Matthew Hannan (born March 23, 1988) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

, primarily performing on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

and for

Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...

(MLW), where he is former one-time MLW World Tag Team Champion (with

1 Called Manders Steven Manders (born 23 October 1993), better known by his ring name 1 Called Manders, is an American professional wrestler currently performing on the independent circuit. He is also known for his time with American promotions Game Changer ...

), under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Matthew Justice. He is also former one-time MLW National Openweight Champion.

Early life

Hannan grew up in

Streetsboro, Ohio Streetsboro is a city in western Portage County, Ohio, United States. The population was 17,260 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area. The city was formed from the former Streetsboro Township of the Connecticut Western Re ...

. As a child, he enjoyed watching professional wrestling. His father, Tom Hannan, was the coach for the football team at Crestwood High School, but Justice was not interested in sports. He would play in local bands, but was looking for a different calling.

Professional wrestling career

During his junior and senior years of high school, Hannan began professional wrestling when he found out about a training school in Cleveland run by a local veteran of the ring, J.T. Lightning. The school was about 25 miles from where Hannan lived so he started going there a few days a week. His ring name, Matthew Justice, originated from his first name and "Justice" from Hannan's love for the heavy metal band

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

's album '' ...And Justice for All''. The nickname "One Man Militia" came from Hannan's friend and lifting partner. He would perform in shows throughout Northeast Ohio. He would later graduate from

Streetsboro High School Streetsboro High School is a public high school in Streetsboro, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Streetsboro City School District and had an enrollment of 577 students in the 2015–16 school year. The school was first esta ...

in 2007. He notes wrestler

Rob Van Dam Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movemen ...

as an idol and the main reason that he became a wrestler.

Pro Wrestling Ohio / Prime Wrestling (2007–present)

Hannan debuted in Pro Wrestling Ohio in an interview segment. He soon teamed with Charles "White Socks" Johnson under the team name "Socks of Justice". The two defeated the team of Brian Bender and Ernie Ballz (The Clash). Later, Johnson was assaulted backstage by Bender and Ballz having Justice duel against both competitors unsuccessfully in a 2-on-1

handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

. Johnson returned a week later as Socks of Justice defeated The Clash in a

tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

. Socks of Justice disbanded for Justice defeated Jimmy DeMarco on his own. Eventually, Justice formed another tag team with Morty Rackem, calling themselves "Pirate Justice". The team defeated The Clash and V-Squared (Virus and Virus Grande) on multiple occasions. At the first annual Wrestlelution, Pirate Justice unsuccessfully became the first ever PWO Tag Team Champions against Jake Crist and Vincent Nothing and V-Squared. A few weeks later, Justice defeated Benjamin Boone and unsuccessfully faced against Michael Montecarlo. Going into 2009, Justice was defeated by Bill Collier, Super Hentai, and Benjamin Boone. Pirate Justice later lost to the team of

Greg Valentine Jonathan Anthony Wisniski (born September 20, 1951) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "the Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine. Over five decades, Valentine held more than 40 championsh ...

and

Jim Neidhart James Henry Neidhart (February 8, 1955 – August 13, 2018) was an American professional wrestler known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag ...

for the PWO Tag Team Titles. At Wrestlelution 2, Justice defeated Rackem in a Pirate Rules match. Later in 2011, prior to his departure, Justice would be defeated by Bobby Beverly for the PWO Television Title. Justice returned to PWO on December 13, 2011. The following week, Justice defeated Benjamin Boone. Justice would seek revenge on The Dead Wrestling Society, leading up to him being defeated by Kirst at Wrestlelution 5. On the February 10, 2013 edition of Prime Wrestling, Hannan returned once again being announced as the third man in a six-man tag team match at the upcoming Internet pay-per-view, Pressure Rising. At Pressure Rising, Justice turned

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

on Prime Wrestling Commissioner, Justin LaBar, Matt Cross, and

Gregory Iron Gregory Allen Smith (born October 12, 1986), better known by his ring name Gregory Iron, or "GAS" as a play on his actual initials, is an American professional wrestler, who performs regularly in Pro Wrestling Ohio, AAW, Chikara, Smash And A ...

as he pretended to suffer a knee injury during the match, making it a 3-on-1 handicap match, only to later come out and assault Cross with LaBar's stolen laptop to allow Vic Travagliante to become the new permanent Commissioner. On the April 21, 2013 edition of Prime Wrestling, Justice defeated Facade for the Prime Television Championship due to an interference by Justice's girlfriend,

Marti Belle Martibel Payano (born August 7, 1988) is an American professional wrestler, best known working under the ring name Marti Belle. She is best known for her time with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where she was a former NWA World Women's ...

. The two had a celebratory kiss afterward. At Wrestlelution 6 on October 20, Justice lost the Prime Television Title to Matt Cross.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2010–2011)

On the May 10, 2010 edition of Raw at the

Mellon Arena The Civic Arena, formerly the Civic Auditorium and later Mellon Arena, was an arena located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Civic Arena primarily served as the home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the city's National Hockey League (NHL) ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, Hannan lost in a dark match against Dos Caras, Jr. Hannan made his

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

television debut as a jobber on the June 13, 2010 episode of ''

WWE Superstars ''WWE Superstars'', or simply ''Superstars'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by WWE that originally aired on WGN America in the United States and later broadcast on the WWE Network. It debuted on and ...

'' where he faced the team of Vance Archer and Curt Hawkins under the ring name Matthew Busch. Hannan once again appeared on the January 28, 2011 edition of ''

WWE Smackdown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs Live television, live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Netwo ...

'', again facing off against Alberto Del Rio in an exhibition

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...

match under the ring name Mike Stevens. On March 18, 2011, Hannan signed a WWE developmental contract, and was assigned to their developmental territory

Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until ...

(FCW) located in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

under the ring name Mack Hetfield. After spending six months in Florida, he was released in September 2011.

Major League Wrestling (2023–present)

As Matthew Justice he has been working for the company

(MLW), and on November 18, 2023, at

Fightland Fightland is a website covering mixed martial arts (MMA). Launched in September 2012, it is part of Vice Media, Inc. network channels. Vice Media states that ''Fightland'' is a joint venture with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). ''The ...

he won the MLW World Tag Team Champion with

. In May 2024, legendary wrestling manager

Bill Alfonso William Matthew Sierra (born August 11, 1957), better known by his ring name Bill Alfonso, is an American former professional wrestling referee and manager, currently performing for Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he serves as the manager of ...

became his manager. On November 9, 2024, at

Lucha Apocalypto Lucha Apocalypto (2024) was a professional wrestling List of Major League Wrestling events, event co-produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). It took place on November 9, 2024, at Cicero Stadium (Illinois ...

Matthew Justice won the

MLW National Openweight Championship The MLW National Openweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion Major League Wrestling (MLW). The title was unveiled on April 18, 2019. The title's openweigh ...

by defeating

Bad Dude Tito Tito Escondido (born October 4, 1988), better known by his ring name Bad Dude Tito, is an American professional wrestler. He works for Major League Wrestling (MLW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of The Mighty Don't Knee ...

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2025–present)

On May 2, 2025, Matthew Justice debuted in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, losing to Último Guerrero for the MLW National Openweight Championship at the Arena México.

Other media

Hannan has also appeared as an extra in three feature films: '' Abduction'', starring

Taylor Lautner Taylor Daniel Lautner ( ; born February 11, 1992) is an American actor. He is best known for playing werewolf Jacob Black in ''The Twilight Saga (film series), The Twilight Saga'' film series (2008–2012). His accolades include a Scream Awar ...

and

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra ( ; born October 8, 1949), better known by her stage name Sigourney Weaver, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the late 1970s, she is known for her pioneering portrayals of action heroines in Blockbuster (entertainme ...

; ''

Warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

'', starring Tom Hardy and

Nick Nolte Nicholas King Nolte (; born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Nol ...

; and ''

Jack Reacher Jack Reacher is the protagonist of a series of crime thriller novels by British author Lee Child, a 2012 film adaptation, its 2016 sequel, and a television series on Amazon Prime Video. In the stories, Jack Reacher was a major in the U.S. ...

'', starring

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

. Hannan is also featured in the

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

based

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...

band

Mushroomhead Mushroomhead is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in the Cleveland Warehouse District, the band is known for their avant-garde sound and horror film-inspired imagery which features masks and costumes as well as ...

's music video for their single "Come On" from the album '' Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children''. The video aired on

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision. The channel launched initially as an all-music ...

Headbangers Ball ''Headbangers Ball'' is a music television program that consists of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV and its global affiliates. The show began on MTV on April 18, 1987, playing heavy metal music videos from both well-known and more obsc ...

Championships and accomplishments

*Absolute Intense Wrestling **AIW Absolute Championship (1 time) **AIW Intense Championship (2 time) **AIW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with John Thorne **JT Lightning Invitational Tournament (2019) *

AAW Wrestling AAW: Professional Wrestling Redefined or simply AAW Wrestling (AAW), an initialism of its original name, All American Wrestling, is an American independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promotion, based in the Chicago area – ori ...

AAW Tag Team Championship The AAW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling #World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship which is created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion All American ...

(1 time) – with

*Blackcraft Wrestling **Blackcraft Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Championship Wrestling Experience **CWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

*Circle 6 Wrestling **Circle 6 World Championship (1 time, current) *

DEFY Wrestling DEFY Wrestling is an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promotion based out of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. DEFY was created in 2017 after founders Jim Perry and Matt Farmer successfully petitioned the Wa ...

**DEFY Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

Mance Warner Quirt Miller (born October 10, 1988), better known by his ring name Mance Warner, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He also makes appearances on the independent circuit, predominantly fo ...

*Firestorm Pro Wrestling **Firestorm Pro Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Nickie Valentino *

Game Changer Wrestling Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW), is an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in New Jersey. The promotion was original ...

GCW Tag Team Championship The GCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion Game Changer Wrestling. Established on April 1, 1999 as JCW Tag Team Championship, the inaugural champions were ...

(1 time) – with Mance Warner *Horror Slam Wrestling **Horror Slam Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mance Warner *

International Wrestling Cartel International Wrestling Cartel is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Justin Plummer, has become the longest tenured owner. Norm Connors ran the promotion for ...

**IWC Super Indy Championship (2 time) *

MLW World Tag Team Championship The MLW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Major League Wrestling (MLW) promotion. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which particip ...

(1 time) – with 1 Called Manders **

( 1 time) *Metalmania PDX **Metalmania Heavy Metal Championship (1 time, current) * NWA East / Pro Wrestling eXpress **NWA East/PWX Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Gregory Iron *New York Wrestling Connection **NYWC Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Jesse Vane *Paradigm Pro Wrestling **PPW Tag Team Championships (1 time) – with Bobby Beverly * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' **Ranked No. 352 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' in 2021 *Pro Wrestling Ohio / Prime Wrestling **Prime Television Championship (1 time) **PWO Tag Team Championships (1 time) – with Mitty Rackem *Pro Wrestling eXpress **PWX Television Championship (1 time) **PWX Three Rivers Championship (1 time) *The Wrestling Revolver **PWR Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Mance Warner and 1 Called Manders *Vicious Outcast Wrestling **Natural Cup Tournament (2014)

References

External links

Matt Hannan's Facebook profileMatthew Justice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Justice, Matthew American male professional wrestlers Living people People from Geauga County, Ohio 1988 births People from Portage County, Ohio Professional wrestlers from Ohio 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers AAW Tag Team Champions GCW Tag Team Champions MLW National Openweight Champions MLW World Tag Team Champions Professional wrestlers from Cleveland