Cast & creator
Sylvester Ritter
Best known for WWF Superstars, WWF Wrestling Challenge, WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
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.
Also known as: Junkyard Dog, The Junkyard Dog, Big Daddy Ritter, JYD
63
film credits
17
television credits
80
1973–2022 · acting roles
7.7
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (80)
Showing 80 of 80 credits
WWF Superstars
The Junkyard Dog
1986
WWF Wrestling Challenge
The Junkyard Dog
1986
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
Junkyard Dog
1985
NWA World Championship Wrestling
Junkyard Dog
1985
Mid-South Wrestling
Junkyard Dog (Archive footage)
1981Mid-South Wrestling
Stagger Lee
1981Mid-South Wrestling
Junkyard Dog
1981Mid-South Wrestling
Junkyard Dog (Special Referee)
1981
World Class Championship Wrestling
Junkyard Dog
1982
Dark Side of the Ring
Self (Archival Footage)
2019
WWE Old School
Junkyard Dog
1973WWE Old School
The Junkyard Dog
1973
Clash of the Champions
The Junkyard Dog (Appearance)
1988Clash of the Champions
The Junkyard Dog
1988
Tuesday Night Titans
The Junkyard Dog
1984Tuesday Night Titans
Junkyard Dog
1984
WCW Arena Shows
The Junkyard Dog
1983
Andre the Giant
Self (archive footage)
2018
The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '80s
Junkyard Dog (Archive Footage)
2005
WWE Royal Rumble 1988
The Junkyard Dog
1988
WCW The Great American Bash 1990
The Junkyard Dog
1990
WWE WrestleMania III
The Junkyard Dog
1987
WWE SummerSlam 1988
The Junkyard Dog
1988
WCW Halloween Havoc 1990
Junkyard Dog
1990
Most Unusual Matches
The Junkyard Dog
1985WCCW Thanksgiving Star Wars '83
The Junkyard Dog
1983
Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!
Junkyard Dog
1985
WWE Hall of Fame 2004
Self
2004
WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time
Junkyard Dog
2010
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
The Junkyard Dog
1987
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
Junkyard Dog
2006
The Life And Times of Paul Boesch
Junkyard Dog (archive footage)
1994
Wrestling's Most Embarrassing Moments
Junkyard Dog
1987
WWE The Big Event
The Junkyard Dog
1986
WrestleMania II
The Junkyard Dog
1986
The Best of the WWF: volume 11
The Junkyard Dog
1987
The True Story of WrestleMania
Junkyard Dog
2011
The Best of the WWF: volume 10
The Junkyard Dog
1987
WWE: The Ladder Match
Big Daddy Ritter
2007
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
Junkyard Dog
2009
WrestleMania
The Junkyard Dog
1985WWE Houston Wrestling: The Paul Boesch Retirement Show
The Junkyard Dog
1987
The Wrestling Classic
The Junkyard Dog
1985
George "The Animal" Steele
The Junkyard Dog
1987
WWE WrestleMania IV
The Junkyard Dog
1988
The WWF's Amazing Managers
The Junkyard Dog
1985
WCW WrestleWar 1991
The Junkyard Dog
1991
Giants, Midgets, Heroes and Villains II
The Junkyard Dog
2008
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
The Junkyard Dog
1986
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
The Junkyard Dog
1987WWE Houston Wrestling: December '87
The Junkyard Dog
1987
NWA Clash of The Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun
The Junkyard Dog
1989
NWA Lords of The Ring
The Junkyard Dog
1984
The Best of the WWF: volume 16 Around the World
The Junkyard Dog
1988
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
The Junkyard Dog (archive footage)
1985
WWE Grudge Match
Junkyard Dog
1986
NWA Clash of The Champions IV: Season's Beatings
The Junkyard Dog (Appearance)
1988
NWA Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush
The Junkyard Dog
1990
The WWF's Even More Unusual Matches
The Junkyard Dog
1987
The Best of the WWF: volume 14
The Junkyard Dog
1987
The Best of the WWF: volume 8
The Junkyard Dog
1986WWE St. Louis Wrestling: September '84
The Junkyard Dog
1984
Legends of Mid-South Wrestling
Junkyard Dog / Stagger Lee
2013
NWA Clash of The Champions V: St. Valentine's Massacre
The Junkyard Dog
1989
Heroes of World Class
Junkyard Dog
2006WWE U.K. Rampage 1988
The Junkyard Dog
1988WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: May '86
The Junkyard Dog
1986WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: December '84
The Junkyard Dog
1984WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: November '87
The Junkyard Dog
1987
Mid-South Wrestling Giants, Midgets, Heroes & Villains vol. 1
The Junkyard Dog
2007
NWA Starrcade 1988
The Junkyard Dog
1988WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: January '87
The Junkyard Dog
1987
Hulkamania 3
The Junkyard Dog
1988WCCW Parade of Champions
The Junkyard Dog
1984
ECW Wrestlepalooza 1998
Junkyard Dog (Honoree)
1998WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: March '86
The Junkyard Dog
1986
Biography: Wrestlemania I
Self (archival footage) - The Junkyard Dog
2022WWE Houston Wrestling: November '86
The Junkyard Dog
1986
WWE: Legends of Wrestling - Jerry the King Lawler and Junkyard Dog
2010
NWA Boogie Jam
The Junkyard Dog
1984