Frobel debuted in late 2004 using his ring name Michael Elgin, and by the age of 18, he was a regular on theindependent circuit. He has competed for promotions includingCombat Zone Wrestling,World League Wrestling, Alpha-1 Wrestling, and theIndependent Wrestling Association Mid-South, 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 theHouse of Truth and signed a contract with the company in 2011. That November, Elgin won the2011 Survival of the Fittest tournament. In 2015, Elgin won the2015 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. In June 2020, Impact released Elgin after allegations were made against him during theSpeaking Out movement.
Frobel had begun training at awrestling school at the age of 14.[1] He later moved to training at Squared Circle Training inToronto,Ontario, Canada under Rob Fuego in early 2004.[1][7]
Frobel, as Elgin, has been a mainstay in several independentpromotions, both in the United States and Canada, since 2005.
Elgin at an independent show in 2009
He has wrestled for the Pure Wrestling Association since 2005.[8] That same year, he made two appearances for Empire State Wrestling, and a third in 2009.[9] He made a single appearance for Ultimate Championship Wrestling on November 12, 2005, losing toAlcatraz.[10] He also made a single appearance forWorld League Wrestling, wrestling at an October 19, 2008 show in a tag team match.[11] In 2011, Elgin appeared at a CRW show, losing a triple threat match to Jake Matthews.[12]
Elgin made two appearances forCombat Zone Wrestling; he defeated Jay Fenix atNight of Infamy 5 in 2006 and teamed withAndrew Sullivan to defeat Cory Kastle and Danny Pagan atDown With The Sickness 4Ever in 2008.[13][14] In 2009, he competed in Independent Wrestling Association: Deep South's Southern Classic Invitational tournament, making it to thethree-way final, where he lost to Chrisjen Hayme.[15]
Elgin debuted forIndependent Wrestling Association Mid-South (IWA Mid-South) in September 2006, atLethal Lottery 2006, when he and Jason Dukes lost toIan Rotten andVito Thomaselli.[16] His next IWA Mid-South appearance was in February 2007, when he and Ashley Sixx lost toBlackout (Joker andSabian). 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) atApril Bloodshowers 2007. The team of Elgin and Sixx named themselves "Pretty Unreal" and continued to feud with various members of The Naptown Dragonsfaction, winning several tag team matches against them. AtSummer Scorcher in June, The Pretty Unreals suffered their first loss to The Naptown Dragons, when they were defeated by Die Hard and Vortekz in aTables, Ladders and Chairs match. After a hiatus, Elgin returned to IWA Mid-South in October as a singles wrestler, wrestling againstDrake Younger,Roderick Strong,Eddie Kingston, and2 Cold Scorpio.[17][18]
On March 1, 2008, Elgin defeated Strong, Younger, and Viking in afour-way match to win thevacant IWA Mid-South Strong Style Championship. He successfully defended the championship in a three-way match against Tank and Toby Klein atApril Bloodshowers 2008, against CJ Otis atExtreme Intentions, againstJimmy Clough atGory Days 4 in July, and againstBobby Fish the following month atPut Up or Shut Up 2008, before losing the championship toNick Gage atWe are Family 2 on August 17, ending a six-month reign. In September, Elgin was a competitor in the2008Ted Petty Invitational, where he defeatedRicochet in the first round, before losing to Younger in the quarter-finals.[19]
On March 9, 2009, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Dingo for theIWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship at2009 King of the Death Matches Night One. Throughout 2009, Elgin formed a semi-regular tag team withSami Callihan, and the pair faced teams includingDa Soul Touchaz and The Michigan Militia of Jeff Brooks and Brian Skyline.[20]
Elgin also competes for Alpha-1 Wrestling, where he won the Alpha-1 Wrestling Zero Gravity Championship.[6] 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.[21]
AtBSE Pro's inaugural show in 2005, Elgin appeared as part of asix-man tag team match.[23] In December of that year, Elgin was part of asuicide 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.[24] He feuded with Ashley Sixx in late 2005 and early 2006, losing to him on multiple occasions.[25] 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.[26] He continued to lose throughout 2006 to wrestlers including Kobra Kai and Tarantula Gomez, failing to win a match in the promotion.[25]
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 theBSE Tag Team Championship on November 7. The held the championship for two weeks, beforedropping it to The All Starters in a three-waycage match also involving Assault and Battery.[25]
In 2010, BSE Pro merged withBorder City Wrestling to formMaximum Pro Wrestling, and Elgin began competing for the new promotion. On March 20, Elgin and Sixx lost toManabu Soya andJon Bolen.[27] In May 2010, he and Sixx defeated Black Serpent and Kobra Kai in a tag team match.[28]
AtReach for the Gold on April 13, 2006, Elgin won aladder match to win theGCW National Championship, and become the inaugural champion.[32] He held the championship for just over a month, beforedropping it toTJ Wilson in atriple threat match, also involvingShark Boy, atBattleground Zero.[32] At theSuper Hardcore Anime Wrestling Expo in May 2006, Elgin won a triple threat match by defeating Wilson andJohnny Devine.[33] 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.[32][33] AtBreaking Point on August 10, Devine defeated Elgin for the championship in aLumberjack match; however, Devine was ruled to have won viadisqualification and therefore Elgin retained the championship.[32] On September 15, Devine defeated Elgin in acage match to win the championship.[32][34]
On November 18, 2006, Elgin filled in for the injuredGCW Ontario Independent Champion Jake O'Reilly in a title defense against Hayden Avery, but lost the match, making Avery the new champion.[35] Elgin and O'Reilly then formed a regular tag team, and on December 28, atSeason's Beatings, they defeated the Lunatics (Crazzy Steve and Gutter) to win theGCW Tag Team Championship.[36] On January 12, 2007, O'Reilly attacked Elgin, ending their partnership and causing the GCW Tag Team Championship to bevacated.[36] Two months later, atUgandan Invasion Elgin teamed with Havok (formerly Johnny Devine) to defeat O'Reilly andJoe Doering in a match for the vacant championship.[36] 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.[36] 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.[36] AtBeyond 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 andCody Deaner.[36] Also in 2007, Elgin was GCW's storylineCEO and was involved in a feud with former CEO Jamie Virtue.[37] On December 27, 2010, Elgin defeated Mike Rollins in his final GCW match.
Frobel had his first tryout match withRing of Honor (ROH) in 2007.[7] AtThe Battle Of St. Paul on April 27, 2007, Elgin facedRhett Titus in a singles match that ended in ano contest whenJimmy Rave attacked both men. Immediately afterward, Rave defeated Elgin in a singles match. Almost a year later, Elgin returned to ROH on April 18, 2008, atTag 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.[38]
Elgin's next appearance came atSurvival of the Fittest 2010 in November 2010, when he made his main roster debut as part ofthe House of Truthfaction led byTruth Martini.[4][7] As part of his debut, the House of Truth (Elgin,Roderick Strong andZach Gowen), faced and lost to theBriscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark) andChristopher Daniels.[39] The following night atFate 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.[38] Elgin's next appearance was atWorld's Greatest on February 25, 2011, where he lost toChristopher Daniels.[40] At the9th Anniversary Show internetpay-per-view the next night, Elgin lost toEl Generico. He then interfered in Strong's match againstHomicide, helping Strong to retain hisROH World Championship.[41] AtDefy or Deny in March, Elgin lost toEddie Edwards, and at the following show,Manhattan Mayhem IV, Elgin andMike Mondo lost toAdam Cole andKyle O'Reilly, causing Elgin to attack Mondo.[42][43] Frobel signed a contract with ROH on March 19, 2011, tying him to the company through December 2012.[22][7]
On November 18, Elgin won the2011 Survival of the Fittest tournament. He won afour-corner survival match againstKenny King, Adam Cole, andTommaso Ciampa to advance to the tournament final, asix-man elimination match, in which he last eliminated Kyle O'Reilly to win the tournament and a guaranteed ROH World Championship match.[53] At theShowdown in the Sun pay-per-view on March 31, 2012, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Davey Richards for the ROH World Championship.[54] The match was later given a five-star rating byDave Meltzer of theWrestling Observer Newsletter.[55] Elgin later defeated fellow break-out star Adam Cole atBorder Wars, in his hometown of Toronto.[56] On July 20, ROH announced that Elgin had signed a long-term contract extension with the promotion.[57] After months of teasing dissension between Elgin and the rest of the House of Truth,[58][59] Elgin finally turned on the faction on September 16 atDeath Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency by attacking Roderick Strong.[60] At the following internet pay-per-view,Glory By Honor XI: The Unbreakable Hope on October 13, Elgin unsuccessfully challengedKevin Steen for the ROH World Championship. After the match, Elgin was attacked by Roderick Strong.[61] The attack led to a match on December 16 atFinal Battle 2012: Doomsday, where Elgin was defeated by Strong, following interference from Truth Martini.[62] On March 2, 2013, at the11th Anniversary Show, Elgin defeated Strong in atwo out of three falls match, during which Martini was banned from ringside.[63] On April 6, atSupercard of Honor VII, Elgin defeatedJay Lethal to become the number one contender to the ROH World Championship.[64] 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.[65][66] In August, Elgin defeatedPaul London andKarl Anderson to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.[67][68] The following month, atDeath Before Dishonor XI, Elgin defeated Kevin Steen to make it to the finals of the tournament, where he was defeated by Adam Cole.[69] On October 26 atGlory 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.[70] Elgin received his title shot on December 14 atFinal Battle 2013, but was defeated by Cole in a three-way match, which also included Jay Briscoe.[71] In May 2014, Elgin took part in a tour co-produced by ROH andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). On May 17 atWar of the Worlds, Elgin unsuccessfully challengedA.J. Styles for NJPW's top title, theIWGP Heavyweight Championship, in a three-way match, which also includedKazuchika Okada.[72]
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 wifeMsChif, who Cole also attacked.[73] On June 22 atBest in the World 2014, Elgin defeated Cole to become the new ROH World Champion.[74] 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.[75] 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.[76]
On October 6, ROH announced that Elgin was returning to the promotion the following weekend. However, just hours later, Elgin quit the promotion onTwitter, claiming that ROH had promoted him for an event he was not going to appear at.[77] Elgin returned to ROH as avillain with a new, disgruntled character on October 25, first walking out on an interview withKevin Kelly and then refusing to wrestleCaprice Coleman.[78] On November 7, 2015, it was reported that Elgin had signed a new deal with ROH.[79] In November 2015, Elgin participated in the2015 Survival of the Fittest tournament, which he won after pinning Jay Briscoe in the finals.[80] 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.[81]
On May 25, 2012, Elgin made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, losing toWillie Mack.[82] On July 21 atThreemendous III, PWG's nine-year anniversary event, Elgin defeated Sami Callihan for his first win in the promotion.[83] On September 1, Elgin entered the2012 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating Davey Richards in his opening round match.[84] The following day, Elgin first defeatedBrian Cage in the quarterfinal round, then Ricochet in the semifinal, before losing to Adam Cole in the final round of the tournament.[85] On October 27 atFailure to Communicate, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Kevin Steen for thePWG World Championship in a three-way match, which also included Ricochet.[86]
Through ROH's working relationship with NJPW, Elgin made his debut for the Japanese promotion by taking part in the2015 G1 Climax between July 23 and August 15.[90] He finished his tournament with a record of four wins and five losses, failing to advance from his block.[91] Elgin quickly became popular among Japanese crowds and his performance in the tournament was called a "career resurgence".[92][93] In November, it was announced he would team withHiroshi Tanahashi in the2015 World Tag League.[94] They finished the tournament with a record of four wins and two losses, narrowly missing the finals due to losing to block winnersTogi Makabe andTomoaki Honma in the head-to-head match.[95]
On April 10 atInvasion Attack 2016, Elgin won his first title in NJPW, when he, Tanahashi andYoshitatsu defeated The Elite to become the new NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions.[101] They made their first successful defense on April 23 againstBad Luck Fale, Kenny Omega andYujiro Takahashi.[102] Four days later, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Omega for theIWGP Intercontinental Championship.[103] This marked the first time two Canadians had main evented a NJPW show.[104] On May 3 atWrestling Dontaku 2016, Elgin, Tanahashi and Yoshitatsu lost the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship back to The Elite.[105]
On June 19 atDominion 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.[106] From July 22 to August 13, Elgin took part in the2016 G1 Climax, where he finished with a record of five wins and four losses.[107] Elgin failed to advance to the finals due to losing toKatsuhiko Nakajima on the final day.[108] On September 25 atDestruction in Kobe, Elgin lost the IWGP Intercontinental Championship toTetsuya Naito.[109] On October 10 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, Elgin suffered a broken left eye socket taking adropkick from Naito.[110] The injury would require surgery and forced Elgin to pull out of all future events, including a scheduled IWGP Intercontinental Championship rematch with Naito atPower Struggle.[111]
Teaming with Jeff Cobb and NEVER Openweight Champion (2017–2019)
At the end of the year, Elgin teamed with the debutingJeff Cobb in the2017 World Tag League.[120] 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.[121] They finished the tournament with a record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals.[122] At New Japan'sDominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall show, Elgin faced and defeatedTaichi andHirooki Goto to win theNEVER Openweight Championship 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 the2019 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 withColt Cabana andToa Henare to defeatTencozy andShota Umino. On April 1, Elgin officially parted ways with NJPW.[123]
On June 1, 2016, the MexicanConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion announced Elgin as a participant in the2016 International Gran Prix.[124] On June 23, 2016, Elgin made his debut in Lucha Libre Elite defeatingJinder Mahal. On June 25, 2016, Elgin also became Lucha Libre Elite's inaugural World Champion by defeatingVolador Jr. in a tournament final.[125] On July 1, Elgin took part in the 2016 International Gran Prix, from which he was eliminated byÚltimo Guerrero.[126] On July 10, Elgin was defeated by Último Guerrero inArena México.[127] Elgin's Mexican tour concluded the following day.[128]
On November 3, 2018, inThe Crash Lucha Libre 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.[133]
After leaving NJPW, Elgin signed with Impact Wrestling.
Elgin debuted atImpact Wrestling'sImpact Wrestling Rebellion show, confrontingBrian Cage moments after Cage became the newImpact World Champion and attacked him afterwards. On the May 3 episode of Impact Wrestling, Elgin defeatedJohnny Impact andPentagón 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 toRich Swann by disqualification when Elgin beat down Swann outside of the ring. On June 7, at theSlammiversary 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 returningRhino. AtBound for Glory 2019, Elgin defeatedNaomichi Marufuji. AtHard To Kill, Elgin lost toEddie Edwards.[134] On June 22, 2020, it was announced that Elgin was suspended by Impact following sexual assault allegations that were made public as part of theSpeaking Out movement.[135] On June 26, Impact Wrestling announced Elgin would be removed from all future programing and his contract would be terminated.[136]
Frobel lived inOshawa,Ontario, Canada, but has since moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[22] 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 asMsChif. They wed the following month on July 4.[141][142][143] On September 4, 2015, Collins gave birth to her and Frobel's first child, a boy named Jax. The couple divorced in 2020.[144]
In June 2021, Frobel briefly went missing, reportedly leaving his phone at home after sending a "concerning message" onFacebook. He was later found and returned home.[145]
In July 2021, Frobel was arrested for violating a protection order filed by his ex-fiance.[146] The case was turned over to the state attorney's office, but no charges were filed.[147]
In July 2022, Frobel was reportedly arrested inJapan for stealing.[148] Frobel denied the reports, stating he was headed back toCanada following the death of a family member.[149] He has not returned to Japan since.
^Meltzer, Dave (April 9, 2012). "Apr 9 Observer Newsletter: Enormous annual WrestleMania Issue, full details of all the shows this weekend, business breakdowns, history, backstage notes, Lesnar, Overeem failure, Jay Strongbow, so much more".Wrestling Observer Newsletter.Campbell, California. p. 33.ISSN1083-9593.
^Pro Wrestling NOAH Global [@noahglobal] (July 13, 2022)."Notice of Wrestler Absence & Card Change" (Tweet). RetrievedJuly 17, 2022 – viaTwitter.#BREAKING Notice of wrestler absence & card change. Michael Elgin will miss Saturday's Nippon Budokan event. Champions Elgin & Kitamiya have vacated the titles. Vacant GHC HVT Tag Team Championships @noah_kitamiya @noah_yoshiki vs Timothy Thatcher @Hideki55Suzuki
^Meltzer, Dave (September 14, 2015). "September 14, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Huge Weekend Preview, WWE/CMLL/ROH/Bellator show details plus tons more".Wrestling Observer Newsletter.Campbell, California. p. 42.ISSN1083-9593.Michael Elgin and wife Rachel Collins (who wrestled as MsChif), had their first child, a son, named Jax, born on 9/4
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