 Youngblood, circa 1979 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Steven Nicolas Romero (1955-06-21)June 21, 1955 Fontana, California, U.S.[3] |
| Died | September 2, 1985(1985-09-02) (aged 30) Parkville, Victoria, Australia[4] |
| Family | Ricky Romero (father) Chris Youngblood (brother) Mark Youngblood (brother) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Jay Youngblood The Renegade[1] Silver Streak[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 242 lb (110 kg)[2] |
| Trained by | Ricky Romero[2] |
| Debut | 1975[2] |
Steven Nicolas Romero (June 21, 1955 – September 2, 1985) was an Americanprofessional wrestler better known by hisring nameJay Youngblood. He wrestled in theNational Wrestling Alliance'sJim Crockett Promotions in a tag team withRicky Steamboat. In addition, he wrestled withChampionship Wrestling from Florida,Pacific Northwest Wrestling,NWA All-Star Wrestling and theAmerican Wrestling Association.
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".[1] After this, he moved toPacific Northwest Wrestling with aNative Americangimmick under the name of Jay Youngblood. He engaged in afeud withBuddy Rose; at one point, Youngblood claimed that Rose had broken his arm.[6] He also teamed withJoe Lightfoot as "The Indians", capturing theNWA Canadian Tag Team Championship in November 1980.[3] On June 27, 1982 inMaple Leaf Wrestling, Youngblood defeatedThe Destroyer in the finals of a tournament to win theNWA Canadian Television Championship, becoming the inaugural champion.[7]
Youngblood wrestled in theNational Wrestling Alliance'sJim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in a main-event tag team withRicky Steamboat.[5][4] Also in JCP, he was known as "The Renegade".[1] In October 1979, Youngblood and Steamboat defeatedBaron von Raschke andPaul Jones for their first reign with theNWA World Tag Team Championship.[3] 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 andJimmy Snuka.[3] Youngblood even held theNWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship with Porkchop Cash, Johnny Weaver, and Steamboat.[5][3]
By 1982, Steamboat and Youngblood werefeuding withBoris Zhukov,Don Kernodle, and their managerSgt. 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 theirNWA World Tag Team Championship to Steamboat and Youngblood.[8][9] He was later defeated by Private Jim Nelson for the title.[1] Steamboat and Youngblood also feuded withJack andJerry Brisco, trading the tag team titles with them several times.[10][9] At the inauguralStarrcadepay-per-view on November 24, withAngelo 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]
He went toChampionship Wrestling from Florida in September 1984, where he and his brotherMark Youngblood captured theFlorida version of the NWA United States Tag Championship two times.[3] Also in 1984, Youngblood wrestled in Puerto Rico for theWorld Wrestling Council (WWC), and in 1985, he wrestled inAmerican Wrestling Association, Memphis, Mexico, and forPro Wrestling USA.[1]
Romero was the son of wrestlerRicky Romero, and the brother of wrestlersChris andMark Youngblood.[1] He was married at the time of his death and left behind a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Ricca.[4]
During a wrestling tour of the South Pacific, Youngblood was experiencing abdominal pain and went to the hospital where he was diagnosed with hemorrhagicpancreatitis. He started to develop abdominalsepsis andkidney failure before suffering a series of heart attacks.[3] He was in a coma for two weeks before dying on September 2, 1985, inParkville, Victoria, Australia, aged 30.[4][12] Before his death, Youngblood had purchased a house inCharlottesville, Virginia.[12]
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.
,Internet Wrestling Database