Gregory Allen Smith
(born October 12, 1986),
better known by his
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Gregory Iron, or "GAS" as a play on his real initials, is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
, who performs regularly in Pro Wrestling Ohio, AAW,
Chikara, Smash And Alpha 1 wrestling
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
s. After being a guest on
Steve Austin
Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...
's Podcast, Iron decided to start his own podcast, Iron-On Wrestling.
Early life
Gregory Smith was born in 1986 in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
.
Born one month prematurely and weighing one pound at birth,
Smith was diagnosed with
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
, which has left his right arm withered and with extremely limited range of motion.
As a child he was subject to
bullying
Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...
, which Smith today attributes to other children not being able to understand his disability.
He developed his own unique set of coping skills for dealing with bullying, centered on his being willing and able to tell his own story, and to do it in a self-effacing and sometimes humorous manner.
At the same time, his family life left him with little support. While his father, Dwane, worked to support the family, Dwane's wife Gloria became addicted to drugs and would sell off family possessions, and use rent money, to purchase drugs.
The couple separated, and Greg, in Gloria's custody, was left to raise his two younger brothers, until Gloria went to jail and Dwane won custody of the boys.
Smith's grandmother, a fan of
Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
, introduced him to professional wrestling. "She meant a lot to me, and everything I do in wrestling is in her honor."
Professional wrestling career
At first, Iron pursued professional wrestling in the weight room, inventing his own regimen since his right hand would not allow him to execute most lifts in the traditional way. In this way he added 30 pounds of muscle to his frame. In early training with J. T. Lightning, Iron took a great deal of punishment, asking for no pity, and modifying wrestling holds so they could be applied using one arm.
Iron appeared on the very first episode of Pro Wrestling Ohio, televised on Sports Time Ohio, on November 20, 2007, defeating
Johnny Gargano
John Anthony Nicholas Gargano (born August 14, 1987) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Johnny Gargano. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is best known for his time in NXT, wh ...
in what has often been called an upset. This defeat of Gargano launched Iron's first major feud, as Gargano denied that he could lose to a wrestler with Iron's disability.
A brutal attack by Gargano during a PWO taping in February, 2008, left Iron unable to compete for three months.
When Iron returned to action, In August, 2008, the feud was settled in a Last Man Standing match, won by Gargano.
No stranger to in-ring injury, in a preshow
battle royal
Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
, Iron was
suplex
A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs.
Professional wrestling feature ...
ed on his head several times, giving him a severe concussion, putting him in intensive care for three days.
His coming back from such injury, combined with him wrestling with cerebral palsy, has recently caught the attention of several wrestling promotions
and fans appreciating his ability to wrestle a good match with his disability.
Iron allows opponents to mock his disability and his right hand, as a means to put him over as a face and his opponent as a heel.
"That's what it is there for. You are the bad guy. A horrible person would make fun of my hand. That only gets the crowd more excited and on my side."
Iron is also the longtime
tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
partner of Hobo Joe, in the "Homeless Handicapped Connection," billed as mutually overcoming many obstacles to compete. They capped a feud with Sex Appeal (Bobby Beverly and Bobby Shields, accompanied by Nickie Valentino)
by enlisting the help of another disabled wrestler,
Zach Gowen
Zachary Mark Gowen (born March 30, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. Gowen competed for World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Gowen's left leg was amputated when he was eight years old. He is t ...
. With Gowen's assistance, Iron and Hobo defeated Sex Appeal for the PWO Tag Team Championship, Iron's first title.
![Handicapped Heroes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Handicapped_Heroes.jpg)
In 2012, Iron and Gowen would form a tag team calling themselves "The Handicapped Handguns". The two would defeat The Dead Wrestling Society in January 2013 to become the Prime Tag Team Champions.
In March, both Gowen and Iron came to an agreement to change their tag team name to the "Handicapped Heroes" mainly due to the number of
school shooting
A school shooting is an attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of firearms. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shootings due to multiple c ...
s that occurred earlier in the year for they did not want to promote any form of
violence
Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...
.
The next month, Gowen would be kicked-out of a show in the famous
Agora Theatre and Ballroom by Prime Wrestling Commissioner, Vic Travagliante. This would leave Iron to defend the tag titles on his own, allowing him to be defeated by The Brotherhood of Mushtachioed Brawlers.
On June 13, Iron lost against his former tag team partner,
Matthew Justice
Matthew Hannan (born March 23, 1988) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Matthew Justice. Justice performs primarily on the independent circuit in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and ...
at a show in
Lisbon, Ohio
Lisbon is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in and the county seat of Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, along the Little Beaver Creek. The population was 2,597 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. It is a part of the Micropo ...
for the Prime TV Championship.
Iron is perhaps best known as a wrestler for his feud with Gargano, the tag-team defeat of Sex Appeal, and for a
Chikara match with
Lince Dorado
José Cordero (born May 11, 1987) is an American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican descent currently signed to Major League Wrestling, where he competes under the ring name Lince Dorado (Spanish for Golden Lynx), and is the current MLW Midd ...
in August, 2010, during the eighth
Young Lions Cup
__NOTOC__
The is an infrequent professional wrestling tournament promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a means of showcasing the younger talent on their roster. The tournament is the successor to the Karl Gotch Cup that NJPW promoted in t ...
- in which "a handicapped underdog
riedto overcome the bully, and the crowd loved it!"
On July 23, 2011, Iron's career jumped out of relative obscurity: after partnering in a tag match with
Colt Cabana
Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same d ...
, Iron remained in the ring a few moments, and was surprised by Cabana's return to the ring with
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
Champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...
CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
.
[Babinsack, J]
"Joe Babinsack look at Gregory Iron"
"Figure Four Weekly", July 27, 2011, accessed July 27, 2011.
Punk had this to say about Iron:
During a live national interview on
Fox and Friends
''Fox & Friends'' is an American daily morning news and talk program that airs on Fox News. It premiered on February 1, 1998, and is currently hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade on weekdays. Will Cain, Rachel Campos-Du ...
, Iron talked about the challenges he's overcome, and issued a challenge of his own: either the WWE adds him to its 2012
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
, or
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...
meets Iron in the ring one-on-one.
The WWE did not respond to the challenge; and Iron did not appear in the 2012 Rumble.
![Greg Iron and Veda Scott](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Greg_Iron_and_Veda_Scott.jpg)
In mid-2012, Iron experienced an unexpected loss of fan support, leading to a tirade at an Absolute Intense Wrestling show,
after a tag match in which Iron and Cabana lost to Prohibition and
Matt Cross - a match in which Iron was the only one of the four participants not supported by most of the fans.
This led to a feud between Iron and Absolute Intense Wrestling, in which Iron sought the help of
Veda Scott
Veda Scott is an American professional wrestler. She has wrestled for various American promotions, including Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Shimmer Women Athletes, and Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW). She has also wre ...
as his "legal advisor"
- the assistance of Scott resulted in AIW adopting an "accommodation" for Iron's disability: to be defeated, he would have to be pinned by four-count instead of three.
During a September card, Iron was pinned by Prohibition for a three-count, but while Scott reminded Prohibition of the new rule, Iron rolled him up for the win.
Iron worked so well with Scott that they formed a tag-team,
defeating
The Batiri
The Batiri is a professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, alliance in the Chikara (professional wrestling), Chikara Professional wrestling promotion, promotion. The team includes Kodama and Obariyon, who work under Bo ...
(Obariyon and Kodama) in November 2012
for the AIW
Tag Team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
Championships.
Iron frequently wore a T-shirt similar to the one CM Punk wore throughout the year of 2011 and in the beginning of 2012. It instead had a handicapped symbol in the center rather than the letter X on the back of a hand. On the back of the shirt it said "Best Disabled Wrestler In The World", the nickname Iron has been using for himself since November 2012.
Iron was the subject of a special report by newscaster
Chris Van Vliet of
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
's
WOIO
WOIO (channel 19) is a television station licensed to Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD (channel 6) and Lorai ...
-TV Channel 19, entitled "An Iron Will." This report won an
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for Best Single Sports Story in June, 2012.
In 2013, he was unsuccessful in winning his bracket to continue in TNA's Gutcheck Challenge, although he did come in third place. On October 20, 2013, The Handicapped Heroes regained the Prime Tag Team Championship.
In 2019, Iron created 44OH!, a stable of Ohio-based independent wrestlers that would cause havoc in Game Changer Wrestling. On September 2, 2021, Iron defeated "The Deathmatch King" Nick Gage single-handedly to become the new face of GCW.
Championships and accomplishments
![Gregory Iron Alpha1 tag champion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Gregory_Iron_Alpha1_tag_champion.jpg)
*Absolute Intense Wrestling
**AIW Intense Championship (1 time)
**AIW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
Veda Scott
Veda Scott is an American professional wrestler. She has wrestled for various American promotions, including Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Shimmer Women Athletes, and Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW). She has also wre ...
*
Alpha-1 Wrestling
Alpha-1 Wrestling (A1) was a Canadian independent professional wrestling promotion based out of Hamilton, Ontario. The promotion was founded by Ethan Page in 2010 after he grew tired of inviting his family to see him in crappy bars commenting "I ...
**
A1 Alpha Male Championship (1 time)
**
A1 Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Rickey Shane Page (1) and Anthony Greene (1)
**
A1 Zero Gravity Championship (1 time)
**King Of Hearts Tournament (2019)
*Championship Wrestling Experience
**CWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
Matthew Justice
Matthew Hannan (born March 23, 1988) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Matthew Justice. Justice performs primarily on the independent circuit in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and ...
*CLASH Wrestling
**CLASH Tag Team Champions (1 time) – with
Zach Gowen
Zachary Mark Gowen (born March 30, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. Gowen competed for World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Gowen's left leg was amputated when he was eight years old. He is t ...
*EMERGE Wrestling
**EMERGE Championship (1 time)
*Empire State Wrestling
**ESW Tag Team Championships (1 time) - with RJ City
*
Game Changer Wrestling
Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW), is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Jersey. The promotion was originally founded by Ricky Otazu in 1999, it was rebranded un ...
**rSp Championship (1 time)
* H20 Wrestling: Hardcore Hustle Organization
**H2O Hybrid Championship (1 time, current)
*Heavy Metal Wrestling
**HMW Bexar Knuckles Championship (1 time)
*Mr. Chainsaw Productions Wrestling
**MCPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Zach Gowen
*
NWA East / Pro Wrestling eXpress
**NWA East Three Rivers Championship (1 time)
**NWA East Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
**NWA East/PWX Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matthew Justice
*Pro Wrestling All-Stars Of Detroit
**PWASD Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with Zach Gowen
*
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
**PWI ranked him No. 386 of the top 500 wrestlers in the
PWI 500
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...
in 2013
*Pro Wrestling Ohio / Prime Wrestling
**PWO / Prime Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Hobo Joe (1)
and Zach Gowen (2)
*Pro Wrestling Syndicate
**PWS Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Zach Gowen
*Upstate Pro Wrestling
**UPW 585 Live Championship (1 time)
References
External links
YouTube channel*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iron, Gregory
1986 births
Living people
American disabled sportspeople
American male professional wrestlers
Sportspeople from Cleveland
People with cerebral palsy
Professional wrestlers from Ohio