Insane Insights From Dark Side Of The Ring - Junkyard Dog
The Junkyard Dog was ahead of his time as he was one of the most popular professional wrestlers in the Territory days of professional wrestling in the 1980s. He was one of the greatest African American wrestlers of all time. However, with his rise in the business, he also had a tremendous fall that he never recovered from. Dark Side of the Ring did an episode on his life, career, and the car accident that took his life.
10. How Junkyard Dog Joined Mid-South Pro Wrestling
Jim Ross worked heavily in Mid South Wrestling and had a relationship with the promotor Bill Watts. He told a story of the famous rule Watts had that if a pro wrestler got in a bar fight and lost, they were fired from the promotion. When Bill Watts bought into pro wrestling territories, he got a strong recommendation from the booker Ernie Ladd to make Junkyard Dog the face of the promotion. Watts agreed and signed him to the promotion. Junkyard Dog was still green in the ring, but Watts felt it was worth a shot.
9. How Much Heat The Fabulous Freebirds Got Attacking Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog's biggest feud in Mid-South Wrestling was with the Fabulous Freebirds. In one segment the Freebirds wanted to use a cream to make him bald, but the cream got in his eyes. Junkyard Dog was kayfabe blinded and the Feebirds got into a ton of heat with the audience. The next week the Junkyard dog cut a promo about his daughter and not being able to see her as a result.
Eventually, Junkyard Dog and Michael P.S. Hayes have a dog collar match. In the buildup that match almost did not happen. Around a week previously, a fan got angry and jumped over a railing with a gun to shoot Hayes. Especially to prevent them from attacking him and that fan told JYD, "Don't worry, I got them". Thank goodness the cops got there in time as if they didn't Michael P.S. Hayes would have gotten shot. That's how much hate and heat the Fabulous Freebirds got.
8. Junkyard Dog Was Paid Money By Women To Sleep With Them
Jarvis Woodburn is the nephew of the Junkyard Dog and he tells a story about him on the road. Wrestlers had groupies on the road and would pay professional wrestlers to do the " horizontal mombo" with them. Tony Atlas laughed confirming the story and how he got laid just for being friends with JYD.
The craziest story was one night 3 women came in and paid 100 dollars each to sleep with them. Atlas revealed that he didn't want to get laid, but wanted to play with their feet. Yes, Tony Atlas has a foot fetish and this isn't the only story of Atlas. After all, this was the same man who once told TMZ in 2012 "I Pay Women to Smash My Face with Their Boots". It's so freaking weird.
With these women offering to pay to be with them Junkyard Dog wanted one of the ladies with Tony Atlas. He was ready to go until a knock at the door came and it was one of the woman's husband. That man was fighting JYD, but it did not go well for him. Not only did he get beat up, but his wife stayed with JYD the whole night.
7. Why Junkyard Dog Left Mid-South Wrestling
The Junkyard Dog out of nowhere chose to leave the Mid-South which heavily perplexed everyone in the territories. The move sent real shockwaves and broke Bill Watts's heart to the point where he publicly buried him on live TV. Koko B Ware was laughing and amazed at the time to see a white man cry over a black man leaving.
Teddy Long talks about the reason why Junkyard Dog left. At the time Junkyard Dog got an offer to join the WWF and he was contemplating his options in the bathroom. While in there both Bill Watts and Grizzly Smith talked about it. Well, Watts allegedly called Junkyard Dog a racial slur. When Junkyard Dog heard that, he immediately joined the WWF.
6. Mid-South Wrestling Never Recovered Once Junkyard Dog Left
The moment that Mid-South Wrestling lost the Junkyard Dog, they never recovered. He was the company's meal ticket and it was impossible to replace him. The worst part was, that Bill Watts was panicking and according to Jake Roberts, he was desperately trying to replace Junkyard Dog with another black wrestler.
They experimented with wrestlers like The Snowman, George Wells, Brickhouse Brown, and even tried Butch Reed. Reed was the most talented of the bunch, but the problem was he was too polished and the connection did not feel natural to the audience compared to Junkyard Dog.
5. Junkyard Dog Was Not Happy With How He Was Used In WWF
Junkyard Dog finally made it to the WWE and was successful. However, he never got to the level of popularity and success he had in Mid-South Wrestling. Junkyard Dog always felt they would eventually get pushed to the main event, but that never happened. Koko B Ware claims they would push the black wrestlers somewhat in WWE, but they never went the whole way. This is true, but here is the problem. Hulk Hogan was on top at the time and there was no chance anybody was taking that spot.
4. Junkyard Dog Would Do Drugs Anywhere and Anytime
Junkyard Dog eventually gets addicted to cocaine. He would do the drug in limo rides to shows. Tony Atlas tells the story where JYD is in the limo and asks the driver to go to the hood to get dope. That's not all, JYD then asks the limo driver if he can smoke in the car and the driver was freaking out when he saw the crack pipe.
He was so messed up that JYD was starting to no-show events. JYD forgot the advice he was told by Thunderbolt Patterson when he said “You can’t do what the white man does, and keep your job.”. Unfortunately for JYD, he lost his job due to the many no-shows.
3. Junkyard Dog Did Not Manage His Money Well At All
Junkyard Dog was long out of the spotlight and mainly wrestled independent shows. The last time Jake Roberts saw JYD, he was at those shows. JYD could barely do a two-minute match, and when it was done, he collected the money and left without saying goodbye.
He was careless and thought that the money would never end. That's why the best advice ever given in college is, "It's not what you make, it's what you save." Junkyard Dog never saved his money, and as a result, he had to work at Walmart, part-time.
2. The Tragic Death of Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog was on a 9-hour drive to get to his daughter's high school graduation. At the time both lived multiple states apart, but he unfortunately missed it. On the drive, he got to visit his nephew Jarvis Woodburn. He got to hold his son and they took photos, which ultimately became the last photo ever taken of him. While about to go back on the road, his nephew noticed puke all over the car. In seeing that Jarvis asked him if he wanted to sleep the night to get extra rest, but JYD declined.
JYD gets on the road, but a day later Jarvis gets a devastating call that his uncle passed away. According to the police, JYD had fallen asleep while driving and the car flipped multiple times. Junkyard Dog wasn't wearing a seatbelt either and got head trauma from the wreck.
1. He is Buried Next To His Daughter
This is another devastating fact I did not know coming into this episode. His daughter LaToya who accepted her father's induction to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004 also passed away. She was 31 years old and it was due to a ruptured heart valve. Looking up at her dead, she was talking on the phone and all of a sudden her friend heard a bang on the ground. When her Heart valve ruptured it was sudden and she instantly died. LaToya is currently buried right next to her father's grave.
My Thoughts On The Documentary
I was never alive during Junkyard Dog's career, but he was tremendous in Mid-South Wrestling. That promotion never recovered when he left and JYD never got to that big of a peak in the WWF. His addictions to drugs and no-showing events affected his career.
The one story I wish the documentary told was his time in ECW and the legit fight with New Jack. JYD bought drugs from New Jack for 300 dollars. JYD did not pay as he was short on cash and promised to repay him. Years go by and New Jack isn't paid. New Jack confronted him, but JYD kept refusing to pay him back. Both have an altercation it gets bloody. It was so bad that Junkyard Dog had to get a new shirt. New Jack never got paid back, because one month later, JYD died.
It's tragic that Junkyard Dog never got to his daughter's graduation on time and got in that car accident. The worst part was finding out about his daughter passing at the age of 31. If Junkyard Dog was still alive, that would have broken him. It was a sad episode, but a well-made piece by the Dark Side of the Ring producers.
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