Joaquin Wilde

Michael Paris is a Filipino-American professional wrestler signed with WWE. He is a member of Legado Del Fantasma and Latino World Order. He is best known for his work with Impact Wrestling as Zema Ion. He is a former Impact X Division and World Tag Team Champion.

Professional Wrestling Career

Independent Circuit (2003-2011)

In 2003, Paris began training as a professional wrestler at a young age. After 14 months, he made his wrestling debut in West Virginia. Paris spent a decade on the independent circuit wrestling as Shiima Xion and won several championships in different promotions.

TNA (2011-2019)

In 2011, Ion signed with the company and started working in the X Division. Ion spent a year chasing the X-Division Championship but failed to win on several occasions. In 2012, Ion won the X-Division Championship at Destination X. At Bound for Glory, Ion lost the title to RVD. By the end of 2013, Ion returned and won the Feast or Fired Briefcase. After losing, Ion aligned himself with The BroMans and changed his name to DJZ. DJZ stayed in the group for a year before Jessie Godderz turned on his teammates and left. In 2016, Ion won his second X-Division Championship. A few months later, he lost the title.

In his final days, he was unsure of his status in the company. In 2018, he and Andrew Everett defeated Scott Steiner and Eli Drake to win the Impact Tag Team Championship. A week later, they lost the title to LAX and Ion left the company.

WWE (2019-Present)

In 2019, Ion signed with WWE and began working for NXT. After his arrival, he changed his name to Joaquin Wilde. In 2020, Wilde and Mendoza joined Santos Escobar to form Legado Del Fantasma. They mainly featured the duo in the tag team division on NXT. At The Great American Bash, Legado Del Fantasma defeated Drake Maverick and Breezango. Wilde and Mendoza helped Escobar to retain his Cruiserweight Championship on multiple occasions. In 2021, Legado Del Fantasma entered the Dusty Rhodes Classic and lost in the semi-finals to MSK. At Stand and Deliver, they lost to GYV and MSK. Later, they feuded with Hit Row and won. In 2022, they entered the Dusty Rhodes Classic and lost in the first round.

Legado Del Fantasma made its debut on the WWE main roster in 2022 and recruited their newest member with the get-go in the form of Zelina Vega. She also became the group's manager and spokesperson. In March 2023, Wilde alongside other members of Legado Del Fantasma helped Rey Mysterio fight off against The Judgment Day. Mysterio re-formed the Latino World Order later that month and offered the whole Fantasma a place in LWO, which they happily accepted. Since then, Joaquin Wilde has been a helping hand to Mysterio and the Latino World Order.

Wilde was almost certain to team up with Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar at Fastlane 2023 against Bobby Lashley and Street Profits. However, he was injured very badly by The All-Mighty leaving him unable to compete in the match. Carlito returned at Fastlane to replace the injured Wilde and Cruz Del Toro.

Championships and Accomplishments

Joaquin Wilde Personal Life

Joaquin Wilde's real name is Michael Paris and he is of Filipino descent and raised by a single mother. Her mother had emigrated from the Philippines. Paris went to high school at Oak Glen High School in New Cumberland and majored in journalism. While working on the independent circuit, Wilde was featured in a documentary named Slammed: Inside Indie Wrestling. Since turning 30, Paris has suffered some medical issues and has been open about how wrestling has affected his physical health in recent years. In May 2013, he started a GoForward campaign to raise money to remove tumor from his bladder.

Paris has been in a relationship with Rebecca Schott since 2017. The two got married in October 2019 and welcomed their first child, a daughter, in 2021.