Jerome Saganowich (born July 5, 1964) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

best known by his wrestling name Jerry Sags. He is a member of the

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

The Nasty Boys The Nasty Boys are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags. The team were active from the mid-1980s through the 1990s. Their gimmick was that of anti-social punks who specialized in hardcore wrestling and br ...

with partner and long-term friend Brian Knobbs.

Early life and education

Sags was born May 7, 1964, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He attended and graduated from Whitehall High School in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania in the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

region of eastern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. While at Whitehall High School, Sags met Brian Knobbs. The two became friends and went on to establish

in 1986.

Career

Sags started his American Wrestling Association career as a referee in 1985. In 1986, he and Brian Knobbs formed

, a tag team that initially wrestled out of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. The team until moved to

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...

, where they won the Tag Team Titles five times from 1988 through 1990. In 1990, they went to the

NWA NWA or Nwa most commonly refers to: * N.W.A ("Niggaz Wit Attitudes"), a hip hop group from Compton, California, US * National Wrestling Alliance, a professional wrestling organization NWA or Nwa may refer to: Music * New Weird America, a subgenr ...

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

, which had been purchased by

Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he fo ...

and would be renamed

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...

before The Nasty Boys left a few months later. They feuded with Rick and

Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championshi ...

over the U.S. Tag Team Titles, but could not defeat them. In late 1990, they moved to the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

, where they were managed by Jimmy Hart. They won the World Tag Team titles from

The Hart Foundation The Hart Foundation is the name of several derivative tag teams and stables composed primarily of members and close friends of the Hart wrestling family. The name originated in the World Wrestling Federation in 1985 with the original Hart Foundat ...

before feuding with and losing the titles to the Legion of Doom. Knobbs and Sags then feuded with all of the WWF's top face tag teams, including

The Rockers The Rockers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty who teamed from 1985 to 1992. The team worked for NWA Central States Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, Continental Wrestli ...

and

The Bushwhackers The Bushwhackers are a professional wrestling tag team who competed first as the New Zealand Kiwis and then as The Sheepherders during their 36-year career as a tag team. They wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation, Jim Crockett Promotions, ...

. They turned

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

in the fall of 1992 to feud with Jimmy Hart's Money Inc. over the tag team titles, but were unable to recapture the gold. They left the WWF for WCW in 1993 and were managed by

Missy Hyatt Melissa Ann Hiatt (born October 16, 1963), better known by her ring name, Missy Hyatt, is an American retired professional wrestling valet, commentator, and occasional professional wrestler. She is best known for her appearances with World Cha ...

, who helped lead them to world tag team titles. Hyatt later resigned as their manager, and they went on to feud with

Harlem Heat Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team composed of two brothers, Booker and Lash Huffman (better known as Booker T and Stevie Ray). The team achieved their greatest success in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where they won the WCW ...

The Blue Bloods The Blue Bloods was a heel professional wrestling stable in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that consisted of "Lord" Steven Regal, "Earl" Robert Eaton, and "Squire" David Taylor, along with their butler Jeeves, who operated in the middle to ...

, and the team of

Dick Slater Richard Van Slater (May 19, 1951 – October 18, 2018) better known by his ring name "Dirty" Dick Slater, was an American professional wrestler who wrestled in the 1970s, 1980s, and mid-1990s for various promotions including Mid-Atlantic Champion ...

and Bunkhouse Buck. In 1996, they were tricked by the nWo into thinking they were going to become members, but were attacked as soon as they received their shirts. Sags had been injured previously and retired as a result of the injury. Sags later returned to wrestling in 2001 as a trainer and with Knobbs as The Nasty Boys to wrestle in the short-lived Xcitement Wrestling Federation. He retired again after the promotion folded in 2002. but returned with Knobbs to reform The Nasty Boys on June 16, 2007, at ''Pro Wrestling Unplugged''. On November 20, 2007, The Nasty Boys competed at the SmackDown! tapings from

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, wrestling in their first WWE match in years. The match was disastrous, and the team was accused of being unprofessionally stiff with their opponents, Dave Taylor and

Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE I ...

. On January 4, 2010, The Nasty Boys made an appearance on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)'s ''

TNA Impact! ''Impact!'' (stylized as ''IMPACT!''), also known as ''IMPACT! on AXS TV'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) tha ...

'', feuding with

Team 3D The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...

. On the January 21 edition of ''Impact!,'' the Nasty Boys competed in their first match for TNA, defeating the team of Eric Young and

Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his ...

. At Against All Odds, The Nasty Boys defeated Team 3D in a tag team match, when Jimmy Hart made his return to the company and interfered in the match on the Nasty Boys' behalf. On the February 25 edition of ''Impact!'', Team 3D defeated The Nasty Boys in a

tables match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

with Jesse Neal interfering on Team 3D's behalf. The Nasty Boys and Hart continued their feud with Team 3D, defeating them and the returning Brother Runt, a replacement for Jesse Neal who The Nastys attacked prior to a six-man tag team match. After the match, Neal attacked the Nastys and helped Team 3D throw Sags through a table. On March 29, 2010, The Nasty Boys were released by TNA following an incident at a TNA function attended by Spike TV executives.

Personal life

Sags and his wife Laura have four children, daughters Chloe and Madison, and sons Seve and Jax. They reside in

Treasure Island, Florida Treasure Island is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is situated on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,584. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a ...

near Brian Knobbs and Hulk Hogan. Sags' sister-in-law was married to the late pro wrestler Dusty Rhodes. In 2011, Sags appeared in an episode of '' Man v. Food Nation'' in the show's

episode, where he won his challenge.

Championships and accomplishments

*Championship Wrestling International **CWI Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Brian Knobbs * Continental Wrestling Association **

AWA Southern Tag Team Championship The AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-America version)'' from its ince ...

( 2 times) – with Brian Knobbs * North American Wrestling Association / South Atlantic Pro Wrestling ** NAWA/SAPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Brian Knobbs * NWA Florida ** FCW Tag Team Championship ( 5 times) – with Brian Knobbs *

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

** PWI Tag Team of the Year award in 1994 – with Brian Knobbs **PWI ranked him # 420 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003 **PWI ranked him # 53 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Brian Knobbs in 2003. *Professional Wrestling Federation **PWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Brian Knobbs *

WCW World Tag Team Championship The WCW World Tag Team Championship (previously NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship) was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...

( 3 times) – with Brian Knobbs *

WWF Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...

( 1 time) – with Brian Knobbs *

X Wrestling Federation The X Wrestling Federation (XWF) (later referred to as the Xcitement Wrestling Federation) was an American professional wrestling promotion that operated from 2001 to 2002. The previous number two and three American promotions, World Champions ...

** XWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Brian Knobbs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sags, Jerry 1964 births Living people 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers NWA Florida Tag Team Champions People from Treasure Island, Florida Professional wrestlers from Pennsylvania Professional wrestling referees Sportspeople from Allentown, Pennsylvania WCW World Tag Team Champions Whitehall High School (Pennsylvania) alumni