New Jack is one of the most storied ECW wrestlers in history. The legend of New Jack featured stories of him doing controversial actions that sometimes crossed the line. A recent episode of Dark Side of the Ring saw the life and career of New Jack viewed in depth. The ECW run along with his start and later life were explored.
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There are many interesting things fans should know about the hardcore legend. Despite never making it to WWE or WCW, New Jack had a reputation for always standing out for better or worse. The fascinating career is one worth exploring and keeping track of. Even his biggest fans can learn something new about his life. Find out just what makes New Jack such a noteworthy legend in wrestling.
10 First wrestler to have his entrance song played throughout match
New Jack had a fun appeal to his matches of having his entrance music played throughout his entire match. ECW would use the song “Natural Born Killaz” by Ice Cube and Dr. Dre to the delight of the fan base since it added a new dynamic.
The song replayed as New Jack hit his opponent with various weapons ranging from common items like tables and chairs to stranger ones like computer keyboards and golf clubs. WWE, unfortunately, had to use a new to replace it on the WWE Network broadcasts of ECW shows.
9 Appeared on The Daily Show
Comedy Central utilized New Jack on a show no one could have ever expected. New Jack appeared on the comedic political show The Daily Show hosted by Jon Stewart at the time. The “Stay Out of School” parody saw New Jack and fellow indie wrestler Jay Lover trying to talk kids out of higher education.
New Jack attempted to intimidate the children in a classroom in a humorous fashion. It was a rare instance of New Jack getting selected to appear on a popular national show. No one could have predicted New Jack providing entertainment on The Daily Show.
8 Worked for TNA
New Jack had a few appearances for TNA that are barely remembered. TNA tried to hire enough former ECW wrestlers to create a faction in the early years. Raven led the group with names like Perry Saturn, The Sandman and even New Jack.
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The ECW guys feuded with Jeff Jarrett and the traditionalists on the roster. New Jack would stop working with TNA shortly after the group ended, but he returned years later. The tag team of Mustafa and New Jack attacked the Dudley Boyz at the ECW reunion show titled Hardcore Justice.
7 Huge draw on the shoot interview scene
Shoot interviews became popular in the early 2000s when WCW and ECW went out of business. Fans wanted as much information as possible from wrestlers to spend time in both companies and WWE. Certain wrestlers like Honky Tonk Man and Iron Sheik became top draws in that market.
New Jack also thrived in that world since he had no filter and loved to reveal all the inside information in entertaining fashion. There were dozens of shoot interviews filmed with New Jack answering questions about his experiences in ECW and other promotions.
6 D'Lo Brown was his bodyguard in SMW
Jim Cornette’s Smoky Mountain Wrestling allowed New Jack and others to get their start in a relevant promotion. D’Lo Brown was another talent to start off there and had a chance to work with New Jack. The Gangstas of New Jack and Mustafa introduced D’Lo as the head of their security staff.
This role helped Brown eventually get signed by WWE to have a similar role in the Nation of Domination faction. Brown branched out and eventually had a more successful career than New Jack since he won a few titles in WWE.
5 Dated Terri Runnels
Terri Runnels and New Jack became an all-time strange wrestling couple that no one could have predicted. The two met after appearing together at various independent wrestling shows and conventions.
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New Jack and Terri started becoming a packaged item on shows. Runnels bladed at one point to sport a crimson mask of blood dripping down her face in a New Jack match. The relationship ended poorly when Terri threatened to get the law involved when New Jack was allegedly selling her nude pictures.
4 Had heat with the Dudleyz
The rivalry between the Dudley Boyz and the Gangstas became one of the top tag team feuds in ECW history. Fans loved New Jack and Mustafa and rooted for them to defeat the hated Bubba Ray and D-Von, especially after their heel promos.
New Jack had issues with the Dudley Boyz for many years. Shoot interviews saw him having many bold comments threatening to fight Bubba Ray and D-Von. The negative reputation for Bubba being a bully backstage saw New Jack wanting to be one to stand up to him.
3 Weezer referenced him in a popular song
One of the strangest crossover references in wrestling history saw New Jack mentioned in a Weezer song. The alt-rock band had a standout song titled “El Scorcho” on the popular Pinkerton album with a lyric referencing an ECW match.
Rivers Cuomo sang the line of “watching Grunge leg drop New Jack through a press table” when referencing a tag match between the Gangstas and Public Enemy. An AMA on Reddit saw Rivers reveal he did not watch ECW, but it was referenced in a classmate’s essay at Harvard.
2 Never won a singles title in ECW
New Jack never winning a singles title in ECW is shocking since he was one of the most popular wrestlers in company history. The only championship won by New Jack was the ECW Tag Team Championship with Mustafa and John Kronus as his tag partners.
ECW utilized New Jack as an attraction wrestler during his singles run. New Jack didn’t need the title to get popularity like other wrestlers to benefit from winning gold. It still would have been fun for fans to see their favorite winning the gold in a career-defining moment.
1 Was rumored to have a feud with John Cena
WWE never signed New Jack to a contract due to the controversy and risks associated with having him on the roster. There was one strong report of New Jack having a chance to join the company in a memorable storyline.
New Jack was rumored to join Carlito as the one stabbing John Cena in a night club since he struck fear into others with his actions. WWE went another direction and had the forgettable wrestler Jesus in the role. Most fans would have been significantly more invested in the angle with New Jack in the role instead.
