Jerome "New Jack" Young Passes Away
The "Original Gangsta" was 58
Jerome Young, best known to wrestling fans as "The Original Gangsta" New Jack, passed away Friday from what is reported to be a heart attack, according to PWInsider.
Young was 58 years old.
As a wrestler, the highly-intense, charismatic New Jack gained the most notoriety for his time spent in Extreme Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 2000. He joined the organization as part of a tag team called The Gangstas, with partner Mustafa Saed.
The Gangstas were known for their out-of-control, weapons-laden brawls. Adding to their unique act was the fact that the duration of their matches was soundtracked by the looped playing of "Natural Born Killaz" by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.
While in ECW, New Jack held the World Tag Team titles on three occasions - twice with Mustafa, and once with former Eliminator John Kronus.
Notable rivals of New Jack's in ECW included The Public Enemy, The Eliminators, The Dudley Boyz, Mustafa himself, and Da Baldies.
Preceding his time in ECW, The Gangstas were top heels in Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling. There, the duo regularly feuded with The Rock n Roll Express, and reigned once with the Tag Team titles.
New Jack later ended up in promotions like XPW and Total Nonstop Action for short spells.
New Jack gained notoriety for a November 1996 tag team match-gone-wrong, in which novice wrestler Erich Kulas lost an alarming amount of blood while being bladed at New Jack's hands (in what became known as "The Mass Transit Incident"). Legal fallout followed the incident, and New Jack was acquitted of both criminal and civil charges.
New Jack's final match took place just last month, teaming with Tony Devito and HC Loc in a victory over John Wayne Murdoch, Reed Bentley, and Neil Diamond Cutter at an ICW No Holds Barred show in Tampa.
In 2020, New Jack was subject of a Dark Side of the Ring episode, focusing on his unique career, unbelievable incidents, and cult following.
Cultaholic offers it condolences to Mr. Young's family and friends.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
