Paris Crawford

Appearance-wise, Paris' look can vary drastically from week to week. They have an extensive collection of hair extensions to glue in that can change their hair color/length, as well as colored contacts to change their eye color. Very few know what their natural hair color/length or eye color actually is. Paris is also fond of not just makeup, but also wearing face and body paint that can dramatically change their appearance. Usually they go for a soft, feminine appearance. Rarely, though, if they're irritated with an opponent, they'll paint their body and face in a manner to try and intimidate that opponent. (Paris really likes Lady Gaga. Make of that what you will.) They notably won't wear the same ring gear twice. Whoever produces the AWA toys would love how many variants of the Paris Crawford doll they can sell. Physically, they have thick thighs and hips, a thin waist, and their torso and arms don't have a lot of muscle definition. In other words... they're a classic femboy. (You should probably turn on SafeSearch before you Google that.) They have pierced ears (two piercings in each lobe and their left helix), as well as a Monroe piercing, a pierced tongue and a pierced bellybutton, but all piercings are removed before they wrestle except the tongue piercing.

NOTE: Despite Paris' appearance, they do not identify with a specific gender. Whenever asked what gender they are, their most common response is to shrug and say "I'm Paris". They answer to all pronouns, so it is literally impossible to misgender them.

Paris Crawford was born in Corinth, Mississippi on July 17, 1995. Due to Corinth being an increasingly conservative city, Paris being perceived as a gay male with a propensity for feminizing their appearance (such as wearing makeup and dyeing their hair) wasn't exactly a fit for their strict family. They dropped out of high school and ran away from home at age 15, changing their name from their unrevealed birth name to Paris Crawford, taking Paris from a city they always dreamed of visiting, and Crawford from their love of supermodel Cindy Crawford, after seeing a poster of her in their father's garage when they were five years old.

Paris bounced from town to town for three years, taking up whatever work possible (primarily sex work) to bring in money. Their nomadic lifestyle resulted in an increased need to protect themselves, and Paris learned how to fight quickly. Paris eventually landed in Las Vegas at age 18, where not only did they continue with sex work, but they also found more formal training for their own protection... an MMA gym.

Paris quickly took to MMA and found that they enjoyed grappling and striking. While they weren't interested in taking up MMA as a career, their trainers suggested that they consider professional wrestling. Paris had a unique look, and the sometimes-artistic nature of pro wrestling might appeal to them. Paris used to watch wrestling with their father as a kid, as it was one of the rare times they weren't arguing, and decided to give it a try with a school local to Las Vegas.

Their MMA trainers were exactly right. Paris loved pro wrestling. They weren't exactly natural at it, needing a year or so to feel comfortable with debuting, but on February 21, 2015, Paris made their pro wrestling debut. They only wrestled three matches for West Coast independents before mysteriously and suddenly migrating to Japan, where they resumed their career(s). While they wrestled for extremely small indies in Japan that barely drew 100 patrons per show, they also quickly became an in-demand and high-dollar escort, rumored to be making two hundred thousand yen per hour of their time.

It was in Japan that Paris was dubbed "The Queen of Kabukicho" by an indie promoter that wanted to play up Paris' unique look plus their other job as a sex worker. It was also in Japan in 2016 that Paris had a chance encounter in a nightclub with two wrestlers that would change their life... AJ Martinez and Cain Jackson, who had become known as the Kabukicho Assassination Maniac Squad. Paris and AJ became great friends immediately. Paris and Cain? Not so much. Paris invited the two to come watch them wrestle the next night, and when AJ and Cain saw Paris in the ring, it was clear... KAMS should become three. For the next year, the three became closer (though admittedly, Cain's relationship with Paris was more like tolerating a goofy younger sibling than anything else).

After joining KAMS, Paris became the group's flagbearer, as Tiger Paw wanted to wait to introduce them as an in-ring performer and build a mystique around them. While Paris was never officially named in Tiger Paw, Japanese fans who were unfamiliar with their indie work soon gave them a nickname: "Flag-chan". Paris soon became a cult figure amongst Japanese wrestling fans, as fanart of "Flag-chan" and their constantly changing appearance, as well as debate about their true gender (as well as whether it even mattered), would become a frequent conversation amongst fans of Tiger Paw. Cain and AJ also regularly used Paris as a human weapon during their matches, increasing their profile.

Becoming the third member of KAMS also came with an added bonus for Paris, as they started training directly with the fearsome Takeshi Mifune. Mifune may not have understood Paris' look, but he seemed to appreciate their work ethic, even going so far as to teach them how to use the crooked headscissors. When AJ and Cain went to the United States, Paris stayed behind in Japan and continued to train, waiting for a call for when Cain and AJ needed them. Eventually that call came, and KAMS became three again in the AWA. Paris made history as they became one of the few wrestlers to have their in-ring debut take place at a SuperClash, with KAMS beating the Dogs of War in a chaotic trios contest.

Paris is quite unique amongst the AWA roster for being something of a non-binary wrestler (though Paris doesn't really accept the label, instead deferring to any questions about their gender with the answer "I'm Paris"). They are also unique for being a member of the men's roster to be more well-known for modeling than wrestling, as Paris translated their "Flag-chan" cult following into an online modeling career. Paris has a Patreon for their cosplay modeling, and an OnlyFans for... shall we say... "racier" modeling. (Several wrestlers, including Miyuki Ozaki, are rumored to be subscribed to both services at the highest tiers.) Both are phenomenally successful.

Psychological factor. Paris just doesn't look or act like any other wrestler. They're effeminate, but they're not cowardly like a stereotypical effeminate wrestler; in fact, they're quite aggressive. Their appearance constantly changes. They don't seem to care what gender or pronouns you call them. Their past would have shattered most people, and yet here they are. How exactly do you plan against them? How do you not get psyched out by them?
- Pretty much anything involving their legs. They're fast, they have an NBA-quality vertical leap, they have great agility and flexibility, they kick and stomp really hard, and they have incredible balance.
- Charismatic. Paris knows that wrestling may be a sport, but it's also a performance. You don't get to have a good street hustle by being a wallflower, after all.
- Conditioning. Paris takes their conditioning very seriously, due to a combination of being so small compared to the rest of the roster (so they know they need to maintain their cardio and their speed), as well as maintaining their body for their modeling career.

Almost no lifting strength. Don't expect to see Paris pull out any suplexes or slams. They just don't have the strength to lift anyone that weighs more than them, and because they're so small, that's a tough task.
- Inexperienced. Nearly all of their experience is on the independent level, even in Japan (especially since their time in Tiger Paw was limited to waving a flag and being used as a human weapon). Coming to the AWA, they are in some pretty deep water that they may not be ready to swim in just yet.
- One-dimensional. If you take out their legs, you've pretty much beaten them.
- The "other career". Paris being such a successful model may make one question how dedicated they are to wrestling, or if they're willing to go the lengths needed to be successful in wrestling if it means sacrificing their body and risking their modeling.

a cross between Zack Sabre Jr., Tsukushi Haruka, and most U.S.-based junior heavyweights

"Je fais ce que je veux, ma chérie."