Joey Mercury
| Adam Birch | |
|---|---|
| File:Joeymercury biobild1.jpg | |
| Born | July 18, 1979 Richmond, Virginia |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Joey Matthews, Joey Mercury |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Billed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Billed from | Los Angeles, California |
| Trained by | Jimmy Cicero |
| Debut | June 12, 1996 |
Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring name Joey Mercury, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its SmackDown brand.
Career
Birch, Born in Fairfax, VA. debuted on June 12, 1996 under the ring name Joey Matthews. His career began with Maryland Championship Wrestling, where he held a variety of titles. He was also part of OMEGA, a high-flying promotion run by Matt and Jeff Hardy. His first national exposure came after he left OMEGA and formed a tag team, the Badstreet Boys, with fellow OMEGA alumnus Christian York. The Badstreet Boys wrestled in multiple promotions including Hellfire wrestling in Detroit before joining Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in late 2000, and even competed unsuccessfully at ECW's final Pay-Per-View Guilty as Charged 2001. The duo began wrestling as simply York & Matthews later in their career. The bankruptcy of ECW in April 2001 forced them to return to the independent circuit, most notably UPW and PCW. York & Matthews eventually split when Christian York retired from wrestling. Birch went on to wrestle as a singles wrestler for Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. York eventually returned to the ring in July 2006 for Maryland Championship Wrestling.
World Wrestling Entertainment
In early 2005, Birch was signed to a developmental deal by World Wrestling Entertainment and assigned to the Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental territory. Birch formed a tag team with Johnny Nitro, and the duo formed a stable with their manager Melina. The stable - "MNM" - took its name from their respective surnames (Birch was renamed Joey Mercury).
On April 14, 2005, MNM debuted on SmackDown, attacking Rey Mysterio. On April 21, 2005 Birch, along with Nitro, defeated Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Tag Team Championship. It was the first time in WWE history that the tag team titles had changed hands to a debuting tag team. They lost the titles to the Legion of Doom on July 24, 2005 at The Great American Bash, but regained them on the October 28, 2005 episode of SmackDown. MNM lost the titles to Batista and Rey Mysterio on the December 16, 2005 episode of SmackDown, but regained them on the December 30, 2005 episode of SmackDown.
MNM began feuding with Brian Kendrick and Paul London in April 2006, and on May 21, 2006 at Judgment Day 2006, Kendrick and London defeated MNM for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The stable disbanded immediately, after Melina blamed Mercury for the loss and SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long fired both Melina and Nitro (kayfabe) after she slapped Long.
Mercury left the active roster for several months while going into rehab for a drug problem before sporting a new look and making appearances in OVW on occasion. However, Mercury made a surprise return to WWE on the November 27, 2006 edition of RAW, to announce that he was to reunite with Nitro and Melina to reform MNM for one night only at December to Dismember to answer The Hardys' open challenge. At December to Dismember, MNM lost to The Hardys'. MNM teamed for one more night and with Rated-RKO defeated The Hardys and D-Generation X the next night on RAW. He has since returned to SmackDown. He was supposed to come back as a face since he was in a fight with Nitro and Melina, but when he was wrestling as a guest on RAW, Jerry Lawler said people always settle their problems.
At Armageddon on December 17, Birch suffered severe head injuries due to a botched "see-saw" ladder spot by Jeff Hardy in an impromptu Fatal Four Way Tag Team Ladder Match. His injuries included a broken nose, a possibly fractured frontal bone, and severe lacerations around his left eye. Birch was taken out of the match and subsequently received 15 stitches outside the nose and on the inside another five. In a statement from WWE.com late that night, WWE doctor Ferdinand Rios stated that there are concerns of possible brain damage and that he will likely need reconstructive surgery to his face as well as up to two months of recovery time.
As of December 18, in an interview conducted by WWE.com, Mercury stated "I’ve shattered my nose around the bridge area, 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." [1]. He has been placed back on the SmackDown roster list on WWE.com and appeared on the December 22 edition of SmackDown, igniting a new storyline by blaming the The Hardys for his injuries.
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
- Virginia Necktie (Shoulder neckbreaker)
- Double underhook DDT
- Frankensteiner
- Northern Lights suplex
- With Johnny Nitro
- With Christian York
- Full Effect (Double facebreaker)
- Future Shock (Double powerbomb)
- Double Rebel Yell / Double Rebel Yelp (Frankensteiner into diving elbow drop)
- Double enzuiguri
- Managers
- Candie
- Joel Gertner
- Jillian Hall
- Alexis Laree
- Luxurious Lynne
- Melina
Championships and accomplishments
- WWE Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Johnny Nitro
- Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling
- ATCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York
- American Wrestling Council
- AWC Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Delaware Championship Wrestling
- DCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York
- Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
- IPWA Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- IPWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mark Shrader
- MCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time)
- MCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Christian York
- 2001 Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup winner
- Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
- MEWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York
- NWA Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York
- New York Wrestling Connection
- NYWC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- OMEGA Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Johnny Nitro
- PCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York
- Pro Pain Pro Wrestling
- 3PW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Southern Championship Wrestling
- SCW Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- Steel City Wrestling
- SCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York
- Ultimate Championship Wrestling
- UCW Heavyweight Championship
- Virginia Championship Wrestling
- VCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York
- Five Star Wrestling
- Five Star Light Heavyweight Champion (1 time)
Trivia
- He is the real life friend of Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Gregory Helms, and Shannon Moore.
- Throughout his independent wrestling days he dated Alexis Laree, now better known as Mickie James.
- He is currently dating former WWE Diva Amy Zidian.
- Has tattoos of designed wrist rings on his wrists.
- His natural hair color is brown. When he made his Smackdown! debut with Melina and Nitro he had bleach streaks in his hair like Nitro. Since returning he cut his hair short but due to the temporary reunion of MNM he was given black dreadlock extensions.