Billed height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Died 25 February 2016 Uncle Jules Strongbow | Debut 1986 Parents Chief Jay Strongbow Retired 1993 | |
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Birth name Luke Joseph Mark Scarpa Jr. Ring name(s) Mark YoungPrivate Mark PyleVince YoungMark Scarpa Billed weight 105 kg (231 lb; 16.5 st) | ||
Luke Joseph "Joe" Scarpa Jr. (April 23, 1967 – February 25, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Mark Young, who competed in the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s and early 1990s, World Championship Wrestling, and many independent promotions. He was the adopted son of WWE Hall of Famer Chief Jay Strongbow.
Contents
- Early life
- Stampede Wrestling 19861987
- World Wrestling Federation 19861990 19921993
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling 1987
- Continental Championship Wrestling Continental Wrestling Federation 1988
- World Championship Wrestling 1989 1992
- All Japan Pro Wrestling 1990
- Mid Eastern Wrestling Federation 1993
- Later years and death
- References
Early life
Scarpa was a second generation wrestler; his father was Chief Jay Strongbow who wrestled in the World Wide Wrestling Federation in the 1970s.
Stampede Wrestling (1986–1987)
He was trained by Stu Hart and made his professional wrestling debut in 1986 for Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, wrestling as Mark Scarpa. He left the promotion in January 1987.
World Wrestling Federation (1986–1990, 1992–1993)
Scarpa signed with the World Wrestling Federation as a wrestler in star spangled banner trunks to represent his country. In his debut he lost to Steve Lombardi on November 11, 1986 in Spokane, Washington. He would wrestle with the company off and on from 1986-1990. He would lose to heels like Bad News Brown, Earthquake, Mr. Perfect and Rick Martel and even had a few wins over The Brooklyn Brawler, Pete Doherty, Bob Bradley and Frenchy Martin. Sometimes Young would compete in tag team matches. By September 1990, Young left the company. He made a brief return in 1992 and his last match in the WWF was a loss to Owen Hart on February 16.
Pacific Northwest Wrestling (1987)
In February 1987, Scarpa would join Pacific Northwest Wrestling in Portland, where he remained until June.
Continental Championship Wrestling / Continental Wrestling Federation (1988)
In April 1988, Scarpa joined Continental Championship Wrestling. By this time, they were transitioning away from the National Wrestling Alliance and became the Continental Wrestling Federation. While there, he was forced into D.I. Bob Carter's Honor Guard after losing a match to Tony Anthony. He also changed his name to Mark Pyle. He would assist Carter and Detroit Demolition to win the NWA Southeast Continental Tag Team Championship from The Nightmares, who would also implode as Nightmare Ken Wayne turned on Nightmare Danny Davis, on May 29.
World Championship Wrestling (1989, 1992)
In February 1989, Scarpa, as Vince Young, would join World Championship Wrestling, but would leave after a month with the company to return to the WWF. He would make a one-off return to WCW in August 1992 in Baltimore for a WCW Worldwide TV taping.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (1990)
In May and June 1990, Scarpa joined All Japan Pro Wrestling on their Super Power Series tour. Throughout the tour, he would team up with the likes of Abdullah The Butcher, Dusty Rhodes, Jr., Johnny Smith, Terry Gordy, and Ranger Ross.
Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation (1993)
Scarpa retired in 1993. His last match on record occurred on May 8 for the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, teaming with Trent Young (no relation) in a loss to Joe Thunder and Johnny Blaze.
Later years and death
On April 3, 2012, his father died from complications from a fall.
On February 25, 2016, Scarpa died at the age of 48. His cause of death is unknown.