Michael Paris (October 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Zema Ion. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) using the ring name DJ Z. He also competes on the American independent circuit in promotions such as the International Wrestling Cartel, Velocity Pro Wrestling, IWA East Coast, Pro Wrestling Ohio, and Absolute Intense Wrestling.
Career
Michael Paris claims that his dream to become a professional wrestler began when he first saw mini Luchador Chucky on an Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) television broadcast in 2002. However, Paris has also stated in interviews that he credits watching a match with Yoshihiro Tajiri and Fantastik as his initial inspiration to become a pro wrestler.
In 2003, Paris began training to become a professional wrestler at the Coalition of Competition in Pittsburgh, PA under trainers Super Hentai, Shirley Doe, and Glenn Spectre. He trained there for 14 months before debuting as Shiima Xion, the "first Filipino male supermodel of professional wrestling" on August 21, 2004 against Jason Gory in Wheeling, West Virginia. Shiima Xion competed throughout West Virginia and Ohio in the fall of 2004, since he was not old enough to compete in the state of Pennsylvania. Shortly after turning 18, however, Xion began competing regularly for the International Wrestling Cartel, as well as making appearances in Chikara, Far North Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Unplugged.
By early 2006, the Shiima Xion character had become more of a glam rock star than a male model, as Xion began wearing make-up to the ring, and had also changed his hair color from black to red and blonde. His bizarre hair style soon became his trademark, with Shiima becoming best known for hairspraying his hair during matches
The androgynous character eventually caught the attention of Japanese wrestling promoter Sanshiro Takagi, who invited 19-year old Shiima to tour Japan with his company, Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) in the summer of 2006. Shiima was well received during his first tour of Japan and was invited to return for a 3 month tour in the summer of 2007. Shiima had to decline the offer, however, as he was attending college at West Virginia University.
Shiima Xion was featured in the Introducing... article in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's The Wrestler, volume 19, 2008. The magazine was released on newsstands nationwide on December 4, 2007, with a two-page article spread on Shiima.
International Wrestling Cartel
Shiima Xion made his IWC debut on November 6, 2004 in Munhall, PA. Shiima lost to Jason Gory, who was also making his IWC debut that night. The two feuded for the remainder of 2004, and into 2005, culminating at IWC No Excuses on July 29, 2005. Gory won the feud, and the two would not wrestle again until IWC Super Indy V on April 15, 2006, in which Shiima defeated Gory with the Filipino Destroyer. Post-match saw the two shake hands for the first time in their near two-year long rivalry and eventually led to them forming a tag team known as BabyFace Fire(BFF).
BFF teamed for the first time on July 7, 2006, and were defeated by Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli. The team is best known for their scramble matches with the Gambino Brothers, Sexual Harassment, and the Cleveland Mafia. The second of these scrambles, which took place on December 9, 2006, saw BFF capture their first IWC Tag Team Championship. Xion & Gory held onto the belts until March 2007, in which The Gambino Brothers challenged the champions, despite both BFF members already competing in singles action earlier in the night. The challenge was accepted, and Xion was pinned by Marshall Gambino after interference from Jimmy Demarco. Later that year, after a violent feud with the Gambinos, BFF won their second IWC Tag Team Championship on December 8, 2007. They would hold onto the tag titles twice as long as their first reign, until Sexual Harassment defeated BFF for the belts in June 2008. They also lost their rematch in a huge TLC match in August 2008.
Shiima Xion has also had many notable singles matches in IWC, including battles against Homicide, A.J. Styles, Chris Sabin, Jimmy Jacobs, and Nigel McGuinness. On May 11, 2007 Xion competed in the IWC Super Indy VI tournament. He defeated Ruckus in the first round and Super Hentai in the semifinals before losing to Larry Sweeney in the finals. The next year, Xion competed in the IWC Super Indy VII tournament. In the first round, he defeated "Altar Boy" Luke Hawx. He then lost in the semifinals to the eventual winner of the tournament, Jerry Lynn. In September 2008, Xion defeated Marshall Gambino to qualify for another tournament, for the vacant IWC World Heavyweight Championship. Xion defeated Justin Idol, John McChesney, and Raymond Rowe to advance to the finals, where he defeated Jimmy DeMarco with a 630 splash to win the tournament on October 25 and 26.
At Accept No Limitations, Jimmy DeMarco declared himself promotor because Norm Connors wasn't there. He made a No-DQ match between Shiima and Ray Rowe, with Shiima winning and becoming IWC Champion for a second time.
Dramatic Dream Team
Shiima Xion made his Japanese debut in a losing effort, as Shiima and the MAC were defeated by CMLL/KO-D Tag Team Champions, Dick Togo and Nobutaka Moribe, on June 22, 2006 in Shinjuku, Japan. Shiima also appeared in the Takayuki Mikami-produced Cruiser's Game 4th Special, teaming with Kudo and Susumu against Kagetora, Yuko Miyamoto, and Mannjimaru. Shiima's only win on the tour was on July 2, 2006, in which Shiima, Kudo, and Mikami defeated Harashima, Toru Owashi, and Yusuke Inokuma in Shimane, Japan. Shiima Xion returned to Japan on August 9, 2009, competing in a 6 man tag on a joint show with Macky Puroresu Shop and Big Japan Wrestling. Shiima won the match for his team.
Far North Wrestling
Shiima Xion defeated Jason Gory, CJ Sensation, Jason Cage, Xander Graves, and Michael Blade in a six-way Cruiserweight scramble to win the vacant FNW Cruiserweight Championship on September 22, 2006 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Xion held the title for nearly two years before losing it to Jimi the High-Flying Hippie in two straight falls of a best-of-three falls match on July 19, 2008 in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Xion regained the title from Jimi on November 8 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Shiima then went on to lose the title to "M-Dogg 20" Matt Cross, and won a fatal four way match in Irwin, Pennsylvania to complete his stay in FNW.
International Pro Wrestling
Shiima Xion defeated Rory Fox at October Onslaught on October 19, 2007 in Eagle Pass, Texas to become the third IPW Texas Heavyweight Champion.
Desastre Total Ultraviolento
Shiima Xion made his DTU debut on May 3, 2008 in Mexico City, Mexico in a tag match with Joe Lider against El Generico and Crazy Boy. Xion lost the match after a top rope brainbuster from El Generico. Xion returned to DTU on July 11, 2009 in Tulancingo, Mexico in a 3-way light tube deathmatch with Crazy Boy and Extreme Tiger. Xion lost after a Swanton Bomb from Extreme Tiger. Xion also competed in DTU`s "Fashion" event on on July 26, 2009 in Mexico City, Mexico, where Xion challenged for the DTU championship in a 3-way match with Aero Boy and Ragde. Aero Boy became the new DTU champion after pinning Xion.
IWA East Coast
Xion debuted in Mad Man Pondo's IWA East Coast in the fall of 2007, losing to Sabian and Zac Vincent in his first two matches in the promotion, before appearing nearly regularly in 2008. Since those first two losses, he has defeated Aaron Draven, Joey Mercury and Michael Facade. Shiima has only lost one other match in IWA East Coast, to Chris Hero on August 6.
On November 29, 2008, Xion won the third-annual eight-man Zero G Crown Tournament by defeating Shawn Day, Zac Vincent and Carter Gray in succession. Others in the tournament were David Day, Aaron Draven, Michael Facade and Egotistico Fantastico. Shiima joins Aaron Draven (2007) and Sonjay Dutt (2006) as winners of the annual tournament.
Xion fell to Zac Vincent in a three-way match on February 4, 2009, which also involved Michael Facade. Xion was victorious over Egotistico Fantastico on March 22, 2009 at IWA East Coast's "Scarcade". Xion then beat Jersey All Pro Light Heavyweight Champion Flip Kendrick, two weeks later on April 1, 2009, at the IWA East Coast "Gypsy Joe" Tribute Show.
AAA
Shiima joined the AAA roster in Summer of 2009.
Combat Zone Wrestling
Shiima joined Combat Zone Wrestling in mid-2009 competing in the Best of the Best tournament.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
On June 23, 2011, Paris made an appearance on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Impact Wrestling television show, working under the ring name Zema Ion, defeating Dakota Darsow and Federico Palacios in a three–way X Division match to advance to the tournament finals at Destination X, where a contract with the promotion would be at stake. At the pay-per-view, Ion competed in a 4-way match against Austin Aries, Jack Evans, and Low Ki. Austin Aries won the match by pinning Low Ki. On March 10, 2013 at Lockdown, Ion competed in a three-way match against against Christian York and X-Division Champion Kenny King for the championship, resulting in King retaining his title. On March 21, on Impact Wrestling, Ion again competed in a three-way match for the X-Division Championship against Sonjay Dutt and the reigning champion Kenny King, again with King picking up the victory.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Bible Black - Running double knees to a seated opponent into a rana pin
- From Lust to Dust (Snapmare driver)his match against Ruckus the commentator calls the Snapmare driver From Lust To Dust
- Signature moves
- Filipino Destroyer (Reverse Snapmare driver)
- 630° senton
- Back suplex flipped into a lifted knee strike
- Crystal Pistol (Xion performs a Slingshot Mushroom Stomp, followed into a Sliding Dropkick on the grounded opponent)
Championships and accomplishments
- AIW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Shawn Blaze
- Battle Bowl 2011 winner
- TPI Invitational winner
- Championship Wrestling Experience
- CWE Undisputed Championship (1 time)
- Far North Wrestling
- FNW Cruiserweight Championship (2 times)
- Independent Wrestling Association East Coast
- IWA East Coast Zero-G Crown (2008)
- IWC Super Indy IX Tournament (2010)
- IWC Super Indy Championship (1 time, current)
- IWC Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Jason Gory
- IWC World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- International Pro Wrestling
- IPW Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)
- NEPW United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jason Gory
Personal life
- Michael Paris is a journalism major at West Virginia University.
- He is half Filipino, half French.
External links
| TNA Roster |
|---|
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Ace Austin • Alex Hammerstone • Brian Myers • Cody Deaner • Chris Bey • Crazzy Steve • Eddie Edwards • Frankie Kazarian • Joe Doering • Johnny Swinger • Jonathan Gresham • Josh Alexander • Mike Bailey • Moose • PCO • Rhino • Rich Swann • Steve Maclin • Trey Miguel • Zachary Wentz |
| Knockouts |
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Alisha Edwards • Ash By Elegance • Gisele Shaw • Havok • Jordynne Grace • Killer Kelly • KiLynn King • Masha Slamovich • Rosemary • Savannah Evans • Tasha Steelz • Xia Brookside |