Joey Mercury is gone from Ring of Honor and there are those in the company not happy about that fact. WOH World Champion Kelly Klein has issued a statement on Twitter in regard to Mercury’s departure as has her husband and former ROH employee (now with AEW) B.J Whitmer.

A Twitter account believed to be recently created by Joey Mercury is also posting messages online regarding the matter.

• Joey Mercury Reportedly Done With Ring Of Honor

Klein is speaking up despite being afraid it could lead to repercussions for her.

BJ Whitmer spent years working behind the scenes and in front of the camera for Ring of Honor. He signed on with AEW earlier this year, however. Whitmer posted the below Tweet to his followers on social media:

Joey Mercury’s Side of the Story – New Twitter Account?

A Twitter account believed to be associated with Joey Mercury is up online and has been mentioned in posts by Kelly Klein and others. It hasn’t been confirmed that this is actually Mercury, however, so please take that into consideration when reading the below:

The Twitter account also mentioned an incident at a show which sounds similar to the time Bully Ray confronted a fan backstage.

Joey Mercury is reportedly done with Ring of Honor (ROH) according to PWInsider. He has been working backstage for the promotion in a creative and producer role since May 2018. He also oversaw ROH’s training dojo.

Mercury has allegedly been removed from both roles following the company’s recent tour in the United Kingdom, Honor United. His departure is described as being a “mutually agreed upon decision” by both parties.

He is still technically contracted to ROH due to the non-compete clause coming into effect. At the time of writing, there is no further information as to when this non-compete clause expires or whether Mercury has aspirations to return to in-ring action or continue his creative/backstage work.

Prior to his time with ROH, Mercury had been a part of WWE both as a Superstar and backstage producer. He was released in 2017, working as a trainer on the independent scene until his hiring by ROH in 2018.

As a WWE Superstar, he was a part of CM Punk’s Straight Edge Society stable. During Seth Rollins’ heel run, Mercury was one half of J&J security alongside Jamie Noble, aligning with The Authority. He is also a three-time WWE Tag Team Champion, having won the belts with his partner, Johnny Nitro.

Joey Mercury was able to prove he was not responsible for a series of fraudulent credit card purchases recently. Mercury was arrested over All In Weekend in Chicago when it was discovered he had an outstanding warrant from Florida. His passport records and proof of him participating at wrestling events during the time in which the crimes happened led to charges against him being dismissed yesterday, however.

Just because the charges were dismissed and Mercury was proven innocent doesn’t mean he hasn’t suffered as a result, however. The arrest led to Mercury not being able to work as an agent for All In. Reports of his arrest, even though he was innocent, could also have potentially prevented other promoters from booking Joey.

Mercury’s lawyer’s released the following statement in regard’s to his case:

https://twitter.com/joeyfromROH/status/1067535321729048576

Seth Rollins Responds

WWE Intercontinental Champion, Seth Rollins, commented on the situation involving the former J&J Security Team member.

Innocence should never be taken for granted. Joey’s story is just one of many, but hopefully his case can help bring attention to those who’ve been wronged as well. #justiceforjoey https://t.co/0ZUmZiVnmW

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) November 27, 2018

“Innocence should never be taken for granted. Joey’s story is just one of many, but hopefully his case can help bring attention to those who’ve been wronged as well. #justiceforjoey”

Unfortunately for Joey and others, the public can often view celebrities as “guilty until proven innocent” when reports of their arrest surface. In the case of Mercury, he was able to prove his innocence but doing so isn’t always that easy, even for the truly innocent.

Former WWE tag-team champion and current ROH producer, Joey Mercury, was arrested over All In weekend. He had been found sleeping in his car as finding a hotel room was a little difficult. When the police looked him up they found he had an outstanding arrest warrant in the state of Florida.

They arrested him but released him the next morning (likely just allowing him a place to sleep that night) as the warrant for his arrest in Florida was not on a charge serious enough to warrant extradition.

Joey Mercury Charged With Credit Card Fraud Under $300

Mercury is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Orange County, Florida. He is pleading not guilty to everything he is charged with and claims he’ll be able to prove he was out of the country at the time they took place. Mercury is accused of charges relating to fraudulent credit card use above $100 but below $300. Nothing too serious but he is being charged in criminal court. The official charges can be read here. 

Should Mercury be able to prove he was out of the country during this time (as passports and wrestling performances are able to prove) then he likely will be found not guilty. That is just speculation, however.

Mercury appeared on Lucha Underground recently. He was a guest at Taya and Johnny Mundo’s wedding and later a sacrifice to Matanza Cueto.

Joey Mercury was arrested over All In weekend. As a result, he was forced to miss the event. Mercury had been scheduled to work as a producer and backstage agent.

In an update to this story, Mercury has been released and will not face any further charges.

Real name Adam Birch, he was discovered by police sleeping in his car last weekend. Police ran his information and discovered he had an outstanding warrant in Florida. The only available information regarding his outstanding warrant is that it was for a non-violent offense and it wasn’t serious enough to warrant extradition back to Florida.

Joey Mercury/Wrestling in 2018

Birch recently made his Lucha Underground debut under the name “Joey Wrestling”. The longtime tag-team partner of John Hennigan was introduced into the LU world as a guest at the wedding of Johnny Mundo and Taya.

Joey Wrestling also appeared in the most recent episode when he faced Matanza Cueto in single’s action. Matanza had interrupted Mundo and Taya’s wedding the week prior and Joey wanted revenge.

The 39-year-old is also a regular for Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion. Mercury aligned with Shane Douglas and Nick Aldis in the promotion earlier this year. The trio is something of a remake of Douglas’ old Triple Threat faction.

https://twitter.com/joeyfromROH/status/927540917195722754

This past Saturday in Illinois was home to the big indy event, “All In”. While a lot of indy talent attended and performed at the event, a producer for the show couldn’t make due to the fact that he got arrested.

The Schaumburg police department of Illinois has reported that Adam Carlson Birch, aka Joey Mercury, was arrested outside the Marriot Schaumburg (the location of Starrcast this past weekend).

Wrong Place At The Wrong Time

Police arrived on the scene after getting a notice that a male was sleeping in a vehicle at the Marriot. They approached Mercury and ran his information and discovered that he was wanted for an outstanding warrant in Orange County, Florida. Thus getting arrested for the warrant.

At this time there is no word on what were the chargers of Mercury’s Orange County warrant but is being held on a $2,500 bail in Cook County Correctional Facility. Mercury has a court date on 9/4/2018 and is expected to be extradited back to Florida by then.

WWE Career

Joey Mercury signed with WWE back in 2002. He would later debut as one half of the tag team known as MNM in 2005, where he would be paired with then, Jonny Nitro, and Melina.  Mercury would be released in 2007 but would return back in 2010 to work the Straight Edge Alliance angle with CM Punk. After his 2010 run, Mercury would work as a producer for the company and received praise for his innovational ideas and finishes for many matches. Unfortunately, Mercury would be released from WWE in 2017 and found work as a producer in ROH.

It looks like Ring Of Honor (ROH) has scooped up a former WWE Superstar and producer.

PWInsider reports that ROH has signed former WWE Tag Team Champion Joey Mercury to a deal. Mercury will be used as a behind-the-scenes producer and trainer for the promotion. Mercury had already been training young stars at ROH’s Baltimore Dojo since May.

Mercury’s Run With WWE

Mercury signed with WWE as an in-ring talent back in 2004. He quickly formed a faction with Johnny Nitro and Melina which they called “MNM.” The trio wrestled for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and were called up to the main roster in 2005.

Nitro and Mercury won the WWE Tag Team Titles three times during their run. He suffered a high-profile injury in December of 2006 when he was struck in the face with a ladder. He broke his nose and orbital bone. Mercury was released soon after in March of 2007.

Mercury worked the independent circuit for a year before deciding to retire. In 2010 Mercury returned to WWE and worked as an in-ring talent, trainer and backstage producer for several years before being released in January of last year.

In addition to suffering broken ribs at the hands of Brock Lesnar on RAW a couple of weeks ago, J&J Security member Jamie Noble was roughed up yet again this past Monday night.

Noble reportedly had to get stitches in addition to a broken arm he suffered while being attacked by Lesnar on RAW on Monday night in Chicago.

The official WWE website has posted an update on J&J Security, noting that Noble received 12 stitches after being cut by windshield glass.

Additionally, Joey Mercury suffered a bruised spleen and re-aggravated a prior, serious neck injury due to a suplex he took on the hood of the Cadillac.

According to WWE, both J&J Security members are “out of action indefinitely.”

• VIDEO: UFC Releases Footage Of CM Punk Training For Octagon Debut!

– WWE’s website have noted that following their attack on RAW at the hands of Brock Lesnar, J&J Security, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury both suffered injuries.

After destroying their new car, which was a gift from Seth Rollins, both Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury approached Lesnar but were overpowered and ultimately injured.

WWE wrote: “Both Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury suffered injuries at the hands of Brock Lesnar during The Beast’s attack of the security twosome on Raw.”

“Noble, who was trapped in Lesnar’s Kimura Lock, suffered a broken arm, while Mercury, who was suplexed on top of J&J’s customized Cadillac, only suffered mild contusions as a result of the attack.”

– It was confirmed during the show that WWE will return to Chicago on the 12th of October for Monday Night RAW. The pre-sale password was confirmed as being CHICAGO.

Jamie Noble was either injured or part of an off-camera injury angle during the conclusion of Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW.

After Brock Lesnar slam Noble into the barricade outside of the ring, Noble remained motionless for several moments until ringside officials attended to him.

Joey Mercury ended up making it back into the ring for The Authority’s attack on Lesnar, however Noble was never shown on camera again.

Ultimately, Noble was stretchered out of the arena and to the back.

We should have more on this story on Tuesday morning.

Below is a photo from RAW of the WWE medical crew preparing to load Noble onto a stretcher.

• **BRAND NEW PHOTO GALLERY** — Ronda Rousey In SKIMPY Bikinis & SUPER-TIGHT Outfits!

H/T: WrestlingINC.com

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins spoke at the Wizard World convention in St. Louis, Missouri last week and credited Joey Mercury for saving his career in WWE.

While in NXT, Rollins had developed a reputation for having an ego, as he believed he was the best performer in WWE’s developmental system and grew frustrated with being there for longer than he felt he should have been.

Rollins said he was almost fired by the company until Mercury helped lay out everything for him and put him on the right path, which he claims ultimately saved his job.

• PHOTO GALLERY: Ronda Rousey Looks HOT In New TV Commercial!

After last night’s post-Extreme Rules edition of WWE RAW went off of the air, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury got on the microphone and dressed down the fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin for not showing enough respect to WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.

They brought up the “Justin Bieber” chants from earlier in the night, which of course prompted the fans to chant it again. Rollins gets upset at the chant and takes the mic. He says he would never come back to Green Bay. He starts trashing the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, saying the Chicago Bears will win the division.

Rollins would continue to talk trash to the fans a bit more until he eventually stormed off and headed backstage to officially end the show and the night.

• HUGE Update On Ronda Rousey vs Stephanie McMahon At WrestleMania 32

– WWE talents who were booked to travel to Glasgow, Scotland on Tuesday were Seth Rollins, John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Ryback, Kane, Joey Mercury, Jamie Noble, Kalisto, Sin Cara, The Ascension, Luke Harper, Goldust, The Bella Twins, Paige, Eden, and Naomi.

– Below is a clip from Chris Jericho’s live podcast interview with John Cena on the WWE Network from Monday night. In the clip, Cena talks to Jericho about his days in Ohio Valley Wrestling.

• HUGE Backstage Update On WWE’s Plans For RONDA ROUSEY This Year!

Johnny Mundo (formerly known as John Morrison) recently appeared on the Pro Wrestling Experience podcast to talk about a number of Lucha Underground related topics. Below are highlights from the interview.

On his experience at Lucha Underground: “Loving it. It’s a combination of lucha libre mix-in with American style pro wrestling and gridy action films. Three things that I like Action, Wrestling and Storytelling. The roster is like the best roster in the world as far as talent goes and everybody backstage is getting along well for a start up federation and it’s seems to continue to find it’s identity each week. Its exciting to be there, the show are great and continuing to improve and the roster is coming to it’s own and we’re continuing to define what Lucha Underground is each week!”

On his thoughts about Rey Mysterio joining AAA and possibly joining Lucha Underground: “I hope he comes to Lucha Underground for selfish reasons because I want to wrestle him. Rey is at a point in his career where he’s done everything and the next thing Rey does is going to be because he wants to do it and hopefully it is with Lucha Underground. I loved hanging out with him and wrestling him and the fans do as well so I think that would be really rad.”

On Alberto El Patron: “I had a bunch of matches with him when we were in WWE, but a lot of them were short tv matches. I’m really looking forward to having a ppv style produced match with him. He’s super talented and super nice guy. Had alot of fun with him on some Florida tours. When he and I get in the ring together we’re going to show what we can do.”

On his former tag team partner Joey Mercury being part of major storylines in the WWE right now: “Couldn’t be happier for him. When I was watching him in the ring with Jon Stewart the other night I was falling out laughing it was awesome. I couldn’t be happier for Joey that guy eat, sleeps and breathes wrestling. He was a genius in psychology when I met him 12 years ago and he’s been improving his game ever since then.”

On who he had the most chemistry in the ring with during his time in WWE: “CM Punk, The Miz, Jeff Hardy, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler”

On his favorite WrestleMania Match: “WrestleMania 24’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match absolutely for the fact that it was first time I had a spotlight on myself on such a grand stage, but also getting to be in the ring with such incredible talent in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, so yea that’s the one for me.”

Check out the complete interview at Speaker.com.

• UFC Star Anthony Pettis Comments On His Teammate CM Punk’s Attitude!

– Regarding the criticism of this year’s 30-man Royal Rumble match, Jamie Noble was the producer of the match, with Joey Mercury serving as the assistant in putting the match together. Also involved in helping structure the match were Michael Hayes, Pat Patterson and Brian James (aka Road Dogg). That is probably the reason James was so upset when seeing the reaction on Twitter, with people calling it the worst Royal Rumble match of all-time.

– WWE’s sponsorship deal with Tapout clothing has been officially completed. As noted last week, at this point it’s just a question of when the deal will be officially announced to the public.

• VIDEO: Young Girl KOs Older Man, Claiming To Be Ex-UFC Fighter, With Vicious Punch

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The following are highlights of a new Chad Dukes Wrestling Show interview with Doc Gallows:

On being a star in Japan: “In Japan, traditionally, whether you’re a baseball player, a musician, a baseball player, a pro wrestler, which thank god it’s very popular right now, you get kinda special treatment. These sponsors, these businessmen, I guess it’s kind of a status thing for them to take us out. So we get to eat in five-star restaurants all night long, we get to eat as much as we want, drink as much as we want, which is good sometimes, bad others. It’s a change in lifestyle, it really is… Over there they wanna buy the stuff off our backs. So I literally wear different gear to the ring every single night and then these collectors are waiting at the hotel to buy my stinky tights.”

On the Aces & Eights group: “As evidenced by my career, I’m a bit of a faction man. That was just a really neat, I really dug the vibe of it. I thought got to be myself a little bit for the first time, which translated into what I think became the Bullet Club success for me and stuff. I don’t know if a lot of people know this, but Mike Knox is probably my very best friend in wrestling, best friend since we laid eyes on each other. He’s my dude and getting to do that and be on TV with him, actually at one point there was talk of making us more of a TV tag team and running us for the tag belts and stuff, which never came to fruition… It was a great group of guys. Devon, I’m completely fond of him, we became friends. D-Lo Brown, he’s my boy as well. Just the whole thing, Garrett, Wes, no matter what you think of those guys in-ring or otherwise, it was a great group of guys, we had each other’s backs, we were friends outside the ring, and anytime you do that- it’s kinda like at WWE, Mercury, CM Punk, and I as the Straight Edge Society- anytime that you have that with guys, like we have in the Bullet Club now, it translates, people get it. It has a real feeling because it is real.”

On the end of the Straight Edge Society: “I felt like in 2010 when the Straight Edge Society ended that it was a shame because we had some real momentum. We came into Summer Slam 2010 and whatever mistakes Serena Deeb made, I don’t know, I can’t care to comment on, she got fired and [Joey Mercury] tore his pec in that match we had with Big Show. So it was kinda like the Straight Edge Society imploded in one night, so we never got to finish the storyline which I always thought was a shame.”

On CM Punk’s UFC move: “The UFC move shocked me. I knew some of the other entertainment stuff he was doing, I knew he was training his ass off, I knew he was a huge fan of it, so I kinda had an inkling. And then he announced it or they announced it, whatever, and I texted him and said, ‘Holy Crap dude, congratulations, I had no idea.’ I just talked to him in Japan, I know he’s training his butt off in Milwaukee and he’s really digging that. I hope for all the best for him.”

On Joey Mercury: “If there was ever a guy who knew this business from the inside out and could teach it to other people and knew how to convey it, it was Joey. I was in my mid-20s when Straight Edge thing was going, 25, 26 years old. Who better to stand on the ring apron and tag with, who better to second out to a match CM Punk. Joey and I tagged on six or seven overseas tours, we tagged on all the house shows, and I just think the world of both [Joey Mercury & CM Punk] as in-ring performers, as entertainers, and as people. Getting to be with those guys it was kinda like going to medical school after college or something.”

On Finn Balor: “He’s a guy who can go, he has a charisma, not so much a charisma but he has mystique. And I think that when mystique’s gone, like now in a lot of cases, that it hurts. But if you look at like a Bray Wyatt, and there’s mystique there, I love him, huge fan of him, he’s a friend of mine, and I love what he’s doing and what they’ve done with him. And I think that Devitt, if they can capture him just right, he’s gonna be able to captivate an audience and be a major league, big fight feel superstar in that company.”

Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee At Dinner Together In Las Vegas Just A Few Days Ago, Hanging Out With Celebrities & MORE!

– Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury, who have been appearing as henchman for The Authority in recent weeks, have been officially added to the current WWE roster page on WWE.com. Both are listed as members of Raw.

– On Twitter, fans can join Stephanie McMahon and @WWEmoms at 7 pm ET (4 pm PT) on Thursday as they promote the WWE Fit Series: Stephanie McMahon DVD. Click here for additional details.

– The latest updates to the WWE Network vault are as follows: Prime Time Wrestling (May 19, 1986), Raw (April 1, 1996), Raw (November 24, 2014), Raw (December 1, 2014). The April 1, 1996 episode of Raw took place the night after WrestleMania XXII, and included the in-ring debuts of Mankind and Marc Mero, as well as Vince McMahon conducting an in-ring interview with new WWF Champion Shawn Michaels.

See Photos of Nikki Bella and Dolph Ziggler dating ->

After Monday’s edition of WWE RAW went off the air, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan all looked dejected after being “fired” by The Authority. Eventually the three left with their heads hanging and headed to the back while John Cena remained in the ring looking upset.

Cena got on the microphone and said that there was no way he was going to leave “Whataburger’s Hometown” without a fight, which led to him calling out Seth Rollins.

Rollins came out, but ultimately decided to walk off. This led to Cena calling him out again and getting the fans to chant “You Sold Out” at him. Rollins returned to the ring with Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble and the dark match main event of the evening was set.

Mercury and Noble attacked Cena before the match officially got underway. Finally, things settled down and the actual match began. The match lasted approximately ten minutes, with the finish seeing Big Show come out to interfere. Rollins tried to hit Cena with his Money In The Bank briefcase, but Cena moved and Rollins hit Big Show by accident. This led to Cena hitting Rollins with the Attitude Adjustment for the pin.

• DIRECT LINK: Photos From This Weekend — CM Punk & AJ Lee At Dinner, Hanging With SHAQ At UFC & More!

It was revealed on the final RAW of 2014 that The Authority is back in control of power in WWE.

This happened when Seth Rollins, with help from Big Show, Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble, held Edge hostage, threatening to Curb Stomp him onto the Money In The Bank briefcase and paralyze him, unless John Cena agree to bring back The Authority.

Eventually, Cena gave in. Rollins tried to attack Edge anyways, but Cena stopped him, only to eat a Knockout Punch from Big Show and a Curb Stomp from Rollins. As Rollins, Show, Mercury and Noble go to leave, out came The Authority, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, drinking champagne and celebrating their return to power as the announcers questioned how The Authority being back in power will affect 2015.

– Members of the former Ring of Honor stable The Age Of The Fall were reunited backstage at this week’s WWE TV tapings. The members included Seth Rollins (as Tyler Black), Luke Harper (as Brodie Lee), Joey Mercury (as Joey Matthews) and Jimmy Jacobs, who has been working as a Rosebud.

https://twitter.com/WWEMercury/status/545129683835432960

– NXT Superstar Aiden English of the Vaudvillains is engaged to Shaul Guerrero, daughter of Vickie and the late Eddie Guerrero. Vickie posted the following on Instagram:

Shaul and Matt are engaged!! Time to plan a fairytale wedding. I love you both very much! #ShesaidYes ????????????

A photo posted by Vickie Guerrero (@vickielynnguerrero) on Dec 12, 2014 at 6:51pm PST

Following this week’s edition of WWE RAW, which was taped this afternoon in Liverpool, England and will air in its’ normal time slot tonight, a six-man tag-team match took place as the post-show dark match.

The match featured John Cena, Sheamus and Big Show teaming up to take on the trio of Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury.

As soon as the bell rung, Noble and Mercury bailed, leaving “Mr. Money In The Bank” by himself. This led to Sheamus hitting a Brogue Kick, Show hitting a WMD and Cena hitting an Attitude Adjustment on Rollins.

Also, as noted last week, WWE officials were worried about crowd reactions heading into television tapings in England as a result of the WWE Network launch issues. For those wondering, the popular anti-WWE chant throughout the taping this afternoon was “Where’s our Network?!”

For complete spoilers for tonight’s RAW, click here.

The following are highlights of a recent Jim Ross website Q&A update:

On if TNA should try and be more of a Japanese style product to differentiate themselves from WWE: “Another topic that I’ve blogged about many times and addressed multiple times on my Ross Report Podcast. Yes…Impact should focus on what their talents do best and that is wrestle and do so in a believable, physical style.”

On if he knew WWE was faking marital problems between Tyson Kidd and Natalya: “Yes I did . You know that the presentation is fictional, right?”

On Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury being part of The Authority: “This one might be over thought for now as I enjoy the antics of Noble and Mercury. I see your point but I can also see what they are doing working as well.”

On WWE using smaller wrestlers these days: “There is a changing of the guard but getting smaller by design likely isn’t in the plan.”

On the WrestleMania 31 main event: “I have no idea what WWE is going to do at WM31 but a triple threat match between Rollins-Ambrose-Reigns would shock me.”

On Lucha Underground: “I’ve blogged about it and talked about it on my podcast, The Ross Report at podcastone.com and iTunes. It’s different and unique in many ways…not a fan of intergender stuff but the look of the show is good and the bell to bell product is largely entertaining.”

Check out more JR Q&A updates at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

PHOTOS: Ronda Rousey SHOWS ALL (…and I mean *ALL*) In BRAND NEW Photo Shoot!

– For those unaware, the agents used in the RAW segment with Roman Reigns and Kane on Monday night were Jamie Noble, Fit Finlay, Dean Malenko, Joey Mercury and Mike Rotunda. Reigns shoved Noble across the ring and speared Finlay. Finlay was actually trending on Twitter after the segment, as several fans noticed who he was.

– Also at RAW last night was former WWE Tag-Team Champion Sylvain Grenier.

– The following are the extras for WWE’s 2014 Money In The Bank DVD, which is scheduled for a July 29th release:

Daniel Bryan Interview (Money In the Bank Kickoff)
Fandango & Layla Interview
Money In The Bank Moment 1: Jack Swagger
Money In The Bank Moment 2: Daniel Bryan
Money In The Bank Moment 3: Dolph Ziggler
Money In The Bank Moment 4: Randy Orton

The following are highlights of a new Big O and Dukes interview with Joey Mercury:

On Triple H: “First and foremost, he’s a wonderful person. He’s just a great human being. He cares deeply for those around him and he takes care of them really, really well. I’ve wrestled Hunter in the past when I was a talent, but I didn’t really know him. I knew how good he was in the ring, obviously, one of the greatest of all time, certainly one of the best I’ve ever been in the ring with, but I didn’t travel with him, I didn’t hang out with him or anything like that. Once he took over the developmental system for WWE, I was a coach at the time, when he came into power over the developmental system, I talked to him and he told me that he wanted me on his team, and that’s where I really got to know him. I got to work closely with him, and once I got a promotion to be a producer for WWE and being on the road full time, working with him side by side on a daily basis is tremendous. Beyond the fact that he’s a great person, he is just on a whole ‘nother level with the way his brain works. Certainly that’s a lot of experience that’s from him having great mentors and learning both what to do and what not to do, how to do it, why he’s doing it, and where to do it. He’s just one of the smartest guys I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”

On working with WWE Superstars: “When I made the transition to a backstage role, I was really concerned I wouldn’t be able to get the same fulfillment, to get that performer’s rush or performer’s high, from going out there and getting that you know, you have this aim and you have this idea of what you want to get the crowd to do, and what you want the audience to feel, and when you’re able to do that out there in the ring, it’s a real special feeling. It’s unlike anything else. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to replicate that or feel that again and the truth is what I’m doing now is so much more rewarding because I get to have that feeling several times a night, not just one. Not just because I’m Joey Mercury out there. I get to live vicariously through Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, the Wyatts, just all these incredible, incredible future Hall of Famers. It’s really cool to be there with Bo Dallas and say, “Hey, that’s really, really good man, but you might want to try this tomorrow night,” or you might want to keep this out, or put this in. To have them take your suggestion or take your instruction and direction and go do it, and see how fulfilled they are and how rewarded they are from it working. It’s amazing.”

On crowd chants: “One of the things I learned from [Vince McMahon] is the real indicator that you’re catching on or getting over is when the crowd chants your name and that’s where you can tell if a guy can draw money or not. The “HOLY S” chants or the “You Can’t Wrestle” or anything the crowd starts chanting, that’s more for the crowd to get themselves over. When they say “THIS IS AWESOME” that’s a little bit better, you know you’re doing good. But when Roman Reigns is down and he’s digging from underneath, he’s got a mountain to climb, when the people start chanting, “Roman! Roman! Roman!” that’s not to get themselves over, that’s because they want him, because that’s their guy. So it’s kind of a good barometer. I’m of the school of thought, that I share with John Cena and he’ll tell you himself he doesn’t care if they’re saying “Let’s Go Cena” or “Cena Sucks” as long as they’re loud. Indifference is the killer. If they’re watching the ring, looking at the ring and screaming their heads off, it’s awesome.”

Check out the complete interview at ChadDukesWrestlingShow.com.

-Apparently the WWE television storyline where Triple H bought Big Show’s house was taken from the CM Punk DVD that the company produced. On the documentary portion of the DVD, a real-life story was told where Joey Mercury was facing financial problems due to some personal issues he was experiencing, and as a result, Punk bought Mercury’s house for him.

-It’s said to be unlikely that WWE Superstar Wade Barrett’s new gimmick will be the “Bad News Barrett” character that we see on the weekly JBL & Cole Show that appears on the official WWE YouTube channel. Many in the company feel it would be surprising if the higher-ups chose to use anything that is featured on YouTube on their actual television storylines. Regardless, the rumors are true that the company is planning on repackaging Barrett, simply because the feeling is the roster is lacking depth in the heel department.

Spoiler On Big Show’s Future Storyline + Several WWE Hell In A Cell Spoilers [>>]

[Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter]