Michael Elgin
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Aaron Frobel (born December 13, 1986) is a Canadian
professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
and promoter, better known by his ring name Michael Elgin. He most recently worked for
Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...
, where he was a one-time
GHC Tag Team Champion The Global Honored Crown (GHC) Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah. It was created on October 19, 2001, when Scorpio & Vader defeated Jun Akiyama & Akitoshi Saito in a tourname ...
with Masa Kitamiya. He is best known for his work with
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
(NJPW), where he is a former
NEVER Openweight Champion The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. NEVER is an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal", and "Radical" and was an NJPW-promoted series of events, which ...
. In NJPW, he was also a one-time IWGP Intercontinental and a one-time
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The title was announced on December 21, 2015, with the first champions crowned on January 4, 2016. Through NJPW's relationship with Ring of Honor ...
. He is also known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a one-time
ROH World Champion The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The current champion is Claudio Castagnoli, who is in his second ...
. He has also worked for the
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...
-based company Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, where he is a one-time
PWG World Tag Team Champion The PWG World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the tag team division of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) promotion. It was created and debuted on January 25, 2004, at PWG's Tango & Ca ...
with
Brian Cage Brian Christopher Button
. Frobel debuted in late 2004 using his ring name Michael Elgin, and by the age of 16, he was a regular on the independent circuit. He has competed for promotions including
Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent wrestling promotion. In 1998, John Zandig and five of his students, Ric Blade, T.C.K, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain, along with trainer Jon Dahmer, began to run professional wrestling ...
,
World League Wrestling Harley Race's Wrestling Academy is a professional wrestling school located in Troy, Missouri. It was established in 1999 by former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race. Students of the school are incorporated into the professional wres ...
, Alpha-1 Wrestling, and the
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 199 ...
, where he won the IWA Mid-South Strong Style Championship in 2008. Elgin first appeared for Ring of Honor in 2007. He started competing regularly in 2010 as part of the House of Truth and signed a contract with the company in 2011. That November, Elgin won the 2011 Survival of the Fittest tournament. In 2015, Elgin won the 2015 Survival of the Fittest tournament and became the first wrestler to win the tournament twice. In 2015, Elgin made his debut for NJPW, signing a contract with the promotion the following year. After three years with the promotion, Elgin left New Japan Pro-Wrestling in March 2019 and signed with Impact Wrestling the following month.


Professional wrestling career


Training and early career

Frobel had begun training at a
wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...
at the age of 14. He later moved to training at Squared Circle Training in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada under Rob Fuego in early 2004. In late 2004, Frobel made his
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
debut in
Hamtramck, Michigan Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of ...
using the ring name Michael Elgin. By the age of 16, Frobel, as Elgin, was a regular competitor on the independent circuit. The Ontario Athletic Commission did not allow people under the age of 18 to wrestle professionally in the area, so Frobel travelled to
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, as well as to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
to wrestle in the states of
Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
,
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, and
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
.


Independent promotions (2005–2010)

Frobel, as Elgin, has been a mainstay in several independent promotions, both in the United States and Canada, since 2005. He has wrestled for the Pure Wrestling Association since 2005. That same year, he made two appearances for Empire State Wrestling, and a third in 2009. He made a single appearance for Ultimate Championship Wrestling on November 12, 2005, losing to
Alcatraz Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pris ...
. He also made a single appearance for
World League Wrestling Harley Race's Wrestling Academy is a professional wrestling school located in Troy, Missouri. It was established in 1999 by former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race. Students of the school are incorporated into the professional wres ...
, wrestling at an October 19, 2008 show in a tag team match. In 2011, Elgin appeared at a CRW show, losing a triple threat match to Jake Matthews. Elgin made two appearances for
Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent wrestling promotion. In 1998, John Zandig and five of his students, Ric Blade, T.C.K, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain, along with trainer Jon Dahmer, began to run professional wrestling ...
; he defeated Jay Fenix at ''Night of Infamy 5'' in 2006 and teamed with Andrew Sullivan to defeat Cory Kastle and Danny Pagan at ''Down With The Sickness 4Ever'' in 2008. In 2009, he competed in Independent Wrestling Association: Deep South's Southern Classic Invitational tournament, making it to the three-way final, where he lost to Chrisjen Hayme. Elgin debuted for
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 199 ...
(IWA Mid-South) in September 2006, at ''Lethal Lottery 2006'', when he and Jason Dukes lost to
Ian Rotten John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the United States Wrestling As ...
and
Vito Thomaselli The Thomaselli Brothers are the professional wrestling stable that consists of real life brothers Pauly Thomaselli (Brandon Thomas), Vito Thomaselli (Kent Thomas), and storyline brother Sal Thomaselli (Sal Takavoli). Kent Thomas and Sal Takavoli a ...
. His next IWA Mid-South appearance was in February 2007, when he and Ashley Sixx lost to Blackout ( Joker and Sabian). Elgin and Ash continued to team together throughout early 2007, losing to team including The Iron Saints, and Southern Rock (Hillbilly Jed and Indiana Kidd, Jr.) before earning their first win against The Naptown Dragons (Die Hard and Vortekz) at ''April Bloodshowers 2007''. The team of Elgin and Sixx named themselves "Pretty Unreal" and continued to feud with various members of The Naptown Dragons
faction Faction or factionalism may refer to: Politics * Political faction, a group of people with a common political purpose * Free and Independent Faction, a Romanian political party * Faction (''Planescape''), a political faction in the game ''Planes ...
, winning several tag team matches against them. At ''Summer Scorcher'' in June, The Pretty Unreals suffered their first loss to The Naptown Dragons, when they were defeated by Die Hard and Vortekz in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. After a hiatus, Elgin returned to IWA Mid-South in October as a singles wrestler, wrestling against
Drake Younger Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...
,
Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due t ...
,
Eddie Kingston Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by his ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Kingston started his wrestling career in 2002, and has wrestled for numerou ...
, and
2 Cold Scorpio Charles Bernard Scaggs (born October 25, 1965) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name 2 Cold Scorpio (sometimes spelled Too Cold Scorpio). He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Extrem ...
. On March 1, 2008, Elgin defeated Strong, Younger, and Viking in a
four-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
to win the
vacant Within the context of building construction and building codes, "occupancy" refers to the use, or intended use, of a building, or portion of a building, for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property. A closely related meaning is t ...
IWA Mid-South Strong Style Championship. He successfully defended the championship in a three-way match against Tank and Toby Klein at ''April Bloodshowers 2008'', against CJ Otis at ''Extreme Intentions'', against Jimmy Clough at ''Gory Days 4'' in July, and against
Bobby Fish Robert Anthony Fish (born October 27, 1976) is an American professional wrestler currently appearing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed E ...
the following month at ''Put Up or Shut Up 2008'', before losing the championship to
Nick Gage Nicholas William Wilson (born September 22, 1980), better known by his ring name Nick Gage, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where he is the current GCW World Champion in his record-setting t ...
at ''We are Family 2'' on August 17, ending a six-month reign. In September, Elgin was a competitor in the
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
Ted Petty Invitational The Ted Petty Invitational tournament (the TPI) is an independent wrestling tournament in North America, run and promoted by Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South. Created as the Sweet Science Sixteen in 2000 by Ian Rotten, the tournament wa ...
, where he defeated
Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
in the first round, before losing to Younger in the quarter-finals. On March 9, 2009, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Dingo for the
IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship The IWA World Championship is the major title in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky. The title debuted at the "Crowning of a Champion" event on April 3, 1997, when Tower of Doom won a twelve man tournamen ...
at ''2009 King of the Death Matches Night One''. Throughout 2009, Elgin formed a semi-regular tag team with
Sami Callihan Samuel Alton Johnston (born September 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by the ring name Sami Callihan, currently signed with Impact Wrestling and is a former Impact World Champion. He also wrestled for Luch ...
, and the pair faced teams including
Da Soul Touchaz Da Soul Touchaz is a professional wrestling alliance, currently consisting of American professional wrestlers Acid Jaz, Marshe Rockett, Willie Richardson and manager C. Red. The group is best known for working for Chikara, but has also worked ...
and The Michigan Militia of Jeff Brooks and Brian Skyline. Elgin also competes for Alpha-1 Wrestling, where he won the Alpha-1 Wrestling Zero Gravity Championship. He competed for Stranglehold Wrestling in 2007. He was a competitor in the first annual Dewey "Missing Link" Robertson Memorial Tournament in December, making it to the semi-finals before losing to GT Dynamite. Frobel attended a
World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...
(WWE) tryout camp in mid-2010.


Blood, Sweat and Ears and Maximum Pro Wrestling (2005–2006, 2009–2011)

At
BSE Pro BSE Pro (Formerly Blood Sweat and Ears) (or BSE Wrestling) was a Canadian independent professional wrestling organization, founded in 2005. It held 10-12 events a year in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as quarterly tours to Northern Ontario c ...
's inaugural show in 2005, Elgin appeared as part of a
six-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...
. In December of that year, Elgin was part of a suicide six-pack match won by El Sombra. Canadian Online Explorer writer Bob Kapur called Elgin "the breakout performer" of the match due to his in-ring abilities and reactions to the crowd. He feuded with Ashley Sixx in late 2005 and early 2006, losing to him on multiple occasions. In May 2006, Elgin teamed with Anton Arakis in a tag team loss to Trent Powers and Phil Atlas at a Blood, Sweat and Ears show. He continued to lose throughout 2006 to wrestlers including Kobra Kai and Tarantula Gomez, failing to win a match in the promotion. After a three-year hiatus, Elgin returned to the promotion, now called BSE Pro, in a loss to Josh Taylor on August 16, 2009. At the following show, ''Devil's Night 2009'' in October, Elgin earned his first victory for the promotion by defeating Big Bang Pete. He then formed a regular tag team with Ashley Sixx and the duo faced off against Assault and Battery (Mike Alias and Kenneth Crises) to win the BSE Tag Team Championship on November 7. The held the championship for two weeks, before dropping it to The All Starters in a three-way cage match also involving Assault and Battery. In 2010, BSE Pro merged with
Border City Wrestling Border City Wrestling (BCW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion owned and booked by Scott D'Amore, and based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Many of the promotion's employees were trained at the ''Can-Am'' wrestling school. Aft ...
to form
Maximum Pro Wrestling Maximum Pro Wrestling (MaxPro) was a Canadian independent professional wrestling organization, founded in 2010 with the merger of Scott D'Amore's Border City Wrestling out of Windsor, Ontario and BSE Pro Wrestling out of Toronto, Ontario. Histor ...
, and Elgin began competing for the new promotion. On March 20, Elgin and Sixx lost to
Manabu Soya is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling. He previously lived in Canada training at the Can-Am Wrestling School under Scott D'Amore, working regularly for the Maximum Pro Wrestling promotion. He is c ...
and
Jon Bolen Jonathan Bolen is an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He currently competes on the independent circuit including Maximum Pro Wrestling, the International Wrestling Cartel and the National Wrestling Alliance. After winning Total No ...
. In May 2010, he and Sixx defeated Black Serpent and Kobra Kai in a tag team match. At ''Return To The Arctic Day 1'' in May 2011, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged
Tyson Dux Tyson Moody (born June 19, 1978), known by his ring name Tyson Dux (pronounced "Dukes"), is a Canadian professional wrestler, who is currently wrestling for various independent promotions. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (1997 ...
for the MaxPro Triple Crown Championship. On September 10, 2011, Elgin defeated Matt Cross. Two weeks later, Elgin lost to Crazy Steve.


Great Canadian Wrestling (2006–2010)

At ''Reach for the Gold'' on April 13, 2006, Elgin won a ladder match to win the GCW National Championship, and become the inaugural champion. He held the championship for just over a month, before dropping it to
TJ Wilson Theodore James "TJ" Wilson (born July 11, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Tyson Kidd. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works as a producer. The final graduate of the Hart Dungeon, Wilson w ...
in a
triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, also involving
Shark Boy Dean Matthew Roll (born January 28, 1975) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Shark Boy. Prior to his appearances in TNA, Roll competed on the independen ...
, at ''Battleground Zero''. At the Super Hardcore Anime Wrestling Expo in May 2006, Elgin won a triple threat match by defeating Wilson and
Johnny Devine John Parsonage (born April 27, 1974) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Hot Shot" Johnny Devine. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Professional wrestling career Early ye ...
. Also at the Expo, Elgin regained the GCW National Championship, when he and Mike Stevens defeated Wilson and Devine in a tag team match with the championship on the line. At ''Breaking Point'' on August 10, Devine defeated Elgin for the championship in a
Lumberjack match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
; however, Devine was ruled to have won via disqualification and therefore Elgin retained the championship. On September 15, Devine defeated Elgin in a cage match to win the championship. On November 18, 2006, Elgin filled in for the injured GCW Ontario Independent Champion Jake O'Reilly in a title defense against Hayden Avery, but lost the match, making Avery the new champion. Elgin and O'Reilly then formed a regular tag team, and on December 28, at ''Season's Beatings'', they defeated the Lunatics (Crazzy Steve and Gutter) to win the GCW Tag Team Championship. On January 12, 2007, O'Reilly attacked Elgin, ending their partnership and causing the GCW Tag Team Championship to be
vacated A vacated judgment (also known as vacatur relief) makes a previous legal judgment legally void. A vacated judgment is usually the result of the judgment of an appellate court, which overturns, reverses, or sets aside the judgment of a lower court. ...
. Two months later, at ''Ugandan Invasion'' Elgin teamed with Havok (formerly Johnny Devine) to defeat O'Reilly and
Joe Doering Joseph Doering (born April 16, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is a member of Violent By Design. He is currently inactive due to cancer surgery. He is a former two-time Impact World Tag ...
in a match for the vacant championship. Derek Wylde replaced Havok as the co-champion and Elgin's tag team partner during the reign, after accepting Elgin's offer to team up on April 13. The following night, Elgin and Wylde were defeated by O'Reilly and Crazzy Steve in a match for the championship, but the decision was reversed and Elgin and Wylde retained the championship. At ''Beyond the Limit'' in July, Elgin was injured prior to a title defense, so Andrew Davis substituted for him in the match. Wylde and Davis lost the match and the GCW Tag Team Championship to Avery and
Cody Deaner Christopher Gray (born March 7, 1982), better known by his ring name Cody Deaner, is a Canadian professional wrestler signed with Impact Wrestling, where he competes under the ring name Deaner (a shortened version of his previous ring name) and ...
. Also in 2007, Elgin was GCW's storyline CEO and was involved in a feud with former CEO Jamie Virtue. On December 27, 2010, Elgin defeated Mike Rollins in his final GCW match.


Ring of Honor (2007, 2008, 2010–2016)

Frobel had his first tryout match with Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2007. At ''The Battle Of St. Paul'' on April 27, 2007, Elgin faced
Rhett Titus Everett Lawrence Titus (born September 15, 1987) is an American professional wrestler working for Ring of Honor (ROH). where he is a former ROH World Television Champion, an overall two-time ROH Tag Team Champion individually, as well as winn ...
in a singles match that ended in a
no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...
when
Jimmy Rave James Michael Guffey (December 8, 1982 – December 12, 2021), better known by the ring name Jimmy Rave, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Ear ...
attacked both men. Immediately afterward, Rave defeated Elgin in a singles match. Almost a year later, Elgin returned to ROH on April 18, 2008, at '' Tag Wars 2008'', where he, Danny Daniels, and Michael Nakazawa were defeated in a six-man tag team match by Pelle Primeau, Mitch Franklin, and Ernie Osiris. Elgin's next appearance came at ''Survival of the Fittest 2010'' in November 2010, when he made his main roster debut as part of the House of Truth
faction Faction or factionalism may refer to: Politics * Political faction, a group of people with a common political purpose * Free and Independent Faction, a Romanian political party * Faction (''Planescape''), a political faction in the game ''Planes ...
led by
Truth Martini Martin Krcaj (born May 8, 1975) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, and trainer better known by the ring name Truth Martini. He is perhaps best known as the manager of The House of Truth stable in Ring of Honor. Career Early ...
. As part of his debut, the House of Truth (Elgin,
Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due t ...
and
Zach Gowen Zachary Mark Gowen (born March 30, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. Gowen competed for World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Gowen's left leg was amputated when he was eight years old. He is t ...
), faced and lost to the
Briscoe Brothers The Briscoe Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jay Briscoe (Jamin "Jay" Pugh) and Mark Briscoe (Mark Pugh). They are known for their 19-year tenure with the American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). and ...
(Jay and Mark) and Christopher Daniels. The following night at ''Fate of an Angel II'', Elgin and Gowen lost to the team of Bobby Dempsey and Grizzly Redwood. After the match, Elgin attacked Gowen until Dempsey and Redwood stopped him. Elgin's next appearance was at ''World's Greatest'' on February 25, 2011, where he lost to Christopher Daniels. At the 9th Anniversary Show internet pay-per-view the next night, Elgin lost to
El Generico Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline. Prior to joi ...
. He then interfered in Strong's match against Homicide, helping Strong to retain his ROH World Championship. At ''Defy or Deny'' in March, Elgin lost to Eddie Edwards, and at the following show, ''Manhattan Mayhem IV'', Elgin and
Mike Mondo Michael Brendli (born March 26, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE as Mike Mondo and Mikey as a member of The Spirit Squad. He also appeared in Major League Wrestling (MLW) in a tag team with fellow ...
lost to
Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Adam Cole. He is also known for his tenures with WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). C ...
and
Kyle O'Reilly Kyle Edward Greenwood (born March 1, 1987) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs under the ring name Kyle O'Reilly. He is also known for his time in Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2009 to 20 ...
, causing Elgin to attack Mondo. Frobel signed a contract with ROH on March 19, 2011, tying him to the company through December 2012. Elgin appeared at both days of the
Honor Takes Center Stage Honor Takes Center Stage was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place over two consecutive days, on 1 and 2 April 2011, at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, with the 1 April show at 8pm E ...
pay-per-view, defeating Generico on night one, before losing to Daniels on night two. At Best in the World 2011 in July, Elgin defeated
Steve Corino Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino (born May 29, 1973) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE as a trainer and producer for their developmental territory NXT. He is best known for his tenure with Extreme Championshi ...
. Elgin appeared at the ''
Ring of Honor Wrestling ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'', often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'' or ''ROH TV'', is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). The series featured professional wrestlers competing in matches and condu ...
'' television tapings on August 13, losing to Edwards in a rematch from ''Defy or Deny''. The match aired on television in October. At ''Tag Team Turmoil 2011'', Elgin and Strong lost to
The American Wolves The American Wolves are a professional wrestling tag team which consisted of Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. They are seven-time world tag team champions being five-time TNA World Tag Team Champions and two-time ROH World Tag Team Champions. ...
of Davey Richards and Edwards. Elgin then appeared at the
Death Before Dishonor IX Death Before Dishonor IX (DBD IX) was the 9th ROH Death Before Dishonor professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on September 17, 2011, at the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center in the New ...
pay-per-view in September, where he lost to
Charlie Haas Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American professional and former amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000-2009 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010-2013. In WWE he was a me ...
. At the television tapings in October, Elgin and Strong lost a rematch to The American Wolves, which aired in November. On November 18, Elgin won the 2011 Survival of the Fittest tournament. He won a four-corner survival match against
Kenny King Kenneth, Ken or Kenny King may refer to: Ken King * Ken King (born 1971), American politician and businessman * Ken King (ice hockey) (1952–2020), Canadian sports executive Kenneth King * Kenneth George King or Jonathan King (born 1944), Englis ...
, Adam Cole, and
Tommaso Ciampa Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa. Whitney began his career in 2005, working on several independent ...
to advance to the tournament final, a six-man elimination match, in which he last eliminated Kyle O'Reilly to win the tournament and a guaranteed ROH World Championship match. At the
Showdown in the Sun Showdown in the Sun was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH) that took place over two consecutive days: Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31, 2012 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdal ...
pay-per-view on March 31, 2012, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Davey Richards for the ROH World Championship. The match was later given a five-star rating by
Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...
of the ''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...
''. Elgin later defeated fellow break-out star Adam Cole at Border Wars, in his hometown of Toronto. On July 20, ROH announced that Elgin had signed a long-term contract extension with the promotion. After months of teasing dissension between Elgin and the rest of the House of Truth, Elgin finally turned on the faction on September 16 at Death Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency by attacking Roderick Strong. At the following internet pay-per-view, Glory By Honor XI: The Unbreakable Hope on October 13, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged
Kevin Steen Kevin Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. Steen began his career in 2000, at the age of 16. Prior to joining WWE in lat ...
for the ROH World Championship. After the match, Elgin was attacked by Roderick Strong. The attack led to a match on December 16 at Final Battle 2012: Doomsday, where Elgin was defeated by Strong, following interference from Truth Martini. On March 2, 2013, at the 11th Anniversary Show, Elgin defeated Strong in a
two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, during which Martini was banned from ringside. On April 6, at
Supercard of Honor VII Supercard of Honor VII was the 7th Supercard of Honor professional wrestling internet pay-per-view (iPPV) event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on April 5, 2013 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York. Storylines S ...
, Elgin defeated
Jay Lethal Jamar Shipman (born April 29, 1985), better known by the ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Dubbed "The Franchise" of Ring of Honor, Lethal is a two-time ROH World Champio ...
to become the number one contender to the ROH World Championship. Before Elgin got his title shot however, the ROH World Championship was vacated and he was entered in the tournament to determine the new champion. In August, Elgin defeated
Paul London Paul Michael London (born April 16, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his time with WWE. After being trained at the Texas Wrestling Academy, London began competing for Ring of Hon ...
and Karl Anderson to advance to the semifinals of the tournament. The following month, at Death Before Dishonor XI, Elgin defeated Kevin Steen to make it to the finals of the tournament, where he was defeated by Adam Cole. On October 26 at Glory By Honor XII, Elgin earned himself another shot at the ROH World Championship by pinning Cole to win a four-on-four elimination tag team match between ROH's champions and their top contenders. Elgin received his title shot on December 14 at
Final Battle 2013 Final Battle 2013 was the 12th Final Battle professional wrestling event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH), which occurred on December 14, 2013 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York. Background ''Final Battle 2013'' featured eight pr ...
, but was defeated by Cole in a three-way match, which also included Jay Briscoe. In May 2014, Elgin took part in a tour co-produced by ROH and
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
(NJPW). On May 17 at
War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appearance in hardcover was i ...
, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged
A.J. Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
for NJPW's top title, the
IWGP Heavyweight Championship The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IW ...
, in a three-way match, which also included
Kazuchika Okada (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Okada is a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion where his fourth reign with the championship is the longest in history at 720 days. He also h ...
. Elgin continued to feud with Adam Cole over the ROH World Championship; the storyline saw Cole attack Elgin and cut off his hair, before expanding to include Elgin's real-life wife
MsChif Rachel Frobel (née Collins) is an American professional wrestler who is better known by her ring name MsChif. She has been wrestling since 2001 and in that time has worked for several independent promotions across the United States, with guest m ...
, who Cole also attacked. On June 22 at Best in the World 2014, Elgin defeated Cole to become the new ROH World Champion. Elgin would go on to defend the title seven times before losing it to Jay Briscoe on September 6 at All Star Extravaganza 6, ending his reign as ROH World Champion at 76 days. The following day it was reported that behind the scenes Elgin had not only fallen out of favor with ROH management, but was for the moment also unable to get out of Canada due to a work visa issue. On October 6, ROH announced that Elgin was returning to the promotion the following weekend. However, just hours later, Elgin quit the promotion on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, claiming that ROH had promoted him for an event he was not going to appear at. Elgin returned to ROH as a
villain A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character ...
with a new, disgruntled character on October 25, first walking out on an interview with Kevin Kelly and then refusing to wrestle
Caprice Coleman Caprice Coleman (born March 20, 1977) is an American professional wrestler who competes or has competed in Mid-Atlantic and Southern independent promotions including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, NWA Wildside, Ring of Honor and, in recent year ...
. On November 7, 2015, it was reported that Elgin had signed a new deal with ROH. In November 2015, Elgin participated in the 2015 Survival of the Fittest tournament, which he won after pinning Jay Briscoe in the finals. Elgin became the first wrestler to win the tournament twice. On December 15, 2016, Elgin announced that outside of joint shows with NJPW, he would no longer be working for ROH.


Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2012–2017)

On May 25, 2012, Elgin made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, losing to
Willie Mack Willie McClinton Jr. (born January 5, 1987) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Willie Mack, currently appearing in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. He is best known for his tenure with Impact Wrestling, where he is a ...
. On July 21 at ''Threemendous III'', PWG's nine-year anniversary event, Elgin defeated Sami Callihan for his first win in the promotion. On September 1, Elgin entered the 2012 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating Davey Richards in his opening round match. The following day, Elgin first defeated
Brian Cage Brian Christopher Button
in the quarterfinal round, then Ricochet in the semifinal, before losing to Adam Cole in the final round of the tournament. On October 27 at ''Failure to Communicate'', Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Kevin Steen for the
PWG World Championship The PWG World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) professional wrestling promotion. It was first introduced in 2003 as the PWG Championship. The inaugural champion was Frankie Kazarian. ...
in a three-way match, which also included Ricochet. On January 12, 2013, Elgin and Brian Cage formed a
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
called the Unbreakable F'n Machines (a name derived from both wrestlers' nicknames) and participated in the 2013 Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament. In the opening round, they captured the
PWG World Tag Team Championship The PWG World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the tag team division of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) promotion. It was created and debuted on January 25, 2004, at PWG's Tango & C ...
by beating the previous year's winners, the Super Smash Bros. (
Player Uno Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...
and Stupefied). The Unbreakable F'n Machines then lost the championship to
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
(Matt and Nick Jackson) in the semifinal round of the tournament later that same day. On August 30, Elgin entered the 2013 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating
Rich Swann Richard Allen Swann (born February 15, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He is a former Impact World Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Impact X Division Champion and Impact Digital Media Cha ...
in his first round match. The following day, Elgin first defeated Roderick Strong and then
Johnny Gargano John Anthony Nicholas Gargano (born August 14, 1987) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Johnny Gargano. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is best known for his time in NXT, wh ...
to advance to the finals of the tournament, where he was defeated by Kyle O'Reilly.


New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2015–2019)


Gaining popularity and Intercontinental Champion (2015–2016)

Through ROH's working relationship with NJPW, Elgin made his debut for the Japanese promotion by taking part in the
2015 G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...
between July 23 and August 15. He finished his tournament with a record of four wins and five losses, failing to advance from his block. Elgin quickly became popular among Japanese crowds and his performance in the tournament was called a "career resurgence". In November, it was announced he would team with
Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...
in the 2015 World Tag League. They finished the tournament with a record of four wins and two losses, narrowly missing the finals due to losing to block winners
Togi Makabe , better known by his ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, two-time ...
and
Tomoaki Honma is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is a former one-time IWGP Tag Team Champion and a two-time World Tag League winner with Togi Makabe. Professional wrestling career Big Jap ...
in the head-to-head match. On January 4, 2016, at
Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome Wrestle Kingdom 10 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2016, in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo Dome. It was the 25th January 4 Tokyo Dome S ...
, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Jay Lethal for the ROH World Championship. On February 20, it was reported that Elgin had signed a two-year deal with NJPW. This was confirmed by NJPW on March 3. In his first tour under a NJPW contract, Elgin made it to the semifinals of the 2016 New Japan Cup, before losing to
Hirooki Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishii ...
. On March 20, Elgin received his first title shot in NJPW, when he, Hiroshi Tanahashi and
Juice Robinson Joseph Ryan Robinson (born April 10, 1989), better known by his ring name Juice Robinson, is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Robinson is also a member of the Bullet Club stable and also wrestles ...
unsuccessfully challenged The Elite (
Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. Omega is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he also performs. Omega is a former one-ti ...
and The Young Bucks) for the
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The title was announced on December 21, 2015, with the first champions crowned on January 4, 2016. Through NJPW's relationship with Ring of Honor ...
. On April 10 at
Invasion Attack 2016 Invasion Attack 2016 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on April 10, 2016, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan, and featured nine matches, six of which were contested fo ...
, Elgin won his first title in NJPW, when he, Tanahashi and Yoshitatsu defeated The Elite to become the new NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions. They made their first successful defense on April 23 against
Bad Luck Fale Simi Taitoko Fale (born 8 January 1982) is a Tongan-New Zealand professional wrestler and former rugby union player. He currently works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as . In NJPW, he is a three-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champio ...
, Kenny Omega and
Yujiro Takahashi , is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of Bullet Club and its sub-group House of Torture. Takahashi entered New Japan in November 2003 with an extensive amateur backgr ...
. Four days later, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Omega for the
IWGP Intercontinental Championship The was a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was officially announced on January 5, 2011 and the Inaugural Champion MVP was c ...
. This marked the first time two Canadians had main evented a NJPW show. On May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2016, Elgin, Tanahashi and Yoshitatsu lost the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship back to The Elite. On June 19 at Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall, Elgin replaced an injured Hiroshi Tanahashi and defeated Kenny Omega in NJPW's first ever ladder match to become the new IWGP Intercontinental Champion. From July 22 to August 13, Elgin took part in the 2016 G1 Climax, where he finished with a record of five wins and four losses. Elgin failed to advance to the finals due to losing to
Katsuhiko Nakajima is a Japanese professional wrestler, signed to Pro Wrestling Noah. He started his career in Riki Choshu's Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling (WJ) promotion before heading to Kensuke Sasaki's Kensuke Office/Diamond Ring dojo and promotion. He ...
on the final day. On September 25 at Destruction in Kobe, Elgin lost the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to
Tetsuya Naito is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the leader of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japón'' faction. Tetsuya Naito began training for a professional wrestling career in 2000, initially under Anim ...
. On October 10 at King of Pro-Wrestling, Elgin suffered a broken left eye socket taking a
dropkick A dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as they jump so that when the feet connec ...
from Naito. The injury would require surgery and forced Elgin to pull out of all future events, including a scheduled IWGP Intercontinental Championship rematch with Naito at Power Struggle.


Teaming with Jeff Cobb and NEVER Openweight Champion (2017–2019)

Elgin returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, at
Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2017, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 26th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show, which is NJPW's ...
, winning the pre-show
New Japan Rumble In professional wrestling, a battle royal (sometimes battle royale; plural battles royal or battle royals) is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared the winner. Typical battles royal begin w ...
after entering as the first man in. On February 11 at
The New Beginning in Osaka The New Beginning is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held since 2011 as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event also aired outside Japan as an internet pay-per-view ...
, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. After being sidelined from NJPW due to the size of the promotion's roster, Elgin returned on June 11 at
Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on June 11, 2017, in Osaka, Osaka, at the Osaka-jō Hall and was the ninth event under the Dominion name and third i ...
, losing to
Cody Cody may refer to: People *Cody (given name) *Cody (surname) * Cody (wrestler), a ring name of Cody Runnels Places Canada * Cody, British Columbia United States * Cody, Florida * Cody (Duluth), Minnesota * Cody, Missouri * Cody, Nebraska *Cody, ...
. On July 1 at
G1 Special in USA G1 Special in USA was a two-day professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The two shows took place on July 1 and 2, 2017, in Long Beach, California, United States at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. ...
, Elgin took part in a
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
to determine the inaugural
IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion The is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The current champion is Will Ospreay, who is in his first reign. History Backgr ...
, but was eliminated in his first round match by Kenny Omega. Later that month, Elgin entered the
2017 G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...
. Despite a win over 2016 G1 Climax winner and reigning IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega, Elgin finished second to last in his block with a record of four wins and five losses. Due to his win over Minoru Suzuki in the tournament, Elgin was granted a shot at the
NEVER Openweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. NEVER is an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal", and "Radical" and was an NJPW-promoted series of events, which ...
on September 10 at Destruction in Fukushima, but was defeated by Suzuki in a lumberjack deathmatch. At the end of the year, Elgin teamed with the debuting
Jeff Cobb Jeffrey Cobb (ジェフ・コブ ''Jefu Kobu'', born July 11, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where he is a two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion with United Emp ...
in the
2017 World Tag League __NOTOC__ The is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of ...
. The two did not get along behind the scenes with Elgin making disparaging remarks about his tag team partner in private messages that were made public while the tournament was still in progress. They finished the tournament with a record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals. At New Japan's Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall show, Elgin faced and defeated
Taichi Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called " shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. T ...
and
Hirooki Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. Since his debut, he has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He is also known for being the longest reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion with his Chaos stablemates, Tomohiro Ishii ...
to win the
NEVER Openweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. NEVER is an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal", and "Radical" and was an NJPW-promoted series of events, which ...
for the first time. On June 17, 2018 at Kizuna Road, Elgin lost the NEVER openweight title back to Goto in his first defence of the title. Elgin participated in the 2019 New Japan Cup, losing in the first round to Okada. The tour surrounding the tournament featured Elgin's final match with the promotion on March 24, 2019, teaming with Colt Cabana and
Toa Henare Aaron Henry (born 5 August 1992) is a New Zealand professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) under the ring name Aaron Henare (アーロン・ヘナーレ). He previously wrestled under as . Early life Henry was b ...
to defeat
Tencozy Tencozy (occasionally spelled "Ten-Koji") is a professional wrestling tag team that has competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. They are seven-time tag team champions (List of IWGP Tag Team Champions, six-time IWGP Tag Tea ...
and
Shota Umino is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Early life Umino was born on April 13, 1997, in the special ward of Setagaya in Tokyo, Japan. He is the son of NJPW referee Hiroyuki Umino (also known un ...
. On April 1, Elgin officially parted ways with NJPW.


Mexico (2016–2018)

On June 1, 2016, the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion announced Elgin as a participant in the 2016 International Gran Prix. On June 23, 2016, Elgin made his debut in Lucha Libre Elite defeating
Jinder Mahal Yuvraj Singh Dhesi (born July 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, under the ring name Jinder Mahal. Having started his career on the independent circuit, Mahal joine ...
. On June 25, 2016, Elgin also became Lucha Libre Elite's inaugural World Champion by defeating Volador Jr. in a tournament final. On July 1, Elgin took part in the 2016 International Gran Prix, from which he was eliminated by
Último Guerrero José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexican (or professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He is not related to ...
. On July 10, Elgin was defeated by Último Guerrero in
Arena México Arena México is an indoor arena in Mexico City, Mexico, located in the Colonia Doctores neighborhood in the Cuauhtémoc borough. The arena is primarily used for professional wrestling, or ''lucha libre'', shows promoted by Consejo Mundial de Luc ...
. Elgin's Mexican tour concluded the following day. On July 26, 2017, CMLL announced Elgin as a participant in the 2017 International Gran Prix. He started the CMLL tour on August 22. On September 1, Elgin was the last man eliminated from the 2017 International Gran Prix by
Diamante Azul DMT Azul (born December 20, 1982) is the best known ring name of a Mexican ''Luchador Enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. Azul is best known for his time in Mexican professional wr ...
. Elgin's Mexican tour concluded the following day. On October 5, Elgin eliminate
Último Guerrero José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexican (or professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He is not related to ...
winning the 2018 International Gran Prix. On November 3, 2018, in
The Crash Lucha Libre The Crash Lucha Libre, also referred to as simply The Crash, is a '' lucha libre'' (Mexican professional wrestling) promotion based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The promotion largely runs its events in Tijuana, Mexico City, and Monterre ...
Elgin participated in a Fatal 4-Way by The Crash Heavyweight Championship against Willie Mack, Bárbaro Cavernario and El Mesías in which he was defeated by Mack in the 7th anniversary of The Crash.


Impact Wrestling (2019–2020)

Elgin debuted at Impact Wrestling's
Impact Wrestling Rebellion Rebellion is a professional wrestling pay-per-view List of Impact Wrestling pay-per-view events, event produced by Impact Wrestling, which is annually held during the month of April. The event was first held in 2019 and it has since become one of t ...
show, confronting
Brian Cage Brian Christopher Button
moments after Cage became the new Impact World Champion and attacked him afterwards. On the May 3 episode of Impact Wrestling, Elgin defeated
Johnny Impact John Randall Hennigan (born October 3, 1979) is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name John Morrison. He is best known for his time in WWE, Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground. Hennigan currently makes ap ...
and Pentagón Jr. in a triple threat to determine the number one contender for the Impact World Championship. On the May 17 episode of Impact Wrestling, Elgin lost to
Rich Swann Richard Allen Swann (born February 15, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He is a former Impact World Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Impact X Division Champion and Impact Digital Media Cha ...
by disqualification when Elgin beat down Swann outside of the ring. On June 7, at the Slammiversary XVII event, Elgin faced Cage for the Impact World Championship, but lost the match. Elgin would attack Cage after their match, only to be speared by a returning
Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
. At Bound for Glory 2019, Elgin defeated
Naomichi Marufuji (born September 26, 1979) is a Japanese professional wrestler who competes for Pro Wrestling Noah, with occasional appearances in other professional wrestling promotions including New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), ...
. At Hard To Kill, Elgin lost to Eddie Edwards. On June 22, 2020, it was announced that Elgin was suspended by Impact following sexual assault allegations that were made public as part of the
Speaking Out movement The Speaking Out movement is a social movement against emotional, physical and sexual abuse in the professional wrestling industry, where people publicize their allegations of misconduct committed by powerful and/or prominent individuals. Similar ...
. On June 26, Impact Wrestling announced Elgin would be removed from all future programing and his contract would be terminated.


Pro Wrestling Noah (2019–2022)

Elgin made his
Pro Wrestling NOAH (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...
debut on November 2, 2019 in ''Battle of Aesthetics'' facing
Takashi Sugiura is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). Sugiura, an accomplished amateur wrestler, joined Noah's dojo in 2000, making his professional debut on December 23, 2000, and thus becoming the first wrestler ...
for the newly created
GHC National Championship The is a professional wrestling championship in Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah. It was created on October 3, 2019 and inaugurated on November 2 when Takashi Sugiura defeated Michael Elgin. The title is scheduled to be defended exclusivel ...
, in which he lost. Elgin returned on January 4, 2020 during the Korakuen Hall tour, facing
Katsuhiko Nakajima is a Japanese professional wrestler, signed to Pro Wrestling Noah. He started his career in Riki Choshu's Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling (WJ) promotion before heading to Kensuke Sasaki's Kensuke Office/Diamond Ring dojo and promotion. He ...
in a winning effort, and facing Masao Inoue in a winning effort the following day. On May 21, 2022, Elgin teamed with Masa Kitamiya defeating Sugiura-gun International ( El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and
René Duprée René Emile Goguen (born December 15, 1983), better known by his ring name René Duprée (; ja, レネ・デュプリ, Rene Dyupuri) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah where he is a former two-time GHC Tag ...
) to win the GHC Tag Team Championships. Following his July 9, 2022 arrest, Elgin was stripped of his GHC Tag Team Championship and removed from future Noah shows.


Personal life

Frobel lived in Oshawa,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada, but has since moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Frobel previously worked in construction, but required too many days off for his wrestling appearances, forcing him to quit. In June 2013, Frobel announced his engagement to fellow professional wrestler Rachel Collins, better known under her ring name as
MsChif Rachel Frobel (née Collins) is an American professional wrestler who is better known by her ring name MsChif. She has been wrestling since 2001 and in that time has worked for several independent promotions across the United States, with guest m ...
. They wed the following month on July 4. On September 4, 2015, Collins gave birth to her and Frobel's first child, a boy named Jax. The couple divorced in 2020. In July 2021, Frobel was arrested for violating a protection order filed by his ex-fiance.


Championships and accomplishments

*Absolute Intense Wrestling **AIW Absolute Championship (1 time) **Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament (2017) **J.T. Lightning Invitational Tournament (2014) *
All American Wrestling AAW Wrestling (AAW) or AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined and formerly known as All American Wrestling, is an American independent professional wrestling promotion, based in the Chicago area - originally holding shows in Berwyn, Illinois, a ...
**
AAW Heavyweight Championship The AAW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by AAW Wrestling. There have been a total of 32 reigns and one vacancy shared between 25 different champions. The current champion is ...
( 1 time) ** AAW Heritage Championship ( 1 time) ** AAW Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with
Ethan Page Julian Micevski (born September 20, 1989), better known by his ring name Ethan Page, is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Firm. Page is best known for his work in Imp ...
** Fourth AAW Triple Crown Champion *
Alpha-1 Wrestling Alpha-1 Wrestling (A1) was a Canadian independent professional wrestling promotion based out of Hamilton, Ontario. The promotion was founded by Ethan Page in 2010 after he grew tired of inviting his family to see him in crappy bars commenting "I ...
** A1 Zero Gravity Championship (1 time) *
BSE Pro BSE Pro (Formerly Blood Sweat and Ears) (or BSE Wrestling) was a Canadian independent professional wrestling organization, founded in 2005. It held 10-12 events a year in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as quarterly tours to Northern Ontario c ...
** BSE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ashley Sixx *Canadian Wrestling Revolution **CWR Canadian Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **CWR World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre **
CMLL International Gran Prix (2018) The CMLL International Gran Prix (2018) is a '' lucha libre'', or professional wrestling, tournament produced and scripted by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; "World Wrestling Council" in Spanish ...
*Dynamo Pro Wrestling **Dynamo Pro D-1 Championship (1 time) *Glory Pro **Glory Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Everett Connors *
Great Canadian Wrestling Great Canadian Wrestling (GCW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion company based in Oshawa, Ontario. GCW was founded in 2005 and promotes shows throughout Southern Ontario. The company also hosts since 2005 an annual Great Canadia ...
** GCW National Championship (2 times) ** GCW Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Jake O'Reilly (1), Havok (1), Derek Wylde (1) and Ashley Sixx (1) *
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 199 ...
**
IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship The IWA World Championship is the major title in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky. The title debuted at the "Crowning of a Champion" event on April 3, 1997, when Tower of Doom won a twelve man tournamen ...
( 2 times) **IWA Mid-South Strong Style Championship (1 time) **Revolution Strong Style Tournament (2014) *
Lucha Libre Elite Lucha Libre Elite, also referred to as simply Elite, is a ''lucha libre'' (Mexican professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. The promotion, founded in 2014 as Asociación de Lucha Libre É ...
**Elite World Championship (2016) *
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...
**
IWGP Intercontinental Championship The was a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was officially announced on January 5, 2011 and the Inaugural Champion MVP was c ...
( 1 time) **
NEVER Openweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. NEVER is an acronym of the terms "New Blood", "Evolution", "Valiantly", "Eternal", and "Radical" and was an NJPW-promoted series of events, which ...
( 1 time) **
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. The title was announced on December 21, 2015, with the first champions crowned on January 4, 2016. Through NJPW's relationship with Ring of Honor ...
( 1 time) – with
Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...
and Yoshitatsu **
New Japan Rumble In professional wrestling, a battle royal (sometimes battle royale; plural battles royal or battle royals) is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared the winner. Typical battles royal begin w ...
(
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
) *New School Wrestling **NSW Heavyweight Championship (2 times) **NSW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mike Stevens *Pro Wrestling Eclipse **PWE Open Weight Championship (1 time) **Canada Cup (2011) * Pro Wrestling Guerrilla **
PWG World Tag Team Championship The PWG World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the tag team division of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) promotion. It was created and debuted on January 25, 2004, at PWG's Tango & C ...
( 1 time) – with
Brian Cage Brian Christopher Button
*''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...
'' **Ranked No. 14 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''
PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...
'' in 2014 *
Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...
** GHC Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Masa Kitamiya *Pro Wrestling Phoenix **PWP Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Pro Wrestling Xtreme **PWX Pro Division Championship (2 times) **PWX Bar Championship (1 time) *Qatar Pro Wrestling **QPW Middle East Championship (1 time) * Ring of Honor ** ROH World Championship ( 1 time) ** Survival of the Fittest ( 2011, 2015) *Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling **XICW United States Championship (1 time)


Notes

Elgin initially won the championship with Havok, but Derek Wylde replaced Havok as Elgin's tag team partner and co-champion during the reign.


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Elgin, Michael 1986 births 21st-century professional wrestlers Canadian male professional wrestlers Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan Living people Professional wrestlers from Ontario Sportspeople from Oshawa ROH World Champions IWGP Intercontinental champions NEVER Openweight champions NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions PWG World Tag Team Champions GHC Tag Team Champions AAW Heavyweight Champions AAW Heritage Champions AAW Tag Team Champions