Thomas Machlay (born July 9, 1947), known as Tommy Young, is a

professional wrestling 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 ...

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

and retired

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 or ...

best known for his time in the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

and

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 ...

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 Nation ...

Career

Tommy Young started out as a wrestler in 1971 for

Ed Farhat Edward George Farhat (June 7, 1926 – January 18, 2003) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name The Sheik (often called The Original Sheik to distinguish him from The Iron Sheik, who debuted in 1972). Farhat is cred ...

in Michigan and later as a referee in Pedro Martínez's

National Wrestling Federation The original National Wrestling Federation (NWF) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Buffalo, New York and owned by promoter Pedro Martínez. It ran from 1970 to 1974. The promotion was then revived in 1986 by Robert Raskin. The revive ...

. In 1975, he worked for the

and

as a referee. By the 1980s, Young was the Senior Referee for Jim Crockett Promotions and refereed most of the

NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is in ...

matches. In this role, Young officiated many famous matches throughout professional wrestling history, including several classic bouts between

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

and

Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promot ...

. He had a unique style of urgently sliding to the mat to officiate the pinfall. He often employed strong facial expressions and creative body language to

sell Sell can refer to: People * Brenda Sell (born 1955), American martial arts instructor and highest ranking non-Korean female practitioner of taekwondo * Brian Sell (born 1978), American retired long-distance runner * Edward Sell (priest) (1839– ...

wrestler's moves, express pain if he was attacked, or show frustration over the

villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character as ...

' cheating. On November 28, 1989, while refereeing a match between

Mike Rotunda Lawrence Michael Rotunda (born March 30, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s under the ring names Mik ...

and

Tommy Rich Thomas Richardson (born July 26, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tommy “Wildfire” Rich. He is a one time former National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion and Smoky Mountain Wrestling ...

at a

TV taping in Atlanta, Georgia, Young suffered a career-ending injury. After an angered Rich threw Young out of his way, Young's head bounced off the rope and he was left legitimately incapacitated for the remainder of the match. The match aired on December 9, 1989. This resulted in a broken neck and the end of his full-time career as a referee. Following the injury, Young drove a parts truck for a

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

dealership and made home deliveries for prescription drugs. In 1998, Young appeared briefly in 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 vario ...

as part of a NWA invasion angle. He attends wrestling reunion shows and still occasionally referees, including special matches such as the

Rock and Roll Express The Rock 'n' Roll Express is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of professional wrestlers Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton. The duo began teaming together in Memphis in the early 1980s, followed by Mid-South Wrestling (later to be known a ...

vs. Midnight Express matches. In 2010, at

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...

Big Bang! ''Big Bang!'' is the second album by English alternative rock group Fuzzbox, released in 1989. It includes four singles which reached the UK Singles Chart: "International Rescue" (No. 11), "Pink Sunshine" (No. 14), "Self!" (featuring a guitar s ...

pay-per-view, Young served outside the ring as a

special guest referee In professional wrestling, a referee is an authority figure present in or near the ring during matches. The referee's purpose is similar to that of referees in combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts, that is, as an arbiter of the rul ...

for the

ROH World Championship The ROH World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Ring of Honor (ROH). It is considered the most prestigious title in the promotion. The current champion is Claudio Castagnoli, who is in his second ...

match. He also officiated the

George South George South (born September 7, 1962) is an American professional wrestler. In the course of his career, South has wrestled for professional wrestling promotions such as Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestl ...

Battle Royal at WrestleCade IV in 2015.

Personal life

Young has been married to his wife Pam for over forty years. They have six children and two grandchildren. Young has two twin brothers. He has expressed support for the Crockett Foundation which was founded by

Jim Crockett Sr. James Allen Crockett Sr. (June 2, 1909 – April 1, 1973) was a professional wrestling promoter and professional sports franchise owner sometimes known as Jim Crockett Sr., or to people within the business simply as "Big Jim". Early life Crockett ...

in 1931 to support US military veterans.

Accomplishments and legacy

Young was named Referee of the Year in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1986. In 2010, he became the first referee inducted into 411Mania's Wrestling Hall of Fame.Hubbard, Aaro
411’s Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2010: Tommy Young
June 15, 2010 (5-07-2017).

Jim Cornette James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...

has referred to Young as his all-time favorite referee due to his lively expressiveness in the ring.

References

External links

SLAM! Sports Wrestling
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Tommy Professional wrestling referees 1947 births Living people Sportspeople from Charlotte, North Carolina