The Tragic Death & Legacy Of The Wrestler Known As Junkyard Dog, Explained

At one time, there wasn’t a wrestler in the world that was as over as The Junkyard Dog. JYD got his big break under Cowboy Bill Watts in Mid-South Wrestling, quickly rising up the rankings as the best wrestler in the territory. There might be no one bigger in the state of Louisiana than JYD was at the height of his popularity.

As soon as Junkyard Dog was at his most popular, he jumped to WWE and became an even bigger star thanks to the national stage. While he never again worked as a champion, when he went to work for Vince McMahon, he remained one of the most popular stars in the company. Anyone who thinks of JYD now doesn’t think of his Mid-South title reigns and feuds but of his wearing chains to the ring to Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” barking like a dog, and singing “Grab Them Cakes.” Then, sadly, in 1998, Junkyard Dog died following a tragic car accident.

UPDATE: 2024/04/20 11:00 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS

It has been over 25 years since Junkyard Dog died, and fans today still remember the influence he had on the industry. In 2024, WWE inducted Thunderbolt Patterson into the WWE Hall of Fame and New Day introduced him with stories about how he influenced wrestling and helped make huge changes for Black athletes in professional wrestling. One of the first men who really took advantage of those changes was Junkyard Dog, who Bill Watts turned into one of the biggest stars in wrestling despite other promoters warning him against elevating a Black wrestler. All these years later, men like JYD and Patterson helped open the doors for some of the best wrestlers in the world today.

Junkyard Dog’s Rise To The Top Of Professional Wrestling

Junkyard Dog Was A Star In Mid-South Wrestling

Sylvester Ritter was born in 1952 and, after playing college football for Fayetteville State University, he moved on to the world of professional wrestling. His rise to the top was quick. After working for a short time in Memphis for Jerry Jarrett and then in Stu Hart’s Calgary Wrestling, using the name Big Daddy Ritter, he moved down south and worked for Cowboy Bill Watts. It was Watts who came up with the Junkyard Dog name and gimmick, and he pushed him to the moon.

Thanks to a feud where the Freebirds blinded him, and then working with Ted DiBiase, Junkyard Dog became the biggest name in Mid-South Wrestling. Watts said all it took to sell out an arena in Louisiana at the time was to have Junkyard Dog on the card. He became a gold mine for Watts and quickly won the biggest title in the territory, the North American Championship. His feuds with DiBiase and Butch Reed in Mid-South Wrestling headlined most shows in that era.

“He had charisma coming out of his ears,” Ted DiBiase said about Junkyard Dog in the book, The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons. DiBiase mentioned Junkyard Dog wasn’t that good of a wrestler in the ring, but he didn’t need to be. DiBiase wrote:

”
He became a phenomenon here in the deep south. He appealed to everybody… he appealed to black people, he appealed to white people. At one time, there was a survey done in New Orleans, and JYD was picked as the famous person people would most like to meet. He was that hot
.”

Junkyard Dog Becomes A World-Wide Star In WWE

Junkyard Dog Was Never A WWE Champion

This success caught Vince McMahon’s attention, and he paid up to lure JYD to the WWE. In 1984, Junkyard Dog went to WWE and became one of the most popular babyfaces in the company. Similar to guys who came later, like Hacksaw Jim Duggan (who also broke out in Mid-South), JYD didn’t need a title to be over. As a result, he never held a WWE title. As popular as JYD was, it seems almost hard to believe his time in WWE only lasted four years before he left in 1988. After this, he spent time in WCW and the NWA through 1998. He even appeared for ECW at Wrestlepalooza in May 1998. Less than one month after that event, Junkyard Dog died.

Junkyard Dog’s Tragic Death

Junkyard Dog Died In A Car Accident

Junkyard Dog’s death was even more tragic, considering what he was doing at the time of his death. Ted DiBiase said that Junkyard Dog had developed a drug problem over the years, but he had worked hard to beat it. He even started going back to the boot camp-style rehab center to help other kids. However, his addictions caused him to lose his family. His death happened after he drove to North Carolina to watch his daughter LaToya graduate from high school. On his way back home to Magee, Mississippi, he was in a single-car accident and died. He was 45.

When asked about the incident, promoter Guy Walters said that JYD asked for the weekend off because he didn’t want to miss his daughter’s graduation. While his death was at a young age, he was there for his daughter at her graduation, making good on this promise. The tragedy of his death repeated itself years later. In 2004, WWE inducted Junkyard Dog into the WWE Hall of Fame and his daughter LaToya was there to represent him at the induction ceremony. Seven years later, LaToya died as well. She was 31. Despite her young age, she died after suffering a heart attack while talking to her friend on the phone.

Junkyard Dog’s ‘Dark Side Of The Ring’ Episode

Jim Ross, Jake Roberts, And Ted DiBiase Spoke About Junkyard Dog

In June 2023, the Junkyard Dog received his own Dark Side of the Ring episode. As with all the episodes in the season, Chris Jericho was the narrator. Other talking heads in the episode included Jim Ross, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Koko B. Ware, Ted DiBiase, Jim Cornette, Tony Atlas, Teddy Long, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Most of these people talked about Junkyard Dog were from his Mid-South Wrestling days. This does make sense, since that was when he was at the top of his game, before moving on to WWE.

Jim Ross was there to talk about how Bill Watts saw Junkyard Dog as a huge moneymaking star. Ross talked about how many promoters had a glass ceiling on how many Black wrestlers were successful in their companies. He said Watts didn’t care, and he made Junkyard Dog the biggest star in Mid-South Wrestling. The wrestlers all talked about wild moments in his career, including the time the fan pulled the gun to protect him from The Freebirds, his work to help the impoverished in Louisiana, and his decision to leave for WWE. Ware called him the Black Hulk Hogan.

Junkyard Dog’s WWE Career Is A Cautionary Tale

Junkyard Dog Became A WWE Hall Of Famer In 2004

Sadly, when Junkyard Dog went to WWE, he fell into his addictions. Tony Atlas mentioned that Junkyard Dog ended up addicted to cocaine. Jake Roberts said Junkyard Dog was out of control and Jim Duggan said it caused problems in WWE. Jim Ross called the story a “cautionary tale.” The rest of the documentary talked about Junkyard Dog’s continued struggles as he worked on the independent scene, and his eventual accidental death after his daughter’s graduation. It ended with Junkyard Dog’s nephew saying the last time he spoke to his uncle was before he made that fateful drive.

However, while this seemed like a tragic tale, there was no denying what JYD meant to wrestling. While Jake Roberts said he was out of control, he admitted that after his death, it meant his pain was over. There was also some footage of Cowboy Bill Watts who admitted he cried and never got to say goodbye to his friend. While he called it a cautionary tale, Jim Ross admitted that JYD blazed a trail for every Black wrestler who followed him. He said the Dog created an awareness and acceptance that had never existed in wrestling. It all ended with his WWE Hall of Fame induction six years after his death.