Jay Youngblood

Jay Youngblood
Youngblood, circa 1979
Birth nameSteven Nicolas Romero
Born(1955-06-21)June 21, 1955
Fontana, California, U.S.[1]
DiedSeptember 2, 1985(1985-09-02) (aged 30)
Parkville, Victoria, Australia[2]
FamilyRicky Romero (father)
Chris Youngblood (brother)
Mark Youngblood (brother)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Jay Youngblood
The Renegade[3]
Silver Streak[3]
Billed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[4]
Billed weight242 lb (110 kg)[4]
Trained byRicky Romero[4]
Debut1975[4]

Steven Nicolas Romero (June 21, 1955 – September 2, 1985) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Jay Youngblood. He wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions in a tag team with Ricky Steamboat. In addition, he wrestled with Championship Wrestling from Florida, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, NWA All-Star Wrestling and the American Wrestling Association.

Professional wrestling career

Romero's father had discouraged him from entering professional wrestling,[5] but despite this, he started wrestling in 1975 in Amarillo under a mask, calling himself "Silver Streak".[3] After this, he moved to Pacific Northwest Wrestling with a Native American gimmick under the name of Jay Youngblood. He engaged in a feud with Buddy Rose; at one point, Youngblood claimed that Rose had broken his arm.[6] He also teamed with Joe Lightfoot as "The Indians", capturing the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship in November 1980.[1] On June 27, 1982 in Maple Leaf Wrestling, Youngblood defeated The Destroyer in the finals of a tournament to win the NWA Canadian Television Championship, becoming the inaugural champion.[7]

Youngblood wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in a main-event tag team with Ricky Steamboat.[5][2] Also in JCP, he was known as "The Renegade".[3] In October 1979, Youngblood and Steamboat defeated Baron von Raschke and Paul Jones for their first reign with the NWA World Tag Team Championship.[1] They held the titles until losing them to Ray Stevens and Greg Valentine in April 1980, but they regained the titles in a rematch in May until dropping them in June to Stevens and Jimmy Snuka.[1] Youngblood even held the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship with Porkchop Cash, Johnny Weaver, and Steamboat.[5][1]

By 1982, Steamboat and Youngblood were feuding with Boris Zhukov, Don Kernodle, and their manager Sgt. Slaughter.[5][8] Zhukov, then known as Private Jim Nelson, later betrayed his team in favour of Youngblood and Steamboat.[8] The rivalry culminated in a steel cage match on March 12, 1983, where Slaughter and Kernodle lost their NWA World Tag Team Championship to Steamboat and Youngblood.[8][9] He was later defeated by Private Jim Nelson for the title.[3] Steamboat and Youngblood also feuded with Jack and Jerry Brisco, trading the tag team titles with them several times.[10][9] At the inaugural Starrcade pay-per-view on November 24, with Angelo Mosca as the special guest referee, Youngblood and Steamboat defeated the Briscos to win back the World Tag Team Championships.[11] However, the titles were vacated on December 25 when Steamboat announced his retirement.[9]

Jay (right) and Mark (left) as NWA United States Tag Team Champions, circa 1985

He went to Championship Wrestling from Florida in September 1984, where he and his brother Mark Youngblood captured the Florida version of the NWA United States Tag Championship two times.[1] Also in 1984, Youngblood wrestled in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council (WWC), and in 1985, he wrestled in American Wrestling Association, Memphis, Mexico, and for Pro Wrestling USA.[3]

Personal life

Romero was the son of wrestler Ricky Romero, and the brother of wrestlers Chris and Mark Youngblood.[3] He was married at the time of his death and left behind a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Ricca.[2]

Death

During a wrestling tour of the South Pacific, Youngblood was experiencing abdominal pain and went to the hospital where he was diagnosed with hemorrhagic pancreatitis. He started to develop abdominal sepsis and kidney failure before suffering a series of heart attacks.[1] He was in a coma for two weeks before dying on September 2, 1985, in Parkville, Victoria, Australia, aged 30.[2][12] Before his death, Youngblood had purchased a house in Charlottesville, Virginia.[12]

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Lentz III, Harris M. (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 389. ISBN 978-0-7864-1754-4.
  2. ^ a b c d Mooneyham, Mike (November 14, 2015). "Jay Youngblood: A daughter remembers". The Post and Courier. Evening Post Industries. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Jay Youngblood's profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on February 26, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Jay Youngblood". Cagematch.net. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Johnson, Steven; Oliver, Greg (2005). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams. ECW Press. pp. 224–226. ISBN 9781770905573.
  6. ^ "Youngblood, Rose top pro mat card". Eugene Register-Guard. February 4, 1977. p. 20. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "NWA Canadian Television Title (Ontario)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Adams, Mason (September 23, 2005). "Wrestling with identity". The Roanoke Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  9. ^ a b c d "World Tag Team Champions And WCW/NWA Title History". World Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on November 10, 2000. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  10. ^ "Jack Briscoe chat". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. October 16, 2001. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ "Starrcade 1983 results". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Funeral services held for professional wrestler". The Roanoke Times. Roanoke, Virginia. September 14, 1985. p. 75. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  13. ^ "Real World Tag League 1982". PUROLOVE.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  14. ^ Oliver, Greg (April 16, 2015). "Larry Hennig proves he's a worthy headliner at CAC banquet". Slam! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2023. The Family Award went to the Romero Family, which consisted of patriarch Ricky Romero, and his sons, the late Jay Youngblood, and Mark and Chris Youngblood, and Ricky Jr.
  15. ^ "NWA United States Tag Team Title (Florida)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  16. ^ "NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  17. ^ "NWA Canadian Tag Team Title (British Columbia)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  18. ^ "NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Title (British Columbia)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  20. ^ "NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  21. ^ "Salem City Tournament". Pro Wrestling History. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  22. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  23. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 100 Tag Teams of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  24. ^ "NWA Western States Tag Team Title (W. Texas)". Wrestling Titles. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  25. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Tag Team Of The Year". Cagematch.net. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.