The National Wrestling Alliance is devastated to learn of the passing of Joseph Hudson, better known to fans as Jocephus and the Question Mark.
Joseph has been a pillar of the NWA for many years, whether it be as the enigmatic leader of the Kingdom of Jocephus or the beloved Master of Mongrovian Karate.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I share that my friend and brother in wrestling, Joseph Hudson, has passed away suddenly from an as-yet undiagnosed medical issue. NWA fans would know him as Jocephus as well as The Question Mark, where thanks to the great fans at GPB Studios in Atlanta, Joseph was able to receive the kind of support in the ring he’d always dreamt of. He is survived by a young son whom he loved dearly, and if anything would pain him about leaving this Earth, it would be not being able to be there for his boy. RIP Joseph, love to you, and Godspeed.”
– NWA President William Patrick Corgan
Joseph will be remembered for his warm personality and imaginative spirit. We extend our deepest sympathies to Joseph’s family, friends, and fans.
The wrestling world is in shock today after Billy Corgan revealed earlier this morning that Jocephus, or Question Mark, or Sensei, the man called Joseph Hudson who loved to hide between these names passed away on Wednesday from an undiagnosed medical issue. His fellow NWA companions Nick Aldis, Aron Stevens, James Storm and Elijah Burke, alongside wrestlers like AEW’s Rebel and Matt Hardy or WWE’s Adam Pearce, Wade Barrett and Drake Maverick, expressed their pain on social media.
Debuting in 2009, Jocephus immediately became a regular for Tennessee-based promotion Unites States Wrestling Organisation (USWO) and was a four-time USWO Champion by 2012 with his last reign lasting over 300 days. When USWO shut down, his home promotion became Resistance Pro Wrestling (RPW) where he was a two-time tag team champion and RPW Heavyweight Champion. During this time, he also had two quick runs as NWA Southern Heavyweight Champion.
Jocephus found prominence with the revival of the NWA and the beginning of the Ten Pounds Of Gold series. His promo skills and character work drew in many fans who were seeing him for the first time as he went after NWA Champion Tim Storm for many months. Their feud ended when Jocephus and his Spiritual Advisor lost a Hair vs Hair match to Storm and David Arquette and followed with a number of grudge matches between Storm and his adversary that failed to satisfy their hatred for one another.
Not just good at his Jocephus character the man behind the gimmick took on the role of Question Mark, alongside the Aron Stevens the Question Mark was a well-liked character in NWA Powerrr. This character once again showcased the talents of Jocephus as he and Stevens got over thanks to the strange character captivating fans. He wrestled his final match against the legendary Rock ‘N Roll Express in May 2020.
True legends are not always the most famous. Joseph Hudson was able to embody at the same time an array of very different characters without making them look bad. He could make us laugh, he could indoctrinate us with his special theories on life and the universe, but he was always legit as a wrestler. Every reaction from wrestlers on social media talks about a nice, kind and funny man. Sometimes, we don’t need to know how old is a man, who he was and where he comes from to appreciate him, that’s why the Question Mark character was fitting him so well. Everything we know of Joseph Hudson is how talented and funny he was in a ring. This statement doesn’t need a question mark.
Kind regards to Alex Richards, all pics and videos courtesy of NWA