[5] He attended college in Phoenix and played on the basketball team, earning an induction to the school's athletic hall of fame.

Strong competed for the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship and advanced to the final round of the tournament before losing to Bill Francis.

[7] He also made it to the final round of a tournament for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship along with partner Steve Lawler but ultimately lost to Sam Steamboat and Billy White Wolf.

Strong was then paired with Jesse Ventura, as the promoter thought that their similar heights and muscular physiques made them a good match.

[7][9] Strong lost the heavyweight title to Tolos the following month but held the tag team belts until Bill and Russ Francis won the championship on April 26 that year.

They defeated Big John Studd and Buddy Rose and held the title for two months before dropping it to Mr. Fuji and Karl Von Steiger on August 16.

[9] Cepello appeared in the music video for Michael Nesmith's "Cruisin'", which was included in the 1981 collection titled Elephant Parts.