The Beginning-On a warm spring day, circa 1975 in Scranton, PA Mr. and Mrs. Micheal Curmaci were blessed with the birth of their first son Micheal Jr. From the very beginning Micheal was embraced by family and friends as a child full of life, full of charisma, and full of the drive and determination to make something of himself. This is something that would never change. At this same time, he was an avid fan of wrestling, although it was despised both by his mother, and his father, who left Micheal at the age of 8, as his brother Chauncey was just beginning his childhood as well. Mike loved the way there were heels, and then there were good heels, and faces, and good faces. It all mattered how hard a wrestler worked when deciding his career. Mike loved the storylines too, and no matter what people said Mike always said "Wrestling is real, and it hurts a lot when those moves are being done." Mike would come into school and entertain his classmates with his impersonations of wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and The Honkey Tonk Man. As wrestling changed, so did Mike, and he began studying the various styles of wrestling, from high flying, to technical, to the roughneck/brawler type style. He fell in love with the antics of Owen Hart and the courage of Bret Hart. These two individuals inspired Mike to join his high school wrestling team and start a work ethic that Mike still believes is unparallel to any professional wrestler in the business. He led the West Scranton Invaders to four high school wrestling titles, and became a All-American. This was just the beginning. Mike earned the nickname The Notch because to his teammates he always seemed to take everything one step higher than anyone else would. He was adventureous, but not cocky, determined, but not overzealous, and if he had any critics, he silenced them with his talents on and off the mat. He couldn't however shake his love of professional wrestling, and he wanted nothing more to achieve his dream. In 1995, right out of high school he trained at a local wrestling school when he was then signed to the AWA, a company that was supposively rich in tradition and willing to give newcomers the benefit of the doubt. The AWA-Boy In A Man's World Mike quickly discovered all the talks were wrong. He was quickly ignored in the AWA and really was never given the benefit of the doubt. This began his hatred for big corporations paying big bucks to see the same legends, some that can't even wrestle or cut decent promos, while the talent that is dying to break through is held back. This was also the beginning of his hatred of front office favortism and backstage politics. He believed with all of his heart that everything could be decided in the ring. That's where the best stand tall and the favored wrestlers watch in awe. That's where the wrestling should be. He was soon released from the AWA, and went back to Scranton to continue his training. He worked on promo ideas, gimmicks, and everything else he could think of. In 1997, New Age Wrestling was born and The Notch decided he'd check it out. What we would find would almost change his mind about professional wrestling period. It was that bad, but it was a lesson that had to be learned. The NAW-(First arrival)Favortism At Its Worst In the NAW The Notch thought he'd fit in real well, but he was sadly mistaken. Backstage politics always kept guys like Stunning Ron Hood, Shocker, Cy Kopath, Frank Apollo, and Smackdown at the top while newcomers like The Notch were always overlooked. Twice The Notch was screwed out of the NAW Cruiserweight Title, and after that he demanded his release from the NAW. The NAW was more than happy to, considering they believed The Notch was a nuisance to the NAW. The Notch was down in the dumps early, but the USWF was forming, and when it did form, The Notch was an instant hit with the crowd! The USWF-The Spectacle Begins The USWF was a mix of new original wrestlers and some big time stars taking time off from their usual promotions to upgrade their skills. The Notch was quickly a part of Team Extreme, The Red Light District, and The Real Deal, three stables that really excelled in the USWF. The Notch was a 4 time USWF Cruiserweight Champion taking on the likes of Sleek, Innerflame, Jason Sensation, and even the great Shane-O-Mac himself, Shane MacMahon. Alongside that great accomplishment he captured the USWF Tag Team Titles 4 times, twice with The People's Champion, The Rock, and two other times with Alec Idol and Timothy St. Clair respectively. The Notch, however, due to his size, was never given a World Title shot, and the USWF would close in 1999. He would have a short stint in the FAWL capturing their Cruiserweight and Tag Titles, but it wasn't until later on in the same year of 99' that things really started to get interesting again for Vitamin N. What was interesting? The ICWF. The ICWF-Another World The Notch will tell anyone walking into the ICWF in the fall of 1999 was like stepping into a whole other world. The challengers, guys like The Priest, The Beast, Aries, Iron Man, The Green Bros., Jay, Sean Copeland, Raizzor, MVP, they all got tougher. The Notch formed the tag team and stable The No Limit Soldiers with My$tikal and a few other stars. However, they quickly disbanded as My$tikal took a seizure and believed The Notch was stealing the spotlight, so he is now flipping burgers somewhere in Kansas. The Notch would then form The Red Light District again, but with the same results. The ICWF was unique for The Notch not because he won titles-he didn't win any, but he brought his game up ending his stay in the ICWF as the #4 ranked wrestler overall. He almost won the ICWF Internet Title, but he was wrestling double duty during the PPV and after a grueling NYC Brawl Match with Jay, he was forced to take on the mysterious Clive. When The Afterlife formed, the fans of the ICWF turned to The Notch for protection against this growing clan of evil superstars. The Notch really took it to Danny Adams and other members of The Afterlife, but in the end the ICWF closed in early 2000, and The Notch was again without a place of work. Another gleam of light would come through the window again, raising the level of The Notch's performance and making him a true living legend in the sport. The SWF/SWA-Raising It Another Level The SWF was a radical promotion formed in opposition of the PWA. The Notch was one of the first stars signed- a list that would include the following greats:Cliff Young, Sgt. G, Thunderwolf, El Chico, Jesse White, Kage White, Ashram, Destroyer X, Barbwire Kidd, Big Daddy, Ryan Jackson, Tim Jackson, and Kevin Cool among others. The SWF changed its name to the SWA and the feud between the World Champion The Notch and Cliff Young raged on giving the federation high ratings. However, with the introduction of the M.o.A. backstage chaos reigned and the SWA closed in 2001. The Notch would try again with Thunderwolf later on in 2001 to rebuild the SWA, but to no avail. Meanwhile, an old federation of The Notch's was reforming, and although skeptical, The Notch took another dive, bringing some SWA stars with him, into the NAW in the spring of 2001. The NAW-(second arrival)Once More Into The Danger Zone You would think after 4 years since The Notch last competed in the NAW that things had changed. The Notch was however, terribly disappointed. A lazy front office, as well as continuing favortism, plagued The Notch during his second and final stay in the NAW. Though capturing the NAW World Title, a goal he had since his last encounter with the promotion, as well as capturing the Tag Titles with Victor Romero, The Notch felt the NAW wasn't good enough for him, not that he wasn't good enough for them. He vacated the title, vowing never again to enter the NAW. His SWA stars followed in suit as the NAW would close before the summer of 2001. At this point, the PWA, another promotion The Notch wasn't too fond of, seemed like the only option. He formed a pact with Thunderwolf and ventured into the PWA. The results weren't pretty. The PWA-Not At Home The PWA did not welcome The Notch with open arms. He never expected them too. Previously The Notch had tried to get into the PWA, but to no avail. He felt the egos in the place were too overwhelming, and he still does to this day. Thunderwolf and The Notch climbed to the #1 contendership for the Tag Titles, but after the Who's The Man Tournament loss to Jimmy Ultros, The Notch felt he was disrespected as a singles competitor and left the PWA in a fit of rage. Later on, The Notch would be brought in as a spokesperson for the SWA during its invasion of the PWA, but that was short lived. Meanwhile, Alec Wilcox was forming the OWWF, a small federation in need of talent. The Notch was more than happy to oblige. The OWWF-Last Rights Before the whole SWA invasion, the OWWF signed The Notch as its first wrestler. The promotion would last a short time, and its only World Champion would be Vitamin N himself. This seemed to be the end of The Notch's career. Feeling disrespected by his peers and the those he felt he could trust, he retired back into his West Scranton home as 2001 drew to a close. Where Did He Go?-Taking Time OffDuring the SWA invasion of the PWA The Notch became nothing more than a spokesperson. Healing from a nagging elbow injury that needed therapy, The Notch was nothing more than a puppet for Slam! Wrestling Alliance. He hated it, though didn't say a word in his behalf. In the end, he would speak too quickly about the AOWF, tarnishing his image as well as that of the SWA, and was fired from his spokesperson job. Depressed, The Notch left wrestling in December to take time off and focus. He trained day in and day out, until finally he recieved the phone call that would take the legacy of Vitamin N to a whole other level. The LGW-The Radical RebirthThe LGW was beginning. It was new, fresh, and had the money to bring in some big names in the AOWF Community. Dwayne Hoover was so slack. He saw the single greatest wrestling spectacle, a guy who had and still does sell out arenas all over the globe, and he wanted a piece of the action. So did Vitamin N. A deal was struck, and as the second episode of Brainbuster hit the air waves in March of 2002, The Notch remerged as fans roared and he beat the living hell out of Ben Curtis, aka Stephen, from the Dell commercials. After that, he quickly humiliated Jose Gonzalez on the second episode of the show, but he also began his new string of enemies, with the sneak attack by Shannon Stevens, a brash newcomer who had joined La Stygia, a group led by Angel, who to The Notch is still nothing more than a contradicting asshole. Someday those two stars will meet up. Alongside this, The Notch also started feuding with TED and PWA's Chamelion, who attacked The Notch twice on LGW TV. The Notch defeated Kali, another La Stygia member, for the LGW TV Title. The week after he lost the belt to The Kumquat Kid, as Chamelion interfered costing him the title. The feud with Angel was beginning to simmer down, as La Stygia disbanded, The Notch got his revenge on the stable with the help of XTC, an old friend of his from his SWA and PWA days. The Notch wanted the LGW World Title and he was granted a shot on the last LGW show. It was a Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match with TED, and it was probably the greatest match the promotion had ever seen. In the end, TED pulled out the victory, and retained the title. After the match, he brutally attacked Notch, leaving him a bloody mess. Afterwards, many superstars in the LGW left for bigger promotions, and the LGW was forced to close. The Notch signed a contract to face Chamelion, but the match never happened. The UW-Short Stay, Bigger PicturePrior to The Notch's return to the ring in the LGW, he had a short stint in the UW. The Notch promised on AOWF Radio that he would return someday to the UW. He kept his promise, returning in big fashion, becoming the UW Burn Champion during his stay. He also had a tough match with the UW World Champion and current AOWF Undisputed Champion, Psychoduck. During this time, The Notch ventured into the PWA to again challenge Chamelion, for a PWA contract and the Grizzly Beer Title. Though he fought valiantly, The Notch lost to Chamelion. There was supposed to be a rematch, but it never happened. Rumors began to fly again, where would The Notch go, to the PWA, to the W4F, where would he go? JWA-Do You Know The Way To San Jose?The Notch recently signed with JWA, turning down contract offers from the PWA and the W4F. A possible reformation of Truly Tenacious with Thunderwolf is a possibility, as The Notch begins his trip into his seventh year in the business.
The Beginning-On a warm spring day, circa 1975 in Scranton, PA Mr. and Mrs. Micheal Curmaci were blessed with the birth of their first son Micheal Jr. From the very beginning Micheal was embraced by family and friends as a child full of life, full of charisma, and full of the drive and determination to make something of himself. This is something that would never change. At this same time, he was an avid fan of wrestling, although it was despised both by his mother, and his father, who left Micheal at the age of 8, as his brother Chauncey was just beginning his childhood as well. Mike loved the way there were heels, and then there were good heels, and faces, and good faces. It all mattered how hard a wrestler worked when deciding his career. Mike loved the storylines too, and no matter what people said Mike always said "Wrestling is real, and it hurts a lot when those moves are being done." Mike would come into school and entertain his classmates with his impersonations of wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and The Honkey Tonk Man. As wrestling changed, so did Mike, and he began studying the various styles of wrestling, from high flying, to technical, to the roughneck/brawler type style. He fell in love with the antics of Owen Hart and the courage of Bret Hart. These two individuals inspired Mike to join his high school wrestling team and start a work ethic that Mike still believes is unparallel to any professional wrestler in the business. He led the West Scranton Invaders to four high school wrestling titles, and became a All-American. This was just the beginning. Mike earned the nickname The Notch because to his teammates he always seemed to take everything one step higher than anyone else would. He was adventureous, but not cocky, determined, but not overzealous, and if he had any critics, he silenced them with his talents on and off the mat. He couldn't however shake his love of professional wrestling, and he wanted nothing more to achieve his dream. In 1995, right out of high school he trained at a local wrestling school when he was then signed to the AWA, a company that was supposively rich in tradition and willing to give newcomers the benefit of the doubt.
The AWA-Boy In A Man's World Mike quickly discovered all the talks were wrong. He was quickly ignored in the AWA and really was never given the benefit of the doubt. This began his hatred for big corporations paying big bucks to see the same legends, some that can't even wrestle or cut decent promos, while the talent that is dying to break through is held back. This was also the beginning of his hatred of front office favortism and backstage politics. He believed with all of his heart that everything could be decided in the ring. That's where the best stand tall and the favored wrestlers watch in awe. That's where the wrestling should be. He was soon released from the AWA, and went back to Scranton to continue his training. He worked on promo ideas, gimmicks, and everything else he could think of. In 1997, New Age Wrestling was born and The Notch decided he'd check it out. What we would find would almost change his mind about professional wrestling period. It was that bad, but it was a lesson that had to be learned.
The NAW-(First arrival)Favortism At Its Worst In the NAW The Notch thought he'd fit in real well, but he was sadly mistaken. Backstage politics always kept guys like Stunning Ron Hood, Shocker, Cy Kopath, Frank Apollo, and Smackdown at the top while newcomers like The Notch were always overlooked. Twice The Notch was screwed out of the NAW Cruiserweight Title, and after that he demanded his release from the NAW. The NAW was more than happy to, considering they believed The Notch was a nuisance to the NAW. The Notch was down in the dumps early, but the USWF was forming, and when it did form, The Notch was an instant hit with the crowd!
The USWF-The Spectacle Begins The USWF was a mix of new original wrestlers and some big time stars taking time off from their usual promotions to upgrade their skills. The Notch was quickly a part of Team Extreme, The Red Light District, and The Real Deal, three stables that really excelled in the USWF. The Notch was a 4 time USWF Cruiserweight Champion taking on the likes of Sleek, Innerflame, Jason Sensation, and even the great Shane-O-Mac himself, Shane MacMahon. Alongside that great accomplishment he captured the USWF Tag Team Titles 4 times, twice with The People's Champion, The Rock, and two other times with Alec Idol and Timothy St. Clair respectively. The Notch, however, due to his size, was never given a World Title shot, and the USWF would close in 1999. He would have a short stint in the FAWL capturing their Cruiserweight and Tag Titles, but it wasn't until later on in the same year of 99' that things really started to get interesting again for Vitamin N. What was interesting? The ICWF.
The ICWF-Another World The Notch will tell anyone walking into the ICWF in the fall of 1999 was like stepping into a whole other world. The challengers, guys like The Priest, The Beast, Aries, Iron Man, The Green Bros., Jay, Sean Copeland, Raizzor, MVP, they all got tougher. The Notch formed the tag team and stable The No Limit Soldiers with My$tikal and a few other stars. However, they quickly disbanded as My$tikal took a seizure and believed The Notch was stealing the spotlight, so he is now flipping burgers somewhere in Kansas. The Notch would then form The Red Light District again, but with the same results. The ICWF was unique for The Notch not because he won titles-he didn't win any, but he brought his game up ending his stay in the ICWF as the #4 ranked wrestler overall. He almost won the ICWF Internet Title, but he was wrestling double duty during the PPV and after a grueling NYC Brawl Match with Jay, he was forced to take on the mysterious Clive. When The Afterlife formed, the fans of the ICWF turned to The Notch for protection against this growing clan of evil superstars. The Notch really took it to Danny Adams and other members of The Afterlife, but in the end the ICWF closed in early 2000, and The Notch was again without a place of work. Another gleam of light would come through the window again, raising the level of The Notch's performance and making him a true living legend in the sport.
The SWF/SWA-Raising It Another Level The SWF was a radical promotion formed in opposition of the PWA. The Notch was one of the first stars signed- a list that would include the following greats:Cliff Young, Sgt. G, Thunderwolf, El Chico, Jesse White, Kage White, Ashram, Destroyer X, Barbwire Kidd, Big Daddy, Ryan Jackson, Tim Jackson, and Kevin Cool among others. The SWF changed its name to the SWA and the feud between the World Champion The Notch and Cliff Young raged on giving the federation high ratings. However, with the introduction of the M.o.A. backstage chaos reigned and the SWA closed in 2001. The Notch would try again with Thunderwolf later on in 2001 to rebuild the SWA, but to no avail. Meanwhile, an old federation of The Notch's was reforming, and although skeptical, The Notch took another dive, bringing some SWA stars with him, into the NAW in the spring of 2001.
The NAW-(second arrival)Once More Into The Danger Zone You would think after 4 years since The Notch last competed in the NAW that things had changed. The Notch was however, terribly disappointed. A lazy front office, as well as continuing favortism, plagued The Notch during his second and final stay in the NAW. Though capturing the NAW World Title, a goal he had since his last encounter with the promotion, as well as capturing the Tag Titles with Victor Romero, The Notch felt the NAW wasn't good enough for him, not that he wasn't good enough for them. He vacated the title, vowing never again to enter the NAW. His SWA stars followed in suit as the NAW would close before the summer of 2001. At this point, the PWA, another promotion The Notch wasn't too fond of, seemed like the only option. He formed a pact with Thunderwolf and ventured into the PWA. The results weren't pretty.
The PWA-Not At Home The PWA did not welcome The Notch with open arms. He never expected them too. Previously The Notch had tried to get into the PWA, but to no avail. He felt the egos in the place were too overwhelming, and he still does to this day. Thunderwolf and The Notch climbed to the #1 contendership for the Tag Titles, but after the Who's The Man Tournament loss to Jimmy Ultros, The Notch felt he was disrespected as a singles competitor and left the PWA in a fit of rage. Later on, The Notch would be brought in as a spokesperson for the SWA during its invasion of the PWA, but that was short lived. Meanwhile, Alec Wilcox was forming the OWWF, a small federation in need of talent. The Notch was more than happy to oblige.
The OWWF-Last Rights Before the whole SWA invasion, the OWWF signed The Notch as its first wrestler. The promotion would last a short time, and its only World Champion would be Vitamin N himself. This seemed to be the end of The Notch's career. Feeling disrespected by his peers and the those he felt he could trust, he retired back into his West Scranton home as 2001 drew to a close.
Where Did He Go?-Taking Time OffDuring the SWA invasion of the PWA The Notch became nothing more than a spokesperson. Healing from a nagging elbow injury that needed therapy, The Notch was nothing more than a puppet for Slam! Wrestling Alliance. He hated it, though didn't say a word in his behalf. In the end, he would speak too quickly about the AOWF, tarnishing his image as well as that of the SWA, and was fired from his spokesperson job. Depressed, The Notch left wrestling in December to take time off and focus. He trained day in and day out, until finally he recieved the phone call that would take the legacy of Vitamin N to a whole other level.
The LGW-The Radical RebirthThe LGW was beginning. It was new, fresh, and had the money to bring in some big names in the AOWF Community. Dwayne Hoover was so slack. He saw the single greatest wrestling spectacle, a guy who had and still does sell out arenas all over the globe, and he wanted a piece of the action. So did Vitamin N. A deal was struck, and as the second episode of Brainbuster hit the air waves in March of 2002, The Notch remerged as fans roared and he beat the living hell out of Ben Curtis, aka Stephen, from the Dell commercials. After that, he quickly humiliated Jose Gonzalez on the second episode of the show, but he also began his new string of enemies, with the sneak attack by Shannon Stevens, a brash newcomer who had joined La Stygia, a group led by Angel, who to The Notch is still nothing more than a contradicting asshole. Someday those two stars will meet up. Alongside this, The Notch also started feuding with TED and PWA's Chamelion, who attacked The Notch twice on LGW TV. The Notch defeated Kali, another La Stygia member, for the LGW TV Title. The week after he lost the belt to The Kumquat Kid, as Chamelion interfered costing him the title. The feud with Angel was beginning to simmer down, as La Stygia disbanded, The Notch got his revenge on the stable with the help of XTC, an old friend of his from his SWA and PWA days. The Notch wanted the LGW World Title and he was granted a shot on the last LGW show. It was a Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match with TED, and it was probably the greatest match the promotion had ever seen. In the end, TED pulled out the victory, and retained the title. After the match, he brutally attacked Notch, leaving him a bloody mess. Afterwards, many superstars in the LGW left for bigger promotions, and the LGW was forced to close. The Notch signed a contract to face Chamelion, but the match never happened.
The UW-Short Stay, Bigger PicturePrior to The Notch's return to the ring in the LGW, he had a short stint in the UW. The Notch promised on AOWF Radio that he would return someday to the UW. He kept his promise, returning in big fashion, becoming the UW Burn Champion during his stay. He also had a tough match with the UW World Champion and current AOWF Undisputed Champion, Psychoduck. During this time, The Notch ventured into the PWA to again challenge Chamelion, for a PWA contract and the Grizzly Beer Title. Though he fought valiantly, The Notch lost to Chamelion. There was supposed to be a rematch, but it never happened. Rumors began to fly again, where would The Notch go, to the PWA, to the W4F, where would he go?
JWA-Do You Know The Way To San Jose?The Notch recently signed with JWA, turning down contract offers from the PWA and the W4F. A possible reformation of Truly Tenacious with Thunderwolf is a possibility, as The Notch begins his trip into his seventh year in the business.
