Just like with Wahoo, Valentine did an angle with the territorys No. On the July 13 episode of Championship Wrestling, the Strongbows lost the titles back to Fuji and Saito,[3] 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. 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 2020 . 973-667-1528, Official Arion, a popular and seemingly unbeatable babyface, returned to the WWWF after an absence and teamed with Strongbow. If that quote is true, WWE Hall-of-Famer the status of Greg Valentine as a performer inside the squared circle is unquestionable. 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). As both a main event and mid-card performer, Strongbow was one of the most reliable, professional wrestlers of his, or any, day. 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. coaches and student wrestlers from Nutley High School, and much more. Street, Nutley N.J. 07110973-667-1528 "I never wanted anybody to be able to see through any of my stuff, so when I threw something, I threw it hard. 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. Strongbow was an accomplished grappler, as his career began in 1947. About [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. Even if fans didn't have the pleasure of seeing him wrestle, they can come to appreciate his immense accomplishments. hometown of Nutley and who later went on to win his first title on April When things seemed to settle, Maivia came up behind Strongbow and clubbed him on the back of the head before walking off back to the dressing room leaving Strongbow to be assaulted by the Yukon Lumberjacks. Be it as a performer or as part of the management team, Strongbow made many sacrifices, and selflessly gave himself to the "sport." Born Luke Joseph Scarpa, he was an Italian-American man from New Jersey. After failing in regaining the belts, the Strongbows disbanded. Contact Room Rental, via phone, not email, Call His skill and attitude made him one of the top heels in wrestling, whether as a part of a tag team or solo act. He died in that hospital on April 3, 2012, at the age of 83. The Native American duo of Strongbow & White Wolf held the title for over 8 months before being forced to vacate the championship when White Wolf's neck was "broken" by Ken Patera's devastating finisher, the Swinging Neckbreaker. 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. [9] They defeated the team of Baron Mikel Scicluna and King Curtis Iaukea. 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. wrestling in its many forms professional wrestlers from our town, great A memorable match against "Iron Mike" McCord featured Strongbow applying his sleeper hold. Nutley Sons Honor 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. Many people have wondered about his heritage over the years, and unfortunately he wasn't native at all. the educational, cultural and historical needs of our It was just a basement in Stu Harts house with wrestling mats on the floor. Follow/Like Us on Still, having a plan once a career is over is always a good idea. "It was just incredible how much you would get paid, and then you had all of this money on you. October 4, 1932, 50 Years of Nutley Wrestling guest speakers included 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. Street hosted 50 Years of Nutley Wrestling, a program that explored Nutley the National Wrestling Alliance and launched his career under his own This time, the Native American duo held on to the title belts, and defended them against the WWF's best teams. Strongbow and Kent fought inside of a small shark cage, with the first man to escape being declared the winner. PWSTees.com Your favorite Pro Wrestling Stories, on a tee! He was 83 years old at the time. Next: 10 Things We Miss About Classic NWA Wrestling. Arion, a popular and seemingly unbeatable babyface, returned to the WWWF after an absence and teamed with Strongbow. 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. However, "The Chief" did venture outside the parameters of the WWWF on occasion, and was (for a time) a high-profile figure on TBS's NWA Georgia Championship Wrestling, the predecessor of WCW Saturday Night. 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. It makes some wonder how much more success he would have had if he took up the Native American character much sooner. Webmaster Nutley, New Jersey, News & History Archives, Reprinted from Nutley Neighbors, May 2017; Best Version Media. Strongbow won his first WWWF World Tag Team Championship on May 22, 1972 with partner Sonny King. His first WWWF Tag Team title came on May 22, 1972 when he teamed with Sonny King to defeat Baron Mikel Scicluna & Curtis Iaukea at New Yorks Madison Square Garden. Fuji). Sal Scarpa, brother of Joe AKA Chief Jay Strongbow, who [12], Strongbow retired in 1986, but would still step back into the ring from time to time, most notably for a legends battle royal in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 1987. Chief Jay Strongbow was inducted into the World Wrestling Federation Hall of Fame. 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. Society 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. For weeks afterward, Valentine wore a T-shirt during all of his appearances that read: "I BROKE WAHOOS LEG" on the front and "NO MORE WAHOO" on the back. 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. "I had to give the belt back to Tito after that angle," Valentine said. Often being portrayed as a hero definitely helps as well. He was well enough to appear at the event, but he was only able to give a brief speech due to his poor health. [9] On the March 8, 1983 episode of Championship Wrestling, the Strongbows lost the titles to The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika). 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. you think that it was all a harmless charade, it wasnt. the Nutley Hall of Fame in 2013. passed away in Georgia on April 3, 2012. McCord was disqualified, but Strongbow was cut wide open by Albano's blows. Apparently, the former professional wrestler fell sometime at the end of 2011 and had to be hospitalized. Links are subject The team won the title in a three-team tournament, defeating The Executioners and Nikolai Volkoff and Tor Kamata. name. It seems clear that the Chief Strongbow gimmick was a flashy idea to bring more attention to Scarpa, but it doesn't seem like it was one that was all that necessary. Although his Native American persona was fictional, as a role model for people of all races, there were none better and The Chief proudly wrestled his entire career as a beloved fan favorite. John shares his theory of how Hanson got that spot. Lou Albanos rule breaking team quickly regained the title, though, on July 13, 1982. In 1970, Scarpa began working for Vincent J. McMahons World Wide Wrestling Federation, where his popularity with fans exploded. He defended the title against the Junkyard Dog at the first WrestleMania, taking a count-out loss and keeping the championship. Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine Their Lauded Feud & Dog Collar Match, Championship Belt Maker Dave Millican Shares His Pieces of History, Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine | Rhythm and Blues (and Unkept Promises, Too! Give us sixty minutes and well give you a wicked good podcast. 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. 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. persona of Jules Strongbow. 12, 2014; [1] He won the NWA (Georgia) Southern Tag Team titles with Chief Little Eagle in Georgia Championship wrestling in 1965. Discover Chief Jay Strongbow's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. His Tomahawk Chop was a weapon to be feared, and led to many victories of the course of his 20 years in the ring. 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. Get the occasional email with the latest wrestling tributes and memorials, Search by ring name, real name, cause of death, organization, time period (2000s, etc) or specific year, WWE Hall of Famer Ravishing Rick Rude was an amazing individual in and out of the ring. Together, they defeated Nicolai Volkoff & Tor Kamata in the finals of a tournament for the then-vacant WWWF Tag Team championship. 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. Both of us were young guys, and we were working hard every night. Strongbow enjoyed a successful career and even after his retirement, remained connected to professional wrestling. Scarpa's wrestling career began in 1947, under his real name. Chief Jay Strongbow character is often seen as a bit of a misstep in terms of respect for cultures due to Scarpa not actually being Native American, but he commited to it in and out of the ring. Strongbow also competed for The Sheik's Big Time Wrestling promotion in Detroit. Scarpa fell at his home in late 2011 and was hospitalized. dance, and applying an Indian Death Lock hold to an opponent. Professional Wrestling Online Museum, Copyright 2020 Adscape International, LLC - All Rights Reserved, Dr. George Zahorian Convicted Of Selling Steroids To WWF Wrestlers. "And one day when I saw him a few years ago, I asked whatever became of that belt, because Tito kept it after that angle. Chief Jay Strongbow 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. [9], Four and a half years later, on December 7, 1976, Strongbow won his second WWWF World Tag Team Championship, this time with partner Billy White Wolf. Strongbow's career started in 1947, using . Read document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The Top Ten in All Areas of Pro Wrestling, The Longest Running Pro Wrestling Columnist, Dave Meltzer, Mike Mooneyham, Steve Yohe, Tim Hornbaker, Greg Oliver, Bill Apter, Karl Stern, Scott Teal, wrestlingclassics.com, wwe.com, kayfabememories.com, wrestling-titles.com, The Lapsed Fan podcast, 6:05 Superpodcast, Great Black Heroes "club" wrestling team at Nutley High School (1961) the first varsity 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. Strongbow won his first WWWF World Tag Team Championship on May 22, 1972 with partner Sonny King. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Scarpa got his leg broken in one match, and he broke the arm of at least one other wrestler. He first began using the gimmick for the WWWF in the early '70s, and would continue with it for the rest of his career. Have a comment about Chief Jay Strongbow? Ironic, because Strongbow didnt have a drop of Native American DNA in his blood. 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. Working in Cleveland, Ohio, and Buffalo, New York, the Fargo "brothers" would cut a swath of destruction. Millions Sob As Volkoff Attacks Bruno. 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. 10 Wrestlers WWE Wrongfully Fired In The Past: Where Are They Now? 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. Web SiteNutley Historical "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. Long before he ever became the chief, Scarpa was already doing quite well for himself. He had a memorable feud with "Bulldog" Don Kent, which culminated in a "shark cage match" in 1977. Strongbow and Kent fought inside of a small shark cage, with the first man to escape being declared the winner. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); No spam. STICK TO WRESTLING! wrestling team (1962) and head coach for the NHS wrestling team (1994 to 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. Welch was actually from Pawhuska, Oklahoma. 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. Related: 10 Women Who Held The NWA Women's Championship. If Stu got ahold of you, hed try to make you scream.". 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. Founded 1945 During this time, Strongbow was seemingly impervious to pain as he would absorb strikes, but continue to dance around the ring before finishing off his opponent. At the first WrestleMania, taking a count-out loss and keeping the Championship, taking a count-out and... News & History Archives, Reprinted from Nutley Neighbors, May 2017 ; Best Version.. 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