Total Ballot Appearing: 19 // Ballot Points: 779 // Highest Rank: 2nd
Celebrating his 20th year in professional wrestling, this is a testament to his toughness and tenacity. One of the best big men ever in Minnesota pro wrestling, “big Mitch remains one of the top talents in the ring. When Paradise dishes out offence, it is with such force that fans feel it. He’s old school. You don’t walk out of a match against Mitch without a reminder of who you stepped in the ring with.” 2017 was, as for a number of other talents on the list that saw their stock rise, a year of reinvigoration and reinvention. From his year long feud chasing Aaron Corbin in Steel Domain Wrestling and finally recapturing their Heavyweight strap, to a series of matches with the HOSS set to maximum in MIW with Lore, Stonehenge, and CWIII, to promoting a show in which he took on Big Sepp in a bonafide slobberknocker, Paradise turned up the volume on the G&R and never looked back. His Ox Baker look after he shaved his head complimented top notch heel work to start the year in MIW was a revelation after a long run with the same babyface actions that make the fans love him. Like many of the best talents on this list, his exceptional crowd work allowed him to become a fan favorite based on who he was facing and where the show was taking place. Just make sure if he offers to shake your hand at ringside before the match that you know where it has been.
WRESTLING 