The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Junkyard Dog

In his heyday, Sylvester "Junkyard Dog" Ritter was so popular with the fans that he could give Hulk Hogan a run for his money. But thanks to a multitude of unfortunate twists and turns, he never quite reached his full potential. Here's the tragic real-life story of Junkyard Dog.

Junkyard Dog was a talented performer with a natural charisma that could arguably match most performers of his era. So it can seem strange that his time with the WWF, now known as WWE, wasn't more stellar. As Bleacher Report notes, the wrestler was easily the biggest star in Mid-South Wrestling, and even when he moved to the WWF, the audience would often go nuts whenever he appeared. In wrestling terms, he was "over" with the fans. Wrestling Observer reported he could even outshine an all-time great like Ric Flair. Wrestler Buddy Landel said,

"I've never seen anyone who was over like Junkyard Dog in his prime. I was never around Hogan in his prime, but I was around Ric Flair in his peak and he was never over like JYD."

But the WWF never quite capitalized on Junkyard Dog's popularity with the fans. Though his tenure with the company involved some high-profile opportunities, including tag-team bouts with Hogan himself, he was generally treated as a mid-level talent. His profile on WWE.com confirms he never won a single WWF championship. While JYD was eventually inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, his actual time with the company seems to have largely ignored his potential as a top star.

Watch the video for more on the tragic real-life story of Junkyard Dog.

#JunkyardDog #WWE #Wrestling

Held back in WWF | 0:00
Rampant racism | 1:23
A volatile storyline | 2:07
Drug-fueled heyday | 2:53
A sad decline | 3:45
Crumbling marriages | 4:51
Retirement didn't stick | 5:29
Fatal car accident | 6:30
Daughter's tragic death | 7:26

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