Plus, Randy provides a firsthand account of Jimmy Valiant turning on Chief Jay Strongbow in 1971. He currently lives in suburban Birmingham, Alabama and can be reached on Twitter @bamawriter. [1] He was trained by legendary second generation Native American wrestler Chief Don Eagle. Society, Web site Anthony Bowens AKA While he was able to be released from the hospital, he never really recovered from the incident. a call to action that he was all too glad to answer by doing a war During his WWF/WWE career, Garland held the WWF World Tag Team Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship and WWF Light . Strongbow won his first WWWF World Tag Team Championship on May 22, 1972 with partner Sonny King. Actor: Spectrum Wrestling. During the decades before the gimmick, Scarpa wrestled under his real name and saw a lot of success with championships. Chief Jay Strongbow suffered from a heart condition that required him to undergo surgery to have two heart valves replaced. In 1970, Scarpa began working for Vincent J. McMahons World Wide Wrestling Federation, where his popularity with fans exploded. more: He eventually challenged WWWF champion Bob Backlund in Madison Square Garden, going to a one-hour draw. Sal Scarpa, brother of Joe AKA Chief Jay Strongbow, who wrestling in its many forms professional wrestlers from our town, great What went wrong? Street, Nutley N.J. 07110973-667-1528 Chief Jay Strongbow was inducted into the World Wrestling Federation Hall of Fame. Nutley Sons Honor One highlight was a presentation by Sal Scarpa, the brother of the late Pro Wrestling Stories - Your daily source of nostalgia and a peek behind the curtain wall of wrestlings past! Soon, he found the moniker that stuck: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Bobby Mathews is a contributor for Pro Wrestling Stories as well as a veteran journalist whose byline has appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Birmingham News, The Denver Post, as well as other newspapers around the country. 2 babyface, Chief Jay Strongbow, where he broke Strongbows leg. more: And like all of the greatest champions in pro wrestling, he never allowed his ego to get the best of him. He was one of the greats. Join NHS Now Contact NHS via email Valentine, the son of the legendary Johnny Valentine, is best known for the long and brutal feuds he put on with top babyfaces in both the NWA and WWE. In 1982, Strongbow formed a tag team with his on-screen brother, Jules Strongbow. Street, Nutley N.J. 07110973-667-1528 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. you think that it was all a harmless charade, it wasnt. He had a memorable feud with "Bulldog" Don Kent, which culminated in a "shark cage match"[2] in 1976. Strongbow and Kent fought inside of a small shark cage, with the first man to escape being declared the winner. STICK TO WRESTLING! His first run with the company was almost a decade in length, and during that time, Strongbow was one of the top faces in the industry, far above the worst performers of the era. He worked a long and brutal feud with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper over the territorys top title, the United States championship. The two wrestled all over the WWF circuit, including an "Indian Strap match" at Madison Square Garden on July 30, 1979. Jim Crockett always paid by check, but in the early WWF, they always paid cash. . Strongbow could also brawl with the best of them, especially once his fiery temper had been ignited. After wrestling in the WWF for 9 years, Strongbow went to work for Georgia Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. How He told me his wife threw it out! "I was pretty snug," Valentine said. Street hosted 50 Years of Nutley Wrestling, a program that explored Nutley Many people spoke fondly of Luke Scarpa after the news of his death was released. He golfed and fished and lived a peaceful life on his farm in Griffin, Georgia. With that said, there has also been other similar gimmicks both before and after Strongbow. "His legs were so thick that I couldnt get the figure-four on him, so I kind of scissored his leg and fell backward, and that worked.". Society, 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. And, like all great wrestlers, past and present, he never allowed his ego to get the best of him. 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. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? On the July 13 episode of Championship Wrestling, the Strongbows lost the titles back to Fuji and Saito, but on the October 26 episode of Championship Wrestling, the Strongbows defeated Fuji and Saito for their second WWF Tag Team Championship reign as a team. Chief Jay Strongbow worked as a road agent in the WWF during the 1990s. Museum Store Joe Jr. died in 2016 at the age of 48. In 1975, he began feuding with Spiros Arion. He also participated in a 1994 storyline in which he mentored Tatanka. "I had to give the belt back to Tito after that angle," Valentine said. Strongbow picked up a win at Madison Square Garden in the summer of 1970, shortly after he entered the WWWF, pinning top contender Crusher Verdue, who was managed by Lou Albano. About [9] They defeated the team of Baron Mikel Scicluna and King Curtis Iaukea. A man of both character and talent, the Ring Chronicle is proud to induct this important figure from wrestling history into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Sal Scarpa, brother of Joe AKA Chief Jay Strongbow, who It's always difficult to say how or where certain things originated in wrestling, but a very common occurrence in many matches can easily be linked to Chief Jay Strongbow. He has covered Division I college athletics and professional sports including MLB and NFL games. He has won awards from press associations in several states, including a General Excellence award from the Georgia Press Association while sports editor at The Statesboro Herald. Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat The Story Behind The Magic, Roddy Piper on the Very Beginnings of Professional Wrestling, Nikolai Volkoff and Tito Santana A Side Not Often Seen, Titanes en el Ring Argentinas Crazy Wrestling Show, Brad Armstrong Your Favorite Wrestlers Favorite Wrestler, Blackjack Mulligan Fist Fighting with Andre, Harley, and Ole, Interview with Pro Wrestling Storiess Javier Ojst and Benny Scala, Kevin Von Erich: The Lesser-Known Tale of His Final Match, Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka on Pipers Pit Coconut Incident, Kayfabe in Wrestling 8 Stories Fans Shouldnt Know, Hulk Hogan and Iron Sheik Feud that Kick-Started Hulkamania, PLANE RIDE FROM HELL! born right here in Nutley on community magazine serving the residents of Nutley, N.J. It's likely that he was best suited as a talent since he was constantly brought back to help the newer stars. Many people have wondered about his heritage over the years, and unfortunately he wasn't native at all. Then, on December 7, 1976 Strongbow regained the tag team championship, this time with partner Billy White Wolf, defeating Nicolai Volkoff & Tor Kamata in the finals of a tournament for the vacant WWWF Tag Team title. "Chief" Jay quietly faded away, while Joe Scarpa settled into his new life as a WWF "suit. passed away in Georgia on April 3, 2012. Links are subject the educational, cultural and historical needs of our community. At 6`2 and weighing 260, Strongbow was a formidable opponent for anyone who faced him in the ring. The team quickly fizzled out, and they were separated shortly after being unable to win the titles for a third time. By 1970, Strongbow was working for Vincent J. McMahon's World Wide Wrestling Federation and was now known as Chief Jay Strongbow. Email [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. Nutley, New Jersey, News & History Archives, Nutley, New Jersey, News & History Archives, Nutley McCord was disqualified, but Strongbow was cut wide open by Albano's blows. 12, 2014; News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. [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. 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. Trivia. Approx. He achieved great success in matches in Georgia and Florida. Chief Jay Strongbow | Wrestlingfigs.com WWE Figure Forums Wrestlingfigs.com WWE Figure Forums WFT: Mattel WWE Chief Jay Strongbow Chief Jay Strongbow Actions Prev 1 2 Next Use of this site signifies your acceptance of the Privacy Policy & Terms of Use. His first WWWF Tag title came on May 22, 1972 when he teamed with Sonny King to defeat Baron Mikel Scicluna & "King" Curtis Iukea at New York's Madison Square Garden. 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. 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. 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. He was even considered to be a relatively hot fan-favorite of the '50s and '60s. http://media.blubrry.com/sticktowrestling/mcadampod.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/McAdam062.mp3, Episode 238: 1982 Portland Wrestling Review. Strongbow was inducted by Tatanka, who Strongbow was managing at the time. John shares his theory of how Hanson got that spot. "Vigilante" who wrestled his first match on April 13, 2013, in his Chief Jay Strongbow? But Lou Albano, McCord's manager, interfered by smashing a cast on the Chief's forehead. Although winning titles was never the primary goal for Strongbow, especially during his latter years in the ring, a wrestler as popular as Jay Strongbow couldnt help but pick up a fair share of championship gold. Then, on December 7, 1976 Strongbow regained his tag team campionship, this time with partner Billy White Wolf. In Detroit he feuded with Don Kent once again. "Chief" Jay Strongbow was arguably the most famous, beloved Native American wrestler of all time, and a consistent box office draw. 2 heel in the company, just as he had been for Crockett. now. On April 3, 2012, he died in his home in Griffin . But this time, the company was much bigger. 10 Wrestlers WWE Wrongfully Fired In The Past: Where Are They Now? Wrestling mania seized Nutley. Strongbow's career started in 1947, using . Just as Don Fargo had been his mentor early in his career, Valentine was teamed with Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake as a top heel team in the company, defeating the U.S. Express of Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo for the WWF world tag team titles in August of 1985 and holding those belts until losing them to the British Bulldogs at WrestleMania II in April of 1986. In 1975, he began feuding with Spiros Arion. 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. Us And despite working heel for almost the entirety of his career, Valentine has a smile and friendly word for everyone. A man who truly loved the wrestling business, when his ring career ended . The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Perhaps the greatest Native American to lace up a pair of boots, Chief Jay was one of sports-entertainment's most influential and popular grapplers for almost 40 years. History of Spies 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. The team won the title in a three-team tournament, defeating The Executioners and Nikolai Volkoff and Tor Kamata. 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. Contact - Nutley Historical Society Give us sixty minutes and well give you a wicked good podcast. Clearly WWE was willing to give back to its talent as Strongbow wound up working as an agent for WWE for a while. Strongbow settled the score in front of a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden, beating Captain Lou Albano convincingly. Working for NWA for over two decades, he managed to pick up nearly 20 championships across the various areas that NWA ran. Chief Jay Strongbow is now retired and living on a farm in Georgia. "[Wahoo] was rough," Valentine said. Fuji). Founded 1945 Strongbow and Kent fought inside of a small shark cage, with the first man to escape being declared the winner. He was better than he gets credit for being. As Chief Jay Strongbow, Scarpa wore a feathered headdress, smeared on 65 Church "I think folks are surprised when Im nice," he said, laughing. home. Ironic, because Strongbow didnt have a drop of Native American DNA in his blood. Millions Sob As Volkoff Attacks Bruno. While Strongbow won plenty of titles that most people have forgotten about, he did actually challenge for one of the most famous championships in all of wrestling. The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo (2018-19), HOMAGE.com Our favorite in retro wrestling attire! "The Chief" was also well-schooled in the science of "rasslin" and had a solid repertoire of moves, such as the Indian Deathlock (a punishing submission move) and several variations of the suplex. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Black History Moments John shares his theory of how Hanson got that spot. Strongbow wrestled in the NWA territories before joining the WWE in 1970, where he was a big draw for two decades. The story line didnt pan out, but the wrestling world didnt forget him. Bet youve heard of him A man who truly loved the wrestling business, when his ring career ended, Strongbow displayed his professionalism in another important, but far less glamorous role - that of a WWF road agent. In retirement, Strongbow became a WWF road agent and worked in the company's front office. I made sure he respected me!". [9] 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. Scarpa fell at his home in late 2011 and was hospitalized. Luke Joseph Scarpa (October 4, 1928 - April 3, 2012) was an American professional wrestler who was best known by the ring name Chief Jay Strongbow.Scarpa 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. "Really, listening to my dad and watching him was very important to me as I was about to break in," Valentine said during an exclusive interview with ProWrestlingStories.com. The first thing that should be known to just about everyone is that Strongbow wasn't actually Native American. Still one of the more popular wrestlers in the World Wrestling Federation, in the eyes of the fans, Strongbow was now an elder statesman for WWF wrestlers, having been with the promotion for so long. It was alleged that Strongbow had previously jumped Albano in the locker room, breaking his arm. Chief Jay Strongbow (Joe Scarpa) was born on 4 October, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, is an Actor. He spoke later in life about the stress of his role as a supervisor backstage at WWF events. development & maintenanceprovided at no cost to Nutley Historical Chief Jay Strongbow: Profile & Match Listing - Internet Wrestling Database (IWD) Chief Jay Strongbow Profile & Match Listing Facts & Stats PWI Ratings Opponents & Partners Win/Loss Record Star Ratings Win Types Relations PPV WWWF matches wrestled by Chief Jay Strongbow Promotion Search: All MLW (Canada) NJPW NWA WWF WWWF Web site McMahon was expanding his fathers old territory, planning to take his promotion national. 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. Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serve The Valiant Brothers main evented Madison Square Garden in 1974 and 1975, then finally returned in 1979but things just werent the same. Still one of the most popular wrestlers in the WWF, in the eyes of the fans, Strongbow was now the "elder statesman" for WWF wrestlers, having been with the promotion for so long. "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. But Lou Albano, McCord's manager, interfered by smashing a cast on the Chief's forehead. While it wasn't a lengthy storyline, Strongbow did wind up returning to the WWE in order to guide Tatanka to domination. Ask him about the 1980s WWE wrestling scene, and Valentine will tell you that life on the road was difficult, but the money often made up for it. Just a tremendous babyface.". In 1982, Strongbow formed a tag team with his on-screen brother, Jules Strongbow. Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Kamala: August 25, 1984 | 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. brought lots of memorabilia; 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. Lou Albano's rulebreaking team quickly regained the title, though, on July 13, 1982. "Chief" Jay Strongbow was arguably the most famous, beloved Native American wrestler of all time, and a consistent box office draw. Sal Scarpa, brother of Joe AKA Chief Jay Strongbow, who He feuded with the likes of "The Golden Greek" Spiros Arion, "Handsome" Jimmy Valiant, and "Superstar" Billy Graham, nearly winning the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship. Hawaiian who wore a derby and took on a Japanese persona (Mr. A memorable match against "Iron" Mike McCord featured Strongbow applying his sleeper hold. -The Valiant Brothers main evented Madison Square Garden in 1974 and 1975, then finally returned in 1979but things just weren't the same. 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. However, he remained very much involved with professional wrestling and, over the course of the following decade, Strongbow worked in the WWFs front office and served as road agent, helping to lay out matches, coaching the performers and supervising live events. As both a main event and mid-card performer, Strongbow was one of the most reliable, professional wrestlers of his, or any, day. Historical Society, Email What are you waiting for? 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. Still, a wrestler as popular as Jay Strongbow couldn't help but pick up a fair share of championships. He was born in Philadelphia in 1928, but moved to Nutley with his Then dropped the title on December 20 to Danny Condrey. From that point forward, it was back to singles wrestling for Jay. While Strongbow was at odds with plenty of iconic performers, many of the men who clashed with were performers that modern fans may not recognize at all. In 1982, they won the WWWF tag team championship title from Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito in a famous match in Madison Square Garden. A memorable match against "Iron" Mike McCord featured Strongbow applying his sleeper hold . An unfortunate truth about Strongbow is that the end of his career is mostly forgettable despite him seeing plenty of tag team success. That match type was used quite often to settle scores in the 1970s and 1980s, and it involved two wrestlers being tied together by a strap, with the main goal of the match being to drag your opponent around the ring in order to touch all four corners. 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. brought lots of memorabilia; Reprinted from Nutley Neighbors, May 2017; Best Version Media DOWNLOAD THIS BAD BOY! Anyone can have their own opinions on the Strongbow character, but it's hard to say that it wasn't incredibly popular. [13], World Wide Wrestling Federation (19701979), NWA Georgia / Mid-Atlantic and other territories (1980-1981), Last edited on 24 December 2022, at 23:54, NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Georgia version), NWA Mid-America World Tag Team Championship, PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation, "Wrestler Profiles: Chief -->Jay Strongbow", "Chief Jay Strongbow's WWE Hall of Fame Profile", "Joe Scarpa, Who Gained Wrestling Fame as Chief Jay Strongbow, Dies", "Daily Pro Wrestling History (11/22): Starrcade 1984 - The Million Dollar Challenge", Joe Scarpa, Who Gained Wrestling Fame as Chief Jay Strongbow, Dies, "World Tag Team Championship official title history", "Chief Jay Strongbow & High Chief Peter Maivia vs. The most notable being the WW(W)F World Tag Team championship, which he won on 4 separate occasions. wrestler. 10/10 He Wasn't Actually Native American. Related: 10 Women Who Held The NWA Women's Championship. But if the Bulldogs wanted to work spots, they would get with [Brutus] to do it, because I wasnt going to. Many of today's wrestling fans may not know much about Strongbow, but he had a hand in the development of many legendary wrestlers and did many things in the ring that are still being done today. In 1979, he feuded with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, who broke Strongbow's leg. Still, he remained involved with wrestling. During the match, special guest referee Ivan Putski counted the winning fall, but did not see Fuji's foot draped over the bottom rope. Often being portrayed as a hero definitely helps as well. 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. Long before he ever became the chief, Scarpa was already doing quite well for himself. Scarpa got his leg broken in one match, and he broke the arm of at least one other wrestler. 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. The championship belt had undergone a makeover from the days of Pedro Morales and Don Muraco, but with national expansion, McMahon again wanted something new, an even sharper image for the championship. He won the WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship defeating Luke Graham on October 11, 1980 in Puerto Rico. Arion was now a heel, and pinned Strongbow in eastern arenas as he went on to challenge champion Bruno Sammartino. Born October 4, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The thing is, Strongbow didn't end up helping Tatanka find any success during his run with the company. 2007) and won more than 100 matches. The Exclusive WWE Inside Story. [9] On the March 8, 1983 episode of Championship Wrestling, the Strongbows lost the titles to The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika). In 1970, Scarpa began working for Vincent J. McMahon's World Wide Wrestling Federation as Chief Jay Strongbow, a Native American gimmick complete with a traditional headdress and Native themed wrestling moves.
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