Jayson Anthony Paul (born December 10, 1984) is an American
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 ...
currently signed to the
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
. He is best known for his time in
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 ...
under the
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 ...
JTG.
Paul began his professional wrestling career in 2006 with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), being assigned to their developmental territory
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg.
O ...
(OVW), where he was a
two-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion (with
Shad Gaspard
Shad Javier Gaspard (January 13, 1981 – May 17, 2020) was an American professional wrestler and actor. He was best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under his real name, or mononymously as Shad.
Gaspard signed with World Wrestli ...
, as part of
Cryme Tyme
Cryme Tyme was an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of JTG and Shad Gaspard, best known for their tenure in WWE.
The team was an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs. The tag team first disbanded in 2010, though r ...
). In 2006, Cryme Tyme was promoted to WWE's main roster, before both JTG and Gaspard were released from the company the following year. They both returned to the company in 2008, and later split up and feuded with each other until Gaspard's release in 2010.
Later that year, JTG was assigned to
NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
, where he was announced as one of the Pros for ''
NXT Redemption
''WWE NXT'', also known as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring performers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show current ...
'', mentoring Jacob Novak. He eventually turned
heel
The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg.
Structure
To distribute the compressive for ...
and feuded with
Vladimir Kozlov
Oleg Aleksandrovich Prudius (russian: Олег Александрович Прудиус; uk, Олег Олександрович Прудіус, ''Oleh Oleksandrovych Prudius''; born April 27, 1979) better known by his ring name Vladimir Koz ...
's rookie
Conor O'Brian
Ryan Parmeter (born February 6, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, currently appearing for Impact Wrestling as a member of the Violent By Design under the ring name Kon. He is best known for his work in WWE, where he wrestled under the ...
and Kozlov himself. He additionally made appearances on ''SmackDown'' and ''Superstars''. From late 2012 to 2013, JTG was relegated to
jobber
Jobber may refer to:
Athletics
* Job (professional wrestling) - A professional wrestler who routinely loses a match.
* Wichita Jobbers, a minor league baseball team in the Western Association from 1905 to 1911
Commerce
* A person or corporation ...
status and continued to compete until his release in 2014.
Early life
Jayson Anthony Paul was born on December 10, 1984 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. He attended
John Dewey High School
John Dewey High School is a public school in Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded and based on the educational principles of John Dewey. The school, under the supervision of the New York City Department of Education, was named a Ne ...
in Brooklyn, where he participated in acting and drama classes.
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Entertainment (2006–2007)
![Cryme Tyme 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Cryme_Tyme_2.jpg)
Paul began his career in 2006, working in the
World Wrestling Entertainment
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 ...
(WWE)
developmental territory
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg.
O ...
(OVW) under the
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 ...
The Neighborhoodie. While there, he was placed into a
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 ...
with
Shad Gaspard
Shad Javier Gaspard (January 13, 1981 – May 17, 2020) was an American professional wrestler and actor. He was best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under his real name, or mononymously as Shad.
Gaspard signed with World Wrestli ...
, calling themselves "
The Gang-Stars". They held the
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Tag Team Championship formerly known as 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. There have been 177 reigns shared b ...
on two occasions.
![Crymetymemeetngreet](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Crymetymemeetngreet.jpg)
In 2006, the tag team was promoted from OVW to the
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
under the name "Cryme Tyme", with Paul changing his name to JTG. On September 4, 2006, a series of
vignettes
Vignette may refer to:
* Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy
* Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters
* Vignette (literature), short, i ...
began airing on ''Raw'', hyping the debut of Cryme Tyme. On the October 16, 2006 episode of ''Raw'', Cryme Tyme debuted and defeated two members of the then named
World Tag Team Champions, The
Spirit Squad
The Spirit Squad was an American professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) consisting of Kenny, Mikey, Johnny, Mitch, and Nicky. The team's ring personas were those of an all-male cheerleading squad.
Before forming ...
(
Mikey
Mikey is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Michael. It may also refer to:
People
* Mikey Ambrose (born 1993), American Major League Soccer player
* Mikey Arroyo (born 1969), Filipino actor and politician, son of Phili ...
and
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
), in a non-title match. In November 2006, at the
Cyber Sunday
WWE Cyber Sunday (originally known as WWE Taboo Tuesday) was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Established in 2004, ...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
, Cryme Tyme defeated
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch were an American professional wrestling tag team most famous for the time they spent performing for World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand. The team debuted on the September 5, 2005 episode of '' Raw'' and in the ...
,
Charlie Haas
Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American professional and former amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000-2009 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010-2013. In WWE he was a me ...
,
Viscera
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...
, and
The Highlanders in a
Texas tornado tag team match (as voted by the fans).
As part of their
gimmick
A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...
, Cryme Tyme regularly stole items belonging to other wrestlers and on-air personalities, and sold them to fans.
They were also selling false entry numbers at the
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 ...
.
A few months later at the
New Year's Revolution pay-per-view, Cryme Tyme won a tag team turmoil match against The Highlanders,
World's Greatest Tag Team
The World's Greatest Tag Team was an American professional wrestling tag team, which also used the name Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team. The team consisted of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. Originally formed in World Wrestling Entertainment (WW ...
, Cade and Murdoch, and "Hacksaw"
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE on a Legends contract. His best-known character is that of an American patriot, which ...
and
Super Crazy
Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973), better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler). In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances f ...
, earning them a shot at the World Tag Team Championships. They then competed mainly on ''
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...
'' for the next few months,
although they made a backstage appearance at
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23 was the 23rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brand divisions. The event ...
.
They also took part in the
tag team battle royal on April 2.
After
Mr. 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 ...
's "
death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
", Cryme Tyme plugged some merchandise and auctions on WWE's official website in memory of him.
On the June 29, 2007 episode of ''
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'', Cryme Tyme was defeated by
Deuce 'n Domino
Deuce 'n Domino is an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Deuce Shade and Dice Domino, who were managed for the majority of their run by Cherry Pie and briefly by Maryse. The pair teamed together in World Wrestling Entertain ...
(with
Cherry
A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...
) in an inter-brand match tag team match.
While Deuce, Domino and Cherry celebrated their victory, Cryme Tyme appeared on the
titantron and, in storyline, stole their car, taking it to Brisco Brothers Auto to sell it for parts chanting their signature
catchphrase
A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
, "''Money money, yeah, yeah''".
On July 21, 2007, Cryme Tyme defeated The James Boys to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship for the second time.
On August 13, 2007, Cryme Tyme returned to their hometown of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on an episode of ''Raw'' from
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
, losing to then-World Tag Team Champions Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch in a non-title match by
disqualification when Shad used a chair on Murdoch. On the August 20, 2007 episode of ''Raw'', Cryme Tyme stole Murdoch's hat and sold it to a fan, and the following week, stole Cade's and gave it away to a fan. In the middle of this
feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
, on September 2, 2007, both Paul and Gaspard were released from WWE.
Independent circuit (2007–2008)
Paul, along with Gaspard wrestled at the
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States.
History
1997
Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surita ...
10th Anniversary Show on October 27, 2007. Wrestling as Crime Time, they defeated The Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz. Paul appeared in Derby City Wrestling (DCW) at their end of year show. He was then involved in a feud with The Mobile Homers in DCW.
Return to WWE
Cryme Tyme reunion (2008–2010)
![Jtgvsted2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Jtgvsted2009.png)
Cryme Tyme returned to WWE on the March 31, 2008 episode of ''Raw'', where they defeated
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch were an American professional wrestling tag team most famous for the time they spent performing for World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand. The team debuted on the September 5, 2005 episode of '' Raw'' and in the ...
in their first televised match in nearly six months. Cryme Tyme began working with
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...
on the June 30 episode of ''Raw'' when they helped him interfere during
John "Bradshaw" Layfield
John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1966), better known by the ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield (abbreviated to JBL), is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Gridiron football, football player. He is curre ...
's match. The following week, they again appeared together in a backstage segment when they vandalised JBL's limo. After a
house show
A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
match, Cena announced they had created a faction called CTC, "Cryme Tyme Cenation". Separately, Cryme Tyme started a feud with then World Tag Team Champions
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE working in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship ...
and
Cody Rhodes
Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
, stealing their
championship belt
A championship belt is a large, extravagantly designed belt used primarily in combat sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling to signify the champions of the promotion or company, much like a cup or trophy in other s ...
s for a time, then losing a title match to them at
Unforgiven
''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, ...
. JTG entered early into the
Royal Rumble match
The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic Battle Royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...
at the
2009 Royal Rumble pay-per-view in January, after cheating to get a spot instead of Shad.
JTG lasted nearly 12 minutes before he was eliminated by
The Undertaker
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...
.
On the January 26 episode of ''Raw'', JTG and Shad attempted to win the World Tag Team Championship from
John Morrison and the Miz, but were unsuccessful.
On April 15, 2009, Cryme Tyme were drafted to the
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
brand as part of the
2009 supplemental draft. They earned a
Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Raw Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's main roster, ...
match against
Jeri-Show (
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...
and
Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
) for
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
after defeating
The Hart Dynasty
The Hart Dynasty was a Canadian professional wrestling stable who appeared in World Wrestling Entertainment. The unit consisted of the tag team of Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith, and Natalya as a manager. The group was named due to the connect ...
on the July 31 episode of ''SmackDown''. On the August 7 episode of ''SmackDown'', JTG pinned Jericho in a major upset, however at SummerSlam they lost the match after Show hit JTG in the face and Jericho pinned him. At the
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 ...
, JTG entered his second royal rumble match but only lasted 25 seconds getting eliminated by
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 ...
. At
WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVI (also written as WrestleMania 26) was the 26th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown ...
, Cryme Tyme competed in the
dark match
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence ...
battle royal, but neither won the match.
![Shad Cryme Tyme](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Shad_Cryme_Tyme.jpg)
On the April 2, 2010 episode of ''SmackDown'', Cryme Tyme was quickly defeated by
John Morrison and
R-Truth
Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth.
Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WW ...
.
The loss of the match prompted Gaspard to attack JTG, breaking up the team.
Their feud culminated with a
strap match at
Extreme Rules which JTG won. After JTG won against
Caylen Croft
Kris Pavone (born May 2, 1980) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he wrestled under the ring name Caylen Croft. He was one half of the DudeBusters tag team w ...
, Gaspard immediately attacked him unsuccessfully. Shad won a rematch on the May 6 episode of ''
Superstars'', but their feud came to an end when Gaspard was sent to
Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
(FCW).
Singles competition (2010–2014)
![Jtgmoscow3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Jtgmoscow3.png)
Also after the split up of Cryme Tyme in 2010 JTG went on to compete in singles and in tag team action strictly on the SmackDown roster wrestling against talent such as
Mike Knox
Michael Knoxville Hettinga (born July 17, 1978) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Mike Knox. He currently performs for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Hettinga is best known for his work in World Wrestli ...
,
Chavo Guerrero
Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He has previously worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Federatio ...
,
Jack Swagger
Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Jake Hager, where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society st ...
,
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 ...
,
Vance Archer
Lance Hoyt (born February 28, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Lance Archer. He also makes sporadic appearance for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is also known for ...
, and even teaming with other talent such as
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
,
Chris Masters
Christopher Todd Mordetzky (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) under the ring name Chris Adonis as a member of Strictly Business. He is a former two-time National ...
, and
Trent Berreta in tag team action and in six man tag team action since the team split up.
JTG was announced to be one of the Pros for ''
NXT Redemption
''WWE NXT'', also known as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring performers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show current ...
'', mentoring Jacob Novak. On the May 3, 2011 episode of ''NXT'', he started his feud with
William Regal
Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his ti ...
when Regal called him a "muppet" while Novak was calling Regal out to a match, turning him
heel
The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg.
Structure
To distribute the compressive for ...
. Two weeks later, Novak was eliminated, being the first to no longer be part of the show. In the
2011 WWE draft, JTG was drafted to the Raw brand in the
supplemental draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
via WWE.com on April 26, 2011.
On the May 24 episode of ''NXT'', JTG had a feud with
Vladimir Kozlov
Oleg Aleksandrovich Prudius (russian: Олег Александрович Прудиус; uk, Олег Олександрович Прудіус, ''Oleh Oleksandrovych Prudius''; born April 27, 1979) better known by his ring name Vladimir Koz ...
's rookie
Conor O'Brian
Ryan Parmeter (born February 6, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, currently appearing for Impact Wrestling as a member of the Violent By Design under the ring name Kon. He is best known for his work in WWE, where he wrestled under the ...
after he was pinned by O'Brian in a
singles match. Afterwards JTG attacked O'Brian until Kozlov made a save and attacked JTG. He wrestled on the May 26 episode of ''Superstars'' as a
face
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
in a losing effort against
Curt Hawkins
Brian Myers (born April 20, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is a former Impact Digital Media Champion. He is best known for his tenures in WWE from 2006–2014 and 2016–2020 unde ...
. He officially cemented his status as a heel on the June 7 episode of ''NXT Redemption'' when he attacked
Yoshi Tatsu
Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in ''Super Mario World'' (1990) on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Yoshi is the title character of the List of Y ...
on JTG's in ring segment "Straight Outta Brooklyn". As he was going backstage,
Matt Striker
Matthew Kaye (born June 26, 1974) is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling commentator, actor and former high school teacher, using the ring name Matt Striker. During his career he has worked for WWE, Impact Wrestling, Luch ...
came out and announced JTG would face Tatsu in a match, which JTG lost. On the July 19 and August 2 episodes of ''NXT Redemption'', Kozlov started a feud with JTG beating him two times in a row with Kozlov also dressed like JTG in the second match. The feud ended when Kozlov was released by WWE on August 5, 2011. JTG scored his first win in months on the August 5 episode of ''SmackDown'' teaming with
David Otunga
David Daniel Otunga''Lawyer ' (born April 7, 1980) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Otunga is best known for his time working with WWE. He was the runner-up on the first season of ''NXT''. He is also an original member of ...
and
Michael McGillicutty to defeat
The Usos
The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are ...
and
Trent Barreta
Gregory "Greg" Marasciulo (born March 30, 1987), better known by the ring name Trent Beretta or Trent?, is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his time with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring ...
. JTG gained a girlfriend and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
in
Tamina in November 2011, leading to a feud with The Usos, whom Tamina had formerly managed; JTG continually found himself losing to The Usos.
Alicia Fox
Victoria Crawford (born June 30, 1986) is an American retired professional wrestler and former model known for her time with WWE under the ring name Alicia Fox.
Crawford debuted on ''SmackDown'' on June 13, 2008, using the Alicia Fox name and th ...
then approached JTG in May 2012 and offered to give him a makeover, which JTG accepted. On the May 9 episode of ''NXT Redemption'', JTG debuted a new look and defeated Yoshi Tatsu, which was his first and only win in 2012, as JTG soon reverted to losing matches for the rest of 2012 and 2013, including his final match, which was a loss to
Santino Marella
Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1974) is a Canadian judoka and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is known for his 11-year tenure with WWE where he wrestled under the ring name Santino Marella. He is the founder of and instructor at Battle Art ...
on the September 20, 2013 episode of ''Superstars''. After not appearing on WWE television in 2014, JTG was released on June 12.
Return to the independent circuit & Cryme Tyme reunion (2014–2020)
![JTG Wrestle Pro NJ Nov](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/JTG_Wrestle_Pro_NJ_Nov._2016.png)
In June 2014, JTG and tag team partner
Shad Gaspard
Shad Javier Gaspard (January 13, 1981 – May 17, 2020) was an American professional wrestler and actor. He was best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under his real name, or mononymously as Shad.
Gaspard signed with World Wrestli ...
began taking bookings as Crime Time, changing the spelling of their name in order to avoid a lawsuit from WWE. On August 23, 2014 for Warriors of Wrestling, Crime Time and
The Blue Meanie
Brian Heffron (born May 18, 1973), better known by his ring name The Blue Meanie, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation between 1995 and 2 ...
were defeated by Chachi, Verna and J-George. This was JTG's first match since leaving WWE. He appeared at wrestling events by himself or with Gaspard as part of Crime Time in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In 2017, he wrestled for
Joey Ryan's California Bar Wrestling promotion in matches alone and alongside Gaspard. In 2019, he wrestled a tag match with Shad at a
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 ...
/Suburban Fight Pro event, and in a battle royal at
Joey Janela
Joseph Janela (born July 3, 1989) is an American professional wrestler. Janela is most known for his work with promotions such as All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW ...
's Spring Break 3. On February 15, 2020, Crime Time appeared at former WWE wrestler Santino Marella's Battle Arts promotion in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, which would be their final match together as following scheduled events were cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Gaspard died three months later on May 17, disbanding the tag team.
Independent circuit after Gaspard's death (2020–present)
![JTG WrestlePro Nov 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/JTG_WrestlePro_Nov_2016.png)
Three months after Gaspard's death, JTG made his first wrestling appearance at VxS Wrestling on August 16, 2020, losing to
. He also appeared at Brii Combination Wrestling on September 5 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. On October 9, JTG defeated Trey Miguel at Game Changer Wrestling's For The Culture event, and also participated in a Battle Royal at the promotion's Spring Break 4 event the following day, which was broadcast on
FITE TV
Fite (stylized as FITE by Triller) is an American digital video streaming service launched on May 20, 2012, that is dedicated to combat sports-related programming (including boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling). The network dist ...
. On November 6, JTG won the VIP Wrestling Heavyweight Championship in Haltom City, Texas, becoming his first solo championship after defeating Gino, Shane Taylor, and Will Allday.
He reappeared at the wrestling promotion on January 29, 2021 after issuing an open challenge to take his championship title, which Alex Hammerstone accepted but lost. He returned to the promotion again on March 26, defeating
Carlito, and has continued to make appearances with the promotion, with his most recent being on March 6, 2022 in a match against
Shane Taylor.
In February 2021, he appeared at Florida-based wrestling promotions and returned to VxS Wrestling in New Jersey, defeating
Mance Warner
Mance Warner is an American professional wrestler currently performing for Major League Wrestling. He has previously competed in Combat Zone Wrestling where he is a former CZW World Heavyweight Championship, CZW World Heavyweight Champion and ...
. On April 9, he appeared at VxS Wrestling's Lucid Dreams show in Tampa, Florida that was broadcast on FITE TV in a match against Dr. Cube. After being attacked by Dr. Cube and his entourage, he was saved by
Big Cass
William Morrissey (born August 16, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He currently performs in All Elite Wrestling, where he is a member of The Firm, under the ring name Big Bill. He is also known for his tenures with WWE (where he per ...
and won the match. On October 22, he made his PCW Ultra debut in Wilmington, California, where he was defeated by
Steve Madison
Stephen Philip Favata (born April 9, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, known by his ringname "Modern Miracle" Steve Madison, who competes in Southeastern independent promotions including AWA World-1 South, Full Impact Pro, Future of Wr ...
. On October 24, he won the Waco Association Wrestling Championship in Waco, Texas after defeating
Juventud Guerrera
Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera.
Guerrera is best known for his appearances with the Mexican professional wrestling promot ...
.
National Wrestling Alliance (2021–present)
On June 6, JTG made his
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
debut at their
When Our Shadows Fall pay-per-view event, defeating
Fred Rosser
Frederick Douglas Rosser III (born November 2, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current Strong Openweight Championship, Strong Openweigh ...
. A month later on July 6, he was defeated by
Chris Adonis
Christopher Todd Mordetzky (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) under the ring name Chris Adonis as a member of Strictly Business. He is a former two-time National Ch ...
in an attempt to earn his NWA National Championship title. In December of that year, he formed a tag team with
Dirty Dango under the name "Dirty Sexy Boys."
WWE Hall of Fame appearance (2022)
JTG, in his first WWE appearance in eight years, appeared with Gaspard's wife and son in the
2022 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on April 1, 2022 awarding the Warrior award to Gaspard.
Other activities and media
JTG published his first book ''Damn! Why Did I Write This Book?'' in May 2015, followed by its sequel ''Damn! Why Did I Write This Book Too? How to Play the Game'' the following year. He published his third book and first fitness e-book, ''The Newbies Guide To Big Biceps: So Easy To Follow A Child Could Do It!'' in December 2020.
As an actor, JTG made his film debut in ''
Bad Night'' and appeared in ''
The Last Sharknado: It's About Time''. In 2017, he appeared on the song "Team Asoka" with The Asoka alongside wrestlers
John Morrison and
Rocky Romero
John R. Rivera (born October 28, 1982) is a Puerto Rican-American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed non-exclusively to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッ ...
.
In 2018, JTG founded a beard and body care line named Sexy As Hell Beard Care. The following year, he created an app called Earsaye, which creates audio memes.
JTG has appeared in the
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s as a playable character in ''
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008
''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008'' (sometimes subtitled with ''featuring ECW'') is a professional wrestling video game published by THQ in November 2007, and developed by Yuke's for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation P ...
'', ''
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009
''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009'' (sometimes subtitled with ''featuring ECW'') is a professional wrestling video game Video game developer, developed by Yuke's and video game publisher, published by THQ for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStat ...
'', ''
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010'', and ''
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011'' (also shortened to ''WWE SvR 2011'' or ''SVR 11'') is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 2 (PS2), PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation Portable (PSP), Xbox 360 ...
''.
Filmography
Bibliography
*
*
*
Championships and accomplishments
*
NWA Wildside
NWA Wildside was an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cornelia, Georgia, with an office in Atlanta, Georgia, operating between September 1999 and April 2005. It was originally formed when National Championship Wrestlin ...
:*
NWA Wildside Tag Team Championship
The NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship was the top tag team championship in Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1968 to 1980, when it was replaced with the NWA National Tag Team Championship.
The title was revived in 1998 by Music City Wrestling ...
(1 time) –
with
With or WITH may refer to:
* With, a preposition in English
* Carl Johannes With (1877–1923), Danish doctor and arachnologist
* With (character), a character in ''D. N. Angel''
* ''With'' (novel), a novel by Donald Harrington
* ''With'' (album ...
Shad Gaspard
Shad Javier Gaspard (January 13, 1981 – May 17, 2020) was an American professional wrestler and actor. He was best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under his real name, or mononymously as Shad.
Gaspard signed with World Wrestli ...
*Fighting Evolution Wrestling
**FEW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shad Gaspard
*
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg.
O ...
**
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Tag Team Championship formerly known as 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. There have been 177 reigns shared b ...
(
2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
– with Shad Gaspard
* ''
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 ...
''
** Ranked No. 84 of the top 500 singles 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 2010
*Superstars of Wrestling Federation
** SWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shad Gaspard
*VIP Wrestling
**VIP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shad Gaspard
**VIP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
[
*Waco Association of Wrestling
** WAW Lonestar Championship (1 time, current)]
*World Wrestling Alliance
** WWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Shad Gaspard
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:JTG
1984 births
Living people
American male professional wrestlers
African-American male professional wrestlers
People from Flatbush, Brooklyn
Professional wrestlers from New York (state)
Sportspeople from Manhattan
Sportspeople from Louisville, Kentucky
John Dewey High School alumni
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people
21st-century professional wrestlers
Professional wrestlers from New York City