Jason Cross
{{short description|American professional wrestler|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{For|the fictional character|Jason Cross (High School Musical)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox professional wrestler
|name = Jason Cross
|birth_name = William Jason Massengale
|image =
|caption =
|height = 6 ft 1 in
|weight = 227 lb
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|6|13}}
|birth_place = Macon, Georgia, U.S.
|billed = Gainesville, Georgia, U.S.
|trainer = John Phoenix
Roger Ruffen
|debut = 1998{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=333|title=Cagematch profile}}
}}
William Jason Massengale (born June 13, 1979) is an American professional wrestler,ring name, Jason Cross. He is best known for his appearances with NWA Total Nonstop Action and NWA Wildside in the 2000s.
Professional wrestling career
=NWA Wildside (2002–2005)=
After training under his childhood friend, mentor, and perpetual superior John Phoenix (alias John Couch), Massengale made his professional wrestling debut with a local promotion in 1998 at Walter B. Williams Gymnasium in Milledgeville, GA. Jason Cross later appeared in NWA Wildside in mid-2001 where he, Adam Jacobs, John Phoenix and Prince Justice defeated A.J. Styles, Onyx, Air Paris and Stone Mountain.{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=333&view=matches&gimmick=&jahr=&liga=®ion=&art=&Start=51#matches|title=Cross' matches at Cagematch}} Soon after his debut in Wildside, Cross became a heel and was managed by Jeff G. Bailey, Styles' former manager. Cross' gimmick was that of a "clone" of Styles, in which Cross copied him in every aspect, except wrestling ability and charisma, such as attire and wrestling moves. After David Young defeated Styles for the Heavyweight Title, Cross left Bailey and became a face before beginning a feud with Young over the championship. Three months later, he defeated Young for the championship on June 1, 2002. Cross held the title just under a month before losing it to Adam Jacobs. After losing to Jeremy V in a match for the vacant Television Championship on August 27, 2004,{{cite web|url=http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/video_reviews/62375|title=The Magnus Analysis - NWA Wildside TV 8/27/2004}} Cross began feuding with Onyx over the Heavyweight Championship after Onyx won the title. On September 4, 2004, Cross defeated Onyx for his second and final Heavyweight Championship. Cross held the title for exactly one month before losing it to Ray Gordy and remained within NWA Wildside until its closure in 2005.
=NWA Total Nonstop Action (2002–2004)=
In addition to wrestling for NWA Wildside, Cross also began competing for NWA Total Nonstop Action. On January 15, 2003, Cross suffered a broken hand and a crushed knuckle in a losing effort against David Young. However, he recovered soon afterwards and he began appearing regularly in TNA as a part of its X Division. On February 26, Cross wrestled then-X Division Champion Kid Kash in a match for the title, which Cross lost. After this, he wrestled in a few more matches sparingly throughout 2003. On August 11, 2004 at a weekly pay-per-view, Cross wrestled in a 22-man gauntlet match for the X Division Title, but was the sixth competitor eliminated as Petey Williams would go on to win the match and the title.{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=333&view=matches#matches|title=Second page of Cross' matches at Cagematch}} He then wrestled in a few six-man tag team matches before competing in a 20-man gauntlet match at TNA's first-ever official pay-per-view event, Victory Road, which he lost.
=Independent circuit (2005–2008, 2013)=
After leaving TNA, Massengale began wrestling for various independent promotions in his home state of Georgia including Georgia Championship Wrestling, Dropkick Pro Wrestling, the Independent Wrestling Network and Rampage Pro Wrestling.
Personal life
Championships and accomplishments
- Georgia Championship Wrestling1
- GCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time){{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/gcw/gcw-h.html|title=GCW Heavyweight Championship history}}
- GCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with John Bogey{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/gcw/gcw-t.html|title=GCW Tag Team Championship history}}
- GCW Television Championship (2 times){{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/gcw/gcw-tv.html|title=GCW Interstate Heavyweight Championship history}}
- GCW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship (3 times){{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/gcw/gcw-us-j.html|title=GCW United States Junior Heavyweight Championship history}}
- New Alliance Wrestling
- NAW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time){{cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/j/jason-cross.html|title=OWOW profile|publisher=Online World of Wrestling}}
- NWA Wildside
- NWA Wildside Heavyweight Championship (2 times){{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/ga-h.html#revived|title=NWA Wildside Heavyweight Championship history}}
- Northern Wrestling Federation
- NWF Tri-State Championship (1 time)
- NWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Nick Rivers
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #246 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=333&view=awards#awards|title=Awards}}
1This Georgia-based promotion, which was eventually renamed Great Championship Wrestling, has no connection to the Georgia Championship Wrestling that was a prominent NWA affiliate until it was purchased by Jim Crockett Promotions in 1985.
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- {{Professional wrestling profiles|cagematch=333|wrestlingdata=1366|iwd=jason-cross-838}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Jason}}
Category:American male professional wrestlers
Category:Professional wrestlers from Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers
Category:20th-century American professional wrestlers
Category:21st-century male professional wrestlers