Wrestling's 13 Greatest African-American Stars
8. Junkyard Dog
From Sylvester Ritter's ring-name and paraphernalia, it's easy to draw the conclusion that here we have another tasteless gimmick from a backwards wrestling era. For once, it's nothing of the sort: Junkyard Dog was so named - and bore a chain around his neck - because of his past life working in a scrap yard.
He could just have easily been christened All-American College Football Political Science BA Dog, but such a moniker probably wouldn't have seen him become one of the first black wrestlers to be promoted as the top attraction in a predominantly white territory.
In New Orleans, JYD was the man. No wrestler could draw crowds to the Superdome quite like him, and whilst Bearcat Wright and Bobo Brazil had broken boundaries in mixing with the stars, Junkyard Dog was the star. Bill Watt's Mid-South Wrestling promotion was built around JYD's battles with legendary heels such as Ted DiBiase, King Kong Bundy and Butch Reed - the latter earning him an offer from the nationalising WWF.
JYD's character was considerably watered down in New York, but he remained a popular figure, before eventually leaving for the NWA and a brief feud with Ric Flair over its top title. Ritter's life was tragically ended when he was involved in a car accident while driving home from his daughter's graduation. He was just 45.