Kevin Fertig
Encyclopedia
Kevin Matthew Fertig is an American
professional wrestler
. He is best known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE) under the ring name
s Mordecai and Kevin Thorn.
Fertig made his professional wrestling debut in 2000, and quickly began working for the Memphis Championship Wrestling
promotion
in his hometown, under the ring name Seven. There he won the Hardcore
, Southern Tag Team
and Southern Heavyweight Championships. He signed a contract with WWE in April 2002, and was assigned to their developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling
(OVW). He competed in OVW for two years, winning the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
with Travis Bane
, before being called up to the SmackDown brand
as Mordecai, a religious zealot
. The character only lasted a few months, and he returned to OVW before being released in mid-2005.
He competed on the independent circuit
for the next year, before returning to WWE to wrestle on its ECW brand as Kevin Thorn, a vampire
. He gained Ariel
as a valet
, and later joined the New Breed
faction in early 2007. After Ariel was released in mid-2007, Thorn continued to wrestle on ECW, but was sent to OVW in late 2007, after undergoing an image change. He wrestled in both OVW and WWE's other developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling
, until January 2009, when he was released from his contract. He then returned to the independent circuit
, and also wrestled in Europe
as Seven Thorn.
by working out with wrestler Sid Vicious
in Gold's Gym
in Memphis
. Beginning his career in 2000, Fertig quickly began wrestling as Seven in Memphis Championship Wrestling
and some other independent
promotions
. Seven was a gimmick based on the seven deadly sins
. He won the MCW Southern Heavyweight Championship on July 7, 2001. He also won the MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
with Trash, and held the MCW Hardcore Championship
.
(WWE) and was assigned to their development territory Ohio Valley Wrestling
(OVW), where he continued to use the Seven gimmick. After wrestling sporadically in OVW throughout 2002 and 2003, against wrestlers including Chris Cage and Johnny Jeter
, he joined the Disciples of Synn stable. Along with stable-mate Travis Bane
, he won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
on March 5, 2003, by defeating Lance Cade
and Rene Dupree
. After holding the championship for just over a month, they were forced to vacate it on April 10, when Bane suffered an injury. In late 2003 and early 2004, Seven and Bane began competing in dark matches prior to the Raw
television show, using their real names of Kevin Fertig and Travis Tomko respectively.
In late April 2004, Fertig was called up to the SmackDown! brand
with vignettes playing on the show announcing his new character, Mordecai, a religious Zealot
-type character, which was partially based on his previous Seven gimmick. During numerous promos, Mordecai claimed to be on a crusade to rid the world of sin
. He consistently wore white and had blonde hair and a beard as a sign of his purity. Mordecai debuted in ring for the SmackDown! brand on May 16, 2004 during the Judgment Day
pay-per-view, defeating Scotty 2 Hotty. In later appearances, Mordecai condemned the audience for their sins, and led them in prayer.
In early July, however, the gimmick was dropped and Fertig was sent back to OVW for more training. Fertig's return to OVW was also due to his involvement in a bar fight, and subsequent impending lawsuits meant that WWE decided to take Fertig off television. Fertig returned to OVW, wrestling under a mask
as Vengeance, and competed only sporadically against wrestlers including Elijah Burke
, Mark Henry
, Johnny Jeter, and Matt Cappotelli
. He was then soon released in July 2005.
. He wrestled for Memphis Wrestling
, where he won the Southern Title in March 2005. He went on to retain the championship in a match against Garrison Cade
on April 16. He also worked for UCW, and wrestled against competitors including Marty Jannetty
and Shayne Maddox.
. His first appearances on ECW on Sci Fi saw him appear in several vignettes, looking into the camera and spitting blood, while remaining unnamed and unofficially known as the "ECW Vampire". The idea behind the vignettes was that Fertig was to be part of a 'vampire' faction with Gangrel
and Ariel
; however, the faction did not materialise on television. The vignettes later expanded to include Ariel as a tarot card reader.
Fertig's televised in-ring debut for the brand on the July 25 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, defeating Little Guido Maritato
, with Ariel acting as his valet
. The next week, in another vignette, Ariel revealed his name to be Kevin Thorn. Ariel then increased her ringside presence during Thorn's matches, often interfering in his matches, and Thorn began a scripted feud
with Balls Mahoney
. In order to counteract Ariel's interference, Mahoney began bringing in Francine
as an equalizer. The two teams feuded until early October, until Francine was released by WWE. As Ariel began to feud with Kelly Kelly, Thorn became caught up in the feud and at the December to Dismember pay-per-view, Thorn and Ariel defeated Kelly and Kelly's on-screen boyfriend Mike Knox
in a mixed tag team match, after Knox walked out on Kelly.
On February 6, 2007, Thorn and Ariel joined Elijah Burke
, Matt Striker, and Marcus Cor Von
in forming the New Breed
stable, with Thorn taking on the enforcer role and describing himself as the "muscle" of the group. The New Breed immediately engaged themselves in a feud with the ECW Originals
(Rob Van Dam
, Tommy Dreamer
, Sabu and The Sandman). Different members of the New Breeds wrestled members of the ECW originals over several weeks, leading up to WrestleMania 23
. At WrestleMania, the New Breed was defeated by the ECW Originals in an 8-man tag team match, but won a rematch on the following episode of ECW. In April, CM Punk
aligned himself with the New Breed after weeks of recruiting. Just two weeks later, however, Punk betrayed the New Breed and attacked Burke after a match. The following week, Burke announced a match between Thorn and Punk, but Thorn lost. After the match, Thorn quit the New Breed, as none of the other members interfered during the match to help him.
On May 18, Ariel was released by WWE. The following week, Thorn appeared by himself, with the commentators claiming that Thorn was "flying solo". After leaving Ariel, Thorn was pushed, defeating superstars such as Tommy Dreamer
and Stevie Richards
. His winning streak came to an end on July 3, however, when he lost to CM Punk on ECW. Thorn then began a feud with Stevie Richards, after Richards defeated Thorn in an upset on two consecutive occasions. Following this, Thorn attacked Richards backstage. He later pinned Richards in a match, but the referee reversed the decision, and awarded the match to Richards, when Thorn attacked Richards after the match. Despite this, Thorn defeated Richards the following week, and then teamed up with Elijah Burke to defeat Richards and Tommy Dreamer in a tag team match. On the September 18 episode of ECW, Thorn along with Burke, Dreamer, and Richards involved themselves in an Elimination Chase to No Mercy
to face Punk. In their first match, a fatal four-way, Thorn was victorious, eliminating Richards, but was eliminated himself the following week, due to being pinned in a triple threat match.
On November 20, 2007, Thorn debuted a new look, with spikey hair and different ring attire, while defeating Nunzio. Soon after this image change, Thorn was taken off of television and sent to the WWE developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling.
, J.D. Michaels, and Kofi Kingston
. In mid-2008, Fertig moved to the new developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling
(FCW), and reverted to the Kevin Thorn name. His first match in FCW was on May 3, when he defeated Afa, Jr.
in a Street Fight. On May 6, he teamed up with Atlas DaBone to defeat Afa, Jr. and "The Upgrade" Tyrone Jones
. His first loss in FCW was on June 3, when he was defeated by Shawn Spears
, following a distraction from Sinn Bowdee
.
Fertig was part of plans for a faction to feud with The Undertaker in mid-2008, however, he underwent hip surgery in September, and the plans did not proceed. He competed in his final match in FCW on December 4, when he, Sheamus, and Gavin Spears
were defeated by Joe Hennig
, Johnny Prime
, and Eric Escobar
in a six-man elimination match. In January 2009, he was offered a new contract with WWE, but turned it down. As a result, WWE announced that he had been released from contract by request on January 9, although his contract did not technically end until April 5, preventing him from wrestling for other promotions.
and Puerto Rico
. He has been using the Kevin Thorn vampire gimmick, in various independent promotions, such as One Pro Wrestling
and Dynamic Pro Wrestling, and has also wrestled as Seven Thorn. At the September 1, 2009, tapings of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
's Impact!
television show Fertig wrestled in a dark match under the ring name Serpent, losing to Kip James
.
Fertig appeared at German Stampede Wrestling shows in September 2010 as Seven Thorn. He wrestles for Frontier Elite Wrestling as 'Kevin Thorn', and is the former FEW Heavyweight Champion.
and Jeff Hardy
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. He is best known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
s Mordecai and Kevin Thorn.
Fertig made his professional wrestling debut in 2000, and quickly began working for the Memphis Championship Wrestling
Memphis Championship Wrestling
Memphis Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion run by Terry Golden, based in Memphis, Tennessee. The promotion's first event was on February 20, 2000, and it remained active up until mid-2001...
promotion
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...
in his hometown, under the ring name Seven. There he won the Hardcore
MCW Hardcore Championship
The Memphis Championship Wrestling Hardcore Title first champion was Bitty Little, because Little forced MCW Commissioner Al Kee Holic to award him the championship, even though a tournament had been scheduled to determine the first champion. Joey Abs gave the belt to MCW Commissioner Shooter...
, Southern Tag Team
MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
The MCW Southern Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Memphis Championship Wrestling from 2000 until the promotion closed in 2002.-Title history:...
and Southern Heavyweight Championships. He signed a contract with WWE in April 2002, and was assigned to their developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
(OVW). He competed in OVW for two years, winning the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
with Travis Bane
Travis Tomko
Travis David Tomko is an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Tomko, who most recently worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he previously was a member of Christian's Coalition and the Angle Alliance and often worked alongside A.J. Styles. He was also notable for his...
, before being called up to the SmackDown brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
as Mordecai, a religious zealot
Zealotry
Zealotry was originally a political movement in 1st century Second Temple Judaism which sought to incite the people of Iudaea Province to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the Holy land by force of arms, most notably during the Great Jewish Revolt...
. The character only lasted a few months, and he returned to OVW before being released in mid-2005.
He competed on the independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
for the next year, before returning to WWE to wrestle on its ECW brand as Kevin Thorn, a vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
. He gained Ariel
Shelly Martinez
Shelly Leonor Martinez is a Mexican American model, actress, professional wrestler and valet. She is known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand under the ring name Ariel and for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Salinas as valet to The Latin American...
as a valet
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
, and later joined the New Breed
New Breed (ECW)
The New Breed was a professional wrestling stable that appeared on the ECW brand of World Wrestling Entertainment in 2007. It was initially composed of Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, and Ariel...
faction in early 2007. After Ariel was released in mid-2007, Thorn continued to wrestle on ECW, but was sent to OVW in late 2007, after undergoing an image change. He wrestled in both OVW and WWE's other developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
, until January 2009, when he was released from his contract. He then returned to the independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
, and also wrestled in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as Seven Thorn.
Professional wrestling career
Fertig first got involved in professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
by working out with wrestler Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
in Gold's Gym
Gold's Gym
Gold's Gym International, Inc. is an international chain of co-ed fitness centers originally started in California by Joe Gold. Each gym features a wide array of exercise equipment, group exercise classes and personal trainers to assist clients...
in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. Beginning his career in 2000, Fertig quickly began wrestling as Seven in Memphis Championship Wrestling
Memphis Championship Wrestling
Memphis Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion run by Terry Golden, based in Memphis, Tennessee. The promotion's first event was on February 20, 2000, and it remained active up until mid-2001...
and some other independent
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
promotions
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...
. Seven was a gimmick based on the seven deadly sins
Seven deadly sins
The 7 Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin...
. He won the MCW Southern Heavyweight Championship on July 7, 2001. He also won the MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
MCW Southern Tag Team Championship
The MCW Southern Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Memphis Championship Wrestling from 2000 until the promotion closed in 2002.-Title history:...
with Trash, and held the MCW Hardcore Championship
MCW Hardcore Championship
The Memphis Championship Wrestling Hardcore Title first champion was Bitty Little, because Little forced MCW Commissioner Al Kee Holic to award him the championship, even though a tournament had been scheduled to determine the first champion. Joey Abs gave the belt to MCW Commissioner Shooter...
.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–2005)
In April 2002, Fertig signed a developmental deal with World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) and was assigned to their development territory Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
(OVW), where he continued to use the Seven gimmick. After wrestling sporadically in OVW throughout 2002 and 2003, against wrestlers including Chris Cage and Johnny Jeter
Johnny Jeter
John "Johnny" Jeter is an American professional wrestler best known for his appearances in World Wrestling Entertainment as Spirit Squad member Johnny on the Raw brand in 2006....
, he joined the Disciples of Synn stable. Along with stable-mate Travis Bane
Travis Tomko
Travis David Tomko is an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Tomko, who most recently worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he previously was a member of Christian's Coalition and the Angle Alliance and often worked alongside A.J. Styles. He was also notable for his...
, he won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
on March 5, 2003, by defeating Lance Cade
Lance Cade
Lance Kurtis McNaught was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment where he performed under the ring names Garrison Cade and Lance Cade....
and Rene Dupree
René Goguen
René Goguen better known by his ring name René Duprée, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team...
. After holding the championship for just over a month, they were forced to vacate it on April 10, when Bane suffered an injury. In late 2003 and early 2004, Seven and Bane began competing in dark matches prior to the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
television show, using their real names of Kevin Fertig and Travis Tomko respectively.
In late April 2004, Fertig was called up to the SmackDown! brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
with vignettes playing on the show announcing his new character, Mordecai, a religious Zealot
Zealotry
Zealotry was originally a political movement in 1st century Second Temple Judaism which sought to incite the people of Iudaea Province to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the Holy land by force of arms, most notably during the Great Jewish Revolt...
-type character, which was partially based on his previous Seven gimmick. During numerous promos, Mordecai claimed to be on a crusade to rid the world of sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
. He consistently wore white and had blonde hair and a beard as a sign of his purity. Mordecai debuted in ring for the SmackDown! brand on May 16, 2004 during the Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2004)
Judgment Day was the sixth Judgment Day pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . This event took place on May 16, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California....
pay-per-view, defeating Scotty 2 Hotty. In later appearances, Mordecai condemned the audience for their sins, and led them in prayer.
In early July, however, the gimmick was dropped and Fertig was sent back to OVW for more training. Fertig's return to OVW was also due to his involvement in a bar fight, and subsequent impending lawsuits meant that WWE decided to take Fertig off television. Fertig returned to OVW, wrestling under a mask
Lucha libre
Lucha libre is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries...
as Vengeance, and competed only sporadically against wrestlers including Elijah Burke
Elijah Burke
Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
, Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
, Johnny Jeter, and Matt Cappotelli
Matt Cappotelli
Matthew Lee "Matt" Cappotelli is an American professional wrestler, last working in Ohio Valley Wrestling, which was the primary developmental territory for World Wrestling Entertainment until February 7, 2008...
. He was then soon released in July 2005.
Independent circuit (2005–2006)
Following his WWE release, Fertig began using the Mordecai name again while working on the independent circuitIndependent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
. He wrestled for Memphis Wrestling
Memphis Wrestling
Memphis Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:Memphis Wrestling evolved from an earlier short-lived promotion called Memphis Championship Wrestling.-Television:...
, where he won the Southern Title in March 2005. He went on to retain the championship in a match against Garrison Cade
Lance Cade
Lance Kurtis McNaught was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment where he performed under the ring names Garrison Cade and Lance Cade....
on April 16. He also worked for UCW, and wrestled against competitors including Marty Jannetty
Marty Jannetty
Frederick Marty Jannetty is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation as part of tag team The Rockers with partner Shawn Michaels, and later as a singles competitor. While in the WWF, he became a one time Intercontinental Champion and a one time...
and Shayne Maddox.
ECW (2006–2007)
Fertig made his return in June 2006 on WWE's ECW brand as a vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
. His first appearances on ECW on Sci Fi saw him appear in several vignettes, looking into the camera and spitting blood, while remaining unnamed and unofficially known as the "ECW Vampire". The idea behind the vignettes was that Fertig was to be part of a 'vampire' faction with Gangrel
David Heath (wrestler)
David William Heath is an American professional wrestler and pornographic film director. He is best known for his time in the World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Gangrel.-Beginning:...
and Ariel
Shelly Martinez
Shelly Leonor Martinez is a Mexican American model, actress, professional wrestler and valet. She is known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand under the ring name Ariel and for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Salinas as valet to The Latin American...
; however, the faction did not materialise on television. The vignettes later expanded to include Ariel as a tarot card reader.
James Maritato
James Maritato is an American professional wrestler, of Italian origin, currently working on the independent circuit. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment and Extreme Championship Wrestling under the ring names Little Guido Maritato and Nunzio.-Starting out:While...
, with Ariel acting as his valet
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
. The next week, in another vignette, Ariel revealed his name to be Kevin Thorn. Ariel then increased her ringside presence during Thorn's matches, often interfering in his matches, and Thorn began a scripted feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Balls Mahoney
Balls Mahoney
Jonathan Rechner better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney , is an American professional wrestler...
. In order to counteract Ariel's interference, Mahoney began bringing in Francine
Francine Fournier
Francine Fournier , known simply as Francine, is an American former professional wrestling valet most known for her work in Extreme Championship Wrestling.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:...
as an equalizer. The two teams feuded until early October, until Francine was released by WWE. As Ariel began to feud with Kelly Kelly, Thorn became caught up in the feud and at the December to Dismember pay-per-view, Thorn and Ariel defeated Kelly and Kelly's on-screen boyfriend Mike Knox
Mike Knox
Michael Shawn Hettinga is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment as Mike Knox. He is also an avid fisherman, and fishes in his spare time.-Independent circuit :...
in a mixed tag team match, after Knox walked out on Kelly.
On February 6, 2007, Thorn and Ariel joined Elijah Burke
Elijah Burke
Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
, Matt Striker, and Marcus Cor Von
Monty Brown
Monty Brown is an American professional wrestler and former National Football League linebacker, also known as Marcus Cor Von. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment, where he wrestled on its ECW brand under the ring name Marcus Cor Von...
in forming the New Breed
New Breed (ECW)
The New Breed was a professional wrestling stable that appeared on the ECW brand of World Wrestling Entertainment in 2007. It was initially composed of Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, and Ariel...
stable, with Thorn taking on the enforcer role and describing himself as the "muscle" of the group. The New Breed immediately engaged themselves in a feud with the ECW Originals
ECW Originals
The ECW Originals was a professional wrestling stable that made sporadic appearances in various wrestling promotions, including World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
(Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Sabu and The Sandman). Different members of the New Breeds wrestled members of the ECW originals over several weeks, leading up to WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23 was the twenty-third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan...
. At WrestleMania, the New Breed was defeated by the ECW Originals in an 8-man tag team match, but won a rematch on the following episode of ECW. In April, CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
aligned himself with the New Breed after weeks of recruiting. Just two weeks later, however, Punk betrayed the New Breed and attacked Burke after a match. The following week, Burke announced a match between Thorn and Punk, but Thorn lost. After the match, Thorn quit the New Breed, as none of the other members interfered during the match to help him.
On May 18, Ariel was released by WWE. The following week, Thorn appeared by himself, with the commentators claiming that Thorn was "flying solo". After leaving Ariel, Thorn was pushed, defeating superstars such as Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
and Stevie Richards
Stevie Richards
Michael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr...
. His winning streak came to an end on July 3, however, when he lost to CM Punk on ECW. Thorn then began a feud with Stevie Richards, after Richards defeated Thorn in an upset on two consecutive occasions. Following this, Thorn attacked Richards backstage. He later pinned Richards in a match, but the referee reversed the decision, and awarded the match to Richards, when Thorn attacked Richards after the match. Despite this, Thorn defeated Richards the following week, and then teamed up with Elijah Burke to defeat Richards and Tommy Dreamer in a tag team match. On the September 18 episode of ECW, Thorn along with Burke, Dreamer, and Richards involved themselves in an Elimination Chase to No Mercy
No Mercy (2007)
No Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 7, 2007 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois...
to face Punk. In their first match, a fatal four-way, Thorn was victorious, eliminating Richards, but was eliminated himself the following week, due to being pinned in a triple threat match.
Developmental territories (2008–2009)
In early 2008, Fertig made his return to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), and began wrestling under his real name. He competed against wrestlers including Pat BuckPat Buck
Patrick Buckridge is an American professional wrestler, better know by the name Pat Buck. He competes in Midwestern, New England, and Metropolitan independent promotions including Derby City Wrestling, Ohio Championship Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling, formerly a World Wrestling Entertainment...
, J.D. Michaels, and Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
. In mid-2008, Fertig moved to the new developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling
Championship Wrestling from Florida was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling...
(FCW), and reverted to the Kevin Thorn name. His first match in FCW was on May 3, when he defeated Afa, Jr.
Afa Anoa'i, Jr.
Afa Anoa'i, Jr. is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he competed on its Raw brand under the ring name Manu.-World Xtreme Wrestling:...
in a Street Fight. On May 6, he teamed up with Atlas DaBone to defeat Afa, Jr. and "The Upgrade" Tyrone Jones
Tyrone Evans
Tyrone Evans is an American professional wrestler . He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he performed on the Raw brand under the name Michael Tarver as a member of The Nexus...
. His first loss in FCW was on June 3, when he was defeated by Shawn Spears
Ronnie Arniell
Ronnie William Arneill is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name as Shawn Spears. He is perhaps best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand, where he briefly performed under the ring name Gavin Spears.-Early life:Born and raised in St...
, following a distraction from Sinn Bowdee
Nick Cvjetkovich
Nicholas "Nick" Cvjetkovich is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he worked on its SmackDown brand as Kizarny.-Training and beginning:...
.
Fertig was part of plans for a faction to feud with The Undertaker in mid-2008, however, he underwent hip surgery in September, and the plans did not proceed. He competed in his final match in FCW on December 4, when he, Sheamus, and Gavin Spears
Ronnie Arniell
Ronnie William Arneill is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name as Shawn Spears. He is perhaps best known for his stint with World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand, where he briefly performed under the ring name Gavin Spears.-Early life:Born and raised in St...
were defeated by Joe Hennig
Joe Hennig
Joseph "Joe" Hennig is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and working on the Raw brand, under the ring name Michael McGillicutty. He previously wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling...
, Johnny Prime
Johnny Prime
Jonathon David "Jon" Emminger is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names Johnny Prime and Lucky Cannon. He is best known for his appearances for WWE, where he performed on the second and fifth seasons of NXT, while also working in the promotion's developmental territory...
, and Eric Escobar
Eric Perez
Eric Alexander Pérez is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler who currently performs under the ring name Eric Escobar. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment , where he spent most of his career in developmental territories...
in a six-man elimination match. In January 2009, he was offered a new contract with WWE, but turned it down. As a result, WWE announced that he had been released from contract by request on January 9, although his contract did not technically end until April 5, preventing him from wrestling for other promotions.
Independent circuit (2009–present)
Following his release from WWE, Fertig toured Europe, and stated he was considering working in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. He has been using the Kevin Thorn vampire gimmick, in various independent promotions, such as One Pro Wrestling
One Pro Wrestling
One Pro Wrestling was a British professional wrestling promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley until the promotion went into liquidation in 2007; it was restarted within the same year..It ended in August 2011....
and Dynamic Pro Wrestling, and has also wrestled as Seven Thorn. At the September 1, 2009, tapings of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
's Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
television show Fertig wrestled in a dark match under the ring name Serpent, losing to Kip James
Monty Sopp
Monty Kip Sopp is an American professional wrestler, best known as Billy Gunn during his tenure for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is probably best known as one of the members of the New Age Outlaws. He also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Kip James...
.
Fertig appeared at German Stampede Wrestling shows in September 2010 as Seven Thorn. He wrestles for Frontier Elite Wrestling as 'Kevin Thorn', and is the former FEW Heavyweight Champion.
Personal life
Fertig has a son. He also is friends with MattMatt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- The Crucifix (Crucifix powerbomb)
- Dark Kiss/Original Sin (Rope-hung stunner)
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- ECWWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- "Mi Destrojero" by Chris Jones
- "Blood Red Sandman" By Lordi
- ECW
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- ArielShelly MartinezShelly Leonor Martinez is a Mexican American model, actress, professional wrestler and valet. She is known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand under the ring name Ariel and for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Salinas as valet to The Latin American...
- Ariel
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s
-
- "The Pale Rider"(WWE)
- "The ECW Vampire"(ECW)
- Entrance themes
- "Mi Destrojero"by Jim Johnston
Championships and accomplishments
- Frontier Elite Wrestling
- FEW Heavyweight Championship (5 times)
- FEW Deadman's Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- Memphis Championship WrestlingMemphis Championship WrestlingMemphis Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion run by Terry Golden, based in Memphis, Tennessee. The promotion's first event was on February 20, 2000, and it remained active up until mid-2001...
- MCW Hardcore ChampionshipMCW Hardcore ChampionshipThe Memphis Championship Wrestling Hardcore Title first champion was Bitty Little, because Little forced MCW Commissioner Al Kee Holic to award him the championship, even though a tournament had been scheduled to determine the first champion. Joey Abs gave the belt to MCW Commissioner Shooter...
(1 time) - MCW Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- MCW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipMCW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe MCW Southern Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in Memphis Championship Wrestling from 2000 until the promotion closed in 2002.-Title history:...
(1 time) – with Trash
- MCW Hardcore Championship
- Memphis WrestlingMemphis WrestlingMemphis Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:Memphis Wrestling evolved from an earlier short-lived promotion called Memphis Championship Wrestling.-Television:...
- Memphis Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
- OVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipOVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
(1 time) – with Travis BaneTravis TomkoTravis David Tomko is an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Tomko, who most recently worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he previously was a member of Christian's Coalition and the Angle Alliance and often worked alongside A.J. Styles. He was also notable for his...
- OVW Southern Tag Team Championship