As a wrestling fan, it’s impossible not to feel a shiver down your spine when the opening bars of Dr. Dre & Ice Cube’s “Natural Born Killaz” blast through the speakers. The late New Jack, who passed away in May 2021, will forever be remembered as one of the most violent and notorious wrestlers to ever step into the squared circle. With his scathing promos, unapologetic attitude, and extreme acts of violence against his opponents, New Jack was a captivating figure in the industry. Let’s take a look back at six of his most infamous matches.
6. The American Gangsta Crime Scene – All-Star Wrestling (2010)
In 2010, New Jack was at a local independent show in Florida, selling merchandise and signing autographs when he heard the announcer use the name The American Gangstas. This was strikingly similar to The Gangstas, the tag team New Jack formed in the ’90s with Mustafa. Enraged, New Jack stormed into the ring, called out the young tag team, and challenged them to a match. It’s hard to determine whether this was a work or a shoot, but the brutal match that followed left little room for interpretation.
Dubbed the American Gangsta Crime Scene, New Jack used various weapons, from a fork to a Wolverine-style claw, to leave the two young wrestlers in pools of blood. Whether this match was planned to pan out like this or not is something we may never know, but The American Gangstas likely rethought their life choices after this fateful night with the Original Gangsta.
5. The Danbury Fall Incident – ECW Living Dangerously (2000)
In 2000, New Jack faced Vic Grimes at ECW’s Living Dangerously PPV. During the match, a planned spot went awry after Vic Grimes got cold feet during a balcony jump onto some tables. New Jack decided that the spot was to go ahead and pulled Vic Grimes off the balcony. Unfortunately, Grimes landed on top of New Jack’s head, cracking his skull on the concrete floor, causing brain fluid to ooze from his nose and permanent blindness in one of his eyes. This injury left New Jack out of action for nearly a year, during which Vic Grimes failed to check on him and even bragged about injuring him. As you’ll see later in this list, that wasn’t a smart move by Vic Grimes.
4. Vs William Jason Lane – Thunder Wrestling Federation (2004)
In 2004, once again in Florida, New Jack found himself in hot water and facing an attempted murder charge after a match with William Jason Lane. At the start of the match, Lane “stiffed” New Jack, including headbutting him in the nose. This angered New Jack, who proceeded to pull out a blade from his pocket and stab Lane multiple times. The charges were eventually dropped after New Jack agreed to take their “feud” on the road and capitalize on its notoriety. It turned out that New Jack just humored Lane to get the charges dropped, swiftly leaving Florida upon release.
3. Vs Gypsy Joe – Independent Show (2003)
In 2003, New Jack faced veteran hardcore wrestler Gypsy Joe at an independent show. During the opening moments of the match, Gypsy Joe no-sold Jack’s offense. As expected, New Jack wasn’t happy about this and decided to test how hardcore Gypsy Joe really was. To his credit, the 69-year-old took a beating from New Jack, being thrown into chairs and even hit over the head with a baseball bat. Eventually, the match was stopped, and it became infamous amongst wrestling fans, still talked about today.
2. Vs Vic Grime In A Scaffold Match – XPW (2002)
Remember when Vic Grimes injured New Jack and then bragged about it? Well, this is what happened to Vic Grimes. Following the closure of ECW in 2001, both wrestlers signed to XPW, and in 2002, they were set to face each other in a scaffold match. A scaffold match sees scaffolding built above the ring, often at heights of 20-40 feet. Underneath the scaffolding were 12 tables stacked on top of each other in the ring. During the match, both wrestlers climbed on top of the scaffolding, approximately 30-40 feet in the air. New Jack pulled out a taser and used it on Vic Grimes, causing him to be unable to move. He then proceeded to throw Grimes off the scaffolding, missing all but one of the tables before hitting the ropes and bouncing back into the ring, breaking his ankle. New Jack claims his plan was to throw him far enough that he’d miss the tables completely and land either on the turnbuckle or the concrete floor below, potentially resulting in Vic Grimes’ death.
When it comes to New Jack, it’s hard to know whether he did, in fact, intend to kill Vic Grimes, but we wouldn’t be surprised if he did.
1. The Mass Transit Incident – ECW (1996)
The names New Jack and Mass Transit will forever be intertwined, and probably not for the best reason. At an ECW house show, New Jack and Mustafa, also known as The Gangstas, were set to face D-Von Dudley and Axl Rotten in a tag team match. For an unknown reason, Axl Rotten was unable to attend the show. A young wannabe wrestler named Erich Kulas attended the show and managed to get himself put on the card. After lying about his age and experience (he was a 17-year-old with no experience), he was added to the match in Axl Rotten’s place.
During the match, New Jack went to town on Kulas, using a scalper to cut him open, or blade him, which caused an excessive amount of blood to pour from the deep wound. Eventually, New Jack was arrested and stood trial for the assault but was ultimately acquitted of the charges. A few years later, Erich Kulas sadly died from complications caused by gastric bypass surgery.
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