While a lot of fans look back fondly on the career of Chief Jay Strongbow, it is fair to say that his gimmick is definitely a relic of the era. He’s most often remembered for his striking gimmick and not for all of his incredible accomplishments that he managed to rack up over the span of his career.
Strongbow was no slouch when it came to picking up championships, earning over 20 titles throughout his career. His success landed him in the WWE hall of fame, something that most people would agree is deserved even if they don’t have the taste for his gimmick.
10 He Wasn’t Actually Native American
The first thing that should be known to just about everyone is that Strongbow wasn't actually Native American. Born Luke Joseph Scarpa, he was an Italian-American man from New Jersey. Many people have wondered about his heritage over the years, and unfortunately he wasn’t native at all.
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. Often being portrayed as a hero definitely helps as well.
9 He Was Quite Successful Before The Strongbow Gimmick
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. Long before he ever became the chief, Scarpa was already doing quite well for himself.
His career started in 1947, and he wouldn’t get the Strongbow character until 1970. During the decades before the gimmick, Scarpa wrestled under his real name and saw a lot of success with championships. He was even considered to be a relatively hot fan-favorite of the '50s and '60s.
8 He Wasn’t The First To Use The Native American Gimmick
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. With that said, there has also been other similar gimmicks both before and after Strongbow.
The thing that makes the two famous gimmicks that took place before and after him different were that they were actually Native American. Wahoo McDaniel for example, was of both Choctaw and Chickasaw descent, and was the first famed man to use the Native American gimmick long before Strongbow came around.
7 He Almost Won The WWWF World Heavyweight Championship
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. Scarpa became so famous after his shift into the Strongbow gimmick that winning the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
He never wound up claiming the gold, but that was the point in his career in which he was never hotter. 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.
6 He Was Once At Odds With The Rock’s Grandfather
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. One performer he fought with is actually the grandfather of one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
Strongbow was actually teaming with High Chief Peter Maivia when the two men started getting into it. Their brief argument was enough for Maivia to turn on Strongbow, leaving him to take a serious beating from their would-be opponents that night.
5 He Teamed With A Brother In A Storyline
An unfortunate truth about Strongbow is that the end of his career is mostly forgettable despite him seeing plenty of tag team success. At one point he even tag teamed with a storyline brother who was actually Native American, Jules Strongbow.
The Strongbow brothers won the tag titles on two occasions, but most people probably don't even remember it for how brief and uninteresting it was. The team quickly fizzled out, and they were separated shortly after being unable to win the titles for a third time.
4 He Managed A Native American Star
While it wasn't a lengthy storyline, Strongbow did wind up returning to the WWE in order to guide Tatanka to domination. The thing is, Strongbow didn't end up helping Tatanka find any success during his run with the company.
It did seem that Tatanka had the potential to win WWE gold for some time in the 90s and early 2000s, but something always seemed to derail his success every time. Still, getting the rub from past Native American characters likely helped Tatanka even if the moments were brief.
3 He Was One Of The Most Popular Wrestlers Of The 70s
Anyone can have their own opinions on the Strongbow character, but it's hard to say that it wasn't incredibly popular. He first began using the gimmick for the WWWF in the early '70s, and would continue with it for the rest of his career.
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. 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.
2 He Was An NWA Legend
A lot of people can forget about wrestling accomplishments that aren't from WWE, WCW, or any of the various popular independent promotions of today. That may lead many people to not know that Strongbow was a bonafide legend of NWA.
Before Scarpa even became Strongbow he had carved out an incredible career for himself. Working for NWA for over two decades, he managed to pick up nearly 20 championships across the various areas that NWA ran. It makes some wonder how much more success he would have had if he took up the Native American character much sooner.
1 He Worked For WWE After His In-Ring Career Was Over
Wrestlers always need to be thinking of what might be next for them when their career comes to an end. Some people have their careers cut short due to injury or waning fan popularity, while others work for decades.
Still, having a plan once a career is over is always a good idea. Clearly WWE was willing to give back to its talent as Strongbow wound up working as an agent for WWE for a while. It's likely that he was best suited as a talent since he was constantly brought back to help the newer stars.