The Spotlight: The Life and Career of New Jack

Joe King

Loved by some, feared by many, and criticized by even more…Jerome Young carved out a legacy defined by chaos, controversy, and unfiltered violence. Whether viewed as a hardcore icon or a walking lawsuit, New Jack remains one of the most talked-about performers of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Early Life & Training

Jerome Young was born on January 3, 1963, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Before entering wrestling, Young had a troubled past and a rough upbringing that heavily influenced his on-screen persona. He claimed that he and his siblings witnessed his father stab his mother. At a young age, he began committing crimes such as robbery, which he would end up serving two years in prison for. He trained under veteran wrestler Ray Candy and debuted in 1992 in the Memphis territory, working for the USWA. It was in Memphis that the foundation for the New Jack character was laid, getting the name from the movie New Jack City starring Wesley Snipes.

The Birth of The Gangstas

New Jack gained national attention in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1994 as one half of The Gangstas, alongside Mustafa Saed. During their feud with The Rock & Roll Express, The Gangstas became one of the most controversial acts in wrestling at the time. Their gimmick was intentionally inflammatory. At the advice of promoter Jim Cornette, they cut racially charged, politically explosive promos aimed at provoking Southern crowds. The heat they generated was real—and sometimes dangerous. Riots nearly broke out at multiple shows, and police presence was sometimes required. While their style in SMW was more traditional than what would come later, their reputation as legitimate threats was already forming.

ECW: The Hardcore Icon Era

In 1995, The Gangstas joined Extreme Championship Wrestling—and this is where New Jack became a legend. ECW’s violent, anything-goes environment was the perfect platform for his unhinged persona. New Jack developed a signature entrance: coming to the ring while “Natural Born Killaz” by Ice Cube & Dr. Dre blasted continuously throughout the entire match. The music didn’t stop. It became part of the chaos.

ECW Tag Team Success

The Gangstas feuded with teams like The Dudley Boyz, The Eliminators, Da Baldies, and Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney. 

New Jack would also form tag-teams with Balls Mahoney, John Kronus, and Spike Dudley. He won the ECW World Tag Team Championships twice with Mustafa Saed and once with John Kronus.

New Jack wasn’t known for technical wrestling. His matches were violent brawls featuring trash cans, staple guns, forks, tables, and anything else he could think to be used as a weapon(including an NES console). His wrestling matches weren’t about holds or maneuvers, they were about mayhem and violence.

The Mass Transit Incident

One of the darkest moments in wrestling history occurred on November 23, 1996.

A 17-year-old trainee named Erich Kulas lied about his age and training experience to wrestle on an ECW show. During the match, New Jack severely bladed Kulas, causing excessive bleeding that shocked audiences. The incident led to lawsuits and national media scrutiny. New Jack claimed he was told Kulas was trained and of legal age. A jury ultimately found New Jack not guilty in criminal court. The incident remains one of the most infamous and controversial events in wrestling history.

The Danbury Fall

In 2000, in Danbury, Connecticut during a match with Vic Grimes at ECW’s Living Dangerously, New Jack fell approximately 20 feet from a scaffold when a planned table spot went horribly wrong. When they got up on the platform, Vic Grimes became too scared to do the planned spot. Not wanting to disappoint the fans in the arena and watching at home on pay-per-view, New Jack pulled Grimes down with him. He would end up suffering brain damage, a skull fracture, and partial blindness. Miraculously, he survived the fall—and returned to wrestling. Grimes never visited him in the hospital and never apologized for the incident. 

Later, in XPW, New Jack notoriously sought revenge on Vic Grimes during another scaffold match, throwing him from a much higher structure. New Jack had a stun gun in his pants pocket and when they made it to the top of the 40 foot scaffold, he tased Grimes with it. Grimes told him “Jack, I can’t feel my legs.” Jack replied “it’s alright. You ain’t gonna need them” and proceeded to throw him off of it. Luckily for Grimes, his legs bounced off of the top rope, breaking his fall. Grimes narrowly avoided catastrophe.

XPW, TNA & Independent Circuit

After ECW folded in 2001, New Jack worked in XPW, TCW, TNA, and numerous other independent promotions. In TNA, he formed an unlikely partnership with Shark Boy. His reputation for real-life confrontations followed him everywhere. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, he remained a cult attraction on the indie scene. Promoters booked him knowing exactly what they were getting—unpredictability and violence.

Reputation & Real-Life Incidents

New Jack’s career was filled with legitimate altercations, including stabbing an opponent named Hunter Red during a match when the inexperienced Red went in a little too hard with his strikes and wouldn’t listen. He would get stabbed 9 times. He was arrested shortly afterwards. New Jack was also involved in an infamous incident with veteran wrestler Gypsy Joe. Gypsy Joe wasn’t selling his offense, so he started beating him with a baseball bat for real. He often blurred the line between performance and reality. Some saw him as reckless. Others saw him as authentic in a business built on illusion.

Later Years & Dark Side of the Ring

In 2020, New Jack appeared on Vice’s “Dark Side of the Ring”, where he openly discussed his career and controversies with little remorse. The episode reintroduced him to a new generation and reinforced his reputation as wrestling’s ultimate outlaw. Despite everything, he embraced his legacy. He never apologized for who he was.

Death & Legacy

New Jack passed away on May 14, 2021, at age 58 due to a heart attack. His death sparked divided reactions as hardcore fans praised him as an ECW original and fearless performer and critics pointed to the violence and chaos that defined his career. But one thing is undeniable: There has never been and never will be another performer like New Jack. I’m glad I had the privilege of watching him during his career and also being able to meet him while working for Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. He wasn’t a technical masterpiece. He wasn’t a corporate star. He was raw energy personified. New Jack was real—and that made him both magnetic and terrifying.

Career Highlights

•3x Extreme Championship Wrestling World Tag Team Champion

•Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Champion

•North Georgia Wrestling Association Heavyweight Champion 

•United States Wrestling Association World Tag Team Champion