Mikey Batts

Michael Altieri[1] (born October 3, 1983)[1] is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Mikey Batts.[1] He is best known for his time spent in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Mikey Batts
Birth nameMichael Altieri
Born (1983-10-03) October 3, 1983[1]
New Haven, Connecticut[1]
ResidenceTampa, Florida
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Mikey Batts
Micheal Altieri
Billed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Billed weight171 lb (78 kg)[1]
Billed fromNew Haven, Connecticut
Trained by[1]
Roderick Strong[1]
NWA Florida[1]
DebutJune 20, 2003[1]
Retired2006

He also worked as a referee.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2003–2004)

Altieri began amateur wrestling in junior high school. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1999. Altieri was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where he served a two-year term, during which he continued wrestling. He was discharged in 2001 and relocated to Tampa, Florida where he became a personal trainer. While working as a trainer, he decided to become a professional wrestler.

Altieri trained under Roderick Strong at the NWA Florida school.[1] He debuted in NWA Florida on June 20, 2003 as Mikey Batts, wrestling Naphtali.[1] On February 26, 2005 in Brandon, Florida he won a six-way match to become the NWA Florida X Division Champion.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2005)

Batts debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a planted security guard in June 2004. He was signed to a contract that same month, and began teaming on a regular basis with fellow NWA Florida performer Jerrelle Clark. Batts and Clark were staples on TNA Impact! throughout 2004, but were not involved in any major angles.[2]

In addition to competing in the tag team division, Batts wrestled in the X Division.[3] At TNA No Surrender on July 17, 2005, Batts took part in a four way qualifying match for the TNA 2005 Super X Cup Tournament which was won by Sonjay Dutt.[4]

Batts teamed with Simon Diamond on the August 19 episode of Impact!, facing Shocker and Chris Sabin in the first round of the Chris Candido Cup.[5] During the match, commentators Mike Tenay and Don West speculated that Batts was "auditioning" for membership in the Diamonds in the Rough, Diamond's stable of undercard wrestlers. Diamond and Batts lost the match after Sabin pinned Batts, and he did not join the Diamonds.

Deep South Wrestling (2005)

On October 30, 2005, it was announced that Batts had signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment and had been assigned to the Deep South Wrestling developmental territory.[1]

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2005–2006)

In December 2005 it was announced that Batts had been transferred to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). On January 21, 2006, Batts lost his first match in OVW to Da Beast with Tytus acting as his manager.[6] Then on January 27, 2006, lost to Tytus this time with Da Beast acting as manager.[7] Batts, under his real name, wrestled, and lost to WWE Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms on the May 6, 2006 episode of Velocity.[8]

On June 14, 2006, Batts was released from his WWE contract.

Retirement

After his release, Batts retired from wrestling to pursue a career in mixed martial arts, which only consisted of 3 grappling tournaments

Championships and accomplishments
  • Defiant Pro Wrestling
  • DPW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)[1]

References
  1. "Mikey Batts profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  2. Johnson, Steven (2004-07-12). "Impact looks to hook racing fans". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  3. Clevett, Jason (2004-11-08). "Victory Road bombs". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
  4. Clevett, Jason (2005-07-19). "No Surrender a success". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  5. Sokol, Chris (2005-08-20). "Impact: Candido tag tourney launched". SLAM! Sports. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  6. "Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006) - January 18, 2006 – OVW TV Tapings". Online World of Wrestling. 2006-01-18. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  7. "Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006) - January 25, 2006–OVW TV Tapings". Online World of Wrestling. 2006-01-25. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  8. "WWE SmackDown! Results - Friday Night SmackDown!". Online World of Wrestling. 2006-05-05. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
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