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Adam Birch
Statistics
Ring name(s)	Joey Matthews Matthews Joey Mercury
Billed height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Billed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Born	July 18, 1979 (1979-07-18) (age 28)[1] Fairfax, Virginia [1]
Billed from	Los Angeles, California
Trained by	Jimmy Cicero[2] OVW staff
Debut	June 12, 1996

Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), is an American professional wrestler, better known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Joey Mercury.

Contents 1 Career 1.1 Maryland Championship Wrestling / OMEGA (1996-2000) 1.2 Extreme Championship Wrestling / World Championship Wrestling (2000-2001) 1.3 Independent circuit (2001-2004) 1.4 World Wrestling Entertainment (2004-2007) 1.5 Return to Maryland Championship Wrestling (2007-Current) 2 In wrestling 3 Championships and accomplishments 4 References

Birch began his career, under the name Joey Matthews, in Maryland Championship Wrestling, where he held a variety of titles. He was also a member of the North Carolina based Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) run by Matt and Jeff Hardy.^[3]

His first national exposure came after he left OMEGA and formed a tag team named "The Badstreet Boys", with fellow OMEGA alum Christian York. Together the Badstreet Boys wrestled in multiple smaller promotions, and had nine independent tag team championship reigns. In late 2000 they joined Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where they stayed until it's closure in January of 2001, and were on the company's final pay-per-view Guilty as Charged. York and Matthews had a brief stint in World Championship Wrestling before that company's demise in March of 2001.

At the tail end of their ECW careers, they simply changed their tag team name to York and Matthews and floated around the independent circuit after ECW folded, most notably competing in Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Phoenix Championship Wrestling. York's 2004 retirement from the wrestling business dissolved the team and left Matthews to wrestle in singles matches in promotions like Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Birch wrestled in dark matches^[4][5] before being assigned to a developmental deal by World Wrestling Entertainment in 2004 and moved to Louisville, Kentucky to the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) "farm territory". There he formed a tag team with Johnny Nitro, which along with manager Melina Perez, was called MNM.

MNM wrestled in OVW for around a year, winning the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship once, before being called up to the main SmackDown! roster, where Matthews was renamed Mercury.^[6] While on SmackDown! they feuded with teams of Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero,^[7] Hardcore Holly and Charlie Haas,^[8] Legion of Doom, Rey Mysterio and Batista,^[9] and Paul London and Brian Kendrick.^[10] Together they captured the WWE Tag Team Championship on three occasions, all in their rookie year on the brand.^[11][12]

On May 21, 2006 at Judgment Day pay-per-view, where MNM lost the tag team title to London and Kendrick, Nitro and Melina suddenly turned on Mercury, breaking up the group. Later that night they were (kayfabe) fired from the SmackDown! brand^[13] and reappeared on the following RAW. The legit reason for the team's sudden split was later revealed to be Mercury failing a WWE Wellness Policy drug test and being forced to serve a 30 day suspension.

Mercury actually stayed off WWE television for six months. In that time he went through a drug rehabilitation in College Park Georgia at a facility that has an exclusive contract with the WWE. Afterwards was sent back to OVW. He made a surprise return on the November 27, 2006 RAW, temporarly reforming MNM with Nitro and Melina to take up the also recently reunited Hardys (Matt and Jeff) "open challenge" for ECW December to Dismember.^[14]

The Hardys went on to win the match,^[15] but the feud continued across all three brands,^[16][17][18] and in a fatal-four way ladder match at December's Armageddon -- also involving London and Kendrick, and Dave Taylor and William Regal -- Mercury suffered a (legit) medical injury when he was struck in the face with a ladder, breaking his nose. He immediately left the match and was rushed to an emergency room where he received 5 stitches to the inside of his nose and 15 to the outside.^[19][20]

After missing a few weeks, Mercury returned wearing a protective face mask and his injury was worked into the angle, with both he and Nitro attempting to injure the Hardys in various ways for revenge. On his return he continued to wrestle, both as a singles competitor on SmackDown!^[21] and with Nitro on RAW^[22] until he was released on March 26.^[23]

After being released from WWE Birch rejoined Maryland Championship Wrestling and New York Wrestling Connection once again using the name Joey Matthews.

While working in Maryland Championship Wrestling, "Creative Control" cut his hair after he suffered an injury. Security personel such as Sexy Steve, Stephon, and CJ Neuman carried Joey Matthews to the backstage area after a blow to the head with the Maryland Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Title. On the July 8, 2007 at the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup 2007, he defeated Adam Flash to become the Maryland Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. Joey Matthews lost to Vito on July 13th, on the World Wrestling Council Aniversario 34 event in Puerto Rico. He and Christian York are going to reunited for the first time since 2002 on December 26 against "Creative Control".

• Finishing and signature moves
  • Hangman's neckbreaker
  • Double underhook DDT
  • Top rope headscissors takedown
  • Northern Lights suplex
  • Dropkick
  • Reverse DDT

• With Johnny Nitro
  • Snapshot (Flapjack DDT)
  • Simultaneous leg-drops to the throat and leg
  • Double baseball-slide dropkick

• With Christian York
  • Full Effect (Double facebreaker)
  • Future Shock (Double powerbomb)
  • Double Rebel Yell / Double Rebel Yelp (Frankensteiner by Matthews followed by a diving elbow drop by York)
  • Double enzuiguri

• Managers
  • Candie
  • Joel Gertner
  • Jillian Hall
  • Alexis Laree
  • Luxurious Lynne
  • Melina
  • Dave Prazak

• Atlantic Terror Championship Wrestling
  • ATCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York

• American Wrestling Council
  • AWC Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Delaware Championship Wrestling
  • DCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York

• Five Star Wrestling
  • Five Star Light Heavyweight Champion (1 time)

• Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
  • IPWA Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • IPWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Mark Shrader

• Maryland Championship Wrestling
  • MCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)
  • MCW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
  • MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time)
  • MCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Christian York
  • Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup winner (2001)

• Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
  • MEWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York

• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York

• New York Wrestling Connection
  • NYWC Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts
  • OMEGA Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Johnny Nitro

• Phoenix Championship Wrestling
  • PCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York

• Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling
  • 3PW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Southern Championship Wrestling
  • SCW Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times)

• Steel City Wrestling
  • SCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York

• Ultimate Championship Wrestling
  • UCW Heavyweight Championship

• Virginia(now Vanguard) Championship Wrestling
  • VCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Christian York

• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Johnny Nitro

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Tag Team of the Year award with Johnny Nitro (2005)