Wrestlezone has confirmed DJZ is now a free agent in professional wrestling, as he is no longer under contract with IMPACT Wrestling.
Tomorrow will mark the first day in nearly seven years that he will be an unsigned talent; his contract with the company officially expires at midnight tonight. DJZ first appeared for the company (then branded as TNA) as Zema Ion on the June 23rd, 2011 episode of Impact Wrestling. Zema worked a three-way X Division match against Dakota Darsow and Federico Palacios, and his official signing was later reported by F4WOnline.com on July 24th.
DJZ is a former two-time X Division Champion, and won the IMPACT Tag Team Championship with Andrew Everett earlier this year. He is also the current AAW Heritage Champion, both accolades coming after missing significant time in 2017 due to serious injury. DJZ was hospitalized with serious injuries including internal bleeding and a ruptured colon after taking a 450 splash in Mexico last spring; his recovery and return to the ring was featured in a mini-documentary called ‘The Beat Goes On’.
DJZ may be a free agent as of this evening, but he does have some new independent wrestling appearances coming up in the new year, including with AAW in Chicago and Without A Cause in Washington.
SINGLES MATCH:@ProTWilliams vs. @IAmDJZ
Tickets: https://t.co/8l9RfavMPe pic.twitter.com/Ip2qz4mSUP
— Without A Cause (@WithoutACauseWA) December 30, 2018
Tickets for The Final Stand on 1/26 at the Logan Square Auditorium go on sale tomorrow at 12:00pm at https://t.co/9glYmjydOU
Talent already confirmed:@IAmDJZ @ARealFoxx @TheBadReed @TLee910 @PENTAELZEROM @ReyFenixMx
@SantanaLAX
@Ortiz5150 @FearHavok @The_MJF pic.twitter.com/AwNtNSxhjW— AAW Wrestling (@AAWPro) December 31, 2018
Update: DJZ has since posted the following comments in response to his departure from the company:
i would like to thank @IMPACTWRESTLING for the last 7 years. They gave me a platform to hone my craft, make mistakes, learn from them and grow as a performer. They stuck w/ me through difficult times and provided the opportunity to wrestle for a living. https://t.co/6qo9QCwjCG
— Joaquin Wilde (@joaquinwilde_) December 31, 2018
