Joseph Carl Bailey Jr. (August 23, 1983 – August 30, 2010) was 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 ...

, 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 projectin ...

J. C. Bailey. He wrestled for numerous American-based

professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...

s including

Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent wrestling promotion. In 1998, John Zandig and five of his students, Ric Blade, T.C.K, Lobo (wrestler), Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain, along with trainer Jon Dahmer, began to run professio ...

IWA Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in ...

, and IWA East Coast.

Professional wrestling career

Bailey made his

professional wrestling 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 ...

debut in 2001. On March 29, 2003, Bailey defeated Nate Webb to win the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship. He lost the championship to Michael Todd Stratton on May 24, but regained it a week later on May 31. In June 2003, Bailey,

Ian Rotten John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the United States Wrestlin ...

, and

Corporal Robinson Stephen Robinson, known by the ring name Corporal Robinson, is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Robinson has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Juggalo Championship Wrestling, Combat Z ...

"invaded"

(CZW) on behalf of

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in ...

(IWA Mid-South). The following month, he competed in the second annual

CZW Tournament of Death The Tournament of Death is an annual professional wrestling tournament organized by Combat Zone Wrestling since 2002, during which a number of wrestlers compete in various deathmatches in what are mostly single-elimination tournaments similar to Wo ...

where he lost to Nick Mondo in a

deathmatch Deathmatch, also known as free-for-all, is a gameplay mode integrated into many shooter games, including first-person shooter (FPS), and real-time strategy (RTS) video games, where the goal is to kill (or "frag") the other players' characters a ...

involving

light tube Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...

s. On August 9, at ''Aftermath'', Bailey lost the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship to

Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonj ...

. He also competed in the fifth annual

IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch The Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South King of the Deathmatch is an annual professional wrestling tournament running since 1997 in which a number of wrestlers compete in various deathmatches, in (for the most part) a single-elimination tour ...

tournament in August, where he defeated 2 Tuff Tony,

Necro Butcher Dylan Keith Summers (born July 13, 1973), better known by the ring name Necro Butcher, is an American professional wrestler. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA Mid-South, ...

, and Ian Rotten, before losing to

Mad Man Pondo Kevin Canady (born June 24, 1969) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Mad Man Pondo. Best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Canady has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Independent Wrestling ...

in the final. On November 21, Bailey won a

three-way 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 ...

against Dutt and Nate Webb to win the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship for the third time. He held the championship for two months before losing it to

Matt Sydal Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Prior to signing with AEW, Sydal wrestled in WWE as Evan Bourne, and was ...

on January 17, 2004. In June 2004, Bailey competed in the sixth King of the Deathmatch where he lost to Mad Man Pondo and Toby Klein, and the following month he participated in the

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hi ...

Tournament of Death where he lost to Wifebeater after defeating

Chri$ Ca$h Christopher John Bauman Jr. (July 13, 1982 – August 18, 2005) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chri$ Ca$h. Bauman wrestled in many Independent circuit, independent Professional wrestli ...

. On December 11, 2004, he teamed up with Chri$ Ca$h, Nate Webb and SeXXXy Eddy to win the

CZW World Tag Team Championship The CZW World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned and copyrighted by the Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) promotion; it is contested for in their tag team division. It was created and debuted on Februa ...

. Team Ca$h held the championship until February 5, 2005, when Ca$h and Webb lost to H8 Club (

Justice Pain Christopher Wilson (May 16, 1978 – January 24, 2020) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Justice Pain. Pain was best known for his time in Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as Xtreme Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrest ...

and

Nick Gage Nicholas William Wilson (born September 22, 1980), better known by his ring name Nick Gage, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where he is the current GCW World Champion in his record-setting th ...

). The same night, Bailey became the first-ever CZW Ultraviolent Underground Champion. He lost the championship to Zandig in July 2005. The following month, on August 13, Bailey defeated Necro Butcher in a No Ropes Barbed Wire Death Match to win the Ultraviolent Underground Championship for the second time. He held the championship for over five months, before losing it to Nick Gage on January 14, 2006. Between 2005 and 2007, Bailey competed in several more

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

tournaments, including the fourth and fifth Tournaments of Death, seventh and eighth King of the Deathmatch tournaments, and Tournament of Death: Fast Forward. On August 20, 2006, he went to Japan and competed in the professional wrestling tournament WRESTLE EXPO 2006 where he lost to 2 Tuff Tony after defeating Mad Man Pondo. On September 16, 2006, he competed in the first Masters of Pain tournament where he lost to the "Crazy Monkey"

Jun Kasai (born September 9, 1974) is a Japanese professional wrestler, primarily competing for Pro Wrestling Freedoms. Dubbed the for his violent and often self-harmful style of hardcore wrestling, Kasai is considered a breakthrough talent in Japanese ...

after defeating 2 Tuff Tony and Corporal Robinson. In December 2009, Bailey returned to CZW at ''Cage of Death 11'', attacking Thumbtack Jack who had just won a no-ropes barbwire match against

. Bailey was accompanied in this attack by 'Halfbreed' Billy Gram who in turn revealed that Bailey was the new member of The Cult Fiction stable led by Gram. Bailey and Gram were soon joined by , the returning

Brain Damage Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...

and

Masada Masada ( he, מְצָדָה ', "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the ...

in The Cult Fiction, and began a

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 pa ...

against fan favorites

Danny Havoc Grant Amos Berkland (May 19, 1986 – May 31, 2020), better known by his ring name Danny Havoc, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his work in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), and was noted for mixing his technical style ...

Drake Younger Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

, Scotty Vortekz and

Eddie Kingston Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by his ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Kingston started his wrestling career in 2002, and has wrestled for numerous ...

who were dubbed The Suicide Kings. On May 15, 2010, Bailey competed in Ohio Hatchet Wrestling's "Death In The Valley" Deathmatch Tournament; where he defeated Drake Younger in the finals in a 40 Panes of Glass Scaffold Match to become the OHW Death In The Valley Champion. On June 5, Bailey won the

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch tournament. He defeated Ian Rotten, Nick Gage, and

Balls Mahoney Jonathan Rechner (April 11, 1972 – April 12, 2016), better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney, was an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during the late 19 ...

en route to the final, where he defeated Devon Moore. On June 26, Bailey competed in CZW's Tournament of Death 9, where he advanced through the first two rounds, before losing in the finals to Vortekz.

Personal life

Bailey's father, Joseph Bailey, ran the Bad 2 the Bone 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 ...

in Kentucky, until his death from cancer on June 16, 2013. In September 2006, Bailey was arrested and charged with possession of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...

and

drug paraphernalia "Drug paraphernalia" is a term to denote any equipment, product or accessory that is intended or modified for making, using or concealing drugs, typically for recreational purposes. Drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetami ...

in the first degree, attempted

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murde ...

in the second degree, and

criminal mischief Mischief or malicious mischief is the name for a criminal offenses that is defined differently in different legal jurisdictions. While the wrongful acts will often involve what is popularly described as vandalism, there can be a legal differenti ...

in the third degree. He was sentenced to one year in prison and was released on

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

on August 31, 2007. Two months later, Bailey and another man were arrested while attempting to steal a 27-inch

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

television from a

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarte ...

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

. Bailey was admitted to the hospital shortly afterward due to injuries suffered during the arrest. After pictures of Bailey's mugshot showing him covered in blood were released to the public, a local activist group held a

vigil A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' (Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become genera ...

and filed a complaint to the town of Bardstown. While Bailey was only charged with a

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than ad ...

, his arrest resulted in his parole being revoked and he spent two years in prison. Bailey was released in December 2009.

Death

Bailey was found dead on August 30, 2010, having died in his sleep. Prior to his death, he had complained of headaches and numbness in his hands. The cause of death was later determined to be due to a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circu ...

, caused by complications due to multiple

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentratio ...

s and traumas to the brain. His

brain The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head ( cephalization), usually near organs for special ...

was expected to be donated for research at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original c ...

Championships and accomplishments

*Bad 2 the Bone Wrestling **BBW Hardcore Championship (2 times) **BBW Lightweight Championship (1 time) **BBW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Vic The Bruiser (1) **Rookie of the Year (2001) *Coliseum Championship Wrestling **CCW Hardcore Championship (1 time) **CCW Lightweight Championship (1 time) **CCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) **CCW XXX Championship (1 time) *

** CZW Ultraviolent Underground Championship (

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. Outsid ...

) **

( 1 time) – with Team Ca$h (

, Nate Webb, and SeXXXy Eddy) *

** IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship ( 3 times) **

(

) *Insanity Pro Wrestling **IPW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Ohio Hatchet Wrestling **OHW Death In The Valley Deathmatch Champion (2010) Team Ca$h defended the CZW World Tag Team Championship under the

Freebird Rule The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team who attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed ...

References

External links