Michigan Pro Wrestling Shines on Mania Weekend In Tampa

Since its inception in 1985, WrestleMania has grown and evolved into a wrestling phenomenon that showcases talent from all over the country. Over the last several years, the hosting city has had up to forty pro wrestling shows in a five-day span. This year the biggest weekend in wrestling took place in Tampa Bay. Being from Michigan and growing up around the independent scene, I have followed the careers of many of the wrestlers who grew up and started their career in the Mitten State and those currently living in Michigan. Michigan Independent Wrestling was heavily showcased on the biggest weekend of the year, so here is a little background into the wrestlers who were showcased and their involvement in Tampa.

Jake Something  
What’s his name? His name is Jake Something and he has been a fixture in Michigan Wrestling and Impact Wrestling for quite a while now. He recently shed the Deaner name on Impact and had an incredible match against Moose for the TNA Heavyweight Championship. He is also in the main event scene in AAW.  While in Tampa at Unsanctioned Pro, he took on Cole Radrick in a really great match. He also had another solid match with Tony Deppen at No Peace Underground. These matches proved why Jake continues to get the opportunities that he is getting and why he is a future World Champion in Impact Wrestling and anywhere else he goes.

Hakim Zane
His mother calls him son, because he shines like one. Hakim Zane is in Impact Wrestling as Rohit Raju and is a former X-Division Champion. He is one of the best characters that they showcase on a weekly basis. Down in Tampa, he was originally supposed to team with Karam as The Hustle and The Muscle, but an injury sidelined Karam. Hakim didn’t have to worry because Jake Something stepped up to fill in and tag with him at No Peace Underground against The End. This was the first time I’ve seen Hakim in a Hardcore Match and he proved that he has a mean streak just like he does on the mic. He also appeared at Bier Hause and teamed with Ty Hyll. Hakim Zane continues to shine where ever he goes. He also now runs a wrestling school in Northern Michigan that no doubt will help produce a lot of great up and coming wrestlers. Keep turning into Impact Wrestling on Thursday Night’s to check out the amazing work Hakim is doing as Rohit Raju.

Death Threat Army (Jack Price and Tommy Vendetta)
The Death Threat Army is the best faction that I know of in the Midwest. Other members of the faction include Aaron Orion, Alex Weir, Isaiah Broner, and Adam Wick. They fight together, they’ve have fought against each other, but in the end, they are family. Jack Price and Tommy Vendetta appeared at C.R.A.B. Wrestling and were originally suppose be in a Triple Threat Tag Match that involved Capital Vices and Terrence and Terrell. Capital Vice have been traveling to Michigan as of late and they have some history with Death Threat Army leading up to this event. None of that matter because Price, Vendetta and the two members of Capital Vice were put into a Fatal Five Way Match for the Impact Wrestling X-Division Championship with champion Ace Austin. From the clips I saw online this match looked absolutely insane. Both Jack Price and Tommy Vendetta have been collecting a lot of gold lately with the rest of Death Army and I’d expect them to collect a lot more gold within the coming year.

The Dread King Logan
Every time I see The Dread King’s name on a show, it seems like he’s always fighting for a Championship in Michigan or in this case C.R.A.B. He has held multiple Championships throughout Michigan and he’s one of the heartbeats of the Detroit pro wrestling scene. While in Tampa, he challenged for the C.R.A.B. Heavyweight Championship against Mikey Banker. From the highlights I saw of this match, it was a war. Both Banker and Logan beat the hell out of each other and it was definitely personal. Dread King keeps delivering every time he gets in the ring, so it’s no shock that he ended up winning the C.R.A.B. Heavyweight Championship. I’ll be curious if Banker or someone else from C.R.A.B. shows up to Michigan and tries to take the title from him. I have no doubt that The Dread King will continue building his kingdom in Detroit and beyond.

Malcom Monroe III
MM3 comes from a wrestling family that has deep roots to Detroit during the territory days. Some might some say that the Monroe’s are Detroit Wrestling. His father DBA continues to wrestle and MM3 delivers every time he steps in the ring. MM3 recently had an excellent match with X- Division Champion Ace Austin. When he was in Tampa at C.R.A.B. Wrestling, he was involved in a Triple Threat Match that also featured Myron Reed and Mr. Grim. It doesn’t surprise me that people in attendance said that this match was fire and that he put on a show. MM3 is still very young but already has a lot of experience on his resume. Look for him to blaze a trail over the next decade.

Ace Evans of The Nomads
When you have associates like Pickles the Clown and RoadRash you know you’re in good company and part of a bad ass stable. Ace Evans has been a well-known face in Michigan for quite a few years now. He’s also been associated with CJ Anderson, Billy Ray Daniels, Chuck Weeden and Hannah Henderson. He’s won multiple tag team championships throughout multiple states. Ace has also helped trained some of the young and upcoming talent in Michigan along with helping talent with merchandise through Face Kicked Apparel. While in Florida, he wrestled at C.R.A.B Wrestling in a Six Team Gauntlet Match for the C.R.A.B. Tag Team Championships. His partner was a new addition to The Nomads and his name is Jackson Shadowz. Ace and Jackson did very well together from what I gathered from fans in attendance. Don’t be surprised to Jackson Shadowz show up in Michigan sometime in the near future. As for Ace Evans, I have no doubt he will continue to grow The Nomads and will continue to help the upcoming talent in Michigan for years to come.

Nolan Edward
Many who have only followed Nolan within the last year didn’t get to see the start of his career in Michigan. He rose through the ranks extremely fast and eventually started traveling around the country. Much like his schedule before WrestleMania weekend, he was crazy busy in Tampa. Nolan was so busy that I lost count of how many matches he had down in Tampa. He faced TJ Crawford, Angelus Layne, J.D. Drake, Brett Ison, Reed Bently, Eric Ryan, Shlak, Daniel Garcia, Jake Crist, Austin Luke, and Dan Maff. He also teamed with Wolfe Taylor to take on The Hallow. Nolan has proven time and time again that through these matches and the rest of his body of work that he can do it all. He can compete in Deathmatches, Bloodsport and Pit Fighter, but he can also have a five-star wrestling match.

Joseph Schwartz aka Schwartzy
Out of all the wrestlers I’ve seen come from Michigan, the one who has evolved the most has to be Joseph Schwartz. He’s been the been the Hebrew Hammer, leader of the Bomb Shelter, and now goes by Schwartzy. He’s been a comedic character, a serious character and quite the Deathmatch competitor. He has held multiple singles and tag titles throughout Michigan and the rest of the Midwest. At Flophouse Wrestling, he and Big Cuz defended the Flophouse Tag Team Championships against BitCoin Boiz. After hearing about the Flophouse event and how fast the promotion is growing, I have no doubt that Schwartz is going to continue to evolve and showcase his incredible talent wherever he goes.

Solomon Stone
Even though Solomon Stone is from Michigan, he spends a lot of his time outside of the state. He’s made a lot of appearances in Florida, so being in Tampa wasn’t anything new for Stone. He appeared on Flophouse as part of the BAMF Elimination Invitational. He also appeared at GCW “We Run This Town” and teamed with Edge Stone against Culture Inc. Stone’s promos are some of the most creative I’ve seen. His flashy gear, character, and in-ring style or the complete package.  I have no doubt that we’re going to be hearing the name Solomon Stone for many years to come.

Chuck Stein
If you enjoy Deathmatch Wrestling with personality, Chuck Stein is your guy. He’s one of the creative and innovative Deathmatch wrestlers I’ve had a chance to watch. He’s won multiple titles in the Detroit area and he puts on a show every time he is in the ring. He was involved in Carvers Monster Ball Match with four other competitors where the match had no rules enforced. From what I heard from the fan’s attendance, Stein was definitely in his element in this match and shined in this situation as he always does, He also showed up at No Peace and picked a fight with The Hallowed. You can continue to see Stein primarily at Horror Slam and Pro Wrestling All Stars in Detroit.

Randi West
Randi West has been blazing a trail in Women’s Wrestling since 2002. I’ve seen her wrestle in some really great matches from all the YouTube videos I’ve watched. She can do it all. She can do the Hardcore style; she wrestles against boys and she’s held multiple Women’s Championships. Her track record speaks for itself. It is no surprise that she is continuing to make her name for herself where ever she goes. Down in Tampa she competed in the BAMF Elimination Invitational for Flop Wrestling. Even with 19 years in wrestling, I think it’s safe to say that Randi’s career is far from over. She will continue to build what she’s done and will continue to make her matches must see.

Mitch Hewitt
Mitch Hewitt is a name I’ve heard a lot over the last year and that would be due to being another great talent produced by Truth Martini. I began to research his matches and he has wrestled some of the top names in Michigan. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the matches that I’ve seen on YouTube and other various outlets. He was involved the BAMF Elimination Invitational for Flophouse Wrestling and had a solid showing from the highlights I was able to see. He also showed up with Chuck Stein at No Peace and others to pick a fight with The Hallowed. I have no doubt that Mitch has a bright future a head of him and he is someone that everyone should be paying attention to.

Chinstrap Jesus
For those who may have never heard of Chinstrap Jesus, that would be because he has only been around for two years. He trained at the legendary Can-Am Wrestling School with Scott D’Amore. Once I heard about Chinstrap, I began watching his matches on YouTube and I found him to be incredibly unique and entertaining. He has been wrestling everywhere around the Detroit area and has wrestled a lot of different people in a short amount of time. Like many others, he appeared in the joint show ran by C.R.A.B. Wrestling and Flophouse Wrestling. Be on the lookout for Chinstrap Jesus.

Daddy’s Money
With a name like Daddy’s Money, I was intrigued by who these two guys were and I have found them be one of the most entertaining and dynamic duos around.  Cluckey and Mikey Mana have been coming up in Detroit over the last year and their over-the-top antics haven’t gone unnoticed. These guys are just getting started. Even though Mikey was unable to be in Tampa, Cluckey appeared in a Battle Royal for the joint show involving C.R.A.B. Wrestling and Flophouse Wrestling. One of things I enjoy about wrestling is tag team wrestling, so I look forward to seeing what Cluckey and Mana do in the future.

Jeremiah Goldmain
Jeremiah Goldmain is a relative newcomer to the Michigan scene. He is another product of the House of Truth, which is ran by Michigan Wrestling Legend Truth Martini. House of Truth has produced names like Juice Robinson, Michael Elgin, Alex Shelley, Jimmy Jacobs and Zack Gowen. Goldmain has been managing various stars in Michigan and has even been in a rivalry with Hannah Henderson. Goldmain accompanied Malcolm Monroe III at C.R.A.B Wrestling. Goldmain can manage, wrestling and he even hosts his own segment called The Lion’s Den. House of Truth graduates have a great track record of being successful and going places, so be on the lookout for this up and comer, as well as all the other House of Truth graduates who were in Tamp this weekend.

Michigan Independent Wrestling made a big splash in Tampa over Mania weekend. Often my bias comes into play and I feel that Michigan gets very overlooked when it comes to pro wrestling talent. However, with the amount of talent that was down in Tampa it’s a clear indication that Michigan should no longer be overlooked. Every Michigan talent that was a part of Mania Weekend are worthy of being booked on any show in the country.

Special thanks to Beyond Wrestling, C.R.A.B. Wrestling, Flophouse Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling Generation Championship Wrestling, ICW: NO Holds Barred, No Peace Underground, and Unsanctioned Pro for showcasing talent from the Michigan Wrestling Scene. Also special thanks to Fite.TV AND Independent Wrestling TV for streaming all these amazing events. A very special thanks to Antonio Frio and Shaun Sisk for helping me compile a list of wrestlers who were down in Michigan and keeping me up to date on all the happenings down in Florida.