Junkyard Dog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Junkyard Dog
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Ritter in 1986
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| Born |
Sylvester Ritter
December 14, 1952 |
| Died | June 1, 1998 (aged 45) Forest, Mississippi, U.S.
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| Resting place | Westview Memorial Park, Russellville, North Carolina |
| Occupation | Professional wrestler, college football player |
| Years active | 1977–1995 (active wrestler) 1993–1998 (trainer) |
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Professional wrestling career
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| Ring name(s) | Big Daddy Ritter Junkyard Dog Leroy Rochester Stagger Lee |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Billed weight | 286 lb (130 kg) |
| Billed from | Charlotte, North Carolina Tennessee |
| Trained by | Sonny King Hart family |
| Debut | 1976 |
| Retired | 1995 |
Sylvester Ritter (born December 13, 1952 – died June 1, 1998) was an American professional wrestler. He also played college football. He was best known by his wrestling name, Junkyard Dog (or JYD). He got this name from working in a wrecking yard.
JYD was famous for his exciting ring entrance. He would wear a chain attached to a dog collar. His entrance music was "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen. He often wrestled in front of huge crowds. He was known as the first black wrestler to become a top star in a wrestling company.
Many people thought Junkyard Dog was one of the most exciting wrestlers. This was especially true in the early 1980s. He was known for his powerful headbutt move. He also had great upper body strength. He could bodyslam very large wrestlers. These included the One Man Gang, Kamala, and King Kong Bundy. His wrestling shorts often had the word "thump" on them. This referred to his special powerslam move.
Contents
Playing College Football
Sylvester Ritter played football at Fayetteville State University. He was named an All-American honorable mention twice. He is also a member of their Sports Hall of Fame. He earned a degree in political science.
Professional Wrestling Career
Starting Out (1976–1980)
Ritter began his wrestling career in Tennessee in 1976. He first used the name "Leroy Rochester." Later, he moved to Stampede Wrestling in Canada. There, he was known as "Big Daddy Ritter." He won the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship two times.
Mid-South Wrestling (1980–1984)
In the early 1980s, Ritter joined Mid-South Wrestling. The promoter, Bill Watts, gave him the name Junkyard Dog. He also gave him a special wrestling character, or "gimmick." JYD would wear a long chain and white boots.
At first, he would push a cart full of junk to the ring. He lost many of his early matches. But soon, his character became very popular. He became the top "good guy" wrestler, known as a "face." He had big rivalries, called "feuds," with many "bad guy" wrestlers, or "heels."
One famous story involved the Fabulous Freebirds. They pretended to blind him with hair cream. This made fans very angry at the Freebirds. JYD's wife had a baby, and the story said he couldn't see his new daughter. This made fans even more upset with the Freebirds. The feud ended with a special "steel cage dog collar match."
JYD also had feuds with Ernie Ladd, Ted DiBiase, Kamala, King Kong Bundy, and Butch Reed. His rivalry with Ted DiBiase was very memorable. DiBiase, who was once JYD's friend, turned into a bad guy. DiBiase won a "loser-leaves-town match" against JYD. This meant JYD had to leave the area for a while.
After JYD left, a masked wrestler named "Stagger Lee" appeared. He looked a lot like JYD. Stagger Lee started beating many wrestlers, including DiBiase. The bad guys thought Stagger Lee was JYD, but they couldn't prove it. When JYD was allowed to return, Stagger Lee disappeared. JYD came back and won the North American Heavyweight Championship again.
World Wrestling Federation (1984–1988)
In 1984, Ritter joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was a very popular "good guy" wrestler. He often invited young fans into the ring after his matches. He would dance with them, which made him even more loved.
JYD competed in the first-ever Wrestlemania I. He won the first The Wrestling Classic tournament in 1985. This tournament is often called the first WWF pay-per-view event. He defeated Randy Savage in the finals.
His main rivals in the WWF included King Harley Race, the Funk Brothers, Adrian Adonis, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, and "Outlaw" Ron Bass. He left the WWF in November 1988.
World Championship Wrestling (1988–1993)
Ritter joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in December 1988. He helped Ivan Koloff against The Russian Assassins. He also teamed with Ivan Koloff and Michael Hayes.
In May 1990, JYD started wrestling in main events. He had a rivalry with Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship. JYD was also part of a group called "Dudes with Attitudes." This group included Sting and Paul Orndorff.
In February 1991, JYD won his first WCW title. He teamed with Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich. They won the WCW Six-Man Tag-Team Championship. He left WCW in August 1991.
JYD returned to WCW in February 1992. He teamed with wrestlers like Ron Simmons and Barry Windham. He also formed a team with The Big Cat. He left WCW again in July 1993.
Later Career (1994–1998)
After WCW, JYD wrestled for smaller wrestling companies. He continued to wrestle until his death. He even appeared at an Extreme Championship Wrestling event in 1998, just one month before he passed away. He also helped train other wrestlers, like Rodney Mack and Jazz.
Death
Sylvester Ritter died on June 1, 1998. He was 45 years old. He was in a car accident in Mississippi. He was driving home from his daughter LaToya's high school graduation.
His daughter, LaToya Ritter, and his sister, Christine Woodburn, accepted his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004. This happened the day before WrestleMania XX. He was inducted by Ernie Ladd. JYD is buried in Russellville, North Carolina.
Championships and Accomplishments
- Mid-South Wrestling Association
- Mid-South Louisiana Championship (3 times)
- Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- Mid-South Tag Team Championship (8 times) – with different partners
- NWA Mid-America
- NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Gypsy Joe
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1980)
- Ranked No. 51 among the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- United States Wrestling Association
- USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich
- World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
- The Wrestling Classic (1985)
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)
- Slammy Award (1 time)
- Best Single Performer (1986)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Feud of the Year (1982) vs. Ted DiBiase
See also
- List of premature professional wrestling deaths
