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Joey Mercury

Joey Mercury

Height: 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight: 214 lb (97 kg)
Real name: Adam Birch
Hometown: Fairfax, VA (billed as Los Angeles, California)
Pro debut: June 12, 1996
Finishing move: The Snapshot (w/Johnny Nitro), Virginia Necktie (Neckbreaker)
Other aliases: Joey Matthews
Career highlights: ATCW Tag Team Champion (w/Christian York), AWC Light Heavyweight Champion, DCW Tag Team Champion (w/Christian York), Five Star Light Heavyweight Champion, IPWA Light Heavyweight Champion (2), IPWA Tag Team Champion (w/Mark Shrader), MCW Cruiserweight Champion, MCW Rage TV Champion, MCW Tag Team Champion (2) (w/Christian York), MEWF Tag Team Champion (w/Christian York), NWA Light Heavyweight Champion, NWA World Tag Team Champion (w/Christian York), NYWC Heavyweight Champion, OMEGA Light Heavyweight Champion (2), OVW Southern Tag Team Champion (w/Johnny Nitro), PCW Tag Team Champion (w/Christian York), 3PW Heavyweight Champion, SCW Junior Heavyweight Champion (3), SCW Tag Team Champion (w/Christian York), UCW Heavyweight Champion, VCW Tag Team Champion (w/Christian York), WWE Tag Team Champion (3) (w/Johnny Nitro)
Trained by: Jimmy Cicero

WWE profile:

Judgment Day turned out to be a day that Joey Mercury would like to forget ever happened. That night, MNM lost to Brian Kendrick & Paul London for the sixth straight match, this time losing the WWE Tag Team Championship as a result. However, things would only get worse for Mercury after the match.

He was blamed for the double-team miscue that led to the loss, and Melina slapped him for it. An enraged Mercury grabbed her wrist, which caused Nitro to snap. Nitro pounced on Mercury and he and Melina double-teamed their former partner until officials pulled them apart. Later on in the evening, Melina and Nitro were fired by Theodore Long after the Diva slapped the General Manager. With MNM broken up and Nitro & Melina now on RAW, only time will tell what the future holds for Joey Mercury.

Before their falling out, MNM was one of the greatest tag teams in SmackDown history. Following their debut in April 2005, sultry Diva Melina and her team of Joey Mercury & Johnny Nitro blazed a trail through SmackDown,en route to multiple WWE Tag Team Championship reigns. While Melina got hearts pounding with her unique ring entrance, Nitro & Mercury backed up their red-carpet bravado in the ring.

In April 2005, MNM made an immediate impact in their SmackDown debut. Claiming to be the hot new team on the scene because of their good looks and the celebrity circles they run in, MNM walked to the ring on a red carpet with paparazzi photographers snapping pictures. Interrupting the very first Carlito’s Cabana, MNM attacked Rey Mysterio. One week later in their first SmackDown Match, Mercury & Nitro defeated Mysterio & Eddie Guerrero to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

After winning the gold, MNM had a short rivalry with Hardcore Holly & Charlie Haas. They turned back Haas & Holly’s challenge every time, defeating them at Judgment Day as well as in a 15-minute Iron Man Match on the June 2 edition of SmackDown. After putting that challenge to rest, MNM found themselves at odds with someone who just wanted to be everyone’s friend: Heidenreich.

The war started when MNM attacked Heidenreich while he danced in the ring with the rest of the SmackDown Divas. As the rivalry raged on, Melina finally got physical as well. In June, Melina & Michelle McCool fought at ringside during a match between Mercury & Heidenreich on SmackDown; the next week, Melina made her in-ring debut, defeating McCool with her feet on the ropes; after the match, Mercury & Nitro gave McCool their Snapshot finisher. Less than a month later, Melina defeated Torrie Wilson at the Great American Bash in a Bra & Panties Match, furthering her claim of being the dominant Diva on SmackDown.

Meanwhile, the Bash was a less successful night for Mercury & Nitro, as Heidenreich and new partner Road Warrior Animal defeated them to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. As a result, Melina brought in Jillian Hall as a “fixer” to fix MNM’s image; she paid immediate dividends, helping Melina defeat Torrie once again and helping MNM win a match against Chris Benoit & Booker T. Still, the war with L.O.D. raged on, and MNM was unable to recapture the gold.

In September, Christy Hemme began to accompany L.O.D. to the ring. Melina was able to defeat Christy on SmackDown in September, but at No Mercy, Christy & L.O.D. defeated MNM in a Six-Person Tag Team Match. Finally, after nearly three months of challenging, MNM won a Fatal Four Way Match over L.O.D., The Mexicools and William Regal & Paul Burchill to regain the WWE Tag Team Championship.

MNM then tried unsuccessfully to help Melina win the Women’s Championship, kidnapping Trish Stratus on the RAW before Survivor Series; it didn’t work however, as Trish defeated Melina at Survivor Series to retain the gold.

At the same time, MNM began a rivalry of their own with Batista & Rey Mysterio. On the Dec. 16 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Melina tried to seduce Batista to get him to call off a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Batista took the bait, but then thanked Melina for the warm-up when it was over. That night, Batista & Mysterio defeated MNM to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

Two weeks later, Melina accused Batista of sexual harassment, and announced that she would be suing him. That night, Mark Henry made his return; he attacked Batista during a rematch for the WWE Tag Team Championship, handing MNM their third reign as champions. Henry would later attack Batista again during a Steel Cage Rematch before putting the Animal out of action with an injury.

With Batista out of the way, Melina sold Henry’s contract to Daivari, and MNM was able to concentrate on the WWE Tag Team Championship again. After helping Henry with a brief run-in with Kurt Angle, the champions began issuing an open challenge, offering any team a chance to beat them in a non-title match to earn a chance at their gold. Matt Hardy answered, and at No Way Out 2006, he & Tatanka defeated MNM; however, when the gold was on the line the next Friday night on SmackDown, MNM was able to come out on top. MNM later defeated Hardy & old foe Road Warrior Animal in another open challenge before Paul London & Brian Kendrick stepped up to the plate to begin the rivalry that would ultimately lead to MNM's demise.