Adam Birch
Encyclopedia
Adam Birch is a retired American
professional wrestler
, best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), and training in WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling
, as Joey Mercury. Birch is a one-time world heavyweight champion having held the 3PW World Heavyweight Championship once.
Birch was trained by fellow wrestler Jimmy Cicero
and made his wrestling debut in October 1996. The following year, he began competing for Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
(MEWF), in which he began competing in tag team
competition, where he captured the MEWF Tag Team Championship
, alongside Christian York
. Throughout the mid-1990s, Birch competed in various independent promotions, where he and York continued to work as a team. It was also during that time that he won various championships in singles and tag team competition.
In 2004, Birch signed with the WWE and was assigned to their developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling
(OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky
. While situated at OVW, he was placed in tag team competition, alongside Johnny Nitro, in which they won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
on one occasion. It was also during this time that he and Nitro, alongside their manager
Melina
, were known as the stable MNM
.
After signing with WWE, the group were called up to the SmackDown! roster and on their debut in April 2005, Birch and Nitro went on to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
. After their third and final reign ended in May 2006, Nitro and Melina turned on Birch, thus ending their faction. However, in November 2006, the team reunited for a brief period, before Mercury was let go from his contract in March 2007.
Following his stint with WWE, Birch continued his wrestling career, appearing at several independent promotions, including competing at Ring of Honor
events. In March 2008, he returned to OVW, where he won the OVW Television Championship
on one occasion. In October 2008, Birch announced his retirement from professional wrestling, following an injury he sustained. In his personal life, Birch has admitted to using drugs since the age of 15, leading to several overdoses. While with WWE, Birch failed the company's Wellness Policy drug test, which ultimately resulted in him entering a drug rehabilitation
. He has since come out of retirement and overcame his drug problems.
, Birch made his debut in October 1996 under the name Joey Matthews. In 1997, approximately a year after his debut, Matthews began competing for the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
(MEWF) promotion
, where he won the MEWF Tag Team Championship
with Christian York
. Matthews defeated York on May 8, 1998, to regain the Southern Championship Wrestling Junior Heavyweight Championship in Wendell, North Carolina
. Matthews and York, soon teamed up again, however, and won the Steel City Wrestling Tag Team Championship on December 20, 1998. Less than a month later, Matthews defeated York to win the Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance Light Heavyweight Championship on January 9, 1999.
He was also a member of the North Carolina
based Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts
(OMEGA) run by Matt
and Jeff Hardy
, where he defeated York to win the OMEGA Light Heavyweight Championship
on January 29, 1999. He was briefly signed to a World Championship Wrestling
contract in 1999. A few months later, while competing in singles competition at Maryland Championship Wrestling
(MCW), he once again defeated York to win the MCW Cruiserweight Championship
on May 21. Matthews and York soon began teaming again, and, sometimes using the Bad Street Boys as a tag team name, they won numerous tag team championships, including the Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship on January 15, 2000 and the MCW Tag Team Championship
on May 17, 2000.
In late 2000 they joined Extreme Championship Wrestling
(ECW), and lost to Danny Doring and Roadkill
at Anarchy Rulz. They then began a feud
with Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger, whom they lost to at November to Remember, but defeated at Massacre on 34th Street. They competed in ECW until the promotion closed in January 2001 and were on the company's final pay-per-view
Guilty as Charged, where they suffered a loss to Jerry Lynn
and Cyrus
. After the closure of ECW, they returned to the independent circuit
, where, on February 3, 2001, the Bad Street Boys defeated Rick Michaels
and David Young
to become the NWA World Tag Team Champions
, a championship that they held for two weeks. They won the MCW Tag Team Championship for the second time on November 3 by defeating Earl the Pearl and Rich Myers, and later won the Virginia Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship on December 1, 2001.
(ROH), and teamed together on several occasions, before Matthews joined a faction called Special K
, of which he was a member until 2004. He also worked for various independent organizations such as Xtreme Pro Wrestling
, Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) and Phoenix Championship Wrestling
. On January 29, 2003, Matthews defeated Romeo Valentino to win the MCW Rage Television Championship
, but lost it four months later to Doug Delicious on May 15.
On the April 14, 2003, episode of World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE)'s Raw
, one of WWE's primary television programs, Matthews and York teamed up to defeat Phil Brown and Pat Cusick in a dark match. In the months that followed, Matthews wrestled for North America
's three largest wrestling promotions, WWE, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA), and ROH. His early months in WWE saw him taking on Lance Storm
and Crowbar
in dark matches, and Matt Hardy, Último Dragón and A-Train on Velocity
. On July 19, 2003, at Death Before Dishonor, a Ring of Honor event, he teamed with Krazy K
and in a loss to Jeff Hardy in a handicap match. In August 2003, Matthews lost to Chris Sabin
on an episode of TNA Xplosion
.
After spending some time in November 2003 at the Ohio Valley Wrestling
(OVW) training center, Matthews made several appearances in Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW), defeating A.J. Styles
, before defeating Jerry Lynn and Sabu to become the number one contender to the 3PW Heavyweight Championship. On April 17, 2004, he defeated Raven
to win the championship, a title he retained until August 21 of that year, when he lost it to Christopher Daniels
in a four-way elimination match, also involving A.J. Styles and Chris Sabin.
Meanwhile, Matthews was still active in WWE, and lost to Rhino
and Maven
on Sunday Night Heat
. He was also still competing in TNA's X Division
, and in August, he took part in a 20-Man Gauntlet match, in which Petey Williams
won the X Division title
. Afterwards, Matthews competed for Puerto Rico
's World Wrestling Council
(WWC), losing to Eddie Colón
in September, and exchanging victories with Alex Montalvo in November.
to the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) "farm territory". There he formed a faction with Johnny Nitro, which along with manager
Melina
, they were known as "MNM
". MNM wrestled in OVW for around a year, winning the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
once, before being called up to the main SmackDown! roster, where Matthews was renamed Joey Mercury.
In their first match for the brand, in April 2005, they won the WWE Tag Team Championship
from Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero
. They held the titles for three months, having successful titles defenses against the teams of Mysterio and Guerrero and Hardcore Holly
and Charlie Haas
, before dropping them to the new Legion of Doom (LOD) at The Great American Bash
in July 2005. They recaptured the titles in a four-way match defeating The Mexicools
, William Regal
and Paul Burchill
, and LOD, but lost them to Mysterio and Batista days before the Armageddon
pay-per-view in December. Due to help from Mark Henry
, they defeated Mysterio and Batista in a rematch on December 30 to win the Championship for the third time.
They began a rivalry with the team of Paul London and Brian Kendrick
that lasted over three months, until the Judgment Day
pay-per-view on May 21, 2006, where MNM lost the tag team title to London and Kendrick. Nitro and Melina suddenly turned on Mercury, breaking up the group. Later that night they were fired from the SmackDown! brand in storyline, to facilitate their move to Raw
, where they reappeared the following week. The legitimate reason for the team's sudden split was later revealed to be Mercury failing a WWE Wellness Policy drug test and being forced to serve a 30 day suspension.
Mercury stayed off WWE television for six months. During that time, he went through a drug rehabilitation
in College Park, Georgia
at a facility that has an exclusive contract with the WWE. Afterwards, he was sent back to OVW. Mercury made a surprise return on the November 27, 2006 episode of Raw, temporarily reforming MNM with Nitro and Melina to take up the also recently reunited Hardys
(Matt and Jeff) "open challenge" for ECW December to Dismember.
The Hardys went on to win the match, but the feud continued across all three brands (Raw, ECW, and SmackDown!), and in a fatal-four way ladder match
at December's Armageddon
event, also involving London and Kendrick, and Dave Taylor and William Regal, Mercury suffered a legitimate injury when he was struck in the face with a ladder, breaking his nose. He immediately left the match and was rushed to an emergency room
where he received five stitches to the inside of his nose and fifteen to the outside. As a result, Nitro continued the match on his own.
After missing a few weeks, Mercury returned wearing a protective face mask and his injury was worked into the angle, with both he and Nitro attempting to injure the Hardys in various ways for revenge. MNM lost to The Hardys at the Royal Rumble
, and again at the No Way Out
pay-per-view in February which concluded the feud. He also wrestled in singles competition on SmackDown! until he was released from his WWE contract on March 26, 2007.
defeated The NOW. He went on to make appearances for MCW, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
, and the New York Wrestling Connection, competing against wrestlers including Alex Shelley
, Tyler Black
, and Brother Runt
. Matthew's wrestled in All American Wrestling (AAW) in July 2007, where he lost to Eric Priest
. He made another appearance on September 29, reuniting with Christian York, in a losing effort against the AAW Tag Team Champions, The Motor City Machineguns (Chris Sabin
and Alex Shelley).
In September 2007, Matthews began working for OVW as a trainer for the intermediate class. He also competed in dark matches at the OVW television tapings. At TNA's Bound for Glory
pay-per-view in October 2007, he competed in a dark match, where he teamed with Johnny Swinger in a losing effort to The Motor City Machineguns. For the remainder of 2007, Matthews worked for independent promotions, including Pro Wrestling Unplugged and the United Wrestling Federation
.
On January 25, 2008, Matthews returned to ROH as the newest member of The Age of the Fall
(AotF), where he partnered with Jimmy Jacobs in a losing effort against Roderick Strong
and Rocky Romero
of the No Remorse Corps. The following night, Matthews lost to Mark Briscoe
. Matthews was mainly utilized in a tag team role as a member of the AotF, teaming with fellow faction members Tyler Black
and Necro Butcher
. During this time, he continued to work for other promotions, and on March 12, at an OVW television taping, he defeated Jamin Olivencia
to win the OVW Television Championship
. After successful defenses against Olivencia, he dropped the title to Tommy McNailer a month later on April 16. He continued to wrestle for ROH until Battle For Supremacy in June, when he and Jimmy Jacobs lost to Kevin Steen and El Generico
, in what was his last ROH wrestling match.
He continued to wrestle for OVW, and also made appearances for MCW and German Stampede Wrestling. In October 2008, Matthews announced his retirement from professional wrestling due to injury.
In 2010, Birch came out of retirement and returned to WWE at the SmackDown tapings on April 20, where he lost to Shelton Benjamin
in a dark match. On April 25 at Extreme Rules
, he reappeared on TV as a masked member of CM Punk
's Straight Edge Society
and interfered in Punk's match with Rey Mysterio, helping him pick up the win. Birch would continue to interfere in Punk's matches for the following months, before being unmasked by The Big Show
on the July 23 edition of SmackDown. At SummerSlam
, Mercury's name was tweaked to Joseph Mercury. In early September it was reported that Mercury had undergone surgery on a torn pectoral muscle
. He later began working as a trainer in Florida Championship Wrestling
, a WWE developmental territory.
As a result of this, Birch has overdosed three times, and wrecked ten cars. Birch entered rehab in 2006, and missed six months of work. After his return, Birch became addicted to painkillers, due to the facial injury he suffered at the Armageddon
pay-per-view in December 2006. After a direct intervention by WWE
owner Vince McMahon
, Birch was released, and credits this with him beating his addictions.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE), and training in WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
, as Joey Mercury. Birch is a one-time world heavyweight champion having held the 3PW World Heavyweight Championship once.
Birch was trained by fellow wrestler Jimmy Cicero
Jimmy Cicero
Matt Bowman, best known by his ring name "Wiseguy" Jimmy Cicero, is an American professional wrestler who has competed in several promotions on the independent circuit. He had also competed for the United States Wrestling Association, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation...
and made his wrestling debut in October 1996. The following year, he began competing for Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independent promotions on the East Coast during the 1990s...
(MEWF), in which he began competing in tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
competition, where he captured the MEWF Tag Team Championship
MEWF Tag Team Championship
This is a chronological list of MEWF tag team champions. The MEWF Tag Team Championship is the oldest championship title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation having been established when the Lords of Darkness defeated Cream Team at the MEWF's first show in Pasadena, Maryland on August 2, 1991...
, alongside Christian York
Christian York
Jason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
. Throughout the mid-1990s, Birch competed in various independent promotions, where he and York continued to work as a team. It was also during that time that he won various championships in singles and tag team competition.
In 2004, Birch signed with the WWE and was assigned to their developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
(OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. While situated at OVW, he was placed in tag team competition, alongside Johnny Nitro, in which they won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
on one occasion. It was also during this time that he and Nitro, alongside their manager
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
Melina
Melina Perez
Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina....
, were known as the stable MNM
MNM
MNM was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez....
.
After signing with WWE, the group were called up to the SmackDown! roster and on their debut in April 2005, Birch and Nitro went on to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
. After their third and final reign ended in May 2006, Nitro and Melina turned on Birch, thus ending their faction. However, in November 2006, the team reunited for a brief period, before Mercury was let go from his contract in March 2007.
Following his stint with WWE, Birch continued his wrestling career, appearing at several independent promotions, including competing at Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
events. In March 2008, he returned to OVW, where he won the OVW Television Championship
OVW Television Championship
The OVW Television Championship is the secondary championship of Ohio Valley Wrestling started on January 5, 2005. When the title was originally conceived, the champion defended against randomly selected opponents, with the winner receiving a check for $1000...
on one occasion. In October 2008, Birch announced his retirement from professional wrestling, following an injury he sustained. In his personal life, Birch has admitted to using drugs since the age of 15, leading to several overdoses. While with WWE, Birch failed the company's Wellness Policy drug test, which ultimately resulted in him entering a drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
. He has since come out of retirement and overcame his drug problems.
Early career (1996–2001)
After being trained by fellow professional wrestler Jimmy CiceroJimmy Cicero
Matt Bowman, best known by his ring name "Wiseguy" Jimmy Cicero, is an American professional wrestler who has competed in several promotions on the independent circuit. He had also competed for the United States Wrestling Association, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation...
, Birch made his debut in October 1996 under the name Joey Matthews. In 1997, approximately a year after his debut, Matthews began competing for the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independent promotions on the East Coast during the 1990s...
(MEWF) promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
, where he won the MEWF Tag Team Championship
MEWF Tag Team Championship
This is a chronological list of MEWF tag team champions. The MEWF Tag Team Championship is the oldest championship title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation having been established when the Lords of Darkness defeated Cream Team at the MEWF's first show in Pasadena, Maryland on August 2, 1991...
with Christian York
Christian York
Jason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
. Matthews defeated York on May 8, 1998, to regain the Southern Championship Wrestling Junior Heavyweight Championship in Wendell, North Carolina
Wendell, North Carolina
Wendell is a town in Wake County, North Carolina United States. It is a satellite town of Raleigh, the state capital. The population was 4,247 at the 2000 census-History:...
. Matthews and York, soon teamed up again, however, and won the Steel City Wrestling Tag Team Championship on December 20, 1998. Less than a month later, Matthews defeated York to win the Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance Light Heavyweight Championship on January 9, 1999.
He was also a member of the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
based Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts
Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts
The Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts, also known as OMEGA, is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in central North Carolina....
(OMEGA) run by Matt
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
, where he defeated York to win the OMEGA Light Heavyweight Championship
OMEGA Light Heavyweight Championship
The OMEGA Light Heavyweight Championship was the top light heavyweight title in the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts independent professional wrestling promotion. The title lasted from 1997 to 1999.-Title history:-See also:...
on January 29, 1999. He was briefly signed to a World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
contract in 1999. A few months later, while competing in singles competition at Maryland Championship Wrestling
Maryland Championship Wrestling
Maryland Championship Wrestling is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Dundalk, Maryland, and has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s as well as participating in numerous fundraising events throughout the state.Rivaling other east coast independent...
(MCW), he once again defeated York to win the MCW Cruiserweight Championship
MCW Cruiserweight Championship
The MCW Cruiserweight Championship is a professional wrestling cruiserweight championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion...
on May 21. Matthews and York soon began teaming again, and, sometimes using the Bad Street Boys as a tag team name, they won numerous tag team championships, including the Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship on January 15, 2000 and the MCW Tag Team Championship
MCW Tag Team Championship
The MCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion. The title was created and debuted on August 18, 1998 at a MCW live event....
on May 17, 2000.
In late 2000 they joined Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
(ECW), and lost to Danny Doring and Roadkill
Danny Doring and Roadkill
Danny Doring and Roadkill were a tag team in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1996 to 2001.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:In December 1997, Doring and Roadkill formed together in an unlikely tag team. At first, they were managed by Miss Congeniality, the onscreen girlfriend of Doring. At Heat...
at Anarchy Rulz. They then began a feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger, whom they lost to at November to Remember, but defeated at Massacre on 34th Street. They competed in ECW until the promotion closed in January 2001 and were on the company's final pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
Guilty as Charged, where they suffered a loss to Jerry Lynn
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Cyrus
Don Callis
Don Callis is a Canadian former professional wrestler and manager, known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as The Jackyl, and Extreme Championship Wrestling as color commentator Cyrus.-Early life:...
. After the closure of ECW, they returned to the independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
, where, on February 3, 2001, the Bad Street Boys defeated Rick Michaels
Rick Michaels
Raymond Rawls is an American professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Rick Michaels.-National Championship Wrestling / NWA Wildside :...
and David Young
David Young (wrestler)
David Williams , better known by his ring name, David Young, is an American professional wrestler. Though he has mainly appeared with NWA Wildside and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Young has also competed for Ring of Honor, Asistencia Asesoría y Administración and ZERO-ONE...
to become the NWA World Tag Team Champions
NWA World Tag Team Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
, a championship that they held for two weeks. They won the MCW Tag Team Championship for the second time on November 3 by defeating Earl the Pearl and Rich Myers, and later won the Virginia Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship on December 1, 2001.
Independent circuit (2001–2004)
In 2002, Matthews and York competed in Ring of HonorRing of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
(ROH), and teamed together on several occasions, before Matthews joined a faction called Special K
Special K (professional wrestling)
Special K was a heel professional wrestling stable in Ring of Honor. They were billed as "rich kid ravers" from Webster Hall, New York City who had everything handed to them by their rich families. They had a spotfest style, performing many high flying and high risk moves with no regards to their...
, of which he was a member until 2004. He also worked for various independent organizations such as Xtreme Pro Wrestling
Xtreme Pro Wrestling
Xtreme Pro Wrestling is an independent professional wrestling promotion formerly owned by Extreme Associates CEO and director Rob Zicari, who appeared on shows under the name Rob Black. Zicari appeared on-camera as owner alongside his wife Lizzy Borden. The promotion focuses on hardcore wrestling,...
, Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) and Phoenix Championship Wrestling
Phoenix Championship Wrestling
Phoenix Championship Wrestling was a short-lived American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Toms River, New Jersey. It was founded by twin brothers Don and Mike Bucci in 2001 and promoted by Don Bucci until its close two years later...
. On January 29, 2003, Matthews defeated Romeo Valentino to win the MCW Rage Television Championship
MCW Rage Television Championship
The MCW Rage Television Championship is a professional wrestling television championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion...
, but lost it four months later to Doug Delicious on May 15.
On the April 14, 2003, episode of World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE)'s Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, one of WWE's primary television programs, Matthews and York teamed up to defeat Phil Brown and Pat Cusick in a dark match. In the months that followed, Matthews wrestled for North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
's three largest wrestling promotions, WWE, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA), and ROH. His early months in WWE saw him taking on Lance Storm
Lance Storm
Lance Timothy Evers known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling...
and Crowbar
Devon Storm
Christopher "Chris" Ford is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Crowbar, where he was a one time Hardcore Champion, a one time World Tag Team Champion with David Flair and a one time Cruiserweight Champion, which he...
in dark matches, and Matt Hardy, Último Dragón and A-Train on Velocity
WWE Velocity
WWE Velocity was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It replaced two syndicated WWE shows, Jakked/Metal. Once a weekly Saturday night show on Spike TV and on Sky Sports 2 in the UK on Sunday mornings, Velocity became a webcast from 2005 to 2006...
. On July 19, 2003, at Death Before Dishonor, a Ring of Honor event, he teamed with Krazy K
Kirby Mack
Kirby Mack is an American professional wrestler. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit. He has also wrestled for mainstream promotions such as World Wrestling Entertainment, Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
and in a loss to Jeff Hardy in a handicap match. In August 2003, Matthews lost to Chris Sabin
Chris Sabin
Joshua Harter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he currently teams with Alex Shelley as The Motor City Machine Guns.After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 for...
on an episode of TNA Xplosion
TNA Xplosion
TNA Xplosion is a television program produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , featuring both highlights from Impact Wrestling and exclusive taped matches. It is now produced only for international markets, no longer airing in the United States...
.
After spending some time in November 2003 at the Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
(OVW) training center, Matthews made several appearances in Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW), defeating A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, before defeating Jerry Lynn and Sabu to become the number one contender to the 3PW Heavyweight Championship. On April 17, 2004, he defeated Raven
Scott Levy
Scott Anthony Levy , better known by his ring name Raven, is an American professional wrestler, wrestling producer, wrestling writer, and occasional author and actor currently working for Juggalo Championship Wrestling , where he is co-holder of the JCW Tag Team Championship, as well as other...
to win the championship, a title he retained until August 21 of that year, when he lost it to Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
in a four-way elimination match, also involving A.J. Styles and Chris Sabin.
Meanwhile, Matthews was still active in WWE, and lost to Rhino
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
and Maven
Maven Huffman
Maven Klint Huffman is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment between October 2001 and July 5, 2005 under the name Maven. In 2008 he became a guest expert on the Home Shopping Network.-Early life:Maven was born to an African-American...
on Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
. He was also still competing in TNA's X Division
X Division
The X Division is a high-flying, high-risk, fast-paced style of professional wrestling seen originally in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and since then in various NWA member promotions...
, and in August, he took part in a 20-Man Gauntlet match, in which Petey Williams
Petey Williams
Peter "Petey" Williams III is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time X Division Champion and a former captain of Team Canada. Williams Currently Wrestles for Lucha Libre USA...
won the X Division title
TNA X Division Championship
The TNA X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily defended in TNA's X Division—a style based on a fast-paced, daredevil type of wrestling...
. Afterwards, Matthews competed for Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's World Wrestling Council
World Wrestling Council
The World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
(WWC), losing to Eddie Colón
Eddie Colon
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
in September, and exchanging victories with Alex Montalvo in November.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2004–2007)
Matthews wrestled in dark matches before being assigned to a developmental deal by WWE in 2004 and moved to Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
to the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) "farm territory". There he formed a faction with Johnny Nitro, which along with manager
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
Melina
Melina Perez
Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina....
, they were known as "MNM
MNM
MNM was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez....
". MNM wrestled in OVW for around a year, winning the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
once, before being called up to the main SmackDown! roster, where Matthews was renamed Joey Mercury.
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
from Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
. They held the titles for three months, having successful titles defenses against the teams of Mysterio and Guerrero and Hardcore Holly
Bob Holly
Robert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
and Charlie Haas
Charlie Haas
Charles "Charlie" Doyle Haas II is an American professional wrestler and former collegiate amateur wrestler. He competes on the independent circuit, and is signed to Ring of Honor , where he is one-half of the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions with Shelton Benjamin...
, before dropping them to the new Legion of Doom (LOD) at The Great American Bash
The Great American Bash (2005)
The Great American Bash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment .It was the second annual event and took place on July 24, 2005, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York...
in July 2005. They recaptured the titles in a four-way match defeating The Mexicools
The Mexicools
The Mexicools were a professional wrestling stable and tag team, that were signed to World Wrestling Entertainment's SmackDown! brand. The team consisted of three well-known Mexican wrestlers of the late 1990s: Super Crazy, Psicosis and Juventud...
, William Regal
Darren Matthews
Darren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
and Paul Burchill
Paul Burchill
Paul Birchill , better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in his home country.-Frontier Wrestling Alliance...
, and LOD, but lost them to Mysterio and Batista days before the Armageddon
Armageddon (2005)
Armageddon was the sixth Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on December 18, 2005 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island and was a SmackDown! brand-exclusive event.The main event was a Hell in a Cell...
pay-per-view in December. Due to help from Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
, they defeated Mysterio and Batista in a rematch on December 30 to win the Championship for the third time.
They began a rivalry with the team of Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Paul London and Brian Kendrick are a professional wrestling tag team best known for their time together in World Wrestling Entertainment . The team never had an official team name, but were just referred to as "the tag team of London and Kendrick." In 2006 London and Kendrick put the tag team name...
that lasted over three months, until the Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2006)
Judgment Day was the eighth annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
pay-per-view on May 21, 2006, where MNM lost the tag team title to London and Kendrick. Nitro and Melina suddenly turned on Mercury, breaking up the group. Later that night they were fired from the SmackDown! brand in storyline, to facilitate their move to Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, where they reappeared the following week. The legitimate reason for the team's sudden split was later revealed to be Mercury failing a WWE Wellness Policy drug test and being forced to serve a 30 day suspension.
Mercury stayed off WWE television for six months. During that time, he went through a drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
in College Park, Georgia
College Park, Georgia
College Park is a city located partly in Fulton County, Georgia and partially in Clayton County, Georgia, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,942...
at a facility that has an exclusive contract with the WWE. Afterwards, he was sent back to OVW. Mercury made a surprise return on the November 27, 2006 episode of Raw, temporarily reforming MNM with Nitro and Melina to take up the also recently reunited Hardys
Hardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
(Matt and Jeff) "open challenge" for ECW December to Dismember.
The Hardys went on to win the match, but the feud continued across all three brands (Raw, ECW, and SmackDown!), and in a fatal-four way ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
at December's Armageddon
Armageddon (2006)
Armageddon was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 17, 2006 at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. The event starred wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand.The main event was a tag team match, in which the team...
event, also involving London and Kendrick, and Dave Taylor and William Regal, Mercury suffered a legitimate injury when he was struck in the face with a ladder, breaking his nose. He immediately left the match and was rushed to an emergency room
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
where he received five stitches to the inside of his nose and fifteen to the outside. As a result, Nitro continued the match on his own.
After missing a few weeks, Mercury returned wearing a protective face mask and his injury was worked into the angle, with both he and Nitro attempting to injure the Hardys in various ways for revenge. MNM lost to The Hardys at the Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2007)
Royal Rumble was the twentieth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 28, 2007 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown! and ECW brands. This marked the first...
, and again at the No Way Out
No Way Out (2007)
No Way Out was the ninth annual No Way Out pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on February 18, 2007 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California and was the final branded pay-per-view before all pay-per-view events became tri-branded.The main event was...
pay-per-view in February which concluded the feud. He also wrestled in singles competition on SmackDown! until he was released from his WWE contract on March 26, 2007.
Return to the independent circuit and Ring of Honor (2007–2008)
Matthew's first appearance after his WWE release was on April 21 for Northeast Wrestling, when he and Romeo RoselliRomeo Roselli
Giovanni Roselli best known as Romeo Roselli is a professional wrestler and actor best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment on the Raw brand as one half of the "Heart Throbs" and is not to be confused with another wrestler by the name of Kid Romeo.-Career:Roselli began wrestling...
defeated The NOW. He went on to make appearances for MCW, Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.- History :...
, and the New York Wrestling Connection, competing against wrestlers including Alex Shelley
Alex Shelley
Patrick Martin , is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Alex Shelley. He wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he currently teams with Chris Sabin as The Motor City Machine Guns. He previously gained fame on the independent circuit, working most notably for...
, Tyler Black
Tyler Black
Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with...
, and Brother Runt
Matt Hyson
Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time...
. Matthew's wrestled in All American Wrestling (AAW) in July 2007, where he lost to Eric Priest
Eric Priest
Eric Priest, FRSE, FRS, holds the Gregory Chair of Mathematics and is a Bishop Wardlaw Professor at St Andrews University....
. He made another appearance on September 29, reuniting with Christian York, in a losing effort against the AAW Tag Team Champions, The Motor City Machineguns (Chris Sabin
Chris Sabin
Joshua Harter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he currently teams with Alex Shelley as The Motor City Machine Guns.After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 for...
and Alex Shelley).
In September 2007, Matthews began working for OVW as a trainer for the intermediate class. He also competed in dark matches at the OVW television tapings. At TNA's Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory (2007)
Bound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on October 14, 2007 at the Gwinnett Center in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth, Georgia. It was the third event under the Bound for Glory chronology...
pay-per-view in October 2007, he competed in a dark match, where he teamed with Johnny Swinger in a losing effort to The Motor City Machineguns. For the remainder of 2007, Matthews worked for independent promotions, including Pro Wrestling Unplugged and the United Wrestling Federation
UWF Live
United Wrestling Federation Live is a professional wrestling promotion. It was started by Hermie Sadler, Earl Hebner, and Dave Hebner in late 2005. It was designed to be an outlet for TNA to do house shows, and also to have other independent talent compete in Virginia, North Carolina, and...
.
On January 25, 2008, Matthews returned to ROH as the newest member of The Age of the Fall
The Age of the Fall
The Age of the Fall was a professional wrestling stable, primarily in Ring of Honor and its sister promotion Full Impact Pro, but also in other independent promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.-2007:...
(AotF), where he partnered with Jimmy Jacobs in a losing effort against Roderick Strong
Roderick Strong
Chris Lindsey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Roderick Strong. Strong currently competes in several independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor , Full Impact Pro , and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla .He initially debuted as The Jester on the Floridian...
and Rocky Romero
Rocky Romero
John R. Rivera is a Cuban American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Rocky Romero and as the fourth incarnation of Black Tiger. As Romero he was one half of the tag team The Havana Pitbulls , along with Ricky Reyes...
of the No Remorse Corps. The following night, Matthews lost to Mark Briscoe
Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoe Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of Jay and Mark Briscoe. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as occasionally for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah.Their wrestling careers have...
. Matthews was mainly utilized in a tag team role as a member of the AotF, teaming with fellow faction members Tyler Black
Tyler Black
Colby Lopez is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Tyler Black. He is signed to a contract with WWE, where he competes in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling as Seth Rollins. He is a former FCW 15 Champion and FCW Florida Tag Team Champion with...
and Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...
. During this time, he continued to work for other promotions, and on March 12, at an OVW television taping, he defeated Jamin Olivencia
Jamin Olivencia
Jamin Olivencia is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed by Ohio Valley Wrestling , and holds the record for most reigns of the OVW Television Championship with six reigns, also won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship with T.J. Dalton.-Ohio Valley Wrestling :Jamin Olivencia...
to win the OVW Television Championship
OVW Television Championship
The OVW Television Championship is the secondary championship of Ohio Valley Wrestling started on January 5, 2005. When the title was originally conceived, the champion defended against randomly selected opponents, with the winner receiving a check for $1000...
. After successful defenses against Olivencia, he dropped the title to Tommy McNailer a month later on April 16. He continued to wrestle for ROH until Battle For Supremacy in June, when he and Jimmy Jacobs lost to Kevin Steen and El Generico
Kevin Steen and El Generico
Kevin Steen and El Generico are a professional wrestling tag team performing on the independent circuit.-Pro Wrestling Guerrilla:On July 29, 2007, at Giant Size Annual #4, Generico and Steen defeated PAC and Roderick Strong to become the PWG World Tag Team Champions for the first time...
, in what was his last ROH wrestling match.
He continued to wrestle for OVW, and also made appearances for MCW and German Stampede Wrestling. In October 2008, Matthews announced his retirement from professional wrestling due to injury.
Return to World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE (2010-2011)
Main Article: Straight Edge SocietyStraight Edge Society
The Straight Edge Society was a villainous alliance in the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment that appeared on its SmackDown brand....
In 2010, Birch came out of retirement and returned to WWE at the SmackDown tapings on April 20, where he lost to Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
in a dark match. On April 25 at Extreme Rules
Extreme Rules (2010)
Extreme Rules was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 25, 2010 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the second event promoted under the Extreme Rules name...
, he reappeared on TV as a masked member of CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
's Straight Edge Society
Straight Edge Society
The Straight Edge Society was a villainous alliance in the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment that appeared on its SmackDown brand....
and interfered in Punk's match with Rey Mysterio, helping him pick up the win. Birch would continue to interfere in Punk's matches for the following months, before being unmasked by The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
on the July 23 edition of SmackDown. At SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2010)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on August 15, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for the second consecutive year...
, Mercury's name was tweaked to Joseph Mercury. In early September it was reported that Mercury had undergone surgery on a torn pectoral muscle
Pectoralis major muscle
The pectoralis major is a thick, fan-shaped muscle, situated at the chest of the body. It makes up the bulk of the chest muscles in the male and lies under the breast in the female...
. He later began working as a trainer in Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
, a WWE developmental territory.
Personal life
During an interview in late 2007, Birch revealed that he had been using drugs since he was 15, using cocaine, crack, and heroin, and mixing it with alcohol.As a result of this, Birch has overdosed three times, and wrecked ten cars. Birch entered rehab in 2006, and missed six months of work. After his return, Birch became addicted to painkillers, due to the facial injury he suffered at the Armageddon
Armageddon (2006)
Armageddon was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 17, 2006 at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. The event starred wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand.The main event was a tag team match, in which the team...
pay-per-view in December 2006. After a direct intervention by WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
owner Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
, Birch was released, and credits this with him beating his addictions.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- Double underhook DDT
- Frankensteiner
- Virginia Neck Tie (Hangman's neckbreaker)
- With Christian YorkChristian YorkJason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
-
- Double Rebel Yelp (Frankensteiner by Matthews followed by a diving knee drop by York)
- Full Effect (Double facebreaker)
- Future Shock (Double powerbomb)
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Joel GertnerJoel GertnerJoel Gertner is an American Professional wrestling announcer and manager best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling.-Early career:...
- Jillian HallJillian HallJillian Faye Fletcher is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is also known for her tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Jillian Hall or simply Jillian...
- MelinaMelina PerezMelina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina....
- Dave PrazakDave PrazakDave Prazak is a professional wrestling manager and commentator. He works for many independent wrestling promotions in America. He is the founder of the all female wrestling promotion Shimmer Women Athletes.-Managing:...
- CM PunkCM PunkPhillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
- Joel Gertner
- Entrance themeMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Paparazzi" by Jim Johnston (Used while a Part of MNMMNMMNM was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez....
) (2005–March 2007) - "This Fire Burns" by Killswitch EngageKillswitch EngageKillswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...
(2010; Used while with the Straight Edge SocietyStraight Edge SocietyThe Straight Edge Society was a villainous alliance in the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment that appeared on its SmackDown brand....
)
- "Paparazzi" by Jim Johnston (Used while a Part of MNM
Championships and accomplishments
- Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling
- ATCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Christian YorkChristian YorkJason Spence is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York.-York and Matthews:...
- ATCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Christian York
- American Wrestling Council
- AWC Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Independent Professional Wrestling AllianceIndependent Professional Wrestling AllianceThe Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance was an American independent professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas and Virginia, from October 1995 to February 2001, when it was run by Cueball Carmichael and...
- IPWA Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Maryland Championship WrestlingMaryland Championship WrestlingMaryland Championship Wrestling is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Dundalk, Maryland, and has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s as well as participating in numerous fundraising events throughout the state.Rivaling other east coast independent...
- MCW Cruiserweight ChampionshipMCW Cruiserweight ChampionshipThe MCW Cruiserweight Championship is a professional wrestling cruiserweight championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion...
(1 time) - MCW Heavyweight ChampionshipMCW Heavyweight ChampionshipThe MCW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion. The title was created and debuted on October 11, 1998 at a MCW live event...
(1 time) - MCW Rage Television ChampionshipMCW Rage Television ChampionshipThe MCW Rage Television Championship is a professional wrestling television championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion...
(1 time) - MCW Tag Team ChampionshipMCW Tag Team ChampionshipThe MCW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion. The title was created and debuted on August 18, 1998 at a MCW live event....
(2 times) – with Christian York - Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup (2001)
- MCW Cruiserweight Championship
- Mid-Eastern Wrestling FederationMid-Eastern Wrestling FederationThe Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independent promotions on the East Coast during the 1990s...
- MEWF Tag Team ChampionshipMEWF Tag Team ChampionshipThis is a chronological list of MEWF tag team champions. The MEWF Tag Team Championship is the oldest championship title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation having been established when the Lords of Darkness defeated Cream Team at the MEWF's first show in Pasadena, Maryland on August 2, 1991...
(1 time) – with Christian York
- MEWF Tag Team Championship
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA World Tag Team ChampionshipNWA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
(1 time) – with Christian York
- Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling ArtsOrganization of Modern Extreme Grappling ArtsThe Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts, also known as OMEGA, is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in central North Carolina....
- OMEGA Light Heavyweight ChampionshipOMEGA Light Heavyweight ChampionshipThe OMEGA Light Heavyweight Championship was the top light heavyweight title in the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts independent professional wrestling promotion. The title lasted from 1997 to 1999.-Title history:-See also:...
(2 times)
- OMEGA Light Heavyweight Championship
- Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
- OVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipOVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
(1 time) – with Johnny Nitro - OVW Television ChampionshipOVW Television ChampionshipThe OVW Television Championship is the secondary championship of Ohio Valley Wrestling started on January 5, 2005. When the title was originally conceived, the champion defended against randomly selected opponents, with the winner receiving a check for $1000...
(1 time)
- OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
- Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling
- 3PW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- Tag Team of the Year (2005) with Johnny Nitro
- PWI ranked him #124 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2001
- Southern Championship WrestlingSouthern Championship WrestlingSouthern Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Southeastern United States, especially in eastern and central North Carolina, from November 1994 to November 2004, when it was run by Greg Mosorjak...
- SCW Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- Steel City Wrestling
- SCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Christian York
- Virginia Championship Wrestling
- VCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Christian York
- World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWE Tag Team ChampionshipWWE Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
(3 times) – with Johnny Nitro
- WWE Tag Team Championship