Shad Gaspard

Shad Gaspard (January 13, 1981 – May 17, 2020) was an American professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his time with WWE, where he teamed with his partner JTG as a member of Cryme Tyme under his real name.
Since departing WWE in 2010, Gaspard has pursued an acting career that has included several roles in films and television series like Think Like a Man Too, Get Hard, The Game, and From Dusk till Dawn: The Series. He is also the co-creator of the graphic novel Assassin & Son.
==Early life and Career==
Shad is the son of Ben Gaspard, a former street enforcer for street gangs and personal security guard in the early 1970s, who now owns McFay Contracting Inc. Shad is the third of six siblings.
At five years old Shad's father began training him in boxing and at age eight, he began training in a mixture of different martial arts. As a student, Shad loved to fight and quickly developed into an aggressive fighter, winning many fights as an amateur. His mother gave him the nickname "Beast" as a result of his aggressiveness. At the age of sixteen, Shad began prize fighting for promoter Hardbody Harrison, a former World Championship Wrestling wrestler and FX Tough Man Champion, in bar fighting tournaments such as boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), and tough man competitions. Even though Shad was only sixteen years old, he competed against adults who were older than he was by five to twenty years. Gaspard holds won-loss records as a No Holds Barred fighter (35-7) and an amateur boxer (57-26).
Gaspard was extensively involved in athletics during his high school years, specializing in wrestling, track, and basketball. After high school, he continued to play basketball at Georgia Perimeter College, and after leaving, he became a bodyguard for several rappers and actors, including pop star Britney Spears, Puff Daddy, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Mike Tyson.
==Pro Wrestling Career==
===World Wrestling Entertainment (2006–2007)===
====Tough Enough and Ohio Valley Wrestling (2002-2006)====
Gaspard then decided to become a professional wrestler. He qualified for the finals of the reality television program Tough Enough 2 in 2002, but was disqualified and replaced after failing a physical.
After Tough Enough, Gaspard was recruited by WWF talent scout Tom Prichard and allowed to attempt a career as a professional wrestler. He first trained with Sgt. Dewayne Bruce from the WCW Power Plant for six months. Afterwards, he attended Prichard's first Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) "training camp", after which he was offered an opportunity to return to train full-time.
Gaspard debuted in OVW in 2003 under the ring name "Da Beast", eventually joining Kenny Bolin's Bolin Services stable. Originally, he acted as Bolin's personal enforcer, until he was placed into a tag team with Carlos Colón, Jr. in February 2004.
After Colón left OVW in October 2004, Gaspard left "Bolin Services" and formed several short lived tag teams with Osama,Mike Mondo, Ken Doane, and Ryan Wilson, before he began wrestling under his real name as a singles wrestler. In June 2005, he was signed to a developmental contract by World Wrestling Entertainment.
====Cryme Tyme and departure (2006-2007)====
In early 2006, during his feud in OVW with CM Punk, Gaspard was joined by the Neighborhoodie and formed a new tag team known as "The Gang Stars". The new team won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship once, before they were called up to the WWE Raw brand roster as Cryme Tyme. On September 4, 2006, a series of vignettes began airing on Raw, hyping the debut of Cryme Tyme. On the October 16 edition of Raw, Cryme Tyme debuted and defeated then-World Tag Team Champions, the Spirit Squad (Mikey and Johnny) in a non-title match.
In November 2006, at Cyber Sunday, Cryme Tyme defeated Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, Charlie Haas and Viscera and The Highlanders in a Texas Tornado match (as voted by the fans). A few months later at the New Year's Revolution pay-per-view, Cryme Tyme won a Tag Team Turmoil Match against The Highlanders, The World's Greatest Tag Team, Cade and Murdoch, and Jim Duggan and Super Crazy, earning them a shot at the World Tag Team Championships. Later that year, at WrestleMania 23, Cryme Tyme made a cameo appearance and started a dance party with Eugene and some WWE Legends in the backstage area. In June 2007, on an episode of SmackDown!, Deuce 'N Domino (with Cherry) defeated Cryme Tyme in an inter-brand match tag match. While Deuce, Domino and Cherry celebrated their victory, Cryme Tyme appeared on the TitanTron and kayfabe stole their car, taking it to Brisco Brothers Auto Shop to sell it for parts chanting "Money, money, yeah, yeah". The next month, on July 22, 2007 The James Boys defeated Cryme Tyme to win back the OVW Southern Tag Team titles.
On August 13 Cryme Tyme returned to their hometown of New York City on an episode of Raw from Madison Square Garden, losing to then-World Tag Team Champions Cade and Murdoch in a non-title match by disqualification when Shad used a chair on Murdoch. On the August 27 edition of Raw, Cryme Tyme stole Murdoch's hat and gave it away to a fan. In the middle of the feud with Cade and Murdoch, on September 2, 2007, Gaspard (along with JTG) was released from his World Wrestling Entertainment contract. After his release, he performed on the independent circuit.
===Independent circuit (2007–2008)===
Gaspard, along with Paul wrestled at the Jersey All Pro Wrestling 10th Anniversary Show on October 27, 2007. Wrestling as "Crime Time", they defeated the "Dirty Rotten Scoundrelz".
===Return to World Wrestling Entertainment (2008–2010)===
====WWE Tag Team Championship pursuit (2008–2009)====
Shad and JTG returned to WWE on the March 31, 2008 edition of Raw, as Cryme Tyme where they defeated Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch in their first televised WWE match in nearly 6 months.
Cryme Tyme began working with John Cena on the June 30 edition of Raw when they helped him interfere during John "Bradshaw" Layfield's match. The following week, they again appeared together in a backstage segment when they vandalized JBL's limo to which JBL had Cena arrested.[18] After a house show match, Cena confirmed that they had created a faction and announced that it was called CTC, "Cryme Tyme Cenation". Cryme Tyme also started a feud with the World Tag Team Champions Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes, stealing their championship belts for a time, then losing a title match to them at the Unforgiven pay-per-view event.
====Feud with JTG and release (2009-2010)====
On April 15, 2009, Cryme Tyme were drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. He made his debut along with JTG, hosting a dance contest between Layla and Eve Torres. He and JTG made their in-ring debut as they teamed with John Morrison to defeat Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas and Ricky Ortiz. They earned a Unified Tag Team Title shot against Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) or SummerSlam after defeating The Hart Dynasty on the July 31 edition of SmackDown!. But at SummerSlam they lost the match after illegal partner The Big Show hit JTG in the face and Chris Jericho pinned him.
Cryme Tyme then competed in a 26-man Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXVI as Shad and JTG worked together and eliminated Luke Gallows with Shad eliminating JTG. Shad later eliminated himself after trying to take out William Regal who was eliminated by Finlay. A couple of days later, Cryme Tyme was defeated by R- Truth and John Morrison.
After the match, Shad turned heel by attacking JTG for not coming to his aid. When interviewed backstage, Shad told Josh Mathews that there will be no more Cryme Tyme and that this is his time. Shad kicked JTG after that. Shad tried to repeat that performance by doing it again after JTG beat Caylen Croft but failed. At Extreme Rules Shad lost to JTG in a Strap match but won his rematch on WWE Superstars. Soon after, Shad went on a hiatus from television and was sent to Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory.
Shad's last televised appearance for WWE saw him defeat a jobber named Jesse Guyver on the May 14, 2010 edition of SmackDown. Shad never returned to SmackDown as he and several other superstars (Luke Gallows, Caylen Croft, Vance Archer, Tiffany and Jillian Hall) were released from their contracts on November 19, 2010.
===Inoki Genome Federation===
In February 2011, Shad Gaspard signed with Japanese wrestling promotion IGF but he didn't make his debut for concern on his role at G.I. Joe: Retaliation, he was scheduled to make his debut at 2013.[24]
===Return to Independent Wrestling (2012-2020)===
Gaspard, wrestled at the NWA Pro on 2012.
It was announced on June 19, 2014 that Shad and JTG were looking for booking interests labeled now as the slightly altered "Crime Time".
==Other Media==
It was rumored that Shad was interested in a MMA career. On January 3, 2011, in an interview for Right After Wrestling, he dispelled this rumor.
Gaspard is an experienced Shakespearean theater actor and began pursuing an acting career in 2010. In May 2011 Gaspard filmed a part in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which is set for release in March 2013. In January 2012 he was advertised as appearing on BET television series The Game, the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit May 2012, as well as TV Land original situation comedy, The Exes in October 2012. He is also working on other upcoming films. Besides wrestling and acting, Gaspard also does modeling and works on a comic book.
==Personal life==
Gaspard was married to fitness model and athlete Siliana Gaspard. The couple had their first child, a boy, in April 2010.
On December 11, 2016, Gaspard prevented the armed robbery of a Coral Springs, Florida, gas station when he was approached by an intoxicated man who was intent on robbing the clerk. Gaspard shoved the man, took away his gun, and restrained him until police arrived.
===Legal troubles===
On March 5, 2011, Gaspard was arrested by police in Columbus, Ohio for having allegedly refused the commands of a police officer and then resisting arrest for jaywalking. He was later cleared of all charges in July 2011.
==Death==
On May 17, 2020, Gaspard and his son were among a group of swimmers caught in a strong rip current at Marina del Rey beach in Venice Beach, California. Gaspard's son was pulled from the water while Gaspard disappeared underwater. After searching 70 square nautical miles, the U.S Coast Guard suspended efforts to locate Gaspard. On May 20, 2020, his body was found washed up in Venice Beach, California, three days after he had gone missing and identified by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
==Wrestling facts==
*Finishing moves
**Recoil / Thugnificent / Shad Taking Over (STO)
*Signature moves
**Sidewalk slam
**Snake eyes
*Tag teams and stables
:*Cryme Tyme - with JTG
*Theme music
:*"In A Fix" (WWE)
:*"Bringin' Da Hood 2 U" as a part of Cryme Tyme (WWE)
==Championships and accomplishments==
*Ohio Valley Wrestling
:*OVW Southern Tag Team Champion (1 time) - with Neighborhoodie
*World Wrestling Entertainment
**Warrior Award 2022
==External links==
* Profile
Category:1981 births
Category:2003 debuts
Category:2020 deaths
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