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Michael Verdi, known
professionally as Trent Acid, was found dead yesterday
morning at the young age of 29 years old. According to friend Jonathan
Leiff, he
was found by his mother at approximately 9AM that morning.
Verdi began wrestling in 1995, at the age of 14, on local independent
shows in
Philadelphia. His debut match was against childhood friend Billy Reil
for Angel
Amoroso's Tri-County Wrestling on May 19, 1995. Though he never attended
a
wrestling school to train in the basics of professional wrestling, Verdi
took to
the business quickly and proved to be a natural. The name Trent Acid was
given
to him by manager Madonna Wayne Gacy and fellow wrestler Twiggy Ramirez,
and the
name stuck.
Still in school and unable to drive, Verdi spent the next couple of
years
wrestling locally. Eventually he would branch out into the larger
Northeast
wrestling scene in 1997, when he began working for Frank Iadevaia's
Jersey All
Pro Wrestling (JAPW) based out of Bayonne, New Jersey. He'd go on to win
the
JAPW tag team championship in January of 1999 as a member of D-Sex with
Billy
Reil, defeating Homicide and Kane D in crazy match that resulted in a
trip to
the hospital and over a dozen staples to close a wound he received after
getting
hit with a VCR.
It was around this time that Verdi met John Kasner, a trainee of
ex-Extreme
Championship Wrestling tag team The Pitbulls. Verdi worked out at the
gym and
took a liking to Kasner, who worked locally under the name Johnny
Kashmere. When
that gym closed several of the wrestlers that trained there looked for a
new
school to work out at, eventually settling on the Combat Zone Wrestling
(CZW)
school in Mantua, New Jersey. Many of them began working on CZW shows,
including
Verdi and Kasner.
At this point Verdi's talent was starting to get the attention of local
promoters and bookers, among them Donnie Bucci, who helped book Dennis
Coralluzzo branch of the National Wrestling Alliance. Bucci, who also
worked as
manager Donnie B, thought Verdi would be perfect for an idea he had to
capitalize on the boy band craze of the time. Verdi recommended Kasner
for the
role of his partner, and in that September the Backseat Boyz debuted.
Less than a month after forming the Backseat Boyz would begin working
for Jim
Kettner's East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA), where they quickly
won the
tag team championship. As a result of his work, Verdi was asked to
participate
in the 2000 edition of the Super 8 tournament, where he lost in the
first round
to Scoot Andrews. He would end up leaving the ECWA shortly thereafter.
In the early spring of 2000, Verdi would make his first trip to Japan,
where he
worked for Big Japan Pro Wrestling as a part of the CZW contingent.
Verdi was
arguably most well received wrestler to arrive in Japan as a part of
BJW's
working agreement with CZW, and his watches were among the best
involving CZW
talent during the period. He'd go on to win BJW gold, holding the junior
heavyweight championship twice. In total he wrestled on 12 tours in
Japan.
The Backseat Boyz would eventually form in CZW during the late spring of
2000,
and that summer the Backseat Boyz would have a series of matches with
Ric Blade
and Nick Mondo that would help put the company on the map. A ladder
match
between the two teams is still talked about today by CZW fans, and is
considered
one of the best matches in company history.
In addition to CZW, the Backseat Boyz wrestled all over the Northeast in
2000
for dozens of organizations, and by the end of the year they would even
begin
receiving attention from ECW, who told them to come to ECW's December 25
event
at the ECW Arena with their gear. Though not used on the actual show,
they were
given the impression that they would be joining the company soon,
possibly at
the next ECW Arena show. Unfortunately ECW, in its original form, would
run
their last show less than a month later.
While the prior year had been a pretty big one for him, 2001 would be
even
bigger for Verdi. He'd start off the year wrestling in CZW as a singles
wrestler, a role CZW owner John Zandig had wanted to use him in from the
start,
and was positioned as the top guy in CZW's booming junior heavyweight
division.
While known for its blood and guts style, CZW was also home to probably
the most
modern and exciting junior heavyweight division in the country,
something Verdi
played a major role in.
CZW's yearly Best of the Best event was created that year, in part, to
give
Verdi a high profile platform to show his ability. Juventud Guerrera was
even
brought in for no other reason than to put Verdi over, and while he
wasn't
booked to win the tournament (W*inger did), it was clear that he was
made out to
be the star off it. The Backseat Boyz would begin teaming again in CZW
shortly
thereafter, winning the CZW tag team championship, in addition to
Verdi's CZW
junior heavyweight championship.
As a tag team, the Backseat Boyz would travel the World together,
competing from
coast to coast in the United States, and in Japan. They even caught the
attention of the World Wrestling Federation, who used them for a skit on
their
Sunday Night Heat television program. Claiming to be the cousins of the
Dudley
Boyz, the Backseat Boyz called themselves the Backseat Dudleyz and
proceeded to
be destroyed by Albert, who put them through a table.
2002 would continue Verdi's rise on the independents, as the Backseat
Boyz truly
solidified themselves as the most valuable players for the still growing
CZW.
Their matches were the best on the card, and Verdi was widely seen as
one of the
top performers on the independents. Verdi would hold on to the CZW
junior
heavyweight championship for the entire year, and would go on to win the
2002
edition of CZW's Best of the Best tournament.
In addition to their work in CZW, the Backseat Boyz were among the most
traveled
independent wrestlers in the country, working all over the United
States. All of
their hard work appeared to be paying off, as they were booked on one of
the
National Wrestling Alliance: Total Nonstop Action weekly pay-per-views.
The
match though didn't lead to a spot with the company, for whatever
reason. A
couple of months later, after initially not appearing on their shows by
request
of CZW, the Backseat Boyz made their long awaited debut for Ring of
Honor (ROH).
As 2003 came, Verdi was featured prominently in two of the highest
profile
independent groups in the country, was widely considered one of the top
independent wrestlers in the country, and was showing the type of
charisma and
character development that all but guaranteed a developmental contract
with
World Wrestling Entertainment. He started off the year losing the CZW
junior
heavyweight championship to Ruckus in an excellent match that would
probably be
considered one of the top matches of the year in CZW, which was saying a
lot
considering some of the excellent matches from that year.
In addition to continued tag team success, including winning both the
CZW and
ROH tag team championship, Verdi had a series of high profile matches
against
Homicide in both ROH and CZW. The CZW matches, in particular, including a
tag
team match where he teamed with B-Boy against Homicide and Dan Maff,
would
probably be ranked among the top ten matches in CZW history. While his
role as
the top junior heavyweight in CZW had really opened peoples eyes to his
talent,
the Homicide matches were probably among his career best and occurred at
his
peak. Sadly 2003 would end up being his last great year in wrestling, as
his
personal problems began taking a toll on him both personally and
professionally.
As 2004 dawned, there was no reason to believe that the Backseat Boyz
would do
anything but continue their rise to bigger and better things. That
changed
quickly though when they announced that they were leaving CZW, posting a
long,
rambling statement, labeled "The Backseat Manifesto," on various message
boards
and their website. The statement was written in the third person and
talked
about their displeasure with how they were being used in CZW. They
accused then
CZW owner John Zandig of interfering in their career and costing them
bookings,
claiming that Zandig had contacted Steve Corino and gotten them pulled
from a
World-1 show.
Their departure was a result of long time tension between Kasner and
Zandig
dating back to September of 1999, when the two had a huge blow up at
Cage of
Death II. The two would clash from time to time, with Verdi usually
being stuck
in the middle. There was a certain resentment on Kasner's part over
perceptions
that Verdi was treated better by Zandig, and there was some truth to
that
belief. The bottom line was that Zandig had always wanted to push Verdi
as a
singles star, and had it not been for Verdi's insistence that the team
not be
broken up, Kasner likely would have been pushed aside. In the months
leading up
to the departure there were discussions about giving Verdi the CZW
heavyweight
championship and finally giving him the singles push they'd wanted to
give him
from the start. Whether this was the catalyst for the demise of the
Backseat
Boyz in CZW or not, it was becoming increasingly clear that the
situation would
only decline from there.
Initially Verdi sided with Kasner, choosing to leave with him out of
loyalty.
Verdi always lobbied against breaking up the team, seeing Kasner as less
than a
friend and more as an actual brother. From his perspective they still
had ROH,
which by this point had surpassed CZW as the top independent group in
the
Northeast, and there were more than enough groups that they could
replace CZW
with, so he likely wasn't overly concerned about the consequences of
leaving.
However, Kasner's increasingly erratic behavior and reputation for being
unreliable would eventually cause Kasner's departure from ROH, leaving
him in a
tough situation. It was at this point that Verdi realized that he needed
to
decide what was more important: his loyalty to Kasner or his wrestling
career?
The answer to that question became apparent when Verdi returned to CZW,
much to
Kasner's surprise, on April 2, 2004, in Reading, PA by sitting in the
crowd and
then being escorted out of the building, planting the seeds for his
return the
next night in Philadelphia. In Philadelphia he made his way to the ring
and was
confronted by Zandig. The two were eventually interrupted by Teddy Hart,
resulting in Verdi asking Zandig to face Hart in a match. Zandig agreed,
but
said that the only way he would be allowed back in CZW was if he beat
Hart. The
heat for the match was incredible as the two brawled all over the
building and
even into the parking lot, eventually leading to Verdi winning and
earning his
spot back with the company.
Upon his return, the plan was for Verdi to eventually win the CZW
heavyweight
championship, the only title in CZW that he never won. Those plans, and
his
return, were short lived though when he once again departed the company,
this
time claiming that assistant booker Mike Burns was attempting to
sabotage him.
It wasn't clear who or what made him think that, but for whatever reason
he
believed that to be the case, and no showed CZW's Best of the Best
tournament
that July. He would not return to the organization for another four
years.
By this point Verdi was working for ROH as a singles wrestler, but the
promise
he showed in his epic matches with Homicide the previous fall, which
made it
seem like it was only a matter of time before Verdi was a top guy for
the
company, did not seem to carry over in this singles run. Occasionally
he'd show
the flashes of brilliance that had helped build his reputation, but he
would
eventually leave the company at the end of 2004.
Also towards the end of 2004, Verdi would found Pro Wrestling Unplugged
(PWU)
with Kasner. The two would also found the Animal House training school.
PWU was
largely the brainchild of Kasner and he was the main force behind the
company,
while Verdi preferred to concentrate on being a performer and helping
train
students at the school. They'd first run shows, or "Jam Sessions," at
the Berwyn
Tavern where they worked as bartenders. They'd eventually begin running
shows
out of their school, but were then forced to stop doing that due to
zoning
concerns.
They'd end up running shows at the former ECW Arena, which was
the
home of CZW and it's wrestling school, before being kicked out after
Kasner had
a falling out with the arena's owner. PWU would begin running
periodically in
buildings around the Philadelphia area, before eventually ceasing
operations
earlier this year.
In the final years of his life Verdi worked primarily for PWU, Frank
Goodman's
USA Pro Wrestling/USA Xtreme Wrestling, the Insane Clown Posse's Juggalo
Championship Wrestling, Jersey All Pro Wrestling (on and off), and Pro
Wrestling
Syndicate. He'd also do a few tours for Italy's Nu Wrestling Evolution
and a
brief tour of Mexico, but his visibility was greatly diminished due to
not
working regularly for top level independent groups in the United States.
The Backseat Boyz would occasionally team up, but Kasner had built a reputation as being unreliable and few promoters were interested in using him. Not only would Kasner cancel at the last minute or simply not show up for bookings, but he would advertise himself for matches on his own PWU shows and not appear.
To
compound all of that that, Verdi's reputation began to overshadow his in
ring
performances, which were often not at the level that Verdi should have
been
performing at.
Verdi's demons were becoming increasingly apparent and were negatively
affecting
his in ring work. He'd show up in no condition to perform, and by 2008
it was
clear that his career, and more importantly, his life, was spinning out
of
control. Fans began posting on message boards about shows they'd attend
where
Verdi appeared to be under the influence, even to the point where he
seemingly
passed out in the ring once during a match. Privately wrestlers and
friends
began talking about it as well, and it was becoming a bigger and bigger
issue.
The situation would come to a head on July 13, 2008, when Verdi and long
time
friend Billy Reil got into a serious altercation that resulted in the
police
being called. According to Reil at the time, he went to Verdi's home to
talk to
him about his drug use. The two began to argue and a physical
altercation broke
out, spilling into the street. Though Reil didn't want to press charges,
Verdi
was taken into custody on July 18 for violating parole and on July 24
was
arraigned for aggravated assault, terroristic threats with intent to
terrorize
another, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, and
intentional
possession of a controlled substance by a person who is not registered.
Verdi
would spend nearly 7 months in prison before being released on January
28, 2009,
with all charges dropped.
Upon his released from prison, friends felt that Verdi was serious about
cleaning up his act. Looking to return to wrestling, Verdi was given the
opportunity to return to CZW, which he'd done just before being sent to
jail the
year before. His matches were not particularly well received, but even
after
everything he'd been through, there were those brief flashes of
brilliance that
helped catapult him into the spotlight to begin with. Sadly those
flashes didn't
ignite into anything bigger. In addition to CZW, Verdi also made a short
return
to JAPW, as well as working for a variety of smaller independent groups
around
the Northeast.
As time went by though, it became apparent that Verdi's issues with
drugs were
once again getting out of control. He again would find himself in
trouble in the
law that October, this time when police allegedly found him in
possession of
five loose Xanax pills. Unable to provide a prescription, he was
arrested and
charged with the intentional possession of a controlled substance by a
person
who is not registered. He was released on bail, and was set to go on
trial for
the charges on July 13.
CZW, now owned by D.J. Hyde, decided that it was best for Verdi to take
sometime
away from wrestling and stopped using him shortly after his arrest.
Verdi
briefly checked himself into rehab, however friends say that it didn't
stick and
he was soon back to his old ways.
Verdi continued wrestling sporadically and earlier this year he and Kasner were planning on doing what they promoted as a Backseat Boyz reunion tour. Kasner though would again prove unreliable, pulling out of bookings on short notice. Verdi did not have a driver's license, so he was also relying on Kasner to drive them for their bookings.
The situation
came to a
head when Kasner pulled out of a booking in New York a day before the
show.
Though he was able to find a ride to the show, Verdi showed up in no
condition
to perform and the New York State Athletic Commission representative
declared
that he would not be able to clear Verdi to work on the show. Verdi,
already
upset about the situation with Kasner, reportedly became even angrier
and began
blaming Kasner for all of his problems. The two would have a falling
out, and
Kasner announced that he and Verdi would be going their separate ways.
The
Backseat Boyz were no more, and the two long time friends were never
able to
reconcile.
Verdi would go on to have what is believed to be his final match on
March 20 in
Philadelphia during the Insane Clown Posse and Juggalo Championship
Wrestling's
Oddball Bonanza show, facing 2 Tuff Tony in a death match that included
barbed
wire boards, barbed wire bats, and other chairs wrapped in barbed wire.
Those
who saw him at the show say he was in good spirits, but were concerned
that it
might not be the best of environments for him to be in. His drug used
was
becoming a bigger and bigger issue, and friends were becoming extremely
concerned. One friend, who asked not to be named, said that Verdi's
condition
had gotten so bad that he expected to receive a phone call alerting
about
Verdi's passing at any moment. "It wasn't a matter of months or weeks, I
expected the news to come at any day" said the friend.
On April 2 officers were dispatched at 3:25 p.m. after receiving reports
of a
suspicious male on Saint Denis Lane in the drug free school zone of
Haverford
Township. When they arrived at the scene it appeared the man was
intoxicated.
While searching him they found that the man, Michael Verdi, was in
possession of
Heroin and drug paraphernalia. Verdi was arrested, charged, arraigned
later that
day and released, with a preliminary hearing set for April 8. At the
preliminary
hearing Verdi was taken into custody for violating parole and sent to
the George
W. Hill Correctional Facility in Delaware County.
On May 12, Verdi was
sentenced
to a maximum of 23 months of confinement, in addition to court mandated
rehab,
after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. It appears that Verdi was
released
at some point between May 12 and 16 in preparation of his mandated
rehab.
On June 18, at approximately 9AM, Verdi was found deceased by his
mother. There
are conflicting reports from friends about whether he had finished rehab
or was
still in some type of substance abuse program at the time of his death.
Little
else is known about his passing, though the feeling among friends is
that it was
likely drug related.
Though in recent years people had noticed a change in him, Verdi was
generally
well liked by his friends and peers in the wrestling business. He had a
good
sense of humor and was deep down a very caring and compassionate person,
even
during his most darkest points. He touched many, and today there are
many people
reflecting on how grateful they were to have known him.
It is those
things that
people should ultimately remember about Michael Verdi, because his
demons were
only a small part of who he was as a human being. Yes, they are a part of his story, but for many people, they will
remember him
as the kid who used to do spots off the bleachers during intermission at
ECW
Arena shows, they will remember watching him transform from that kid
into an
incredibly gifted professional wrestler, and they will remember watching
him
perform in front of jam packed crowds of fans chanting his name in the
very
building that he once would attend wrestling shows at. Others will
remember him
as the 17 year old kid they first met in a converted supermarket in
Bayonne, New
Jersey or the kid who befriended them after meeting him at a wrestling
school.
And still others will remember him as one of the reasons they got into
independent wrestling to begin with, either as a wrestler or a fan. Don't let the bad taint those memories, because that would only
compound this
tragedy.
If there is any good that can come of this tragedy, it is the hope that
this
tragedy will serve as a wake up call for people in the wrestling
business. The
question though is: are the people most at risk listening? I truly hope
so.
Our condolences to the friends, family, and fans of Michael Verdi. He
will be
dearly missed.
Thanks to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com for his help.
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