Cryme Tyme
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cryme Tyme | |
|---|---|
| Tag team | |
| Members | JTG Shad Gaspard |
| Name(s) | The Gang Stars Cryme Tyme |
| Heights | Shad[1]: 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) JTG[2]: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Combined weight | 530 lb (241 kg)[2][1] |
| Debuted | 2006 |
| Promotions | OVW WWE |
Cryme Tyme is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of JTG[2] and Shad Gaspard[1]. They are currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on the RAW brand. Their gimmick is a parody of stereotypical black street thugs[2][1].
Contents |
[edit] History
Shad Gaspard & The Neighborhoodie (JTG) first began teaming in the summer of 2006 in WWE "developmental territory" Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW)[3]. They originally simply went under their ring names before adopting the team name "The Gang Stars".[4] In OVW they captured the Southern Tag Team Titles in May of 2006 by defeating Roadkill and Kasey James[5], holding them for two months before losing them to CM Punk and Seth Skyfire[6].
In late 2006 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promoted The Gangs Stars to the main RAW brand, billing them as Cryme Tyme and having them work house shows and dark matches. On the September 4th edition of RAW vignettes began airing to hype the debut of the team, now officially dubbed Cryme Tyme, as "training" for their upcoming debut on the show.[7]
Before the vignettes aired WWE placed a statement on their website, WWE.com, stating[8]:
| “ | Tonight a new tag team, Cryme Tyme, will be introduced to the RAW audience. In an effort to humor and entertain our fans the tag team known as Cryme Tyme will be parodying racial stereotypes.
Shad Gaspard and JTG do outlandish, outrageous "stunts" to ready themselves for tag team action on RAW. This attempt at Saturday Night Live-like humor is bound to entertain audiences of all ethnic derivations. We hope you enjoy the weekly adventures of Cryme Tyme. |
” |
The vignettes, which aired weekly, featured Cryme Tyme robbing people while an (overly and stereotypically uncool "classic white man" sounding) announcer dubbed their actions "training exercises" designed to work on things like "speed", "agility", "drive", "endurance", and "intensity". view
Cryme Tyme wrestled as faces in their house show and dark matches and made their television debut as such on the October 16, 2006 edition of RAW with a win over Johnny and Mikey of the Spirit Squad[9].
After arriving on RAW they began (kayfabe) covertly stealing things -- such as Jerry Lawler's laptop, and a plasma screen TV[10] -- during interviews and while celebrating wins with the commentary team.
On November 5, 2006, Cryme Tyme made their pay-per-view debut at Cyber Sunday, defeating Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, The Highlanders (Rory and Robbie McAllister), and Charlie Haas & Viscera in a four team (eight man) tornado match.[11]
On the November 27th edition of RAW, they were featured in a segment that parodied Michael Richards's "Laugh Factory incident".[12] In the skit, a wrestler (Nick Berk) acting as a stand in for Richards recreated the scene of the incident by using the same racial slurs and insults until Cryme Tyme confronted him on stage. Nervous, he offered an apology, but Gaspard kicked him in the head. JTG then made a Seinfeld like joke, saying "What's the deal with the Bloods and the Crips? Can't they all just get along?". This event was reported by quite a few media outlets[citation needed] and was the beginning of a series of vignettes and skits featuring Cryme Tyme interacting with different, unexpected, audiences[13][14]
Around the same time they began a program with the reuniting World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas), during which Benjamin began to express disgust with Cryme Tymes antics, calling them offensive and harmful to the black community.[15] During the storyline Charlie Haas started "acting black", but after the World's Greatest Tag Team handed Cryme Tyme their first loss on the January 29, 2007 RAW[16] the program was seemingly dropped, with Cryme Tyme being sent to wrestle on HEAT, only appearing on RAW in backstage segments.
[edit] Finishing and signature maneuvers
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d WWE.com Superstars > Raw > Shad > Profile. Retrieved on April 6, 2007.
- ^ a b c d WWE.com Superstars > Raw > JTG > Profile. Retrieved on April 6, 2007.
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - OVW results for 2006. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “February 1 - Club Life b The Neighborhoodies in the amateur showcase dark match with dual 450 splashes.”
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling profile. Retrieved on April 6, 2007.
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - OVW results for 2006. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “May 24 - Shad Gaspar[d] & The Neighborhoodie b Amish Roadkill & Kasey James to win the Tag Team titles”
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - OVW results for 2006. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “July 28 - C.M. Punk & Seth Skyfire b Shad Gaspard & Neighborhoodie to win the Tag Team titles”
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - September 4 RAW results. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “VIGNETTE: A new tag team known as Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard & JTG [aka The Neighborhoodie]) robbing a smoothie store.”
- ^ WWE.com TV Shows > Raw > Archive > 09/04/2006 > Cryme Tyme debuts on RAW. Retrieved on April 6, 2007.
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - October 16, 2006 RAW results. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “NON (TAG) TITLE MATCH: Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard & JTG) defeated The Spirit Squad (Johnny & Mikey).”
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - October 30, 2006 RAW results. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “INTERVIEW: Todd Grisham & Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard stole a backstage monitor while JTG distracted Grisham).”
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling Cyber Sunday 2006 results. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “TEXAS TORNADO MATCH: Cryme Tyme defeated Cade & Murdoch and Charlie Haas & Viscera and The Highlanders!”
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - November 27, 2006 RAW results. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “VIGNETTE: Cryme Tyme beat up a comedian (Nick Berk) on stage and stole his wallet (a spoof on Michael Richards).”
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - December 4, 2006 RAW results. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “VIGNETTE: Cryme Tyme went to a retirement home to spread some cheer”
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - December 18, 2006 RAW results. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “IN THE RING: Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard & JTG) + President George W. Bush.”.
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - December 4, 2006 RAW results. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “Shelton Benjamin came in and said Cryme Tyme was perpetrating a bad stereotype and that he didn't find it funny.”
- ^ Obsessed with Wrestling - January 29, 2007 RAW results. Retrieved on April 6, 2007. “TAG MATCH: World's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin) beat Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard & JTG).”
