Jerome Fleisch (born 2 April 1980) is an English retired

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 ...

Jody Fleisch. He is best known for his work with the Frontier Wrestling Alliance,

One Pro Wrestling One Pro Wrestling (abbreviated as 1PW) was a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley. Originally run by the now defunct retail chain 1 Up Games, the company's headq ...

and Real Quality Wrestling. He worked for

independent promotions In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

all over the world, having appeared for the likes of

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. As of 2024, it is on an extended hiatus. It was created by pro wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super ...

, Progress Wrestling, Insane Championship Wrestling, WhatCulture Pro Wrestling,

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; the promotion was subs ...

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...

, Preston City Wrestling,

Westside Xtreme Wrestling Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its event ...

, Absolute Intense Wrestling, All Star Wrestling, Chikara,

British Championship Wrestling British Championship Wrestling (BCW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in East Kilbride, Scotland, UK. It is currently owned and operated by promoter Graham McKay (who also performs under the name Charles Boddington) af ...

Revolution Pro Wrestling Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro/RPW) is a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on 26 August 2012 by Andy Quildan after separating from International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom. Revolution Pro Wre ...

Over the Top Wrestling Over the Top Wrestling (OTT) is an Irish professional wrestling promotion founded by Joe Carberry in 2014. It is headquartered in Dublin and opened a UK base in Wolverhampton in 2022, in addition to hosting events throughout Ireland, the UK, Ital ...

and many others.

Professional wrestling career

Fleisch studied

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

, Ninjitsu and

jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

for three years prior to his wrestling career. Aged 16, he made his wrestling debut for NWA UK Hammerlock, later forming a tag team with

Jonny Storm Jonathan Whitcombe (born 19 April 1977) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jonny Storm. He has worked for many independent promotions across the United Kingdom, including the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, Real ...

. Fleisch continued wrestling in the UK for many years, as well as in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, amongst other countries. Fleisch made his first appearance for Michinoku Pro in

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 ...

where he wrestled in the Fukumen World League 1999 as "Dakko Chan". In the finals, Dakko Chan lost his

mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment, and often employed for rituals and rites. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, ...

in a mask vs. mask match against the "White Bear" (Jason Cross). In summer 2001, he sustained a serious elbow injury, suffered after an unsuccessful shooting star press. In February 2002, he made his return by winning Frontier Wrestling Alliance's King of England tournament, beating Doug Williams in the finals, before being presented with a medal by "Dynamite Kid" Tom Billington for his achievement. In June 2002 Fleisch started taking bookings in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

from companies like the Premier Wrestling Federation,

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 ...

and

. During this time, Fleisch was involved in tournament matches for top honours in both ROH's ''Road To The Title'' and CZW's Best of the Best. Fleisch came close to winning these tournaments but ultimately failed. While back in England, Fleisch defeated Flash Barker to win the FWA Heavyweight title for the first time, only to be stripped of it on 3 August. On 13 October at ''FWA British Uprising'' Jody Fleisch beat Flash Barker again in a

Ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...

to recapture the FWA Heavyweight title, during which Fleisch hit a jumping moonsault from a 12 feet high balcony onto Flash. At ''FWA London Calling'' on 25 October,

Christopher Daniels Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...

beat Fleisch and Doug Williams to capture the FWA Heavyweight title, and in the process became the first non-British wrestler to do so. At ''ROH Final Battle'', he defeated The Amazing Red and became part of the Special K

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 ...

, becoming a

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 leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

for the first time in his career. Throughout 2003, Fleisch wrestled mainly for both ROH and FWA, and in a cross promotional show between the two. During this time he faced stars such as

Juventud Guerrera Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974), better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera, is a Mexican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler performing on the independent circuit. Guerrera is best known for ...

Low Ki Brandon Silvestry (born September 6, 1979) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Low Ki. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Major ...

, The Backseat Boyz, and James Tighe. In September of the same year, Fleisch was forced to retire due to injuries and personal issues, at the age of 23. Fleisch made his return after a year's absence to sign the Jonny Storm Reinstatement petition, to aid his friend's return to the FWA promotion. After the main event ( James Tighe versus

AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (or A.J. Styles), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, ...

), Fleisch was attacked by Tighe and Mark Belton. Fleisch would come out of retirement, entering a FWA ring to announce his full-time return to the promotion. Since that time Jody Fleisch has appeared as one of England's top stars performing in promotions all across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

for promotions like Irish Whip Wrestling, International Catch Wrestling Alliance, and IPW:UK, whilst also appearing at the Universal Uproar supershow. Fleisch went on to be a part of the 1 Pro Wrestling roster and become one half its tag team champions with long-time rival and friend Jonny Storm. He also made appearances during the first English tour of ROH in August 2006 and participated in the first King of Europe tournament in April 2007. In 2009 Fleisch faced

Último Dragón , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler signed to Dragon Gate (wrestling), Dragon Gate, where he acts as an in-ring talent, trainer and senior advisor. In addition to having trained in Japan, ...

several times as part of the Nu-Wrestling Evolution promotion. Between 2015 and 2019, Fleisch would work for Glasgow's Insane Championship Wrestling, debuting in a tag team victory with Storm over The Sumerian Death Squad (

Tommy End Tom Büdgen (born 19 May 1985) is a Dutch professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Aleister Black. Before signing with WWE, Büdgen was ...

and Michael Dante) in London. Fleisch made a number of appearances for ''ICW Fight Club'' and appeared on several ICW PPVs where he traded wins and losses with

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 ...

James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He currently competes on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He sta ...

, Andy Wild,

Mark Coffey Mark Anthony Coffey (born 13 February 1990) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand as a member of Gallus (professional wrestling), Gall ...

, Bram, Leyton Buzzard, Ricky Knight Jr., Mikey Whiplash, The Kinky Party ( Jack Jester & Sha Samuels) and others. Though unsuccessful in his efforts, Fleisch was regularly in title contention for ICW as he twice challenged BT Gunn for the ICW Zero-G Championship and fought Lionheart for the ICW World Heavyweight Championship. He also participated in the 2017 ''Square Go!'' rumble match (won by Stevie Boy, who earned the title shot) and faced Joe Hendry, Ravie Davie, DCT, Kid Fite and Aaron Echo in a Seven Man

for ICW World Heavyweight & Zero-G title contendership at ''ICW Fear & Loathing X'' at the SSE Hydro which was won by Bram. Fleisch's final ICW appearance to date was an ICW Tag Team Championship match at ''ICW Shug's Hoose Party 6'' where he teamed with Storm in a three way

Tables, ladders, and chairs match A tables, ladders, and chairs match, often abbreviated as TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match that originated within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The TLC match is a variation of a ladder match, which is modified to c ...

against The Kings Of Catch (Aspen Faith and Lewis Girvan) and The Nine9 (Dickie Divers and Jack Morris) in which Faith & Girvan retained. In 2018, Fleisch competed in Pro Wrestling Guerilla's Battle of Los Angeles, losing to CIMA in the first round.

Championships and accomplishments

* World Association Of Wrestling :*WAW Open Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Athletik Club Wrestling :*ACW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with

:*CZW Match of the Year (2002) vs. Jonny Storm *Dynamic Over-The-Top Action Wrestling :*DOA UK Adrenaline Championship (1 time) :*Adrenaline Cup (2018) * Frontier Wrestling Alliance :* FWA British Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) :*FWA European Union Championship (1 time) :*FWA King of England (2002) :*FWA Round Robin Tournament (2005) *

:* 1PW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

*''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' **Ranked No. 419 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

in 2018 *Scottish School Of Wrestling :*SSW Hardcore Championship (1 time) *The Wrestling Alliance :* British Welterweight Championship (1 time) *

:*wXw World Lightweight Championship (1 time) *World of Stars Wrestling :*WSW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with

*Other titles :*SCW Florida Championship (1 time)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleisch, Jody 1980 births English male professional wrestlers Living people People from Walthamstow Professional wrestlers from London Sportspeople from the London Borough of Waltham Forest 21st-century English sportsmen