Michael Tarver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Michael Tarver |
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Tarver in 2010
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| Birth name | Tyrone Evans |
| Born | March 8, 1977 Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Michael Tarver Mike Tarver Monster Tarver Mr. Tarver Tyrone Evans Tyrone Jones Tyson Tarver Tarver |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Billed weight | 256 lb (116 kg) |
| Billed from | Akron, Ohio |
| Trained by | FCW |
| Debut | 2005 |
| Retired | 2021 |
Tyrone Evans (born March 8, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is best known by his wrestling name, Michael Tarver. He became famous during his time with WWE. He was part of the first season of WWE NXT. Later, he joined a wrestling group called The Nexus. After leaving WWE in 2011, he wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance and also appeared in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Chikara.
Michael Tarver's Wrestling Journey
Starting His Career (2005–2008)
Tyrone Evans began his wrestling career in 2005. He competed in smaller wrestling shows. On April 2, 2005, he won the Pro Wrestling Express (PWX) Brass Knuckles Championship. He lost this title a few months later.
Evans also wrestled in Cleveland, Ohio. In March 2006, he joined the Main Event Wrestling League (MEWL). He won the MEWL Heavyweight Championship in April 2007. He also wrestled for Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW). In September 2007, he defeated Eddie Kingston in a special 'Strong Style' Challenge match.
He made his debut for Pro Wrestling Unplugged in October 2007. He called himself "The Panther" Tyrone Evans. Later, he changed his nickname to "Black Panther" in February 2008.
Joining WWE (2008–2011)
Training in Florida Championship Wrestling (2008–2010)
In 2008, Evans signed a contract with WWE. He was sent to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). This was a training ground for new WWE wrestlers. He appeared as a bodyguard for Floyd Mayweather Jr. at WrestleMania XXIV.
In FCW, he first wrestled as Tyrone Jones. He later changed his name to Tyson Tarver. He became part of a group called The Saxton Conglomerate. In 2009, he changed his wrestling name to 'Michael Tarver'. He continued to compete in FCW, facing many different wrestlers.
Becoming Part of The Nexus (2010–2011)
On February 16, 2010, Michael Tarver was chosen for the first season of WWE NXT. This show was a competition for new wrestlers. Carlito was his mentor on the show. Tarver won his first match on NXT on May 4, 2010. He defeated Daniel Bryan. On May 11, Tarver was eliminated from the competition.
After the NXT season ended, Tarver and the other NXT rookies caused a big stir. They attacked John Cena and CM Punk during a Raw show. They also damaged the wrestling ring. This made them "bad guys" in the wrestling story. On June 14, 2010, the rookies attacked General Manager Bret Hart. They wanted wrestling contracts.
The next week, Vince McMahon fired Bret Hart. A new general manager gave contracts to the seven rookies. The group was then named The Nexus.
The Nexus had their first match together on July 12, 2010. They defeated John Cena in a 6-on-1 match. The Nexus continued to fight against John Cena and other Raw wrestlers. This led to a big match at SummerSlam. It was a seven-on-seven elimination match. Tarver was the second person eliminated from the match. The Nexus lost the match.
On October 4, 2010, John Cena attacked Tarver. This was part of the storyline because Tarver had a groin injury. Tarver returned from his injury in December 2010. He started appearing in the background of shows in 2011. However, nothing big came from these appearances. On June 13, 2011, WWE announced that Tarver had been released from his contract.
Wrestling After WWE (2011–2021)
National Wrestling Alliance (2011–2014)
After leaving WWE, Michael Tarver wrestled on the independent circuit. He used his real name for a while, then went back to Michael Tarver. He joined Florida Underground Wrestling (FUW). On March 3, 2012, he became the first FUW Bruiserweight Champion.
He also won the NWA FUW Heavyweight Championship twice. He defended his title against wrestlers like TNA wrestler Robbie E.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2014)
In 2014, Michael Tarver wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in Japan. He represented the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). In his first match on February 9, he defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Two days later, he teamed up with Big Daddy Yum-Yum. They competed for a chance to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship. However, they lost the match.
Independent Circuit (2011–2021)
Tarver continued wrestling for various independent promotions. He won the FUW Bruiserweight Championship in 2012. He also won the NWA FUW Heavyweight Championship in 2013 and 2014.
In 2014, he participated in a tag team tournament with Mason Ryan and Shaun Ricker. In 2015, he formed a team called MSL Universe with Martin Stone.
In 2018, The Nexus group reunited for the Chikara King of Trios tournament. Michael Tarver was part of this reunion. He also wrestled for The Great Khali's Continental Wrestling Entertainment. He won the CWE National Title in November 2018.
Music Career
Tyrone Evans is also a Christian rapper. He uses the name Monster Tarver for his music. He shares his rap skills on his Instagram page. On January 7, 2022, he released his first song, "Black Roses," on streaming platforms. On April 29, 2022, he signed with God Over Money and Menace Movement. He released a song called "GOM Menace" on their album Us Against the World.
Wrestling Achievements
Michael Tarver has won several championships and awards during his wrestling career:
- Brain Buster Pro Wrestling
- BBPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Christian Wrestling Federation
- Champions Cup (2012) – with Tim Storm
- Continental Wrestling Entertainment
- CWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- CWE National Championship (1 time)
- Hard Knock Wrestling
- HKW Championship (1 time)
- NWA Florida Underground Wrestling
- NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- FUW Bruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- Main Event Wrestling League
- MEWL Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling eXpress
- PWX Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Feud of the Year (2010) The Nexus vs. WWE
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2010) As part of The Nexus
- Ranked No. 132 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- Slammy Award (1 time)
- Shocker of the Year (2010) The debut of The Nexus
- Slammy Award (1 time)
See also
In Spanish: Michael Tarver para niños
