Jeremy Barron (born September 25, 1976), better known by the ring name Dr. Reginald Heresy, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, manager, promoter, and trainer. A mainstay of the New England independent circuit, Barron has wrestled in the East Coast, Midwestern, and Southeastern United States since his debut in 1996.
Barron started his professional wrestling career in Power League Wrestling (PLW), where he held the PLW Heavyweight Championship two times and the New England Championship once. From 1997 to 2001, he was part of Mind Over Matter with Don Juan DeSanto, winning tag team titles in several Northeastern promotions, until DeSanto's retirement. Barron was also a top star in the Eastern Wrestling Alliance winning the EWA Heavyweight Championship and the EWA Tag Team Championship (with Maverick Wild as the "New" Mind Over Matter). He and Wild were co-owners of the EWA for a brief period. Barron has also wrestled for Assault Championship Wrestling, Chaotic Wrestling, Front Row Wrestling, New England Championship Wrestling, Northeast Championship Wrestling, PWF Northeast, and Yankee Pro Wrestling.
During the early-2000s, Barron gained national attention for his work in IPW Hardcore and NWA Wildside in addition to stints in Jersey All Pro Wrestling, National Wrestling League and Phoenix Championship Wrestling. Barron also made a one-time appearance with other New England indy stars in NWA: Total Nonstop Action. In 2010, he was inducted into the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Early life Barron was born in Canada. He attended Rutgers University for a year before transferring to Clark University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in sociology. After moving back to his home state, Barron found employment in the human services industry. He eventually became a manager for a company that provides support for developmentally delayed adults.
Professional wrestling career
Early career Barron was first exposed to independent wrestling while a student at Rutgers. He became friends with a classmate, future Jersey All Pro Wrestling star Rick Silver, though the rec.sport.pro-wrestling mailing list. Barron actively became involved in the business after returning to Massachusetts when a co-worker agreed to fill in for another wrestler on a local indy promotion. He spent a year as a manager on the local independent circuit before eventually deciding to become an in-ring performer. It was during this period that Barron developed the in-ring persona of Dr. Reginald Heresy, a sinister psychologist from the Bethesda Naval Hospital. He started working out 3 to 4 days a week at Unified Championship Wrestling's training center in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Barron described the training as "very rough" and students practiced in a boxing ring for sparring rather than a traditional wrestling ring.
Power League Wrestling (1996–2000) On November 23, 1997, Barron made his pro debut against El Chubracabra at Power League Wrestling's annual "Power House Brawl". Initially appearing as the psychiatrist of John 3:16 (who later changed his identity to Don Juan de Santo), Dr. Heresy established himself as a formidable wrestler in his own right. The two men were recruited by the Apocalypse Throng then including Maniacal Mark and manager Aristotle. On January 18, 1998, Heresy joined Apocalypse Throng members John 3:16 and Maniacal Mark against New Era Pro (T.J. Richter, Vertabreaker and Derik Destiny) at PLW's "Six-Man Struggle 1998". Heresy was the first man eliminated, however, Apocalypse Throng ended up winning the match with John 3:16 as the team's sole survivor. At Power-Fest 98, Heresy took part in a 12-man battle royal. He lasted 6 minutes and 30 seconds before being eliminated by Exterminator. Heresy met Exterminator's tag team partner Sub-Zero at the PLW benefit show "Slammin' for Zachary" in Manville, Rhode Island on June 13, 1998 (Sub-Zero pinned Heresy by using a clipboard Don Juan de Santo had tossed to his partner). He defeated Scott Thomas at "Power-House Brawl 1998". Later on, Heresy was the sixth entrant in the Power-House Brawl match and was eventually eliminated by Exterminator and Sub-Zero.
On January 23, 1999, Heresy received his first title shot in PLW against Troy Young for the PLW New England Championship. Two weeks later, he substituted for Maniacal Mark in a PLW Tag Team Championship title defense against The Pillars of Power (Exterminator and Sub-Zero), which Heresy and Don Juan de Santo lost. Heresy and Don Juan de Santo would later meet Sub-Zero at Six-Man Struggle 1999 where the "Apocalypse Throng" faced the "Flawless Foundation". Heresy pinned both Scott Thomas and Steamroller to win the match (Sub-Zero was eliminated via count-out). On May 16, Heresy won the vacant PLW New England Championship, his first title in PLW, by defeating T.J. Richter in a tournament final at "Power-Fest 1999". After a five-month title reign, he lost the title to Draven in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on October 9. On November 13, 1999, Heresy and Don Juan DeSanto traveled to State College, Pennsylvania where they lost to Fumar and Rick Silver in a match to crown the Nittany Wrestling Federation's first tag team champions.
Heresy suffered a series of concussions in January 2000. He considered retirement but decided to take three months off to recover from his injuries. At Power-Fest 2000, Heresy teamed with Joe Rules to defeat Rick Silver and Chris Venom. On June 16, he unsuccessfully challenged Don Juan de Santo in a match for the PLW Heavyweight Championship. Heresy won the title from de Santo in a Triple Threat match with Chris Venom at the "Jalen Noon-Coulbourn Benefit Show" in Providence three months later. Heresy's first heavyweight championship reign lasted for well over a year.
Independent circuit (2000–2001) Heresy also wrestled for other New England–based promotions while working for PLW including Big East Wrestling, Mayhem Independent Wrestling, Northeast Championship Wrestling, Primal Conflict Wrestling, PWF Northeast, and the United Wrestling Federation. Heresy also wrestled for South Coast Championship Wrestling in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He won the promotion's heavyweight championship from Iron Fist on June 9, 2000. Two days later, Heresy took on Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. He traded the belt with Johnny Angel over the summer before losing the title to Don Juan DeSanto in Fall River, Massachusetts six months later. In the fall of 2000, he wrestled at several shows for Main Event Wrestling in St. Albans, Vermont. Among these was an interpromotional event with the New England Wrestling Federation, a longtime regional indy promotion, that served as the NEWF's farewell show. Heresy wrestled Mike Paiva on the undercard; his opponent later called this bout as the toughest match of his career. On October 7, 2000, Heresy and de Santo wrestled WWE Hall of Fameer King Kong Bundy in a handicap match.
On January 26, 2001, Mind and Matter were eliminated by Damian Houston and Steve Ramsey in a qualifying match for the EWA Tag Team Championship. The winning team was to earn a spot in a Triple Threat match against then champions Adam Hastey and Alexander Worthington III. The following night, Heresy returned to SCCW for a house show in Pembroke, Massachusetts where he wrestled Tatanka in the double main event. Don Juan DeSanto retired that same year and Heresy formed the "New" Mind and Matter with Adam Booker. He and Booker were defeated by DeSanto and Mad Dog at a PLW show in Cranston, Rhode Island on April 29. On July 14, Heresy was awarded the SCCW Heavyweight Championship when Booker, his tag team partner and then reigning champion, was unable to arrive for a scheduled title defense in Stoughton, Massachusetts against Johnny Angel. The title match went forward as planned with Heresy dropping the title to Johnny Angel. Heresy helped Booker regain the title when they defeated Angel and Ariel in Fall River a week later.
The Journeyman Years (2001–2002)
After befriending Chris Hamrick in June 2001, Heresy was encouraged to begin competing outside the New England region. In his first six months, Heresy appeared for the East Coast Wrestling Alliance and Nittany Valley Wrestling in Pennsylvania, NWA Wildside in Georgia, and In Your Face Pro Wrestling in West Virginia. He soon became a regular for Ron Niemi's IPW Hardcore promotion in St. Petersburg, Florida. Although typically a "heel performer" in New England, Heresy wrestled as a fan favorite in Florida.
On February 23, 2002, Heresy defeated Jeff Bradley at "IPW Reborn" for the IPW Television Championship. He remained champion for almost four months before losing the belt to Rod Steel. The Blue Meanie served as a special guest referee. He also signed an exclusive contract with New Era Pro Wrestling based in eastern Ohio in April 2002 where he teamed with both Booker and Chi Chi Cruz. In June 2002, Heresy and Chi Chi Cruz wrestled Chris Hamrick and Jerry Lynn in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Heresy later called this his favorite match of the year. Later that month, Heresy wrestled Eric Justice at the PCW Arena in Toms River, New Jersey. Heresy spent as much as three to four days driving across the country to an event compared to the average 7–8 hour driving time for New England indy workers.
Return to New England (2002) With the extra time spent traveling across the country, Heresy limited his New England appearances to a few select promotions. In November 2001, Heresy represented the EWA at the "Headlocks for Humanity" show in Somerville, Massachusetts. The event was a fundraiser for the American Red Cross following the September 11th terrorist attacks and co-hosted by eight New England promotions including Chaotic Wrestling, New England Championship Wrestling, NWA New England and Yankee Pro Wrestling. Heresy joined Stefan Ramsey and Frankie Armadillo in a six-man tag team match against Adam Booker, Damian Houston and Brian Black. At Power-Fest 2002, Heresy won the vacant PLW Heavyweight Championship by defeating Johnny Curtis, Derik Destiny, Kid Krazy, Manical Mark, Kenn Phoenix, Shane Simons and Don Vega in a Pier 8 Brawl match. The show raised money for the construction of a permanent 9/11 memorial at the Rhode Island State House. Heresy remained champion for two years.
Heresy also debuted in the Eastern Wrestling Alliance, based in Portland, Maine, where he battled wrestlers such as Damian Houston, Kid Krazy and Antonio Thomas. He and Thomas were among the EWA wrestlers profiled by The Portland Phoenix in August 2002. It was there that he formed a third version of Mind Over Matter with Maverick Wild and won the promotion's tag team championship. That same year, Heresy was one of the EWA stars who appeared in the 2002 documentary "Don't Stop Believing" where he discussed some of the personal sacrifices he has made due to his pro wrestling career. Heresy took a few weeks off during the summer before returning to action. In September 2002, Heresy and Adam Booker lost to Adam Hastey and Kid Krazy at Green Mountain Wrestling's "Unlikely Alliances".
NWA: Total Nonstop Action (2002)