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Height 6"0
Weight 200 lbs approx.
Home Town Seattle, Washington
Wrestling Style High flying and technical. Wild in his offense.
Entrance Theme "We Die Young" by Alice in Chains
Entrance Style
Strides towards the ring, sometimes jumping onto the barricade and running along it briefly. Slides under the ropes, climbs onto the second turnbuckle and poses arrogantly in front of disapproving fans.
Finishers
Facelift: Bounces off the ropes and hits the opponent with a running superkick. Stage Dive: Top rope corkscrew moonsault.
Signature Moves
Delayed vertical suplex into spike DDT Powerbomb into Boston Crab combination Various springboard moves, and other moves involving the ring ropes
Background
Mike Maverick is an active participant of what he would like to consider the rock n' roll lifestyle - "live fast, die young" is an ideal that he lives by. He lives completely in the moment, and is constantly striving for enjoyment, attention and success. Drinking, gambling and partying are second nature to him, and he is often suspected of recreational drug use and other disreputable activities.
Maverick is brash, cocky and extremely disrespectful, especially to those who he considers to be stale or "over the hill" in the world of professional wrestling. He became a wrestler not to gain popularity amongst the industry's fans, but to showcase his talents, to achieve success and to earn money and all those things that come with it.
Due to his reckless approach to life, Maverick is absolutely fearless as a wrestler. He never backs away from a fight no matter the opponent or the condition he is in. He is also more than willing to take risks in the ring - in fact these risks are often unnecessary and show a lack of respect for his own health, as well as the health of his opponents. While most "high risk manoeuvres" are considered to be a demonstration of the courage and daring of a wrestler, Maverick's high-risk approach to wrestling is often described as dangerous, foolish and irresponsible.
WCSF Debut & Feud with Tristagi[]
After a short undefeated run on High Voltage, Mike Maverick debuted on Unleashed on the same night that Craig Bell and Hector Ramirez were drafted from Mayhem. In a major shock moment, former cruiserweight champion was also drafted to the show, making his return after a lengthy absence. But Tristagi was not given the greeting he may have hoped for. Newcomer Mike Maverick introduced himself to the Unleashed fans by verbally assaulting the WCSF veteran, in a move considered extremely brash and arrogant for a debuting star.
From that point Tristagi and Maverick became engaged in a heated rivalry. Maverick resented Tristagi, thinking he had taken the easy way out by quitting wrestling a year previously. Tristagi resented Maverick's cocky assumptions that he was passed his prime or "over the hill". Tristagi picked up a win against Maverick at Meltdown when the reckless performer failed to connect with a high risk move.
The rivalry between both performers continued after Meltdown, with Maverick claiming that he had never been defeated by Tristagi. At Meltdown he lost to himself as it was his move that put him down long enough for Tristagi to gain a pinfall. The Australian star ensured Maverick that lightning could indeed strike twice, and challenged him to a rematch at Annihilation. The Degenerate readily accepted the challenge. Mike Maverick dominated in the much anticipated rematch. However, his reckless offense led to him damaging his throat and he spent much of the match coughing up blood. It seemed that Tristagi would capitalise on Maverick's injury and pick up another win, when Maverick shockingly spat blood into the eyes of his opponent before flattening him with a Facelift and picking up the win.
After his Annihilation match, Maverick asked the General Manager of the newly christened Rampage brand for a shot at some championship gold. Zhilone agreed that the ratings Maverick was drawing warranted a shot at championship gold, but to Maverick's annoyance he decided to make it a tag team title shot. He thought the reckless youth would benefit from having someone to keep him from getting too carried away in his matches. Tristagi was named as Maverick's partner to further irritate the brash star. To the surprise of everyone in attendance, Tristagi and Maverick captured the tag team titles later that same night by defeating Nick Foster and Mark Thomas of the Mafia.
Tristagi and Maverick retained the tag team titles on a number of occasions against impressive Rampage stars such as Brian Davis, the Executioner and the Mafia. The team even picked up a win at WCSF Pay Per View - Hacked against the Mafia with Ralph Pierce as the guest referee. Maverick was the one to earn the victory for his team on each occasion, causing him to belittle Tristagi's contribution to the team. Maverick openly insulted Tristagi, claiming that he was just trying to ride the coat tails of 'the Degenerate' to success.
At Wednesday Night Warzone, Tristagi and Maverick's winning streak finally came to an end. They suffered defeat at the hands of the Kraus brothers when Tristagi was pinned. Maverick blamed his partner for the defeat, but instead of being upset he was instead glad to be able to put his team with Tristagi to rest and concentrate on singles competition once more. He won the opening round of the Battlefield tournament by defeating fellow high-flyer Johnny Briggs.
Middleweight Champion[]
After this accomplishment, Maverick was given a main event match the following week on Rampage against #1 contender Anthony Blake - a match that he lost narrowly. But the following week, to hype the upcoming Battlefield pay per view, he competed in the main event against Middleweight champion Tomohiro Matsuda, who was another Rampage participant in the Battlefield tournament along with Tristagi and Mark Thomas. After Tristagi and Thomas got involved in the match during the closing moments, Matsuda was nailed with a chairshot by Thomas and then knocked out by Maverick's Facelift. Maverick became the new Middleweight champion from his very first attempt. He was all set to take the Battlefield tournament by storm.
At Battlefield, Maverick met his rival Tristagi in the quarterfinal round, the two fought tooth and nail, and eventually both men were counted out while brawling on the outside. Maverick was supposed to defend his belt against the mean he defeated, Tomohiro Matsuda, on the Feb. 23rd Rampage, but Matsuda was attacked prior to the match by Muntari Mebah. Maverick thought he had the night off, but was informed by Tristagi that he would be facing Rampage champion Anthony Blake. Maverick was defeated. At Nothing to Lose, Maverick was scheduled to defend his belt against Craig Bell, but he attacked Bell before the match, injuring him. Tristagi, who had just won the #1 Contendership, came out and announced that he would take Bell's place. After a quick roll-up, Tristagi won the WCSF Middleweight Championship from Maverick.
Gold Rush Competitor[]
After this loss, Maverick confronted Johnny Briggs, announcing that he would be the one to win the Gold Rush contract at Revolution. Maverick attacked Briggs, and the two had to be separated by security. On the June 18th Mayhem, every Gold Rush partipant was told to showcase themselves in a unique way. Maverick certainly did that, viciously attacking Tristagi after his match. Maverick crushed his larynx with a chair, effectively ending his biggest rival's career. Maverick is now preparing to compete in the 4 Way Gold Rush Ladder match at Revolution IV against Johnny Briggs, Tomohiro Matsuda, and Mark Thomas.
At Revolution IV, Maverick came up short in the Gold Rush match, although stealing the show. After the match, he ruined Johnny Briggs standing ovation for his performance by delivering a Facelift to him, taking him down.
Feud with Reaper[]
Also at Revolution, the Mafia took out CEO Ralph Pierce and Johnny Devine usurped the General Manager position. The Mafia had taken control of the WCSF. The newly united show was now named Carnage, under Devine's order. But always one to fight against authority, Maverick instantly set about undermining the new regime. He began getting under the group's skin - particularly the new undisputed International Champion, Amen. Maverick accused him of not being able to make it to the top on his own merits. But Amen had more than just Maverick to worry about. Reaper, the fabled WCSF veteran, returned to the company. He instantly came after Amen who had been the man to put him out of action. Maverick realised that this situation was none of his business, but decided to interfere anyway ...
As Maverick continued to demean Amen, he also set his sights on Reaper. The Devil's Advocate intrigued him - Reaper had always seemed like an invincible force in the WCSF. Knowing that the threat of Reaper was based on his status of monster, he set his sights on proving that Reaper was just another man who had been hiding behind his monster persona for years.
A triple threat match was created for Meltdown, but by the time the match had rolled around Reaper was less focused on revenge against Amen and more focused on getting rid of the pest that Maverick had become. Each of the competitors fought tooth and nail in this one, with Amen getting the most breathing room due to the hatred that had been created between the Devil's Advocate and the Degenerate. Finally, Amen was able to pick up a victory when Maverick nailed a Stage Dive on Reaper from the top turnbuckle to the commentators table outside, taking out both competitors.
Once Devine had picked up world championship gold, Amen turned his attention more towards the Mafia once more and protecting the family's interests. Meanwhile, the rivalry between Reaper and Maverick raged on. In a feud that defied the audience's expectations, the reckless youth bullied the monster from week to week and always appeared to be one step ahead of his opponent. A match was set for Hacked. The audience had the ability to vote the stipulation. They voted for Reaper's signature match - the Caged Deathmatch.
Despite being in Reaper's territory, Maverick did not show fear and was able to put up a hell of a fight in the cage. At one point in the match, Reaper hurled Maverick at the cage door (which was wrapped in barbed wire as was the rest of the cage). The door broke off. Down on the floor, Maverick managed to get the advantage as he was accustomed to working with his environment in a fight. Both men eventually took things back to the ring. Maverick threw the cage door into the ring to use as a weapon. This backfired when Reaper slammed him into the door. While the Degenerate was not knocked out from the move, his clothes became tangled in the barbed wire and he was therefore not able to kickout when Reaper made the easy pin.
Still the feud raged on. Maverick wanted to face the monster in the Dome of Doom - a match that had a reputation of being the most dangerous in the WCSF. Unfortunately he was opposed by Johnny Briggs who wanted to use the stipulation against his foe Sinistra. A match was set for Wednesday Night Warzone: Maverick vs Briggs. Whoever won the match won the right to the stipulation. It was an amazingly athletic contest and both men looked capable of winning, but finally Sinistra interfered giving Briggs the win. He wanted to face his nemesis in the Dome.
Not one to know when to say die, Maverick challenged Reaper to another match. A match that he vowed was the only match to be more dangerous than Dome of Doom. Two out of three falls count anywhere!! There had only been one such match up to that point - Rage Mishima vs Josh Outland at Revolution IV. Reaper accepted.
The match began in a parking lot in the backstage area as Maverick had appeared there with a microphone, calling Reaper out. The two fought over cars, driving each other through windshields and generally reaping carnage. They began to battle through the halls towards the ring. Reaper caught Maverick with his finisher, the Hellfire, driving his head onto the concrete floor to record the first pinfall.
Maverick did manage to bounce back however. Moving towards the ringside area, the two fought on top of the ramp. Reaper attempted to throw Maverick off the stage, but the Degenerate slipped out of the move. He ran, kicking off the set wall and flew back hitting Reaper with a Facelift and knocking him off the stage. He jumped down to record the second pinfall.
A livid Reaper became desperate and started lashing out at Maverick with everything he had. The Degenerate fled to the top of the Dome of Doom cage, which had not yet been raised since the Briggs vs Sinistra match ended. Reaper began to follow him upwards when the cage began to rise. Reaper remained hanging on the side of the cage for dear life as Maverick looked down on him with an evil grin. As the reckless youth pried his opponent's fingers from the cage, Reaper's eyes contained real fear finally proving what Maverick had been saying from the start - that Reaper was human.
Quest for the World Title[]
Reaper had been wiped off of the face of the WCSF. And the fans who had hated Maverick since his debut really began to loath him now. He was drawing more heat than just about anybody else in the company and loving every minute of it. The Reaper win marked the beginning of an incredible hot streak as seemingly nobody who came into contact with Maverick afterwards could keep up with the Degenerate. In a match to qualify for the Battlefield tournament, a vicious Facelift broke "Showtime" Shawn Millar's jaw and put him on the sidelines - possibly even ending his career. Maverick had taken out another one.
Newcomer Draven was not afraid of Maverick, however. Looking to make a strong debut, much like Maverick had at Tristagi's expense, Draven attacked and beat down Maverick. The Degenerate confronted him about this the next week, telling him that he had managed to get Draven a Battlefield tournament qualifying match. If he won, Maverick would leave him alone, but if he lost then he'd be taken apart for being the talentless brat that tried to make a name for himself at Maverick's expense. Luckily, Draven won the match.
Draven faced Maverick in the opening match at Battlefield. The newcomer put on a good show, but Maverick was too much for him in the end. When Draven missed a clothesline into the corner, Maverick shot himself against the ropes and hit the Facelift for the win. Maverick's semi final match against former WCSF champion Anthony Blake was a little more hard fought. The two had clashed numerous times in the previous weeks and most people were betting on one of these two men to win the tournament. However, Blake made the mistake of forcing mustard into Maverick's mouth in an attempt to insult and unnerve him. In a tribute to his infamous win against Tristagi at Annihilation, Maverick blinded his opponent by spitting mustard into his eyes and levelled him with the Facelift for the win.
It was Maverick vs fan favourite Daz in the finals. This turned out to be quite the match, with both men putting everything into the match. Finally, Daz picked up the victory following interference from his long time nemesis The Executioner. Fans were stunned that Executioner would help his nemesis to win the match; however he revealed later that he had only helped Daz because he planned to face him in one last match at Nothing To Lose. He intended to end Daz's career in this match and steal his Revolution title shot from him.
Meanwhile, Maverick was absolutely livid about being screwed out of a title match at Revolution. He was on the warpath. While he was looking for Executioner and new GM "Fabulous" Freddy Flynn backstage at Mayhem, tag team wrestler Jack Douglas made the mistake of stumbling into his path. One violent outburst later, Douglas' career was over. Maverick was hauled from the arena, screaming on his way out that he would get the shot that he deserved.
Things were looking bleak for Maverick. After a number of run ins with the law and attracting a lot of negative press, reports indicated that he was on thin ice with management. This outburst was rumoured to be the final straw. In fact, it was believed that he was given the next week off while the board of directors tried to decide what to do with him.
While things were going south for Maverick, things were looking great for his old enemy from the tag division and the Gold Rush match. Anthony Blake learned that Dan Morrison, the manager of Thomas, had been hired by the Mafia to prevent Thomas from cashing in his WCSF title shot that he had earned in the Gold Rush match at Revolution IV. When Thomas learned this he befriended Blake and turned on Morrison, instantly becoming a fan favourite. Mark Thomas set a date for his championship match - Battlefield. At that event, Thomas had finally managed to dethrone Johnny Devine at Battlefield to become the proud WCSF champion.
The Mayhem after his win, Thomas celebrated by giving his friend Blake a title shot in the main event. He retained in an impressive match, after which he was attacked by a vengeful Mafia, who left him laying. He came out to address Devine at the conclusion of the following week's Mayhem only to be confronted by former manager Dan Morrison. When accused of doing the Mafia's dirty work, Morrison told his former charge that he was no longer working for Mr. Devine and that he was here representing a new client. He said that he had pulled some strings and earned a championship match for his new client and that he figured Thomas would not mind, as he was such an honourable fighting champion. Morrison then introduced Mike Maverick.
Thomas fought valiantly, but with his injuries gained the previous week, Maverick was able to dispatch him in a short match and became the new WCSF champion! He was overjoyed and his agent Dan Morrison was also. The man had represented a number of WCSF legends in the past but claimed that Maverick was his greatest client to date.
While both men seemed incredibly different in nature, it quickly became clear that their relationship was beneficial on both sides. Having someone influential like Morrison on his side protected Maverick from being released due to reckless behaviour. It also allowed him to finally get a shot at the WCSF title - a chance which he had capitalised on. For Morrison, acting as Maverick's agent put him back in the spotlight again along with giving him a chance to gain some measure of revenge on Mark Thomas for turning on him.
A rematch was set up for Nothing To Lose and it was a big one. Mike Maverick vs Mark Thomas in a match almost two years in the making. The match was very closely contested with both men doing what they could to pick up a victory. Maverick was more methodical than ever before in the match, showing a different side of himself. While he had considered Tristagi a has been and Reaper a joke, Maverick had at least some small shred of respect for Thomas. He really considered him a peer.
Maverick capitalised on an injured knee and worked over it for much of the match. Thomas was able to battle on, even with this injury, using incredible strategy. At one point he even managed a one legged moonsault, not putting weight on the other leg to protect his knee. Unfortunately though, when he finally went for the Triple Play his knee gave out, allowing Maverick to hit the Facelift and pick up the win.
Daz had ended the career of Executioner in their main event Last Man Standing match at Nothing To Lose, retaining his title shot. The rematch was set for Revolution V. Mike Maverick vs Daz ...