The Wrestling Newsgroup

The tide has turned for Tommy "Crimson" Mercer.

Mercer has quickly risen up the ranks since signing with Impact Wrestling six months ago. His biggest match to date comes Sunday against Samoa Joe on the "Slammiversary" pay-per-view show emanating from Orlando, Fla.

Such success marks quite a difference from last December, when Mercer was seriously debating how much longer he wanted to continue pursuing a pro-wrestling career. The 26-year-old received his big break after a strong performance at an Impact "gut check" tryout camp led to a contract.

"I knew going into the 'gut check' that it was looking good for me, but I didn't expect to be thrown in the mix right away," said Mercer, who had wrestled two Impact tryout matches in the previous four months. "I'm glad it did work out that way. I had worked on the independent (wrestling) scene for a while. In my mind, I was done with it. I was ready for more."

Mercer proved he was ready during his debut on Impact Wrestling's weekly television show (9 p.m. EDT Thursdays, Spike TV). He was the surprise opponent for Jeff Jarrett, who had "injured" Mercer's storyline brother, The Amazing Red, during a mixed-martial-arts challenge.

Jarrett thought he would be facing another 5-foot-6, 160-pound lightweight like Red. Instead, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Crimson appeared. He jostled Jarrett before the latter was pulled to safety by his bodyguards.

"That was huge," Mercer said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "I couldn't be more thankful for being able to work with Jeff right off the bat. He is so hated by the fans. They see him picking on Red and beating him up, then here comes his baby brother who's jacked and ready to fight. The fans instantly fell in love with it and got behind me mainly because, in all honesty, it was Jeff. He gets so much (crowd) heat. It just told an amazing story."

Here is Mercer's life story in a nutshell: Raised in a single-parent home with two younger brothers in the Cleveland area, Mercer couldn't afford college, so he joined the Army for its GI Bill. Mercer served two tours of Iraq during his five years of duty.

"Fighting a war has a different effect on everybody," Mercer said. "It all depends on how strong a will you have. I've seen war tear people apart inside mentally and things like that. It didn't break me down or tear me up physically, but it made me realize that I was doing something honorable and I was meant to be there. My life had meaning to help people who needed it."

When his military duty ended, Mercer decided to chase a childhood dream of becoming a pro wrestler while also pursuing a business degree at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn. Mercer now finds himself on the same Impact shows as one of his idols -- Hulk Hogan.

"I didn't have a father figure in my life, so as a kid, pro wrestling was it," said Mercer, whose pro debut came in 2007. "I would watch a larger-than-life star like Hulk Hogan tell me to say my prayers and eat my vitamins on TV every week. Someone like him and other stars back then were people I could look up to."

Judging by his strong start in Impact, another generation of young wrestling fans may someday be doing the same with Mercer.

"Even veterans will tell you they still learn things on a daily basis," Mercer said. "I'm so fresh in the business that I do think I have unlimited potential. But this goes back to the military: I don't have an ego. I want to learn and progress and be the best I can possibly be. I will listen to people and do whatever I have to do to get there."

Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle and Sting vs. Mr. Anderson headline the "Slammiversary" card. Newly named Impact figurehead commissioner Mick Foley will not appear, as he has legitimately left the company because of "creative differences" with management. For more information on "Slammiversary," visit www.impactwrestling.com.

(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro-wrestling column for Scripps Howard News Service. Contact him at alex1marv(at)aol.com or follow him via Twitter at http://twitter.com/alexmarvez.)