Line #12 Wrestling/EricYoung


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxresdefault_32_1200x675.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The World Class Maniac]]
3	Jeremy Fritz (born December 15, 1979) is a Canadian {{professional wrestl\|ing}}er currently signed to Wrestling/ImpactWrestling under the ring name Eric Young.
4
5	He is best known for his 12-year tenure working for Impact under its former banner of TNA from 2004 to 2016, where he was a one-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, one-time X Division Champion, a three-time Legends/Global/Television/King of the Mountain Champion, and a four-time world tag team champion, having held the NWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Wrestling/BobbyRoode and the TNA World Tag Team Championship twice (once with [[Wrestling/FrankieKazarian Kaz]] and once with Wrestling/KevinNash and Wrestling/ScottHall under the Freebird Rule), and the only male to co-hold the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship, winning the title with female wrestler [[Wrestling/JessicaKresa ODB]]. He is also one of only four men to win TNA's Grand Slam Championship. All together, Young won 11 championships during his career in TNA, and is considered a "TNA Original".
6
7	In 2016 he signed with Wrestling/{{WWE}}, where he performed in their developmental territory [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]] as the leader of the Wrestling/{{Sanity}} stable. The stable would be called up to the ''Wrestling/WWESmackDown'' brand in 2017, but were all scattered and separately repackaged shortly thereafter, with Young serving as enhancement talent on the main roster. He was released in 2020 due to budget cuts related to the COVID-19 outbreak, and promptly returned to his former home at Impact to which he started a feud with Rich Swann for the World Championship after his loss in the main event of Slammiversary. Months later, he formed a faction with the returning Joe Doering and a newly minted (Cody) Deaner dubbed 'Violent By Design'.
8	----
9	!!"These Tropes doesn't belong to you. It belongs to us!":
10	* AffectionateParody: As "Super Eric", ⅓ of the Prince Justice Brotherhood with Curry Man and Wrestling/SharkBoy, of {{Superhero}}es.
11	* AxCrazy: His heel turn in 2015 saw him become much, ''much'' more violent than he used to be, and he stayed that way even when going to WWE — in fact he found himself a crew of maniac rejects just like him to join him on NXT. Ironically, Nikki Cross is so crazy ''Eric Young has tried to calm her down'' (think about the implications of ''that'' for a second) ''and got an elbow to the face for his trouble''.
12	* BeardOfEvil: Kept the large brown beard going after turning heel in 2015 and has also been purely insane since.
13	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Wanted to show Abyss and Joseph Park that they were really one in the same. [[GoneHorriblyRight It worked]]. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Too well]].
14	* BigBad: As the leader of Wrestling/{{SAnitY}}.
15	* BloodLust: After Tommy Dreamer, biting his open wound while TNA was in the UK during 2015.
16	* ButtMonkey: Despite a short break in 2009, Eric during his TNA run was... Eric. Subverted after he spent time as the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, remained consistently in or near the title picture since losing the belt, and in 2015 turned into an AxCrazy heel who is taken very seriously.
17	* CardCarryingVillain: Has been proudly crazy and evil since 2015. Even in his few occasional appearances as a lesser-evil "good guy" on NXT he would still acknowledge himself as a maniac.
18	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: After his concussion and mentally challenged gimmick in 2010 were phased out, his comic relief gimmick was presented as this.
19	* ContinuityNod: The first time he turned into a bitter heel and used the Blood and Fire theme song he became leader of a short-lived ForeignWrestlingHeel faction called World Elite. Years after going back face he beat one of his former World Elite stablemates to become the TNA World Heavyweight Champion. For his second Blood and Fire heel run he gave himself the nickname of the ''World Class'' Maniac, a likely nod to both of these.
20	* {{Determinator}}: As a heel in 2015, he will never stop coming after and trying to screw Wrestling/BobbyRoode, unless the World Champion gets in EY's crosshairs and thus becomes his new target. Presumably this is why Roode walked out on Tye Dillinger as a tag team on the other side of [=SAnitY=]'s debut — he wanted no part of Young coming after him again with a crew to boot.
21	* EvilSoundsRaspy: If you can imagine the voice of Wrestling/RandySavage who's swallowed a Wrestling/MickFoley[=-=]sized bag full of rusty thumbtacks, you'll probably have a good idea of what it sounds like when he talks. This is due to his [[https://twitter.com/TheEricYoung/status/339200118970515457 16]] (at least) throat surgeries.
22	* FanOfUnderdog: One way of explaining his sudden support of Joseph Park. In a case of HoistByHisOwnPetard, this is also the reason MVP was ecstatic when Eric Young won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and "allowed" him to hold onto it for a couple months.
23	* FinishingMove:
24	** A wheelbarrow elevated neckbreaker referred to as Youngblood. After forming [=SAnitY=], it would also be refered to as The Edge of Sanity.
25	** During his last years in TNA, he would also use the spike piledriver, the diving elbow drop, and the figure-four leglock.
26	* ForeignWrestlingHeel: As part of Team Canada and later World Elite.
27	* HappilyMarried: Kayfabe, with ODB in TNA.
28	* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Had flirted with the idea of turning back face heading into a championship match with Kurt Angle until Austin Aries cut in line by cashing in his Feast or Fired title shot. Good luck reining this psycho in again after that.
29	* TheMadHatter:
30	** He's gone crazy in 2013, or so he claimed to, and claims to enjoy it.
31	** Went ''really'' crazy in 2015 after turning heel.
32	* MultinationalTeam:
33	** In TNA, World Elite, which featured Young (Canadian), The British Invasion (Doug Williams and [[Wrestling/{{Magnus}} Brutus Magnus]]) (British-English), Kiyoshi (Japanese), [[Wrestling/NelsonErazo Homicide]] (Puerto Rican), [[Wrestling/ShawnDaivari Sheik Abdul Bashir]] (Iranian), Rob Terry (British-Welsh), and Wrestling/KevinNash (American).
34	** In NXT, [=SAnitY=], which featured Young (Canadian), Alexander Wolfe (German), Nikki Cross (Scottish), Sawyer Fulton (American) for a few weeks until he fell to a real life injury, and then Killian Dain (Irish) to replace Fulton.
35	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Triggering Wrestling/{{Abyss}}. Even ODB could (and did) tell him this wouldn't end well for anybody.
36	* NotDistractedByTheSexy: During his and ODB's run as Knockout Tag Team Champions, he's had Wrestling/{{Sar\|ahStock}}ita and [[Wrestling/TheaTrinidad Rosita]] as well as Wrestling/AngelinaLove and [[Wrestling/KatarinaWaters Winter]] try to seduce him to get an advantage or to drive a wedge between him and ODB. He bit for none of it.
37	* PartsUnknown:
38	** "An undisclosed location" during the "Don't Fire Eric" angle with Robert Roode. "Freedomland, USA" after he no longer had to work for Roode.
39	** [[Franchise/{{Superman}} "Metropolis"]] as "Super Eric".
40	* PintSizedPowerhouse: He's fully capable of ''Wrestling/JohnCena'' levels of strength, like ''lifting two people on his shoulders and giving them a double death valley driver''.
41	* PowerStable:
42	** In TNA/Impact, Team Canada, World Elite, The Band and upon his return, Violent By Design.
43	** In WWE (specifcally NXT), Wrestling/{{Sanity}}.
44	* PutOnABus: By choice, eventually ending up in Wrestling/{{WWE}}.
45	* RedBaron: "Showtime" as a face. "The World Class Maniac" (self-titled) and "The Bearded Terror" (via Pope Dinero) as a heel.
46	* SanitySlippage: Ever since he fell from the top rope to the floor from Suicide's kick in 2010.
47	* ShooOutTheClowns:
48	** Happened when he split from Kevin Nash, not long before his character regression.
49	** Again when he turned heel in 2015, becoming an AxCrazy.
50	* ShoutOut: Flips over the top rope and lands safely on the apron, ala young Ric Flair. He even does the strut and the figure-four leglock afterwards.
51	* SpinOff: Now hosts ''Off the Hook: Extreme Catches'', a fishing show on Animal Planet.
52	* SpiritedCompetitor: His aim was to be one as the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, defending the title every night under increasingly outlandish stipulations. MVP tried to get him to tone it down a little and enjoy his championship reign...because he was planning to end it soon.
53	* SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome: He was a {{face}} [[ALighterShadeOfBlack by attrition]] in his only NXT appearance prior to leading [=SAnitY=], making a surprise challenge to the vicious and arrogant NXT Champion Samoa Joe.
54	* ThisLoserIsYou: Especially during the "Don't Fire Eric" angle with Bobby Roode.
55	* ThrowTheBookAtThem: He had previously been assaulted with a phone book by Kurt Angle and returned the favor during the main event of the November 8, 2007 ''iMPACT!''.
56	* TookALevelInBadass: He won the TNA World Heavyweight Title just an hour after winning a Royal Rumble-style gauntlet match for #1 contendership.
57	* UnderwearOfPower: Until late 2010, then again in 2012.
58	* UndyingLoyalty: Along with Bobby Roode and Abyss, he was the last of the TNA Originals. Eric's an especially notable case, considering that for most of his TNA run he was mainly a LethalJokeCharacter who really wasn't appreciated all that much, and yet he's willing to stick around longer than ''AJ Styles'' was. Apparently, his loyalty has worn thin when he, much like Aries, Roode and Samoa Joe, jumped ship to [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]].[[note]]apparently, all 3 cut deals with TNA management to forgive the 6 figure sums they were owed in exchange for being let out of their contracts immediately.[[/note]]
59	* WearingAFlagOnYourHead: Young was a former member of Team Canada in TNA and in his World Class Maniac gimmick he has a Canadian flag patch on his jacket.
60	* WhosLaughingNow: His FaceHeelTurn in late 2009. Did it again at the start of 2015 and once more upon his return to Impact in 2020.
61	* WildCard: In NXT alongside his stable Wrestling/{{Sanity}}, EY acts more as a chaotic force cast in the role of face or heel depending on who he's feuding against. This could even be extended to his debut cameo appearance against Wrestling/SamoaJoe prior to being signed.

Context Wrestling / EricYoung