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.[2] He later moved to training at Squared Circle Training inToronto,Ontario, Canada under Rob Fuego in early 2004.[2][7]
Elgin appeared at both days of theHonor Takes Center Stage pay-per-view, defeating Generico on night one, before losing to Daniels on night two.[18][19]
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.[20] At theShowdown in the Sun pay-per-view on March 31, 2012, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Davey Richards for the ROH World Championship.[21] Elgin later defeated fellow break-out star Adam Cole atBorder Wars, in his hometown of Toronto.[22] On July 20, ROH announced that Elgin had signed a long-term contract extension with the promotion.[23] After months of teasing dissension between Elgin and the rest of the House of Truth,[24][25] Elgin finally turned on the faction on September 16 atDeath Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency by attacking Roderick Strong.[26] 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.[27] The attack led to a match on December 16 atFinal Battle 2012: Doomsday, where Elgin was defeated by Strong, following interference from Truth Martini.[28] 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.[29] On April 6, atSupercard of Honor VII, Elgin defeatedJay Lethal to become the number one contender to the ROH World Championship.[30] 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.[31][32] In August, Elgin defeatedPaul London andKarl Anderson to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.[33][34] 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.[35] 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.[36] 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.[37] 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.[38]
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.[39] On June 22 atBest in the World 2014, Elgin defeated Cole to become the new ROH World Champion.[40] 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.[41] 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.[42]
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.[43] 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.[44] On November 7, 2015, it was reported that Elgin had signed a new deal with ROH.[45] In November 2015, Elgin participated in the2015 Survival of the Fittest tournament, which he won after pinning Jay Briscoe in the finals.[46] 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.[47]
On May 25, 2012, Elgin made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, losing toWillie Mack.[48] On July 21 atThreemendous III, PWG's nine-year anniversary event, Elgin defeated Sami Callihan for his first win in the promotion.[49] On September 1, Elgin entered the2012 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating Davey Richards in his opening round match.[50] 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.[51] On October 27 atFailure to Communicate, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Kevin Steen for thePWG World Championship in a three-way match, which also included Ricochet.[52]
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.[56] He finished his tournament with a record of four wins and five losses, failing to advance from his block.[57] Elgin quickly became popular among Japanese crowds and his performance in the tournament was called a "career resurgence".[58][59] In November, it was announced he would team withHiroshi Tanahashi in the2015 World Tag League.[60] 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.[61]
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.[67] They made their first successful defense on April 23 againstBad Luck Fale, Kenny Omega andYujiro Takahashi.[68] Four days later, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Omega for theIWGP Intercontinental Championship.[69] This marked the first time two Canadians had main evented a NJPW show.[70] On May 3 atWrestling Dontaku 2016, Elgin, Tanahashi and Yoshitatsu lost the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship back to The Elite.[71]
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.[72] 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.[73] Elgin failed to advance to the finals due to losing toKatsuhiko Nakajima on the final day.[74] On September 25 atDestruction in Kobe, Elgin lost the IWGP Intercontinental Championship toTetsuya Naito.[75] On October 10 atKing of Pro-Wrestling, Elgin suffered a broken left eye socket taking adropkick from Naito.[76] 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.[77]
Teaming with Jeff Cobb and NEVER Openweight Champion (2017–2019)
Elgin returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, atWrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, winning the pre-showNew Japan Rumble after entering as the first man in.[78] On February 11 atThe New Beginning in Osaka, Elgin unsuccessfully challenged Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[79] After being sidelined from NJPW due to the size of the promotion's roster,[80] Elgin returned on June 11 atDominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall, losing toCody.[81] On July 1 atG1 Special in USA, Elgin took part in atournament to determine the inauguralIWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, but was eliminated in his first round match by Kenny Omega.[82] Later that month, Elgin entered the2017 G1 Climax. Despite a win over 2016 G1 Climax winner and reigning IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega,[83] Elgin finished second to last in his block with a record of four wins and five losses.[84] Due to his win over Minoru Suzuki in the tournament, Elgin was granted a shot at theNEVER Openweight Championship on September 10 atDestruction in Fukushima, but was defeated by Suzuki in a lumberjack deathmatch.[85]
At the end of the year, Elgin teamed with the debutingJeff Cobb in the2017 World Tag League.[86] 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.[87] They finished the tournament with a record of four wins and three losses, failing to advance to the finals.[88] 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.[89]
On June 1, 2016, the MexicanConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion announced Elgin as a participant in the2016 International Gran Prix.[90] 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.[91] On July 1, Elgin took part in the 2016 International Gran Prix, from which he was eliminated byÚltimo Guerrero.[92] On July 10, Elgin was defeated by Último Guerrero inArena México.[93] Elgin's Mexican tour concluded the following day.[94]
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.[99]
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.[100] 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.[101] On June 26, Impact Wrestling announced Elgin would be removed from all future programing and his contract would be terminated.[102]
Frobel lived inOshawa,Ontario, Canada, but has since moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[11] 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.[107][108][109] On September 4, 2015, Collins gave birth to her and Frobel's first child, a boy named Jax. The couple divorced in 2020.[110]
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.[111]
In July 2021, Frobel was arrested for violating a protection order filed by his ex-fiance.[112] The case was turned over to the state attorney's office, but no charges were filed.[113]
In July 2022, Frobel was reportedly arrested inJapan for stealing.[114] Frobel denied the reports, stating he was headed back toCanada following the death of a family member.[115] He has not returned to Japan since.
^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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