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Joey Mercury

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Adam Birch
Born (1979-07-18) July 18, 1979 (age 45)[1]
Fairfax, Virginia [1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Joey Matthews
Joey Mercury
Billed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Billed weight220 lb (100 kg; 16 st)
Billed fromLos Angeles, California
Trained byJimmy Cicero[2]
OVW staff
DebutJune 12, 1996

Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), is an American professional wrestler, better known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Joey Mercury. He is a four time tag team champion by winning the NWA Tag Team Championship once and the WWE Tag Team Championship three times.

Career

Maryland Championship Wrestling / OMEGA (1996-2000)

Birch began his career, under the name Joey Matthews, in Maryland Championship Wrestling, where he held a variety of titles. He was also a member of the North Carolina based Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) run by Matt and Jeff Hardy.[3]


Extreme Championship Wrestling / World Championship Wrestling (2000-2001)

His first national exposure came after he left OMEGA and formed a tag team named "The Badstreet Boys", with fellow OMEGA alum Christian York. Together the Badstreet Boys wrestled in multiple smaller promotions, and had nine independent tag team championship reigns. In late 2000 they joined Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where they stayed until it's closure in January of 2001, and were on the company's final pay-per-view Guilty as Charged. York and Matthews had a brief stint in World Championship Wrestling before that company's demise in March of 2001.

Independent circuit (2001-2004)

At the tail end of their ECW careers, they simply changed their tag team name to York and Matthews and floated around the independent circuit after ECW folded, most notably competing in Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Phoenix Championship Wrestling. York's 2004 retirement from the wrestling business dissolved the team and left Matthews to wrestle in singles matches in promotions like Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

World Wrestling Entertainment (2004-2007)

Birch wrestled in dark matches[4][5] before being assigned to a developmental deal by World Wrestling Entertainment in 2004 and moved to Louisville, Kentucky to the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) "farm territory". There he formed a tag team with Johnny Nitro, which along with manager Melina Perez, was called 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 Mercury.[6] While on SmackDown! they feuded with teams of Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero,[7] Hardcore Holly and Charlie Haas,[8] Legion of Doom, Rey Mysterio and Batista,[9] and Paul London and Brian Kendrick.[10] Together they captured the WWE Tag Team Championship on three occasions, all in their rookie year on the brand.[11][12]

On May 21 2006 at Judgment Day pay-per-view, 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 (kayfabe) fired from the SmackDown! brand[13] and reappeared on the following RAW. The legit 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 actually stayed off WWE television for six months. In that time he went through a drug rehabilitation in College Park Georgia at a facility that has an exclusive contract with the WWE. Afterwards was sent back to OVW. He made a surprise return on the November 27, 2006 RAW, temporarly reforming MNM with Nitro and Melina to take up the also recently reunited Hardys (Matt and Jeff) "open challenge" for ECW December to Dismember.[14]

The Hardys went on to win the match,[15] but the feud continued across all three brands,[16][17][18] and in a fatal-four way ladder match at December's Armageddon -- also involving London and Kendrick, and Dave Taylor and William Regal -- Mercury suffered a (legit) medical 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 5 stitches to the inside of his nose and 15 to the outside.[19][20]

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. On his return he continued to wrestle, both as a singles competitor on SmackDown![21] and with Nitro on RAW[22] until he was released on March 26.[23]

Return to Maryland Championship Wrestling (2007-Current)

After being released from WWE Birch rejoined Maryland Championship Wrestling and New York Wrestling Connection once again using the name Joey Matthews.

While working in Maryland Championship Wrestling, "Creative Control" cut his hair after he suffered an injury. Security personel such as Sexy Steve, Stephon, and CJ Neuman carried Joey Matthews to the backstage area after a blow to the head with the Maryland Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Title. On the July 8, 2007 at the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup 2007, he defeated Adam Flash to become the Maryland Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. Joey Matthews lost to Vito on July 13th, on the World Wrestling Council Aniversario 34 event in Puerto Rico.

Christian York and Joey Matthews reunited for the first time in almost five years at the Season's Beatings event on December 26, 2007. The opponents were Tom Brandi and Adam Flash. The stipulation was that whoever picked up the pin fall would be the number one contender, and Christian York won the match. So later on in the night, Christian York defeated Birch to become the MCW Heavyweight Champion for the first time, de-throwning Birch of his first and only MCW Heavyweight title. This is likely because of the recent negotiations between Adam Birch and TNA.


AAW

Birch appeared at AAW in July 2007 were he lost to Eric Priest. He made another apearence on September 29, 2007 were he teamed with Christian York to take on the reigning AAW Tag Team champions, the Murder City Machine Guns in a losing effort.

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

  • Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling
  • American Wrestling Council
    • AWC Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Delaware Championship Wrestling
  • Five Star Wrestling
    • Five Star Light Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
  • Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
    • IPWA Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
    • IPWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mark Shrader
  • New York Wrestling Connection
    • NYWC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Phoenix Championship Wrestling
  • Southern Championship Wrestling
    • SCW Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
  • Steel City Wrestling
  • Ultimate Championship Wrestling
    • UCW Heavyweight Championship
  • Virginia(now Vanguard) Championship Wrestling

References

  1. ^ a b Birch at TV.com
  2. ^ Birch at OWW
  3. ^ Matt Hardy (May 29, 2007). "Will Not Die-aries: Thoughts on rival Gregroy Helms". Retrieved 2007-05-29.
  4. ^ "Heat - May 12, 2003 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ "RAW - September 22, 2003 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ "SmackDown - April 14, 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ "SmackDown - April 28, 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ PWI Staff (2007). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts". "Wrestling’s historical cards". Kappa Publishing. pp. 117–118.
  9. ^ "SmackDown - January 6, 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ "SmackDown - February 10, 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ "SmackDown - April 21, 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ "SmackDown - December 30, 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ PWI Staff (2007). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts". "Wrestling’s historical cards". Kappa Publishing. p. 121.
  14. ^ "SmackDown - November 27, 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ PWI Staff (2007). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts". "Wrestling’s historical cards". Kappa Publishing. p. 122.
  16. ^ "ECW on SciFi - November 28, 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  17. ^ "SmackDown - December 1, 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  18. ^ "RAW - December 4, 2006 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ "Update on Joey Mercury". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-03-26. I have four fractures on the inside of my nose; I have 5 stitches on the inside of my nose and my cheek and 15 stitches on the outside of my nose and cheek. My left eye is swollen shut and I have continual internal bleeding from my nose and my eye.
  20. ^ PWI Staff (2007). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts". "Wrestling’s historical cards". Kappa Publishing. p. 122.
  21. ^ PWI Staff (2007). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated, May 2007". Arena Reports. Kappa Publishing. p. 130. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  22. ^ "SmackDown - March 12, 2007 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-07-08. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ "Joey Mercury released". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-03-26. WWE.com has learned that today in Chicago, WWE officials have agreed on the immediate release of Joey Mercury.
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