Background:
Michael Motto is the son of a wealthy and powerful corporate attorney who was one of the name partners of a prestigious law firm. After graduating at the top of his class in both high school and college, Michael went on to law school at Penn State. His loud mouth and arrogant nature tended to get him in trouble, which led him to take martial arts and wrestling lessons. Impressed by his own natural abilities, and unimpressed by his father's world of law, he dropped out of law school to pursue a career in wrestling.  He made his professional debut for UWL International in November 2003. 

Motto first made a name for himself after being hand-picked by Davey Dee as his new partner in the reincarnation of No Gimmicks Needed.  The team went on to become one of the greatest tag teams in UWL history, dominating the tag team division and holding the UWL World Tag Team Titles for a majority of 2004.  Motto went on to win those titles on two more occasions with fellow NGN member Robert Moore, but Motto's ego proved to be the catalyst for the implosion of the stable by the end of 2004.

Motto then began to reshape himself as a singles competitor, referring to himself as a "God Among Men" and focusing on improving his in-ring abilities.  Over the next two years, he made a name for himself as a talented technical wrestler with a giant ego and a short fuse.  He briefly formed a stable known as The Legacy with Sean Tylor, Tim Kwan, and Xander Phoenix, a move which brought about the "Stable Wars" of 2006. By the summer of 2006, Motto had captured the UWL World Title on two occasions. The death of his father caused him to quietly take a hiatus from the UWL to handle his family's business affairs.  He made his last appearance at Strangeland that year.

Nearly a year later, Motto returned to the UWL with a new attitude.  He put a strong focus on competition and respect.  Despite a series of competitive matches with Matt Steele, Motto found himself frustrated with what he saw as an inferior level of talent in the UWL.  This attitude directly led to his joining forces with Sancho Stevens, Rasputin McKane, and his old running mates Davey and Donnie Dee to form Manifest Dynasty.  MD immediately made an impact on the UWL, quickly collecting every single officially sanctioned UWL championship.  During this time, Motto captured the UWL Intercontinental Title twice.  Despite their success, Motto found himself growing uneasy with the shady tactics of some of his teammates, specifically Stevens.  At Rise from the Ashes, Motto seemingly double-crossed Stevens by bringing to light video footage of his attempt to pay off then UWL President Denyer.  CEO Beacom fired Denyer and spontaneously added Motto to the match, making it a triple threat.  Motto went on to pin Sancho to capture his third UWL World Title.


 
Gimmick:
Motto has outgrown the 'pretentious rich boy' persona that he debuted with in 2003, as well as his anarchistic tendencies, and he has instead become known as one of the finest true wrestlers in the modern era. He is confident in his athletic and intellectual abilities and frequently refers to himself as a "God Among Men" or the "Last True Warrior," a nickname given to him by his Manifest Dynasty teammate Sancho Stevens.  His goal is to be remembered as the greatest technician in the history of the UWL.  He has recently become even more intense in the ring, adding additional suplex variations and even some shoot-style tactics to his repertoire.

Appearance:
Motto's body shape has changed significantly since his early days in the UWL.  He now sports a lean, athletic frame with nice muscle tone. He has a strong jawline and well defined cheekbones. His coal black hair is cut very short and is sometimes gelled into spikes. When not wrestling, he can usually be seen wearing expensive designer clothes. His ring gear consists of amateur-style singlets of varying colors with designs usually in silver or gold, matching boots covered with black kickpads, black kneepads, and black  pads on his forearms. He often makes his entrance in an embroidered silk boxer's robe that matches his ring gear.

Titles Held:
Unified Wrestling League
UWL World Title (x3)
UWL Intercontinental Title (x2)
UWL World Tag Team Title (x3 - once with Davey Dee, twice with Robert Moore)
2005 Bloody Bonds tournament winner
Tag Team of the Year 2004 (with Davey Dee)

Finisher:
Fall of Man (flipping leg-hook belly-to-back suplex)

Secondary Finisher:
The Stand (standing Dragon Sleeper)

Signature Moves:
The Trademark (Exploder '98)

Favorite Moves:

• jujigatame (cross armbreaker)
• Busaiku knee (dropkick knee strike)
• Emerald Erosion
  
• diving headbutt
• various suplex variations
  

The Unified Wrestling League