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"The Epitome" Mike Angelo

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"The Epitome" Mike Angelo
An image of the "The Epitome" Mike Angelo.
Birth name Michael Jay Arches
Born July 28th, 1979
Residence Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Spouse(s) Elise Andrews
Children Moira Arches
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Mike Angelo (RWF, FcW, WGWF, IIW 2022), Mike Arches (IIW 2021)
Billed height 6'3"
Billed weight 235 lbs
Billed from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Debut July 2000

"The Epitome" Mike Angelo (born July 28th, 1979) is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently signed to both the World Global Wrestling Federation and Intense International Wrestling, and is best known for his time in the Revolution Wrestling Federation.

Biography[]

The Early Years: Mike Arches began training for a career in professional wrestling in his late teens. He started training at a local wrestling school in Toronto, and met his best friend and future brother in law, Riley Andrews (known at the time by his ring name Nick Hart). Riley introduced Mike to his sister, Elise, and the two of them hit it off. After training for nearly two years, the duo got offered the chance to work dark matches for the US based Revolution Wrestling Federation. After working matches together, the RWF offered contracts to both men. Mike took them up on the offer, but Riley wanted to be close to his fiancée while she finished school. Elise decided to follow Mike on the road and the two would marry not long after.

First Big Break: Mike got offered a full time contract working for the RWF after impressing President Brian Slack during his series of dark matches with Riley. He was saddled with the name Mike Angelo by Slack from the get go, as he was not expected to amount to much as though the talent was there, he was still very green in all aspects. He debuted in July of 2000, originally billed from Oakland, in a losing effort to Brian Carrier. He was beaten a number of times his first month, but had good showings in all of his matches. Katya DeSmidt found him backstage after a loss and asked to form an alliance, as the two were both young up and coming talent. The two watched each other's back for about another month or so. Another young wrestler, Shawn King, then asked the pair to join a new stable of his called the Young Breed. Along with King, the group also consisted of Fly Freddy and Tyler Hawk. They set out to make a change in the RWF, to give young wrestlers a chance to get over. Angelo was starting to hit his stride, and became more involved in angles and feuds.

Mike Angelo 2

Angelo, w/ the RWF Pro title.

Decent into Madness: As time went on, Young Breed was starting to become less and less about getting the group over, and more and more about getting Shawn King over. Angelo felt as though he was being over looked because of this. He knew he needed to make a change, but couldn’t afford to do it alone. Brian McKinley, an RWF veteran, came to Mike with a proposition: take out Shawn King. Angelo broke from the group and became a thorn in the side of YB and King. He ended up winning his first RWF Title, the Pro Title, when he beat eventual long time rival and part-time ally, Lance Douglas. He lost grip on his hold of reality and became obsessed with Shawn King as the feud continued. He spent all his time and effort thinking of ways to make King's life hell. Spending countless hours asking himself "why?" (stylized on shirts as wHy?) King and Angelo faced off in a Hell in a Cell match for the TV Title, with King beating Angelo for the final time in a blow off match.


B.E.S.T and the Canadian Elite: Angelo began to act more and more like his old self after his loss to King. And his hatred for King turned into a respect for the man. Clint Steel and King offered Angelo a spot in the "Blood, Energy, Sweat, and Tears" stable. A reunion of sorts for the former Young Breed stablemates. He captured the TV Title by beating former World Champion Dr.Z and defending the title for next few shows. B.E.S.T disbanded after egos clashed amongst the top, but it had propelled Angelo into the upper mid-card of the RWF. He defeated RWF vet Blade Storm for the North American title, before dropping that belt to Lance Douglas. It wasn’t much later that Angelo was able to land his old friend and brother-in-law a contract, thus bringing Nick Hart (Riley Andrews) into the RWF full time. They formed a team immediately and called themselves the Canadian Elite due to both men's nationality, as Angelo had been booked as hailing from Canada as time went on. They quickly became one of the better teams in all the RWF, but Angelo was hitting a road block in terms of being overworked, as he was near the top of the list of matches wrestled. His fiancée, Elise, also became pregnant around this time.

Mike Angelo 3

Angelo, w/ RWF Television title.

Time off and an Unholy Alliance: During the summer of 2001, Angelo took an extended amount of time off to heal up some nagging injuries. His daughter, Moira Arches, was also born during this break. Upon his return, he continued to team with tag team partner Nick Hart. Elise became his full-time manager around this time, and they went on to capture the RWF Tag Team Titles together. He once again aligned himself with King, Debonair, and Hart upon his return. This time as part of the newest version of the Unholy Alliance stable led by RWF Legend Drake Macon. Together they set out to rid the RWF of the scum that had found its way to the top. Former rival Lance Douglas was also part of the new group. UA fought for months against Iron Jackel and his Hitmen stable for control of the RWF and the World Title.

Jealousy and the WIWF: Nick Hart was quickly becoming a force in the RWF as a singles wrestler. So much so that Angelo felt that King was once again overlooking him and focusing solely on Hart. He felt as though King "stole" the mentor title from under his nose. Angelo began to resent Hart and the rest of the UA. Going even so far as to try and cost him and Hart the Tag Team Titles DURING Title defenses. Somehow they would still end up walking out as champions. One such case, at the United We Stand PPV, was the 60 Minute Iron Man Tag Match with Fire n' Ice that won RWF Match of the Year for 2001. That same night Nick Hart defeated Iron Jackel to become the World Champion. This was the final nail in the coffin for Angelo as part of the UA. Around this time, a group of renegade former RWF wrestlers began attack people under the name of their previous company, the WIWF. Angelo finally succeeded in costing himself and Hart the Tag Titles and revealed that he had been hand chosen by former WIWF official Lee Peak to go after Hart and the World Title. It was around this time that he began using "The Epitome" as a nickname. Angelo and Hart waged war on each other just as the WIWF was waging war on the RWF. Angelo defeated Hart in the Main Event of Lethal Lottery 2001 to capture the belt. He then used acid to spell the initials of the WIWF into the gold of the RWF Heavyweight Title. Hart was able to beat Angelo in the return match and bring the gold back into the RWF's hands thanks to Elise turning on Mike and helping her brother win. Angelo left the RWF once again to take care of his various injuries. He would return as the third member of Vice President Dan's Complaints Department, a sub-faction in the WIWF. The war waged on for months with Angelo acting more as muscle for the now Debonair led version of the WIWF. The WIWF and RWF war finally ended, and Angelo returned to being a singles wrestler.

Elite Reunion and The HierArchy: Months after the end of the WIWF war, Angelo had spent his time wrestling as his own man. He had forgiven Elise for turning on him and she returned to being his manager. Angelo and Hart began teaming again as the Canadian Elite. Angelo defeated RWF President Brian Slack for the Hardcore-Shoot Title. Nick Hart was the current RWF TV Champion at the same time. All was not to be though, as Angelo once again turned on Hart to join King and Debonair as the HierArchy. His time in the group didn’t last long though, as he was out of action once again shortly after joining.

New Gen: Angelo returned to the RWF, only to find himself directionless and alone. President Slack offered him a spot in his New Generation stable. Angelo was unsure of it, but decided that he needed someone to watch his back. Not much was accomplished as part of this group however. Eventually, Angelo became more of a part timer, as he spent more time training new wrestlers at his school in Ottawa with old friend and stablemate Tyler Hawk. Eventually, he would transition out of the company altogether.

Mike Angelo 4

Angelo, w/ RWF World Heavyweight title.

Dynasty: After more than two years away from the RWF, Angelo made his return as part of the Dynasty. At the time of its formation, the four members accounted for 47 RWF Titles. Things came to a halt with the firing of Riley Andrews (the former Nick Hart) from the RWF, and King buying into the stock of the company, turning on Debonair in the process. The Dynasty became the King Administration with Andrews returning to take his spot as "The Chosen One" of the stable. Angelo would act as the top enforcer of the group. The CE once again captured the RWF Tag Team Titles during this period. Angelo finished is active RWF career with a nice return record before leaving the company for good in late 2005. The RWF closed its doors later that same year.

Retirement: Upon leaving the RWF, Angelo spent most of his time training new wrestlers at his school, the Young Breed Academy, in Ottawa. He also appeared on a series of Canadian Soap Operas.

A New Leaf: In June of 2009, Angelo signed with the New York based Fearless Championship Wrestling. He joined a roster that at the time included former RWF talent such as Riley Andrews, Fred Debonair, Ryan Kilmore, and Jay Delerabie. He would only wrestle in two matches, a singles victory and a tag team loss with Riley Andrews, before retiring once again due to injury. Elise also made her in-ring debut at this time, picking up a win, before joining Angelo in retirement from the ring.

The Future: In the year 2019, Angelo and Elise's daughter Moira began training to become a wrestler at the school in Ottawa. Moira had a strained relationship with her parents as a child, and pursued wrestling as a way to make amends. She made her in-ring debut in June of 2021 for the IIW (Intense International Wrestling).

Mike Angelo 5

Angelo, w/ RWF North American title.

Out of Retirement: In July 2021, Angelo would come out of retirement and join the IIW as an active competitor, wrestling under his real name of Mike Arches. He accompanied his daughter, Moira, in her first PPV match at IIW Explosion for his first appearance with the company. He went on an undefeated streak in his first time in the ring in over a decade.

Interim Champion: At the September PPV Up In Smoke, Arches defeated Shawn Stone in a match to become the Interim United Kingdom Champion. He would be scheduled to face the actual champion at a later date, due to the champion missing the PPV.

A Champion Once Again & Old Friends: Following his victory at the PPV, and earning the title of Interim UK Champion, Arches was booked to face the reigning Champion Anthony Phoenix at the next Mayhem event. Before their match began, Phoenix attempted to relinquish the title and avoid having the match, clearly afraid to face Arches. However, IIW Management intervened and forced him to wrestle. Arches easily defeated Phoenix and became the undisputed United Kingdom Champion, earning his first title in nearly 16 years. During that same show, Arches would realign himself with old friend and stablemate Fred Debonair, as the two helped each other with outside interference. Arches would leave the IIW shortly after to return home to Canada to deal with family issues, vacating the UK Title in the process. However, he would go undefeated in his return to wrestling.

Turn Another Page: In late October of 2022, he would sign with both the World Global Wrestling Federation and the IIW, under his Mike Angelo name, to once again make his return to professional wrestling.

Career Record[]

Revolution Wrestling Federation 2000-2006[]

Career Record of W-35 L-51 D-5

Fearless Championship Wrestling 2009[]

Career Record of W-1 L-1 D-0

Intense International Wrestling 2021, 2022[]

Career Record of W-10 L-0 D-0

World Global Wrestling Federation 2022[]

Career Record of W-0 L-1 D-0

In Wrestling[]

Finishing and Signature Moves[]

  • The HighRoad (Front Face Russian Legsweep)
  • The TireIron 2K1 (Rings of Saturn)
  • New Age Northern Touch (Top Rope Body Splash)
    • Superkick
    • Canadian Cloverleaf
    • Running Sit-Out Powerbomb
    • Reverse Octohold

Entrance Music[]

  • "Loose" by Premier 55 (Angelo's first theme in the RWF.)
  • "Fucking Hostile Remix" by Pantera (Used during Angelo's WIWF run.)
  • "Denial" by Sevendust (Angelo's final RWF theme and FCW theme.)
  • "Not Today" by Sevendust (IIW and WGWF theme.)

Championships & Accomplishments[]

  • 2001 RWF Match of the Year (Fire n' Ice vs Canadian Elite - 60 Minute Iron Man Tag Team for RWF Tag Team Championship)
  • RWF Grand Slam Champion
  • Intense International Wrestling
    • IIW United Kingdom Championship (1x)

Major Stables[]

  • Young Breed w/ Shawn King, Fly Freddy, Tyler Hawk, Katya DeSmidt in the RWF
  • B.E.S.T (Blood, Energy, Sweat, Tears) w/ Shawn King, The Fly One, Clint Steele, Tyler Hawk in the RWF
  • The Unholy Alliance w/ Shawn King, Fred Debonair, Nick Hart, Lance Douglas, Drake Macon in the RWF
  • The WIWF w/ various former members of the RWF
  • The HierArchy w/ Shawn King, Fred Debonair, Sharlene Berger in the RWF
  • The Dynasty w/ Shawn King, Fred Debonair, Riley Andrews in the RWF

Notable Feuds[]

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