gave her thoughts about her being hopeful of making her official in-ring debut at some point this year. Guerrero stated “Who knows? Definitely a debut this year for something.” (Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com)