Current wrestling fans might know JTG as a performer with the NWA, where he has appeared since 2021. Older fans might remember his run alongside the late Shad Gaspard from WWE, which ended in the pair’s release in 2007. Many fans were surprised at their departure from the company, especially considering how popular they were. JTG seems to agree with that sentiment, and he spoke about it recently on Wrestling with Rip Rogers.
The real-life Jayson Anthony Paul shared some anecdotes about his time with the Fed in the run-up to his release in August 2007. He said, “We didn’t even make it a year yet. There was a rib that was pulled on us in the ring, and Shad and I didn’t respond accordingly, professionally. In OVW, our ring etiquette was whatever you got going on backstage, you don’t let it spill into the ring, you keep it professional. That really pissed off Shad, especially coming from OVW. We don’t take liberties with each other, we don’t put our jobs in jeopardy.” This was in reference to the team’s time in Ohio Valley Wrestling, where they were two-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champions.
It was during this time that JTG and Gaspard (now known as Cryme Tyme on WWE’s main roster) were feuding with Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. A bit of backstage conflict spilled over into the ring one night on RAW, and JTG insinuated that the referee was involved because the ref counted him out and this led to an off-script loss.
He continued: “That made Shad pissed and he took it out on the ref. I joined in on it and then Shad took it a little too far, took the ref’s belt off, and auctioned [it] out to the crowd. We were still in character, but we were off-script. Then we got to the back, he [Shad] got chastised by Barry Wyndham at the time. After that, we got ridiculed by John Cena in front of the locker room, and then on the ride to the next show, we got a good tongue-lashing from John Laurinaitis, and then the next day, we were fired. My mind was blown, that was the longest ride home. During that ride, I was just going through my head like, ‘I worked this hard just to get released because of a prank, some bulls***?'”
You can watch the video in its entirety below:
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