[9] During the match, special guest referee Ivan Putski counted the winning fall, but did not see Fuji's foot draped over the bottom rope. He also participated in a 1994 storyline in which he mentored Tatanka. Strongbow was inducted by Tatanka, who Strongbow was managing at the time. His skill and attitude made him one of the top heels in wrestling, whether as a part of a tag team or solo act. On the table this week: Pat Patterson wins the North American title, and then wins the Intercontinental Title. Stick To Wrestling with John McAdam & Sean Goodwin is a production of the Arcadian Vanguard Podcast Network. was winning world fame, he adopted a ring name and wrestling persona Eventually, though, nearly forty years after his pro debut, Scarpa retired from active competition in 1986. Back then, many pro wrestlers adopted ethnic personas. Greg Valentine is one of several veteran superstars who appears in the 350 Days documentary, which details what it was really like to live life on the road as a professional wrestler in the 1980s. 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. After failing in regaining the belts, the Strongbows disbanded. By now, Valentine was ready for his first marquee singles feud, taking on Wahoo McDaniel and, in a memorable angle, "breaking" Wahoos leg. His father was still working, and promoters were afraid that the name would imply the elder Valentine was too old to be in the ring. For those of you who only saw the Valentine feud, it's pretty hard to imagine "Strongbow" hitting flying head and body sciissors, monkey flips, missle and flying dropkicks and somersaults off the turnbuckle. 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. Still, a wrestler as popular as Jay Strongbow couldn't help but pick up a fair share of championships. While it didn't translate into all that many championships at that point, he was still considered one of the greatest stars of that decade. While today's comeback sequences aren't as pronounced as Strongbow's, John Cena and many other top stars employ a signature move sequence that they use every match. When you think about it, though, there haven't been many wrestlers in WWE history who have been attached to a certain match type. 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. He was 83 years old at the time. But the feud with JYD was just to keep him busy until his feud with Santana resumed. I dont know about you, but give me cash every time!". Then, on December 7, 1976 Strongbow regained his tag team campionship, this time with partner Billy White Wolf. "Wahoo was a tremendous athlete," Valentine said. passed away in Georgia on April 3, 2012. He died in that hospital on April 3, 2012, at the age of 83. But The Strongbows were not to be denied, and they regrouped, again defeating Fuji & Saito on October 26, 1982. 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. "Of course, my wife says Im too nice.". McCord was disqualified, but Strongbow was cut wide open by Albano's blows. 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. "I never wanted anybody to be able to see through any of my stuff, so when I threw something, I threw it hard. [6][7]By the time he went over to WWWF, he was already a 12 Tag-Team and 6 Time singles champion. The two wrestled all over the WWF circuit, including an "Indian Strap match" at Madison Square Garden on July 30, 1979.[3]. His Tomahawk Chop was a weapon to be feared and led to many victories, as did his Sleeper hold and several variations of the suplex. Net Worth 2020 . "Vigilante" who wrestled his first match on April 13, 2013, in his His career started in 1947, and he wouldnt get the Strongbow character until 1970. you think that it was all a harmless charade, it wasnt. brought lots of memorabilia; Reprinted from Nutley Neighbors, May 2017; Best Version Media Street, Nutley N.J. 07110973-667-1528 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. That could be because while he It was impossible not to, as the feathered war bonnet that he donned to play the role of Chief Jay Strongbow was easy to spot. Founded 1945 Then, on June 28, 1982, Strongbow again brought home the gold, teaming with his "nephew" Jules Strongbow to defeat the Japanese tandem of Fuji & Saito. Plus, Randy provides a firsthand account of Jimmy Valiant turning on Chief Jay Strongbow in 1971. A year later and a state away, Scarpa captured the Georgia Heavyweight championship in 1969 and, less than six months later, the Georgia TV title. He defended the title against the Junkyard Dog at the first WrestleMania, taking a count-out loss and keeping the championship. [10][11], In 1979, he feuded with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, who broke Strongbow's leg. [13] Strongbow was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame class of 1994 by Gorilla Monsoon. Street, Nutley N.J. 07110973-667-1528 On June 28, 1982, Strongbow again brought home the WWF tag team gold, teaming with his nephew Jules Strongbow to defeat the Japanese tandem of Mr. Saito & Mr. Fuji. "Back when I started (with WWE), they were paying us in cash," he said. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . While it wasn't a lengthy storyline, Strongbow did wind up returning to the WWE in order to guide Tatanka to domination. Fuji). The pair made their debut on June 5, 1982, defeating Adrian Adonis & Jesse Ventura.After making their debut, The Strongbows had a number of opportunities to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito, but were unsuccessful. On this weeks Stick To Wrestling podcast we continue our Summer Series as we take a look at the Summer of 1979 in the WWF as John McAdam and Sean Goodwin are joined by fellow old school WWF fanatic Randy Barrier. The first thing that should be known to just about everyone is that Strongbow wasn't actually Native American. Strongbow would win more championships in the future, but a challenge for that title is his biggest claim to mainstream fame outside of his WWE Tag Team Championship wins. Professional Wrestling Online Museum, Copyright 2020 Adscape International, LLC - All Rights Reserved, Dr. George Zahorian Convicted Of Selling Steroids To WWF Wrestlers. Its a fascinating story. As both a main event and mid-card performer, Strongbow was one of the most reliable, professional wrestlers of his, or any, day. Strongbow understood how the wrestling business works, and was never above "doing the job" in order to help "the team." I made sure he respected me!". [9] On the March 8, 1983 episode of Championship Wrestling, the Strongbows lost the titles to The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika). Valentine again won the world tag titles, this time with Baron Von Rasche. Nationality: United States. If that quote is true, WWE Hall-of-Famer the status of Greg Valentine as a performer inside the squared circle is unquestionable. What went wrong? On April 3, 2012, he died in his home in Griffin . Chief Jay Strongbow is a Wrestler, zodiac sign: Libra. Only sparse details about the death of Chief Jay Strongbow have been made known to the public. After losing their belts, the Strongbows remained a top WWF tag team, until Jules left the promotion. Ironic, because Strongbow didnt have a drop of Native American DNA in his blood. "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. 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. 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. wrestling team (1962) and head coach for the NHS wrestling team (1994 to Wrestling mania seized Nutley. Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Kamala: August 25, 1984 By using this site, you agree to the legal terms set out in ourDisclaimer, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Disclosure. The first thing that should be known to just about everyone is that Strongbow wasn't actually Native American. 65 Church Luke Joseph Scarpa[2] (October 4, 1928 April 3, 2012) was an American professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer who was best known by the ring name Chief Jay Strongbow. Millions Sob As Volkoff Attacks Bruno. 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. "club" wrestling team at Nutley High School (1961) the first varsity (Use code PWS for a nice surprise). A Still, having a plan once a career is over is always a good idea. One highlight was a presentation by Sal Scarpa, the brother of the late 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 . Plus, Randy provides a firsthand account of Jimmy Valiant turning on Chief Jay Strongbow in 1971. wrestling team (1962) and head coach for the NHS wrestling team (1994 to DOWNLOAD THIS BAD BOY! Still, getting the rub from past Native American characters likely helped Tatanka even if the moments were brief. actor. 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. "Chief" Jay Strongbow was arguably the most famous, beloved Native American wrestler of all time, and a consistent box office draw. On April 3, 2012, Joe Chief Jay Strongbow Scarpa passed away at the age of 83. 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. But, the popular Strongbows were not to be denied and they regrouped, again defeating Saito & Fuji on October 26, 1982. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. home. His best accomplishments are in WWWF where he was a 4-time World Tag-Team Champion. He's won multiple awards for reporting and opinion writing, and his sports journalism has garnered several Associated Press Managing Editors Awards. Lou Albano's rulebreaking team quickly regained the title, though, on July 13, 1982. Born Jonathan Anthony Wisniski, Jr., the younger Valentine didnt immediately capitalize on his fathers name. 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. After seeking revenge on Patera for the loss of his partner, Strongbow then went on to face the WWWF World Heavyweight champion "Superstar" Billy Graham in a top-drawing feud. Museum Jules Strongbow was hired by the WWF in 1982, and formed a tag team with his on-screen brother, Chief Jay Strongbow. 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. About It was alleged that Strongbow had previously jumped Albano in the locker room, breaking his arm. 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. Chief Jay Strongbow's success landed him in the WWE hall of fame, something most people would agree is deserved. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? the Nutley Hall of Fame in 2013. Web site 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. Check-in Chief Despite that and despite the general stereotypes involved with his gimmick, it could be said that Strongbow did bring a more positive perception on Native American culture than most people likely had at that time. Approx. He was also admitted to the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011, but it seems he was not well enough to attend that event. With an assist from fellow fan favorite Mark Lewin, Strongbow was able to escape the shark cage victorious. The most notable championship of his career was the WWWF Tag Team title, which he won on four separate occasions. 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. Nutley wrestling coach Mike DiPiano, and former Nutley Be it as a performer or as part of the management team, Strongbow made many sacrifices, and selflessly gave himself to the "sport." You havent heard of him, you say? Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. 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