Joaquin Wilde Bio
Michael Paris (born October 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler best known by his current ring name, Joaquin Wilde. He is signed to WWE, where he competes on the Raw brand as a member of the Latino World Order. A veteran of more than two decades in the squared circle, Paris has also performed as Shiima Xion, Zema Ion, and DJZ across independent promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.
Born in Los Angeles, California, and raised by a Filipino single mother, Paris has worked his way from the regional independent circuit to nationally televised main roster events. He is a former two-time TNA X Division Champion and a one-time Impact World Tag Team Champion, and is widely recognized for his fast-paced, high-flying style.
Early Life and Background
Michael Paris was born on October 5, 1986, in Los Angeles, California. He is of Filipino descent and was raised by a single mother who had emigrated from the Philippines. After his family relocated, Paris grew up in New Cumberland, West Virginia, where he attended Oak Glen High School. He later enrolled at West Virginia University, where he majored in journalism.
Long before he stepped inside a wrestling ring, Paris showed a creative spark in the industry. In 2002, at just 15 years old, he won a contest to design the first official logo for the independent promotion Ring of Honor, a mark the company used until 2004. That early connection to professional wrestling helped set the stage for the career path he would soon pursue.
Path to Professional Wrestling
Paris began training to become a professional wrestler in 2003 at the Coalition of Competition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he worked under trainers Super Hentai, Shirley Doe, and Glenn Spectre. He trained for 14 months before making his in-ring debut on August 21, 2004, as the character Shiima Xion, billed as the first Filipino male model of wrestling. His first match came against Jason Gory in Wheeling, West Virginia, for Black Diamond Wrestling.
Because he was under 18, Shiima Xion initially competed only in West Virginia and Ohio. After turning 18, he began wrestling regularly for the International Wrestling Cartel and also made appearances in Chikara, Far North Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Unplugged. In 2006, he toured Japan with Dramatic Dream Team at the invitation of promoter Sanshiro Takagi, and the following year he was featured in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s The Wrestler, helping him earn his first national exposure.
Joaquin Wilde Career
Early Career (2004–2010)
During his early years on the independent circuit, Shiima Xion carved out a strong reputation in the International Wrestling Cartel. He and Jason Gory captured the IWC Tag Team Championship twice, first winning the belts in December 2006 and then reclaiming them in December 2007. Shiima also won the vacant IWC World Heavyweight Championship in October 2008 by defeating Jimmy DeMarco with a 630 splash, and in May 2010 he won the IWC Super Indy Championship.
In mid-2009, Shiima expanded his reach into Mexico, joining the AAA roster and debuting on a Cuautitlan, Mexico television taping. He also competed in Desastre Total Ultraviolento, International Wrestling Revolution Group, Lucha POP, and X-Project, building the in-ring foundation that would eventually lead to national contracts.
TNA and Impact Wrestling Breakthrough (2011–2018)
Paris made his first national television appearance on June 23, 2011, on TNA’s Impact Wrestling, working as Zema Ion. He advanced to the finals of the X Division Showcase tournament, and although he did not win, he signed a TNA contract the following month. In July 2012, at Destination X, Zema Ion won an Ultimate X match to become TNA X Division Champion, a title he would hold until dropping it to Rob Van Dam at Bound for Glory.
After returning from injury in late 2013, Zema joined The BroMans as their personal DJ, with his ring name changing to DJZ in February 2014. The group captured the TNA World Tag Team Championship, with DJZ frequently stepping in for title defenses. On September 1, 2016, DJZ won the TNA X Division Championship for a second time in an Ultimate X gauntlet match, successfully defending the title against a long list of challengers before losing it to Trevor Lee in January 2017. In April 2018, DJZ and Andrew Everett defeated Eli Drake and Scott Steiner to win the Impact World Tag Team Championship. Paris departed Impact at the end of 2018 after his contract expired, ending a seven-year tenure with the promotion.
WWE Era (2019–Present)
On May 14, 2019, WWE confirmed that DJZ had signed a contract, and the following month it was announced he would perform under the name Joaquin Wilde. He debuted in the NXT Breakout Tournament in June 2019 and made his 205 Live debut on December 13 of that year. In 2020, Wilde aligned with Raul Mendoza and Santos Escobar to form Legado Del Fantasma, a faction that quickly established itself as a featured group on NXT television. He also competed in the 2021 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with Mendoza and assisted Escobar in winning the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
Legado Del Fantasma made its main roster debut on the October 7, 2021, episode of SmackDown. In early 2022, Wilde turned face while helping Rey Mysterio battle The Judgment Day, and on March 31, 2022, Rey Mysterio reformed the Latino World Order and invited the group to join. Santos Escobar later defected from LWO in November 2022, and at the 2024 WWE Draft, LWO was selected for the Raw brand. On June 2, 2025, Wilde was knocked out during a WWE Speed taping, leading to his removal from a scheduled six-man tag match at Worlds Collide.
Style and Strengths
Joaquin Wilde is known for his quick, high-flying approach, mixing fast-paced strikes with high-impact aerial moves. His background as Zema Ion in the X Division sharpened his fast-twitch offense, and his experience teaming in Legado Del Fantasma showcased his ability to chain together sequences with multiple partners. He is also recognized for his durability, having returned to competition quickly after multiple serious medical scares.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key moments in Wilde’s career include his first IWC Tag Team Championship in 2006, his TNA X Division Championship win at Destination X in 2012, and his Impact World Tag Team Championship win with Andrew Everett in 2018. His 2017 ruptured colon in Mexico City, followed by an emergency surgery that gave him a 20 percent chance of needing a permanent colostomy bag, stands as one of the most dramatic comebacks of his career, as he returned to the ring just two months later.
Joaquin Wilde Career Wins
Across two decades in professional wrestling, Joaquin Wilde has captured championships on the independent circuit, in TNA and Impact Wrestling, and in WWE-tagged competition. His titles include the IWC Tag Team Championship, the IWC World Heavyweight Championship, the IWC Super Indy Championship, the TNA X Division Championship on two occasions, and the Impact World Tag Team Championship.
TNA and Impact Highlights
Wilde, performing as Zema Ion, first won the TNA X Division Championship at Destination X in July 2012 inside an Ultimate X match. He captured the title a second time on September 1, 2016, in an Ultimate X gauntlet match, successfully defending the belt against a string of challengers before losing it to Trevor Lee in January 2017. In April 2018, he and Andrew Everett, billed as Z and E, defeated Eli Drake and Scott Steiner to win the Impact World Tag Team Championship.
Other Wins and Performances
On the independent circuit, Wilde won the IWC World Heavyweight Championship in October 2008 and the IWC Super Indy Championship in May 2010. He also held the IWC Tag Team Championship twice with Jason Gory, as the team known as Babyface Fire. He toured Japan with DDT in 2006 and competed in Mexico for AAA, DTU, and The Crash, and he was featured in the documentary Slammed: Inside Indie Wrestling.
Joaquin Wilde Family
Family Background and Wrestling Lineage
Michael Paris is of Filipino descent and was raised by a single mother who emigrated from the Philippines. He grew up in New Cumberland, West Virginia, and later studied journalism at West Virginia University. While not part of a multi-generational wrestling family, Paris’s Filipino heritage has remained a core part of his identity, reflected in his original ring name, Shiima Xion, and his signature move, the Filipino Destroyer.
Personal Life
Paris has been in a relationship with Rebecca Schott since 2017, and the couple married in October 2019. Their first child, a daughter, was born in 2021. Outside the ring, Paris was featured in the documentary Slammed: Inside Indie Wrestling, and he has been a playable character in WWE SuperCard, WWE 2K22, WWE 2K23, and WWE 2K24.
2025 Season Performance
Wilde entered 2025 as a member of Latino World Order on the Raw brand following the 2024 WWE Draft. He continued to compete regularly on Raw and in NXT crossover events, including the 2024 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, where he and Cruz Del Toro reached the semifinals before being eliminated by Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams.
On June 2, 2025, Wilde was knocked out during a WWE Speed taping, an injury that pulled him from a scheduled six-man tag match at Worlds Collide. The incident interrupted his momentum heading into the summer, but he remains an active member of the Raw roster and LWO as he works toward a return to the ring.
Looking ahead, Wilde is expected to continue teaming with Cruz Del Toro and representing the Latino World Order on Raw, with opportunities in the tag team division and crossover NXT events likely to shape his 2025 outlook.
