Tag: djz

DJZ and Shane Strickland get new NXT names

Posted on by F4W Staff

By Joseph Currier and JJ Williams

Two more wrestler name changes were made official at NXT’s house show in Largo, Florida on Thursday night.

The former DJZ made his NXT debut and is now going by Joaquin Wilde. He defeated Kona Reeves at the show.

Shane Strickland’s new WWE name is Isaiah Scott. He teamed with Brennan Williams in Largo, with them defeating Brendan Vink & Jermaine Haley.

DJZ reported to the WWE Performance Center in May, while Strickland signing with WWE was officially announced in April.

Five name changes were also confirmed via the Performance Center’s website earlier this week. Trevor Lee is now Cameron Grimes, Jessie Elaban is Jessi Kamea, Eric Bugenhagen is Rik Bugez, Adrian Jaoude is Arturo Ruas, and Luke Menzies is Ridge Holland.

Here are the results from NXT’s show in Largo. The estimated attendance was 400 people:

– Joaquin Wilde defeated Kona Reeves

Wilde made his entrance while wearing his light-up helmet and vest from his time on the independent scene.

– MJ Jenkins defeated Rachael Evers

This match featured Carley Coop as the referee. It seems she’s receiving a tryout this weekend.

– Brennan Williams & Isaiah Scott defeated Brendan Vink & Jermaine Haley (w/ Malcolm Bivens)

For the finish, Williams and Scott used a Doomsday Swerve Stomp with Williams holding Vink up as Scott came off the top.

– Damian Priest defeated Cezar Bononi

Priest is the former Punishment Martinez. He was using the music from his TakeOver vignette.

– NXT Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) defeated The Forgotten Sons (Wesley Blake & Steve Cutler)

The crowd loved The Street Profits in Largo. They celebrated with the fans after their victory.

– Ridge Holland defeated Rik Bugez

A running knee got Holland the win.

– Albert Hardie Jr. defeated Boa

– Karen Q & Xia Li defeated Vanessa Borne & Aliyah

– NXT Champion Adam Cole defeated Keith Lee

This was said to be a great match. Lee hit a pounce on the champ, but he fell to the Panama Sunrise.

DJZ officially reports to WWE Performance Center

Posted on by Joseph Currier

DJZ is officially the latest wrestler to join the WWE Performance Center.

WWE.com confirmed today that DJZ (real name Michael Paris) has signed with the company, noting that he reported to the Performance Center this week. In March, it was reported by PWInsider and confirmed by Dave Meltzer that DJZ signed with WWE and was headed to NXT.

DJZ announced on December 31, 2018 that he was going to be a free agent for the first time in seven years starting at the beginning of 2019: “At midnight tonight, i will be a free agent for the first time in 7 years….and 2019 seems like the perfect time to be available for whatever new opportunities may come my way.”

In Impact Wrestling, DJZ was a two-time X-Division Champion and one-time Tag Team Champion. AIW and AAW were among the promotions he said farewell to before joining WWE. He also participated in PROGRESS Wrestling’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament earlier this month.

DJZ signs with WWE, heading to NXT

Posted on by Bryan Rose

DJZ has signed a deal with WWE and will be joining NXT in the near future.

PWInsider were the first to break the story, saying that a deal was signed in the last week of February and that he will be reporting to the Performance Center under a NXT deal. Dave Meltzer has also confirmed that he has signed.

DJZ first started wrestling under the name Shiima Xion in 2004, wrestling on the independent circuit both in the United States and in Mexico. In 2011, he signed with Impact Wrestling under the name Zema Ion, winning the X Division title the following year. He later adopted a DJ gimmick, associating himself with the Bromans (Jessie Godderz and recent WWE signee Robbie E) and changing his name to DJZ.

He continued to wrestle off and on for Impact Wrestling through 2018, most recently teaming with Andrew Everett to capture the Impact Tag Team titles last April. He announced his departure from Impact Wrestling on 12/31 and has since worked the independent scene including wrestling for AAW, EVOLVE, MLW and PROGRESS.

MLW notes: Middleweight title, DJZ debut, Dreamer vs. Pillman Jr.

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With MJF (Maxwell Jacob Friedman) recovering from a fractured elbow, MLW has announced how they’ll be handling their Middleweight title situation.

There will be a ladder match for the title at MLW’s television tapings in Miami, Florida on December 14. If MJF is cleared to return in time, it will be a five-way match with MJF defending against Andrew Everett, Dezmond Xavier, Kotto Brazil, and Jason Cade. If MJF isn’t cleared, it will be Everett vs. Xavier vs. Brazil vs. Cade to decide the new champion.

MJF tweeted on Sunday that the recovery time for his elbow injury is expected to be 4-6 weeks.

Marko Stunt was originally supposed to be in the ladder match before suffering a broken leg at Joey Janela’s LA Confidential earlier this month.

A Singapore cane match between Tommy Dreamer and Brian Pillman Jr. has also been confirmed for the December 14 MLW show.

MLW will be holding tapings at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami on both Thursday, December 13 and Friday, December 14. MLW has announced that DJZ will be making his debut for the promotion in Miami, and Everett, Xavier, and Dragon Lee will also be debuting as part of the tapings.

Six-way match announced for Impact’s Redemption PPV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The card for Impact Wrestling’s Redemption pay-per-view now has six confirmed matches.

A six-way match was added to the lineup for the PPV today, with it featuring Brian Cage, Taiji Ishimori, DJ Z, El Hijo Del Fantasma, Trevor Lee, and Dezmond Xavier. Ishimori is working the show despite departing Pro Wrestling NOAH last month, and DJ Z is making another appearance for Impact after returning for the first time in over a year at their WrestleMania week event with Lucha Underground.

Redemption is the company’s first PPV since last November and will take place at the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida on April 22nd. The main event was originally supposed to be Austin Aries defending his World Championship against Alberto El Patron, but that was changed to Aries vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Fenix after El Patron was released.

The next match for Redemption will be announced on Monday. Here’s the updated card:

  • Impact World Champion Austin Aries defending against Pentagon Jr. and Fenix in a triple threat match
  • Knockouts Champion Allie defending against Su Yung
  • Eddie Edwards, Moose & Tommy Dreamer vs. Sami Callihan & OVE (Dave & Jake Crist) in a House of Hardcore match
  • X Division Champion Matt Sydal defending against Petey Williams
  • Impact Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defending against Eli Drake & Scott Steiner
  • Brian Cage vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. DJ Z vs. El Hijo Del Fantasma vs. Trevor Lee vs. Dezmond Xavier