Thomas Carter (born September 18, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Reckless Youth. He has competed in numerous North American independent promotions including the East Coast Wrestling Association, Combat Zone Wrestling and Chikara, where he was one of the original founders alongside Mike Quackenbush.[5] In January 1998, Pro Wrestling Illustrated senior editor Bill Apter called Reckless Youth "one of the most recognizable independent stars" in the United States.[6]

Reckless Youth
Birth nameThomas Carter[1]
Born (1974-09-18) September 18, 1974 (age 50)[1]
Mount Holly, New Jersey, U.S.[2][3]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Reckless Youth
Silver Wings
Tom Carter
Billed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Billed weight199 lb (90 kg)
Trained byAl Snow
Larry Sharpe
William Regal[4]
DebutSeptember 1995[1][5]
Retired2010

Professional wrestling career

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Early career

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Carter was part of a small group of "backyard wrestlers", including D'Lo Brown, while growing up in New Jersey. Carter and his friends eventually began renting an actual wrestling ring from Larry Sharpe's Monster Factory. Within a few years, Sharpe eventually offered to book the young men on his shows if they joined his wrestling school and sold tickets for live events. Carter made his pro debut in September 1995. He also trained at Al Snow's Bodyslammers Gym in Lima, Ohio during his rookie year.[7]

Great Lakes Wrestling

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Youth made his debut for Great Lakes Wrestling in a ladder match with Steve Nixon. He later started a stable alongside "Dirty" Don Montoya and Diamond (later Simon Diamond) called East Coast Invasion. Youth went on to win the GLW World title and competed in the final match in GLW defeating "Dirty" Don Montoya in a two out of three falls match on January 17, 1997.

Combat Zone Wrestling

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Youth's first appearance in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) was against Justice Pain, at The Staple Gun.[8] He then faced Mike Quackenbush and Ric Blade in a three-way match at Down In Flames on June 19, 1999.[9] Youth would also have a memorable three-way match at Un F'N Believable, against Trent Acid and Blade. He then faced Minoru Fujita at the next three shows, all in a losing effort.[10][11][12] His final appearance in CZW was a fatal four-way against Nick Berk, Nick Mondo, and Tony Mamaluke in 2003.[13]

Personal life

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Youth married his wife Kathy on November 4, 2000; together they had three children. Youth pursued the career of accounting, a side job he worked while on the independents, and is currently the Director of the Tax Department at Jones Apparel.

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Reckless Youth profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  2. ^ Tom Carter IWB Profile
  3. ^ Reckless Youth profile at CAGEMATCH.net
  4. ^ http://reckless2k2.wordpress.com/ [user-generated source]
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Schwan, Brett (2006). "2006 Hall Of Fame Inductees: Reckless Youth". WrestlingClothesline.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012.
  6. ^ Apter, Bill. "Ringside." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. January 1998: 9+.
  7. ^ "Interview: Reckless Youth". Inlewd.com. 2002. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012.
  8. ^ The Staple Gun at CZW Arena results
  9. ^ "Down in Flames". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  10. ^ "Take 1 at Champs Soccer Arena wrestling results". The Internet Wrestling Database. June 7, 2001. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  11. ^ "CZW Breakaway Brawl at Breakaway Tavern wrestling results - Internet Wrestling Database".
  12. ^ "CZW a New Beginning at Champs Soccer Arena wrestling results - Internet Wrestling Database".
  13. ^ CZW Truth or Consequences at ECW arena on Sat, Jun 14th 2003
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  15. ^ cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/en/?id=1&nr=190443
  16. ^ cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/en/?id=1&nr=308283
  17. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 – 1998". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
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