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

WWF Superstars
1986
WWF Wrestling Challenge
1986
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
1985
NWA World Championship Wrestling
1988
Mid-South Wrestling
1981
Dark Side of the Ring
2023
WWE Old School
1985
World Class Championship Wrestling
1983
Clash of the Champions
1988
Tuesday Night Titans
1984
WCW Arena Shows
1984
Andre the Giant
2018

FILMOGRAPHY

All
Movies
TV
Acting
80
2023
Dark Side of the Ring
as Self (Archival Footage)
2022
Biography: Wrestlemania I
as Self (archival footage) - The Junkyard Dog
2018
Andre the Giant
as Self (archive footage)
2013
Legends of Mid-South Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog / Stagger Lee
2011
The True Story of WrestleMania
as Junkyard Dog
2010
WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time
as Junkyard Dog
2010
WWE: Legends of Wrestling - Jerry the King Lawler and Junkyard Dog
2009
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
as Junkyard Dog
2008
Giants, Midgets, Heroes and Villains II
as The Junkyard Dog
2007
Mid-South Wrestling Giants, Midgets, Heroes & Villains vol. 1
as The Junkyard Dog
2007
WWE: The Ladder Match
as Big Daddy Ritter
2006
Heroes of World Class
as Junkyard Dog
2006
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
as Junkyard Dog
2005
The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '80s
as Junkyard Dog (Archive Footage)
2004
WWE Hall of Fame 2004
as Self
1998
ECW Wrestlepalooza 1998
as Junkyard Dog (Honoree)
1994
The Life And Times of Paul Boesch
as Junkyard Dog (archive footage)
1991
WCW WrestleWar 1991
as The Junkyard Dog
1990
WCW Halloween Havoc 1990
as Junkyard Dog
1990
WCW The Great American Bash 1990
as The Junkyard Dog
1990
NWA Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush
as The Junkyard Dog
1989
NWA Clash of The Champions V: St. Valentine's Massacre
as The Junkyard Dog
1989
NWA Clash of The Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun
as The Junkyard Dog
1989
Clash of the Champions
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
NWA Starrcade 1988
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
NWA Clash of The Champions IV: Season's Beatings
as The Junkyard Dog (Appearance)
1988
Hulkamania 3
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
The Best of the WWF: volume 16 Around the World
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
WWE U.K. Rampage 1988
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
WWE Royal Rumble 1988
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
WWE WrestleMania IV
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
WWE SummerSlam 1988
as The Junkyard Dog
1988
NWA World Championship Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog
1988
Clash of the Champions
as The Junkyard Dog (Appearance)
1987
WWE WrestleMania III
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
The Best of the WWF: volume 10
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
The Best of the WWF: volume 11
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
The Best of the WWF: volume 14
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
WWE Houston Wrestling: The Paul Boesch Retirement Show
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
WWE Houston Wrestling: December '87
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: January '87
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: November '87
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
The WWF's Even More Unusual Matches
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
George "The Animal" Steele
as The Junkyard Dog
1987
Wrestling's Most Embarrassing Moments
as Junkyard Dog
1987
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
WrestleMania II
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
The Best of the WWF: volume 8
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
WWE Houston Wrestling: November '86
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: March '86
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: May '86
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
WWE The Big Event
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
WWE Grudge Match
as Junkyard Dog
1986
WWF Wrestling Challenge
as The Junkyard Dog
1986
Tuesday Night Titans
as Junkyard Dog
1986
WWF Superstars
as The Junkyard Dog
1985
WrestleMania
as The Junkyard Dog
1985
The Wrestling Classic
as The Junkyard Dog
1985
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
as The Junkyard Dog (archive footage)
1985
Most Unusual Matches
as The Junkyard Dog
1985
Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!
as Junkyard Dog
1985
The WWF's Amazing Managers
as The Junkyard Dog
1985
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
as Junkyard Dog
1985
WWE Old School
as Junkyard Dog
1985
WWE Old School
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
WWE St. Louis Wrestling: September '84
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: December '84
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
NWA Boogie Jam
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
WCCW Parade of Champions
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
NWA Lords of The Ring
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
Tuesday Night Titans
as The Junkyard Dog
1984
WCW Arena Shows
as The Junkyard Dog
1983
WCCW Thanksgiving Star Wars '83
as The Junkyard Dog
1983
World Class Championship Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog
1983
Mid-South Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog (Special Referee)
1982
Mid-South Wrestling
as Stagger Lee
1981
Mid-South Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog (Archive footage)
1981
Mid-South Wrestling
as Junkyard Dog