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

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

, better known by his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname 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 ...

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. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event. Within ...

s including

Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by John Zandig. Commonly associated with the 2000s hardcore wrestling genre, early CZW shows showcased a brand of wrestling dubbed by the p ...

IWA Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) was an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 199 ...

, and IWA East Coast.

Professional wrestling career

Bailey made his

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

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 and Promoter (entertainment), promoter better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestli ...

, and

Corporal Robinson Stephen Robinson, known by the ring name Corporal Robinson, (born November 27, 1975), is an American professional wrestler best known for his hardcore wrestling style, Robinson has wrestled for various wrestling promotions, including Juggalo Cham ...

"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) was an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in J ...

(IWA Mid-South). The following month, he competed in the second annual CZW Tournament of Death where he lost to

Nick Mondo Matthew Timothy Burns (born March 28, 1980), better known by his ring name "Sick" Nick Mondo, is an American retired professional wrestler. Since his in-ring retirement in 2003, he has become a filmmaker, actor and stuntman and, at one point, wor ...

in a deathmatch involving

light tube Light tubes (also known as solar pipes, tubular skylights or sun tunnels) are structures that transmit or distribute natural or artificial light for the purpose of illumination and are examples of optical waveguides. In their application to ...

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 wrestling, professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a Glossary of professional wrestling terms#agent, producer and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#manage ...

. He also competed in the fifth annual IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch 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, Pr ...

, 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 Wrest ...

in the final. On November 21, Bailey won a

three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "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 storyline. ...

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. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his tenure with WWE from 2008 to 2014 under the ring nam ...

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'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

Tournament of Death where he lost to Wifebeater after defeating

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

. 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, world tag team Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned and copyrighted by the Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) professional wrestling promoti ...

. 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 Wrestli ...

and

Nick Gage Nicholas William Wilson (born September 22, 1980), better known by his ring name Nick Gage, is an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler wrestling for various Professional wrestling promotions, promotions on the independent cir ...

). 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 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 Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

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 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 A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

led by Gram. Bailey and Gram were soon joined by , the returning

Brain Damage 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 trauma-induced damage. A common ...

and

Masada Masada ( ', 'fortress'; ) is a mountain-top fortress complex in the Judaean Desert, overlooking the western shore of the Dead Sea in southeastern Israel. The fort, built in the first century BCE, was constructed atop a natural plateau rising ov ...

in The Cult Fiction, and began a

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

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 w ...

Drake Younger Drake Wuertz (born September 10, 1984) is an American professional wrestling referee and professional wrestler. He was a referee in WWE from 2014 to 2021. Before that, he wrestled for a number of major independent promotions under the ring name ...

, Scotty Vortekz and

Eddie Kingston Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by the ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is out of in-ring action because of a leg injury, but continues to mak ...

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 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

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 wrestling, professional wrestler best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and WWE, W ...

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 is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

and

drug paraphernalia The term drug paraphernalia refers to any equipment that is used to produce, conceal, and consume illicit drugs. It includes but is not limited to items such as bongs, roach clips, miniature spoons, and various types of pipes. Product types I ...

in the first degree, attempted

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...

in the second degree, and

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

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

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

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

Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...

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 in the United States and 23 other ...

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 13,567 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the list of counties in Kentucky, county seat of Nelson Count ...

. 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 meaning 'wakefulness' ( Greek: , or ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word has become generalized in this sense and means 'eve' (as in "on t ...

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 admi ...

, 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 cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...

, 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 headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

s and traumas to the brain. His

brain The brain is an organ (biology), 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 ...

was expected to be donated for research at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

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 the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) **

( 1 time) – with Team Ca$h (

, Nate Webb, and SeXXXy Eddy) *

** IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship ( 3 times) ** IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch (

) *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