Pro wrestler Jerome Young, better known by his stage name of New Jack, died Friday after suffering a heart attack. He was 58.
Young died in North Carolina, according to his family. The wrestler’s death was confirmed to PW Insider by his wife, Jennifer Young, who also posted about her husband’s death on Facebook, the website reported.
Young’s death was also reported by TMZ.
Young’s New Jack character was noted for its hardcore, violent style, the Los Angeles Times reported. His controversial style was featured in “The Life and Crimes of New Jack,” an episode of Vice’s “Dark Side of the Ring,” the newspaper reported.
I couldn't help but love New Jack. #RIPNewJack pic.twitter.com/Ux4JAfbGaC
— Sean Waltman (@TheRealXPac) May 15, 2021
Young began wrestling professionally in 1992, The Patriot-News of Harrisburg reported. He worked with Mustafa Saed to form The Gangstas tag team in the North Georgia Wrestling Alliance and then in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the newspaper reported.
The pair moved to Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1995, according to PW Insider. His matches featured entrance music, “Natural Born Killaz,” which would play for the duration of his bouts, SB Nation reported.
Young had several controversial episodes and a few brushes with the law.
In a 1996 match for ECW, Young cut wrestler Mass Transit, severing two arteries, The Patriot-News reported. In 2004, he stabbed William Jason Lane several times in the head during a match for the Thunder Wrestling Federation, the newspaper reported. He was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, but the charges were eventually dropped, according to The Patriot-News.
Young held several titles in the ECW promotion, but was probably better known for diving out of balconies onto hapless opponents.
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