[Photo courtesy of @allan_cheapshot on Twitter]"Oh, Flair was great," Valentine said. WWE Hall of Famer Greg Valentine called it in the ring for almost the entirety of his career. With that said, there has also been other similar gimmicks both before and after Strongbow. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy! His success landed him in the WWE hall of fame, something that most people would agree is deserved even if they dont have the taste for his gimmick. While Santana got the victory to reclaim the title, Valentine retrieved the championship and destroyed the belt, beating it repeatedly against the cage and tearing the gold away from the leather. .more .more 3 Dislike Share Save. Strongbow also engaged in a notable feud with "The Big Cat" Ernie Ladd in the WWWF, a feud that carried over to the NWA's Georgia Championship Wrestling a few years later. He eventually challenged WWWF champion Bob Backlund in Madison Square Garden, going to a one-hour draw. Street, Nutley N.J. 07110973-667-1528 "Dont you think people would have paid for a picture with that belt?" He laughs, but its easy to see hes only half-kidding. After Scarpa had taken on the persona of a Native American, the Chief did venture outside the parameters of the WWWF on occasion, and was, for a time, a high-profile figure in The Sheiks Detroit promotion and on TBSs Georgia Championship Wrestling. Check-in brought lots of memorabilia; 973-667-1528 Strongbow aka Joe Scarpa, achieved fame in his persona of a Native-American grappler during the 1970s and 1980s, whose war dance foretold the downfall of his opponents, died last Tuesday. Strongbow understood how the wrestling business works and was never above doing the job in order to help his opponent or the promotions that employed him. His son, Joe Jr. wrestled in the 1980s and early 1990s mainly as Mark Pyle and Mark Young in the WWF from 19861990 and Vince Young in WCW. He currently lives in suburban Birmingham, Alabama and can be reached on Twitter @bamawriter. Dead wrestler database Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Valentine again won the world tag titles, this time with Baron Von Rasche. The brutality of the feud was brought home during the first Starrcade in 1983, when Valentine and Piper worked a "dog collar" match, with each man chained to the other by the neck. But his stiff style had earned him the respect of fans and other wrestlers, and the clubbing elbow drop from Valentine was dubbed "the Hammer" for how hard he seemed to be hitting people. "He knew what to do and when to do it, and he was incredibly tough, so I learned just by being around him the Dungeon was different. [3] In October 1978, Strongbow came to blows with his tag-team partner, 'High Chief' Peter Maivia in a match with The Yukon Lumberjacks, both of them feuding over who should start the match. With an assist from fellow fan favorite Mark Lewin, Strongbow was able to escape the shark cage victorious. But with the creation of Titan Sports, and the transfer of the WWF from Vince Sr. to Vince Jr., Strongbow decided to pursue new challenges in the wrestling business. There may not yet be a physical Hall of Fame, but enshrinement still means a lot, as it places a performer among the immortals. There was even a Greek Adonis kind of guy called The Golden Greek.. As a face, Strongbow always had the crowd behind him, and he often used that to his advantage. Strongbow may be gone, but he most certainly won't be forgotten. wrestling in its many forms professional wrestlers from our town, great Professional Wrestling Online Museum, Copyright 2020 Adscape International, LLC - All Rights Reserved, Dr. George Zahorian Convicted Of Selling Steroids To WWF Wrestlers. One performer he fought with is actually the grandfather of one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Strongbow's last appearance in WWE was a brief appearance on the November 17, 2008 episode of Monday Night Raw when Stephanie McMahon introduced him to the audience in Atlanta. As both a main event and mid-card performer, Strongbow was one of the most reliable, professional wrestlers of his, or any, day. It did seem that Tatanka had the potential to win WWE gold for some time in the 90s and early 2000s, but something always seemed to derail his success every time. For over 30 years, Strongbow has been a role model for his fans, a teacher and friend to his co-workers, and a fair and respected boss to the wrestlers on the road. His age was listed as 79 0r 83 and his family declined to say how he died nor provide a cause. dance, and applying an Indian Death Lock hold to an opponent. Street hosted 50 Years of Nutley Wrestling, a program that explored Nutley Holding the IC title at that time meant that Valentine wasto a large portion of the US audiencethe second-best wrestler in the world. The most notable is Hulk Hogan, as he would end most of his matches by "hulking up" as he would no-sell his opponent's punches and ultimately end the match with a big boot and a leg drop. If the Chief started his War Dance, the tens of thousands of fans in attendance knew the end was near, because no one could (or, perhaps more appropriately, was allowed to) stop him once Strongbow began circling his opponent with his "ancient tribal dance. One highlight was a presentation by Sal Scarpa, the brother of the late And despite working heel for almost the entirety of his career, Valentine has a smile and friendly word for everyone. Name: Joseph Luke Scarpa Preferred Name: Chief Jay Strongbow Date Of Birth: Oct 4th 1928 Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Nationality: USA Gender: Male Matches: 119 (0 Pay Per View) Date Of Death: Apr 3rd 2012 Place of Death: Atlanta, Georgia, United States Ring Name(s): Chief Jay Strongbow, Jay Strongbow, Joe Scarpa Finally, after nearly half a year as champions, The Strongbows were defeated by another Lou Albano-led teamthis time the impressive and dangerous Wild Samoans.After losing the title, The Strongbows remained a top WWF tag team, until Jules left the promotion. Net Worth: Undisclosed. Late in his career, he took on a tag team partner who had adopted the As a role model - for people of all races - there was none better, and "The Chief" proudly wrestled his entire career as a beloved fan favorite. Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serve 2007) and won more than 100 matches. With a growing reputation as a tough, hard-nosed wrestler, Greg Valentine went into Jim Crocket Promotions in North Carolina and was teamed with another promising young heel: Ric Flair. 10/10 He Wasn't Actually Native American. From that point forward, it was back to singles wrestling for Chief Jay. What are you waiting for? Truly, "Chief" Jay Strongbow was a consummate wrestlerStrongbow began his career in the mid-1960s, and worked primarily for Vince McMahon Sr. and the World Wide Wrestling Federation. "Vigilante" who wrestled his first match on April 13, 2013, in his What went wrong? Do you know how much money I could have made with that belt now?". [1] He won the NWA (Georgia) Southern Tag Team titles with Chief Little Eagle in Georgia Championship wrestling in 1965. What went wrong? Valentine found himself the No. He defended the title against the Junkyard Dog at the first WrestleMania, taking a count-out loss and keeping the championship. The Greg Valentine vs Chief Jay Strongbow feud, which started with Strongbow writhing in agony with a broken leg at ringside while the matches went on as scheduled with the heels taunting him. Men's Premium T-Shirt Chief Jay Strongbow Tomahawk WHT $29.99 Women's V-Neck T-Shirt Chief Jay Strongbow Tomahawk WHT $29.99 Men's Cotton T-Shirt Chief Jay Strongbow Tomahawk WHT from $24.99 Kids T-Shirt Chief Jay Strongbow Tomahawk WHT $24.99 Men's Crewneck Sweatshirt Chief Jay Strongbow Tomahawk WHT $49.99 Valentine and Flair worked a brutal feud with unlikely babyfaces, Ole and Gene Anderson, trading the world tag titles back and forth, until they were stripped of the tag team titles by then-NWA president Eddie Graham for "unprofessional conduct" in an angle that explained Flair breaking off to pursue the world championship. Us sponsored by: Strongbow was the man when it came to Indian Strap matches, however, and when you consider how prominent strap matches once were, he deserves plenty of recognition. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? In 1979, he feuded with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, who broke Strongbow's leg. But Strongbow & Sonny would only hold the belts for a short time, as they were defeated by the powerful duo of Prof. Tanaka & Mr. Fuji on June 27, 1972. Arion turned on Strongbow, destroying his headdress on Philadelphia television after he had tied Strongbow in the ropes, and rubbed the feathers in his face. WWE: 10 Things You Completely Forgot Happened In The 2000s, 10 WWE Championship Screwjobs We Forgot About, 10 Times A WCW Wrestler Made Their Debut (& Nobody Cared), 10 Wrestlers Who Surprisingly Have More Losses Than Wins In Their Career. I never got to work a program with him, but we had some house show matches, and he was terrific to work with. Although he was billed for the majority of his career as being a native of Pawhuska, Oklahoma., Chief Jay Strongbow was actually born Luke Joseph Scarpa on October 4, 1928 in Nutley, New Jersey, The Italian-American made his professional debut in 1947, wrestling as Joe Scarpa, a variation of his real name. After seeking revenge on Patera over the intentional injury of his partner, Strongbow then went on to face the reigning WWWF Heavyweight champion Superstar Billy Graham in a top-drawing feud. Society, Links are subject Much like his contemporary Wahoo McDaniel, he portrayed a Native American wrestler, who wore a war bonnet to the ring and would "go on the warpath" when the fans started cheering him against an opponent. Despite his advancing age (and subsequent reduction in ring prowess) Strongbow was still one of the WWF's top draws as the 1980's rolled on. Arion was now a heel, and pinned Strongbow in eastern arenas as he went on to challenge champion Bruno Sammartino. Chief Jay Strongbow is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame (1994), the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum (2009) and the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame (2011). When he returned to the Mid-Atlantic territory, his work against Wahoo and later in the WWWF had "made" Greg Valentine as a main event-level heel. Strongbow won his first WWWF World Tag Team Championship on May 22, 1972 with partner Sonny King. From that point forward, it was back to singles wrestling for Jay. Working for NWA for over two decades, he managed to pick up nearly 20 championships across the various areas that NWA ran. Andre The Giant was the first inductee following his tragic death in 1993, but the first official class came in 1994, of which Strongbow was a part. Born Jonathan Anthony Wisniski, Jr., the younger Valentine didnt immediately capitalize on his fathers name. Swede Hanson gets a main event in Madison Square Garden, Pat Patterson gets an unprecedented four match series against Bob Backlund, and Roddy Piper gets the shaft. It was alleged that Strongbow had previously jumped Albano in the locker room, breaking his arm. That really was on the cover of The Wrestler magazine after Volkoff did exactly that in the Summer of 1979. In 1970, Scarpa began working for Vincent J. McMahons World Wide Wrestling Federation, where his popularity with fans exploded. Without question, Chief Jay Strongbow was a consistent box office draw and, arguably, the most famous and beloved Native American wrestler of all time. No BS. Luke Scarpa, Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Just like with Wahoo, Valentine did an angle with the territory's No. Scarpa got his leg broken in one match, and he broke the arm of at least one other wrestler. Nutley wrestling coach Mike DiPiano, and former Nutley Chief Jay Strongbow: 1994 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee | WWE This video is either unavailable or not supported in this browser Error Code: MEDIA_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED Technical details : The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported. He was better than he gets credit for being. Eventually, though, nearly forty years after his pro debut, Scarpa retired from active competition in 1986. Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serve However, there was , Weve profiled 40 wrestlers who sadly, didnt make it to see age 40, including many enhancement talent names of the , Heart Attack / Heart Failure / Heart Disease, Comprehensive Deceased Wrestlers List (text-only), Comprehensive Deceased Managers List (text-only), 8 Things You May Not Have Known About Rick Rude. In 1947, he signed with Black History Moments hometown of Nutley and who later went on to win his first title on April Discover Chief Jay Strongbow's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Strongbow's career started in 1947, using . Native American? "I think folks are surprised when Im nice," he said, laughing. In fact, he once resigned because the WWE wanted to involve him in an angle where Valentine and Dino Bravo would "kidnap" the Bulldogs mascot, Matilda. This time, the Native American duo held on to the title belts and defended them against the WWFs best teams until, after nearly a half-year as champions, The Strongbows were defeated by another Albano-led team, this time the impressive and dangerous Wild Samoans. He also participated in a 1994 storyline in which he mentored Tatanka. Their reign was cut short in August 1977 when the belts were vacated due to White Wolf suffering a neck injury at the hands of Ken Patera's Swinging Full Nelson. "We had really good chemistry as a tag team. hometown of Nutley and who later went on to win his first title on April Scarpa suffered a fall at his home in late 2011 and was hospitalized. Web SiteNutley Historical The Strongbow brothers won the tag titles on two occasions, but most people probably don't even remember it for how brief and uninteresting it was. Historical Society. Valentine, with his work ethic and history in the business, just wanted to go out and call it in the ring. Scarpa got his The Nutley Chief Jay Strongbow worked as a road agent in the WWF during the 1990s. Copyright 2022 Wrestlingfigs.com. "Chief" Jay Strongbow was arguably the most famous, beloved Native American wrestler of all time, and a consistent box office draw. And like all of the greatest champions in pro wrestling, he never allowed his ego to get the best of him. Together, they defeated Nicolai Volkoff & Tor Kamata in the finals of a tournament for the then-vacant WWWF Tag Team championship. Nevertheless, as both a main-event and mid-card attraction, in the ring and at the box-office, Strongbow was one of the most popular and reliable workers in Vincent J. McMahons World Wide Wrestling Federation. Clearly WWE was willing to give back to its talent as Strongbow wound up working as an agent for WWE for a while. [3] Strongbow's last appearance in WWE was a brief appearance on the November 17, 2008 episode of Monday Night Raw when Stephanie McMahon introduced him to the audience in Atlanta.[1][14]. Nutley, New Jersey, News & History Archives, Reprinted from Nutley Neighbors, May 2017; Best Version Media. 2 heel in the company, just as he had been for Crockett. How Arion, a popular and seemingly unbeatable babyface, returned to the WWWF after an absence and teamed with Strongbow. After failing in regaining the belts, the Strongbows disbanded. Swede Hanson gets a main event in Madison Square Garden, Pat Patterson gets an unprecedented four match series against Bob Backlund, and Roddy Piper gets the shaft. [9] On the March 8, 1983 episode of Championship Wrestling, the Strongbows lost the titles to The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika). In 1985, Chief Jay Strongbows career was still going well, but Luke Scarpas health was on the decline. did a Nutley guy named Luke Scarpa come to wrestle professionally as He first began using the gimmick for the WWWF in the early '70s, and would continue with it for the rest of his career. 2 babyface, Chief Jay Strongbow, where he broke Strongbow's leg. Then Vince McMahon came calling. On the table this week: Pat Patterson wins the North American title, and then wins the Intercontinental Title. Wrestling Legend Chief Jay Strongbow Dead at 83. photo: wwe.com. A memorable match against "Iron" Mike McCord featured Strongbow applying his sleeper hold . Join NHS Now He also had a program with Greg's dad, when he was Joltin' Joe. [3] On June 28, the Strongbows won the tag team championship from the team of Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito in New York City's Madison Square Garden. Valentine agreed to a deal, and less than a month after Starrcade, Valentine dropped the U.S. title to Dick Slater and left for New York. If a wrestler could get past Strongbow, a title opportunity often followed. His Tomahawk Chop was a weapon to be feared, and led to many victories of the course of his 20 years in the ring. Chief Jay Strongbow is now retired and living on a farm in Georgia. He was a standout in the Georgia and Florida territories of the National Wrestling Alliance throughout the 1950s and 1960s, winning several championships and becoming a fan favorite. The Exclusive WWE Inside Story. Chief Jay Strongbow. He won the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship defeating Luke Graham on October 11, 1980 in Puerto Rico. When Luke Scarpa stepped into the wrestling ring, everyone noticed. Still, getting the rub from past Native American characters likely helped Tatanka even if the moments were brief. Nationality: United States. Often being portrayed as a hero definitely helps as well. A lot of people can forget about wrestling accomplishments that aren't from WWE, WCW, or any of the various popular independent promotions of today. "Chief" Jay quietly faded away, while Joe Scarpa settled into his new life as a WWF "suit. In retirement, Strongbow became a WWF road agent and worked in the company's front office. Arion, a popular and seemingly unbeatable babyface, returned to the WWWF after an absence and teamed with Strongbow. Scarpa became so famous after his shift into the Strongbow gimmick that winning the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Taking on the persona of Chief Jay Strongbow, he quickly became one of the WWWFs top attractions and was in high demand all across the multi-state territory. Why a [1] He was trained by legendary second generation Native American wrestler Chief Don Eagle. After retiring, Chief Jay Strongbow did his best to relax and take care of himself. When he was ready to fly on his own, Valentine went to Florida and changed his ring name to Johnny Valentine, Jr., but soon scrapped the name. community magazine serving the residents of Nutley, N.J. On April 3, 2012, Joe Chief Jay Strongbow Scarpa passed away at the age of 83. On the March 8, 1983 episode of Championship Wrestling, the Strongbows lost the titles to the Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika). Copyright & His career started in 1947, and he wouldnt get the Strongbow character until 1970. "Chief" Jay Strongbow was arguably the most famous, beloved Native American wrestler of all time, and a consistent box office draw. 2 babyface, Chief Jay Strongbow, where he broke Strongbows leg. DOWNLOAD THIS BAD BOY! Valentine then found himself in an interesting position. But The Strongbows were not to be denied, and they regrouped, again defeating Fuji & Saito on October 26, 1982. Chief Jay Strongbow: Bio When Chief Jay Strongbow went on the warpath, no one was safe; not his opponent, not the referee, nor anyone else unfortunate enough to get in his way. championship title from. He was born in Philadelphia in 1928, but moved to Nutley with his Apparently, the former professional wrestler fell sometime at the end of 2011 and had to be hospitalized. Society, Valentine wanted to wrestle. Its likely that the stress contributed to the health problems that would start to set the Chief Jay Strongbow death story into motion more than 20 years before he died. Contact - Nutley Historical Society Chief Jay Stongbow - The Microscope - Pro Wrestling Only Listen to any guy who grew up in the 1970s watching WWWF TV and one of the first names they'll come out with is Chief Jay Strongbow, and usually they love him. Strongbow was no slouch when it came to picking up championships, earning over 20 titles throughout his career. Strongbow and King held the title for a month before losing it to the team of Mr. Fuji and Professor Toru Tanaka on June 27. Museum Store It makes some wonder how much more success he would have had if he took up the Native American character much sooner. passed away in Georgia on April 3, 2012. 0:00 / 13:27 WWF Classics from MSG- Chief Jay Strongbow Vs Greg Valentine 1,044 views Nov 12, 2018 WWE 2K17 https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-u. It was in the WWF that Greg Valentine rose to his greatest fame, defeating Tito Santana for the Intercontinental title in September of 1984, kayfabe injuring Santanas leg with the figure-four.
Anger Management Exercises For Youth, Closest City In Illinois To Louisville, Ky, Why Is Atz Kilcher Living On A Boat, Is Tim From Sweetie Pie Still In Jail, Dead Person Wakes Up At Funeral Caught On Tape, Articles C