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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
December 13, 1952
Died
June 2, 1998
Place of Birth
Wadesboro, North Carolina, USA
Also Known As
- Junkyard Dog
- The Junkyard Dog
- Big Daddy Ritter
- JYD
Sylvester Ritter
1.0 Popularity
Biography
Sylvester Ritter was an American professional wrestler and professional football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as The Junkyard Dog (or JYD for short), a nickname Ritter received while working in a wrecking yard. Entering the ring with his trademark chain attached to a dog collar, to the music of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," JYD regularly headlined cards that sold out the Louisiana Superdome and other major venues, becoming "the first blackwrestler to be made the undisputed top star of his promotion". JYD was one of the most electrifying and charismatic wrestlers in the country, particularly during his peak in the early 1980s. JYD was most known for his head butt and upper-body strength, the latter of which saw him regularly body slam such large wrestlers as The One Man Gang, Kamala, and King Kong Bundy. The word "Thump," which referred to JYD's power slam, was prominently displayed on his wrestling trunks.
Known For
6.0
Self (archival footage) - The Junkyard Dog
Biography: Wrestlemania I
2022
8.2
Self (Archival Footage)
Dark Side of the Ring
2019
7.3
Self (archive footage)
Andre the Giant
2018
9.3
Junkyard Dog / Stagger Lee
Legends of Mid-South Wrestling
2013
8.3
Junkyard Dog
The True Story of WrestleMania
2011
8.3
Junkyard Dog
WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time
2010
0.0
WWE: Legends of Wrestling - Jerry the King Lawler and Junkyard Dog
2010
10.0
Junkyard Dog
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
2009
0.0
The Junkyard Dog
Giants, Midgets, Heroes and Villains II
2008
0.0
The Junkyard Dog
Mid-South Wrestling Giants, Midgets, Heroes & Villains vol. 1
2007
Credits
Biography: Wrestlemania I
as Self (archival footage) - The Junkyard Dog
2022
6.0
Dark Side of the Ring
as Self (Archival Footage)
2019
8.2
Andre the Giant
as Self (archive footage)
2018
7.3
Legends of Mid-South Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog / Stagger Lee
2013
9.3
The True Story of WrestleMania
as Junkyard Dog
2011
8.3
WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time
as Junkyard Dog
2010
8.3
WWE: Legends of Wrestling - Jerry the King Lawler and Junkyard Dog
2010
0.0
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
as Junkyard Dog
2009
10.0
Giants, Midgets, Heroes and Villains II
as The Junkyard Dog
2008
0.0
Mid-South Wrestling Giants, Midgets, Heroes & Villains vol. 1
as The Junkyard Dog
2007
0.0
WWE: The Ladder Match
as Big Daddy Ritter
2007
8.3
Heroes of World Class
as Junkyard Dog
2006
8.5
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
as Junkyard Dog
2006
7.9
The Greatest Stars of the 80's
as Junkyard Dog (Archive Footage)
2005
8.0
WWE Hall of Fame 2004
as Self
2004
8.3
ECW Wrestlepalooza 1998
as Junkyard Dog (Honoree)
1998
0.0
The Life And Times of Paul Boesch
as Junkyard Dog (archive footage)
1994
10.0
WCW WrestleWar 1991
as The Junkyard Dog
1991
10.0
WCW Halloween Havoc 1990
as Junkyard Dog
1990
4.5
WCW The Great American Bash 1990
as The Junkyard Dog
1990
10.0
NWA Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush
as The Junkyard Dog
1990
0.0
NWA Clash of The Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun
as The Junkyard Dog
1989
0.0
NWA Clash of The Champions V: St. Valentine's Massacre
as The Junkyard Dog
1989
4.0
NWA Starrcade 1988
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
7.0
NWA Clash of The Champions IV: Season's Beatings
as The Junkyard Dog (Appearance)
1988
0.0
🎬
WWE U.K. Rampage 1988
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
0.0
WWE SummerSlam 1988
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
7.2
Hulkamania 3
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
0.0
The Best of the WWF: volume 16 Around the World
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
0.0
WWE WrestleMania IV
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
7.4
Clash of the Champions
as The Junkyard Dog (Appearance)
1988
0.0
Clash of the Champions
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
0.0
WrestleMania IV
as Junkyard Dog
1988
0.0
WWE Royal Rumble 1988
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
6.6
George "The Animal" Steele
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
Wrestling's Most Embarrassing Moments
as Junkyard Dog
1987
10.0
The Best of the WWF: volume 14
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
🎬
WWE Houston Wrestling: December '87
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
🎬
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: November '87
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
🎬
WWE Houston Wrestling: The Paul Boesch Retirement Show
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
The Best of the WWF: volume 11
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
WrestleMania III
as Junkyard Dog
1987
8.3
WWE WrestleMania III
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
7.3
The Best of the WWF: volume 10
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
The WWF's Even More Unusual Matches
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
🎬
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: January '87
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
0.0
🎬
WWE Houston Wrestling: November '86
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
0.0
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
0.0
WWF Wrestling Challenge
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
6.8
WWE The Big Event
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
8.0
The Best of the WWF: volume 8
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
0.0
🎬
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: May '86
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
0.0
WrestleMania II
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
6.4
WrestleMania 2
as Junkyard Dog
1986
8.7
WWE Grudge Match
as Junkyard Dog
1986
0.0
🎬
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: March '86
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
0.0
The WWF's Amazing Managers
as The Junkyard Dog
1985
0.0
The Wrestling Classic
as The Junkyard Dog
1985
6.1
NWA World Championship Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog
1985
0.0
Saturday Night's Main Event
as Junkyard Dog
1985
8.4
WrestleMania
as The Junkyard Dog
1985
6.6
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
as The Junkyard Dog (archive footage)
1985
0.0
Most Unusual Matches
as The Junkyard Dog
1985
0.0
Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!
as Junkyard Dog
1985
0.0
🎬
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: December '84
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
0.0
🎬
WWE St. Louis Wrestling: September '84
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
0.0
NWA Lords of The Ring
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
0.0
Tuesday Night Titans
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
10.0
Tuesday Night Titans
as Junkyard Dog
1984
10.0
🎬
WCCW Parade of Champions
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
0.0
NWA Boogie Jam
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
0.0
🎬
WCCW Thanksgiving Star Wars '83
as The Junkyard Dog
1983
9.5
WCW Arena Shows
as The Junkyard Dog
1983
0.0
World Class Championship Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog
1982
0.0
Mid-South Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog (Archive footage)
1981
0.0
Mid-South Wrestling
as Stagger Lee
1981
0.0
Mid-South Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog
1981
0.0
Mid-South Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog (Special Referee)
1981
0.0
WWE Old School
as Junkyard Dog
1973
0.0
WWE Old School
as The Junkyard Dog
1973
0.0