Jason Spence (born April 13, 1977) 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 o ...

, 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 project ...

, Christian York. He is best known for his appearances with

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...

Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

and

Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promo ...

Championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

held by York over the course of his career include the NWA World Tag Team Championship as one-half of The Bad Street Boys with

Joey Matthews Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring names Joey Mercury and Joey Matthews, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his two tenures in WWE. Birch was most recently signed to Ring of Honor, where he worked ...

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1996–1999)

Spence trained under Cueball Carmichael and Jimmy Cicero in the IPWA Training School and had his in ring debut at the age of 19 on December 7, 1996, in Middleport, Ohio in a 30-minute Hardcore Ironman match against

. Adopting the name "Christian York", Spence wrestled for the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA), Southern Championship Wrestling, Steel City Wrestling, and numerous other independent promotions across the country. In OMEGA, York formed a

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

known as the "Badstreet Boys", with Joey Matthews, as well as Shannon Moore and Shane Helms. The group had a

boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Ma ...

gimmick to capitalize on the bubble gum boy bands of pop culture.

National promotions (1999–2001)

Eventually, all four members of the group signed three-year contracts with

Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he ...

(WCW) after try-outs on '' WCW Monday Nitro'' in the early summer of 1999. They stayed under contract until April 2000 when budget cuts were in order and management changed hands. York and Matthews went on to wrestle for numerous

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

promotions, winning several tag team championships. In April, they went to Vince McMahon's

World Wrestling Federation 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 var ...

(WWF) for try-outs in Baltimore on '' Raw'' and Richmond the following night for '' SmackDown!''. The office was impressed with their ability but asked if they could send them to Paul Heyman's

(ECW) for more seasoning. Following that date, they were signed to contracts by ECW and aligned themselves with Tommy Dreamer, Joey Styles, and

Joel Gertner Joel Gertner (born September 20, 1975) is an American professional wrestling announcer, color commentator, and manager. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1995 to 2001. Professional wrestling career ...

. York would wrestle on the last match on ECW Hardcore TV in a losing effort to Jerry Lynn. After ECW declared

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

in April 2001, York and Matthews were offered a contract from former employer WCW, and were written into the shows for the whole month. They then signed a three-year deal with the WWF. Upon signing the deal, they had to report to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

to work for WWF's farm league,

Memphis Championship Wrestling Memphis Championship Wrestling (MCW) was a professional wrestling promotion run by Terry Golden, based in Memphis, Tennessee. The promotion's first event was on February 20, 2000, and it remained active until mid-2001. It was employed as a Worl ...

, until being called up to the main roster. During their stay, they feuded with Eddie Fatu, Matt Anoa'i, Joey Abs, Lance Cade, Spanky,

Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he worked fro ...

, and The Haas Brothers ( Russ and

Charlie Charlie may refer to: Characters * "Charlie," the head of the Townsend Agency', from the ''Charlie's Angels'' franchise * Charlie, a character on signs for the CharlieCard, a smart card issued by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority * ...

). During their stay,

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 ...

purchased WCW, upon which York and a number of development wrestlers were released.

Independent circuit (2001–present)

After only a few days being released, on July 20, York and Matthews returned to the independent circuit at International Wrestling Cartel losing to Evolution, the match also included the Backseat Boyz. On September 2, York and Matthews defeated the Holy Roller to become the Maryland Championship Wrestling's Tag Team Championship and would lose it in May 2002 to the Slackers. Throughout 2002 and 2003, York and Matthews appeared for

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...

and Xtreme Pro Wrestling and even took on Youthanazia for the XPW World Tag Team Championship. In June 2002, they were signed to contracts by the newly formed

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the prom ...

promotion, after appearing on their inaugural

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 g ...

against The Dupps. They were released later that year. Away from tag team wrestling, York also had some notable exposure as a singles wrestler. Between the month August and September 2002, York took part in 3PW Heavyweight Title Tournament where he would make it to the final before losing to Gary Wolfe. In July 2003, York took part in the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup six man match which also had the MCW Cruiserweight Championship and the MEWF Cruiserweight Championship on the line. York would line the match and would also unify the two titles to become the MEWF Maryland Unified Cruiserweight Championship. In November 2002, York tore ligaments in his left ankle that kept him on the sidelines for three months. He would also have to vacate the MEWF Maryland Unified Cruiserweight Championship. York decided to get out of the wrestling business for a while to take care of life outside of wrestling after marrying his high-school sweetheart. In February 2003, York made his debut in Delaware Championship Wrestling out of Delaware. York would team with Joey Matthews winning the DCW Tag-Team Championships. Delaware Championship Wrestling would change its name to Dynamite Championship Wrestling in 2004. The team would split up when Matthews went to WWE in 2005. On July 22, 2006, however, York returned to the business to wrestle for Maryland Championship Wrestling. On December 18, 2006, York faced "Bone Crusher" Fred Sampson in a tryout dark match for WWE. York also wrestled The Miz on ''SmackDown'' and Chuck Palumbo and Carlito on ''

WWE Heat ''WWE Heat'' (formerly known as ''Sunday Night Heat'' and also known as ''Heat'') is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and aired from August 2, 1998 to May 30, 2008. Ori ...

''. He was then asked to report to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

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. ...

(OVW), to form a team with Johnny Jeter. York reported to OVW in September 2007, although still not under contract with WWE. In May 2007, York made a televised appearance with

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 var ...

, losing to The Miz on the May 19, 2007 episode of '' SmackDown''. On September 29, 2007, in Berwyn, Illinois, York reunited with Joey Mercury, in a losing effort against the AAW Tag Team Champions,

The Motor City Machine Guns The Motor City Machine Guns is an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. They are currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where they are three-time and current Impact World Tag Team Champions. The tea ...

(

Chris Sabin Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by his ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, and is also known for his work in Ring of Honor. After being trained by Scot ...

and

Alex Shelley Patrick Kenneth Martin (born May 23, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and physical therapy clinician, better known by the ring name, Alex Shelley, makes appearances with Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestl ...

). On the December 26, 2007 edition of Maryland Championship Wrestling's ''Season's Beatings'' event, York won a number one contendership tag team match with his former tag team partner and then MCW Heavyweight Champion, Joey Matthews after they defeated Tom Brandi and Adam Flash of the Creative Control stable. York later defeated Matthews to win his first MCW Heavyweight Championship. On November 5, 2010, York defeated Robert Roma to become the new SCWA Mindshock Television champion. On February 22, 2013, York won the MCW Heavyweight Championship for the second time. He lost the title to Drolix on May 3, 2014. On January 4, 2015, York appeared on the premiere episode of First State Championship Wrestling. He faced fellow ECW alumnus Justin Credible in an Extreme Rules match, which he won.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2012–2013)

On November 1, 2012, York appeared on

's (TNA) ''

'' program, losing to

Zema Ion Michael Paris (born October 5, 1986) is a American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Smackdown brand, under the ring name Joaquin Wilde. He is a member of Legado Del Fantasma. Paris began his career in 200 ...

in a TNA Gut Check match. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', the Gut Check judges voted unanimously to sign York to a contract. York returned on the November 22 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', losing to TNA World Heavyweight Champion

Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...

in a non-title match. After defeating Kid Kash and Kenny King in a tournament to determine the number one contender to the

TNA X Division Championship The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey ...

, York unsuccessfully challenged champion

Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

in a title match at

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

on January 13, 2013. The day before Genesis, York took part in X-Travaganza, where he won a seven-man

Xscape match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

which aired on April 5, 2013. That same day, York also took part in Joker's Wild which aired on May 3, 2013, competing in a tournament for a $100,000 cash prize; he teamed up with

James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling. He started his career in 1997 and after working on several independent prom ...

to defeat

Crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, '' Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red co ...

and Gunner in a tag team match to advanced to the main event Gauntlet Battle Royal, but was eliminated by

Rob Terry Robert Terry (born 30 April 1980) is a Welsh bodybuilder and a former professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring names Rob Terry and The Freak. He is also known for his work in TNA ...

. York returned on March 10 at

Lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

, unsuccessfully challenging Kenny King for the X Division Championship in a three-way match, which also included Zema Ion. York's last appearance for the company was on the May 16 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', losing to

Jay Bradley Bradley Thomas Jay (born November 17, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in Impact Wrestling under the ring names of Jay Bradley and Aiden O'Shea, and WWE as Ryan Braddock. Professional wrestling career Earl ...

in the first qualifying round for the Bound for Glory Series Tournament. On July 3, York was released from his TNA contract.

Championships and accomplishments

*American Pro Wrestling Alliance **APWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Bobby Shields,

Chase Stevens Chase Bradley Stevens (born January 17, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name of "The Natural" Chase Stevens. He is known primarily for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a member ...

, Jock Samson and The Stro (1) and Viper (1) *Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling **ATCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

*Dynamite Championship Wrestling **DCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Joey Matthews *

East Coast Wrestling Association East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to ...

** ECWA Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Mark Schrader *Far North Wrestling **FNW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *First State Championship Wrestling **1CW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance **

IPWA Light Heavyweight Championship The IPWA Light Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling light heavyweight championship in Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance (IPWA). The inaugural champion was Mark "The Shark" Shrader, who defeated Quinn Nash (substituting ...

(

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 ...

) *KYDA Pro Wrestling **KYDA Pro Heavyweight Championship (2 times) * Maryland Championship Wrestling **

MCW Heavyweight Championship The MCW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned by the MCW Pro Wrestling (MCW) promotion. The title was created and debuted on October 11, 1998, at a MCW live event. In 2003, MCW ceased operations; at it ...

(

) **

MCW Cruiserweight Championship The MCW Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling cruiserweight championship owned by the Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) promotion. The title was created and debuted on November 8, 1998 at a MCW live event A house show o ...

(

) ** MCW Tag Team Championship ( 3 times) – with Joey Matthews (2) and Ruckus (1) **

Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup MCW Pro Wrestling (formerly known as Maryland Championship Wrestling) is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Joppa, Maryland. It has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s. History Maryland Champions ...

(1999, 2003, 2010) * Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation ** MEWF Cruiserweight Championship ( 1 time) ** MEWF Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Joey Matthews *

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA began as a governing body for a ...

** NWA World Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Joey Matthews * Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts ** OMEGA Light Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) *Operation Save Foundation **OSF Adrenaline Championship (1 time) *''

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 Publi ...

'' **PWI ranked him # 128 of the Top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2001. *Real Championship Wrestling **RCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **CZW South Championship (1 time) * Southern Championship Wrestling ** SCW Junior Heavyweight Championship (

) *Squared Circle Wrestling Alliance **SCWA Mindshock Television Championship (1 time, current) * Steel City Wrestling ** SCW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ** SCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Joey Matthews *

** TNA Gut Check winner ** TNA X Division Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2013) *Universal Wrestling Council **UWC Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Vanguard Championship Wrestling **VCW Tag Team Championship (2 time) – with Joey Matthews (1) and John Kermon (1) * Virginia Championship Wrestling **VCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Joey Matthews York defended the championship with either Stevens, The Stro, Shields, or Samson under the Freebird Rule.

References

External links

*
TNA profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:York, Christian 1977 births American male professional wrestlers Living people People from Culpeper, Virginia Sportspeople from Fairfax, Virginia Professional wrestlers from Virginia TNA Gut Check contestants