The craziest part about the JYD story, was Jake “The Snake” Roberts telling him to go easy on the drugs. That’s like Matt Cardona or Ethan Page telling you to stop buying toys.
I know they focused mainly on his drug use, but to me the saddest part was hearing that his daughter passed away, especially considering the circumstances of his own death. I hadn’t heard about her death previously
I read about his daughter passed away and Vince should had put the IC belt on him instead on Steamboat and Savage. I would took a chance on him to see if he wanted to be a champion or not if he couldn’t I would have taken the belt off the JYD. Pat Patterson had a brain 🧠 of a cabbage 🥬 when it came to the booking at time and Vince had his head in the Sand he didn’t see the picture in 1985 he saw if territories were going sell to him and dress up the talent as Saturday morning cartoon Characters
THANK YOU BRIAN!!!! That is the main problem I had with it. To hear them talk he was a step above The Brooklyn Brawler. He was easily the #2 guy behind Hulk Hogan.
The bit about minority wrestlers being a major part of WWWF until Vince Jr. took over doesn't jibe either. Snuka, Dog and Tito were some of the biggest stars of the time. NOBODY, black or white, was going to be the guy above Hogan at the time.
@@thecapn3560Cause often time it is! But what do I know?? You have never been discriminated against but I have been discriminated against countless of times and I have videos of some of it saved.. I just don't want anyone losing their jobs because of their own stupidity cause I'm pretty sure half of them have children..
This was a good episode. I was too young to know how big a star he was. I heard about him when he was past his prime. Even now hearing Jim and Brian speak Im getting even more insight. Dog wasn't just over as the black star, he was a star
He was huge man i even had his action figure as a kid he was one of my favorites. I would compare how over he was with probably LA Knight and how the crowd goes crazy probably even more over then that
Yeah, same here. I was born in 82' so I only remember JYD during his WWF & WCW runs. I liked his personality and his character. I'd only heard about Mid-South, WCCW and other territories from magazines and older wrestlers in interviews. With all of the uploads to UA-cam of the old recordings of those territories, I'm able to watch them now and appreciate them. I absolutely would've watched Mid-South had I been born earlier and if it aired in my area where I grew up!!
I went to a WCW event in Baltimore many years ago that involved JYD. After the show, JYD walked past me. I patted him on the shoulder. That mf was absolutely solid! He may have been past his prime, but he was still a beast.
I thought the same thing about talking heads/directors letting him down. Much more story to be told. JYD was great and big part of my childhood. I wanted more and his story could have been told better. Should have been 2 episodes.
I grew up in JYD WWF and I fondly remember him as a great fan favorite among children that even as a 5-8 year old I wondered why he didn't win more matches. He deserved an IC title run.
JYD was certainly popular enough to have been an IC title holder but was too limited as a wrestler. When JYD came into the WWE the IC belt was either held or fought for by wrestlers who could work long, good matches (Valentine, Santana, Savage and Steamboat).
JYD didn't need the IC title to draw or be one of the top faces, but he was unreliable by the time he got to the WWF and out of shape. So, no, I don't agree that he "deserved" an IC title run. You have to earn it.
Great points Jim. Especially when referring to JYD as the best black wrestler. I have seen JYD in person probably 20+ times. The crowds popped for JYD as much as anyone on the WWF roster in the mid-late 1980s. I still have paper photos of JYD from the Tacoma Dome in Washington State (Seattle area). He was a great performer.
I really appreciate your comments about JYD. I thought the series left many gaps in JYD’s story. I was left with many questions about his wrestling career and his life.
JYD is criminally underrated and it blows my mind how they borderline assassinate his character and don’t acknowledge the things he has done for wrestling and the things he fought against during a time where discrimination was an all time high
Blame the wwe's historical revisionism for this. Vince's ridiculous anti-Southern stance has done wonders to ERASE/UNDERPLAY the importance of the territories back in the day. Fuck the monopoly
I mean dark side of the ring has never been the series to focus on all the positives. It’s always focused on the controversy and negatives. Your issue is not uncommon though which is likely why they tried tales from the territories to have a more positive side of these things, or at minimum not solely focus on negative stuff.
@@jakeallen7993 how can you show the Dark Side truly if you dont have it balanced with at least SOME of the light side?? You are so so biased and sheltered, I... I feel SORRY for you actually, Jake. Good luck!
Calm down it's not that serious but the sheltered one on this scenario is the one complaining there onset enough nice things said in a show based off of the worst things about the wrestling business Maybe stick the wwe clip shows if you can't handle adult situations
@@jakeallen7993 You're the one berating me and you've been attacking me all morning. Dude its a wrestling show you make it life and death, I just dont get why it always has to be confrontational
It was also weird that they spoke so little on the WCW run considering JYD was there a fair bit (and if memory serves, did try to get clean while there).
I loved JYD when I was a kid. Admittedly more due to the cartoon, but I did get excited everytime I'd get to see him wrestle. I also had his action figure. I only had a few from that set, but him and Hogan were my favorites.
There really isn't a Wrestling Industry for him to come back too.. And as wise as he is on the subject of wrestling he just doesn't get Aggressive Parkour.
@williamkincaid3465 Jimmy is a very smart guy but he's too set in his ways, too stuck in 70s Memphis wrestling. He definitely doesn't understand the corporate aspects of the business. It's too bad he isn't 10 or 20 years older because he could've had a lot more years going from territory to territory. And he doesn't like to admit when he's wrong.
I was stationed in Biloxi Mississippi in June ‘98 when we got breaking news that JYD was the person deceased in an auto accident upstate. I was shocked. He was one of my first wrestling heroes, even before Hulk Hogan. Yeah, the way they did that episode was lacking to say the least.
Junkyard Dog was HUGE here in New Orleans and in Chalmette. I was lucky to see him in his prime here in Mid South. When another one bites the dust would be playing to the house PA all of us were on her feet rooting for JYD yelling 'Who Dat?" (Which would end up bavk in the dome a few years later for our New Orleans Saints) Great memories!!
Loved JYD as a kid. All my friends who were into pro-wrestling loved the Dog. He was the "cool" wrestler because he had the song, the voice, the size, the groove and the Big Thump. one of the things some of the commentators mentioned was how he should've been pushed way up there. I think he was almost like a #4 in terms of the top-top people in the WWF around '85. But he probably had two weaknesses where he couldn't be in that truly upper echelon spot. First, he wasn't mainstream compared to Hogan, Andre and Piper. He couldn't have taken Piper's spot because he was too beloved, which left Andre and Hogan. Andre is Andre and would always be The Attraction at that time while Hogan needed to be in that #1 spot. Maybe if Dog was involved in a major movie, was a little bigger to seem like a threat to Studd, Bundy or Andre and/or was a better overall wrestler, McMahon probably could have pushed him a bit better. It certainly wasn't for a lack of charisma. I'm sad that they glossed over the WCW period. They didn't even mention the infamous Flair match. The thing is that by the time he got to WCW, he was nothing more than a supporting cast member. Heck, you could argue Paul Orndorff was in a similar spot because both guys ended up playing 2nd fiddle to Sting's "Dudes with Attitudes" horrid group. JYD was not featured prominently at all there, which was sad. But he was not even a shell of himself. He just didn't look like the old Dog by that point and developed a huge belly.
I think Hogan, JYD, Macho, Hart Foundation, Jake, Steamboat, Billy Jake Haynes, Tony Atlas, Ko Ko Bware, etc. we’re all very over in the mid-1980s. He use to feud with Hercules, Jake, and was very over with the fans.
My first wrestling figure was a Junkyard Dog LJN thumb wrestler that we got at a garage sale, probably around 1990 or so. I was only starting to watch wrestling then but I recognized JYD from a Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling lunch box a kid at school had. JYD stood out, frankly, because he was the black guy. I later identified the figure's name from an old Sears Christmas catalog we found which had LJN wrestling figures in it. Anyway as I got into wrestling I started renting old WWF tapes. I was excited that JYD was on those cards, until I actually saw his matches. He seemed fat and slow and didn't really look much like his action figure. It wasn't until the WWE Network came around and my brother and I watched old Mid South shows and realized that the figure was obviously based visually on what he looked like then. After all those years it was cool to see this muscular wrestler that was as exciting to watch as his action figure suggested. Makes me wonder if the LJN people knew what Dog used to look like and intentionally modeled the figure off of Mid South photos since it would make for a more marketable figure and JYD would probably not get mad if you made him look better than he really did at the time.
I remember when I lived in the projects in Fayetteville NC it was late at night and there was a bunch of police cars and a limo outside. I couldn't go out to see who it was. In the morning everyone was saying it was Junk Yard dog and some people had autographs they showed me. I was so pissed. It was around the time he was feuding with Flair.
Made sense in hindsight too, as the oil bust hit around 2 years later forcing Watts to sell to Crockett (where everyone except Sting seemed to get mismanaged).
I remember loving JYD as a kid.. all the kids did pre-Warrior.. he was great! He was one of the good guys.. constant baby face. I hate what drugs did to wrestlers of the 80s and 90s, he should still be with us, he was awesome! Limited in the ring but you loved him regardless.
Yep pre warrior he was the man and i think still the man when warrior was there cause i believe jyd was there when warrior came in if i am not mistaken. I had jyd toy even had the wrestling ring as a kid
I’m really good friends with a Former WWF manager who was in WWF with JYD. This manager told me well before this documentary that JYD told him the same thing about The Bathroom Incident.
I'm from Wadesboro, Dog's hometown. I remember when he died. The town was shattered by the news. His football jersey is retired at Anson High School. Montez Ford of WWE ran track for the same high school.
Vince McMahon Jr. Was crazy about Ahmad Johnson.. Probably the one of the few Black Dudes he took really seriously.. I actually liked Ahmad Johnson before the injuries..
There doesn't appear to be much footage from JYD's career from 1980-81. I've watched his Mid-South TV matches for 1982 though, and he was in amazing shape. If that same JYD entered the WWF in 84, I'm convinced that he would have been pushed harder.
I think Jim forgets that Dark Side is not really about wrestling. It's about the dark stuff in these people's lives, not the good things that happened in their careers.
@@greatblah1202no he didn't. The only person who could comment at all was Ted Dibiase. Bill Watts is still alive and wasn't on the show. John Nord is alive, Terry Taylor, etc. That show promoted more racism in a slick fashion that'll make any real human being go tf off on them. I despise the British, they're so freak'n toxic.
I suppose that's true... but after watching the episode, I couldn't help but feel JYD was nothing but a useless hope-a-dope druggie who got pushed for being black and abused in that way by promoters. That was the overwhelming timbre of 80% of the episode and that just doesn't seem right based on the first 20% where they're hyping JYD up as the most over-by-merit talent of all of Mid-South. I had to do some research to see what they got right and what they got wrong... I'd rather Vice got it all right instead.
I know that thumbnail is trying to portray Urkel from Family Matters but here Jim looks like Chris Chan. Only thing missing is the Sonichu medallion 😭😭😭
JYD was my favorite wrestler, this was when Hulkamania was getting started or going strong. His bodyslam is sill fun to watch. No one does a slam like him, even today, it just looks cool since he hangs on & then bounces up from the other guy. You knew he really enjoyed being out there & just having fun. He was fun to watch. RIP Sylvester! THUMP!
I was one of those kids at the start of the whole Rock n Wrestling thing in WWF in the 80s and I can tell you as a kid from that era, JYD was our #2 favorite behind Hogan. Slaughter wasn't around in that time, he had left and was doing GI Joe.
JYD! Talk about someone who was over like $1 million bucks! The first time I saw him was in 1984 when he came to the WWF and he had an immediate impact. Yeah, the guy was not a technician in the ring but his charisma and ability to connect with the fans made him a top attraction in the WWE. So sad that he met his untimely end and was not around to get his 'flowers'. Thanks and RIP, JYD!
As a white boy growing up in the hills of Kentucky back in the mid to late 1980s, I can assure you that JYD was over. All of the kids at elementary school with me talked about him constantly. Most of us didn't even have cable TV yet, but boy when a WWF show was on we wanted to see JYD.
He was the main event at a house show in Raleigh, NC against Ric Flair after he came out answered a few questions, shook my hand and left .Rest in Power JYD
WHAT IF the the late Sylvester "Junkyard Dog" Ritter left Bill Watts Mid-South Wrestling/Universal Wrestling Federation in 1984 and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff left Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1983, which both would have signed to Jim Crocket Promotions??? The Junkyard Dog (JYD) would have been the most over Babyface, outside of Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A. The JYD most certainly would have held the NWA Worlds Television Championship and the NWA National Heavyweight Championship. Paul Orndorff would have more than likely joined the Horsemen. A JYD vs Chief Wahoo McDaniel feud and Paul Orndorff vs. Magnum T.A feud both would have been crazy.
Watching this episode I no idea how jacked/top of his game JYD was in Mid South. Guy was built like a tank and super over. It seems like when he went to WWE though he just became another guy… I think that may have been an issue in WWEs golden era. The card was so stacked top to bottom it was hard to keep up. Jake Roberts even talks about it
The thing that stands out about JYD's run in the WWF was the first Wrestlemania. He beat Greg Valentine's in an IC title match by countout. Meaning that he won the match but not the title. But, they had him and Tito Santana celebrating as if JYD had just won the world title. It didn't make sense to me then and just seems plain stupid to me now
Hercules, Neidhart, Duggan, Dr. Death, Krushev/Demolition Smash, Volkoff, Butch Reed all big men who's best in ring work happened while working in Mid South. It wasn't by accident, the Cowboy motivated similar talents to work their asses off. In the gym and the ring. Dog was the height of those efforts
Ya know when people ask who would have replaced Hogan in 84 if he didn’t come to WWF, Junk Yard Dog could have been an option. Now given in 84 he was heavy into his bad habits, had he been told to clean up a bit and get back in top shape, he could have been a huge draw as champ.
It might not have happened exactly the way it was portrayed in the reenactment but I absolutely believe something similar happened,Bill watts has a history.
What wrestlers or people in the business have definitely said that in the past they first hand witnessed Watts use the N word in regular conversation? I've always heard random people say he was a huge racist but I"d like to know which have actually come forth
I saw JYD at least 75 times in Mid-South when I was young, the only person that came to Mid-South that got the pop JYD did everytime was Andre. No one else was close. BTW JYD started the wheelbarrow gimmick when Buck Robley became his tag team partner against the Freebirds. It was due to using the Bad Leroy Brown song and the JYD in their promos . Thats why it had a little stuff (junk) in it with Robley sitting in it riding while JYD was pushing it.
I group JYD with guys like Harley Race and Hillbilly Jim. They didn't have great WWF runs in the mid to late 80s, but they were pushed larger than life with toys and magazine covers and promos. It made them seem so much bigger than what they were really doing at that time. So in that regard I guess Vince got his money's worth and kids like me thought JYD was a god, even though his WWF run was disappointing.
So glad that I experienced all of these stars in their heyday, BEFORE the behind the scenes stories. Saw JYD in Houston in 1979-1980 at the Sam Houston Coliseum. Thank you Paul Boesch and thank you God that I experienced wrestling as a kid when it was great. Happy to be older!
Totally appreciate the breakdown I really enjoyed it because I have a fascinating story about meeting him in the late 90s. But...I'm not sure you can blame the talking heads here. The production guys pick and choose what they want to include and who knows what was said that didn't make the cut. I think they really focus on tragedy more than actual history and the drug issues really took to much President. I literally met him a matter of days before his death and as a recovering addict myself, I have no doubts he wasn't under the influence of anything at that moment. Absolute sweetheart to the children and even me...who was a teenager at the time. Unfortunately this is darksides MO that is why I enjoyed when A&E ran their episodes at the Sametime as Darkside
I saw JYD and the Iron Sheik wrestle one another live many many years ago towards the end of their careers and they were so incredible...🏆🏆 thank you both for the wonderful memories 🙏
dark side should've been over after season 2, they dont know what to put in anymore. He was on the cartoons too if i remember correctly.. so yeah, his wwf push was big.
Yeah… I agree they missed on several things such as the infamous Louisiana Athlete popularity survey, in which he won in a landslide. Plus, I thought they could’ve included Rodney Mack and Jazz, who JYD got into the business, and they had good WWE runs. Especially Jazz!
Ironically, The movie , trading places , came out around that time. In the movie there was a scene where Eddie Murphy Was in the bathroom and he had heard the two old white guys that he worked for call him the N-word. Maybe junkyard dog saw that and said that it happened to him
I used to always go to the grocery store by my house just to read wrestling magazine.. The whole thing and i remember seeing pics of chief Strongbow and thought he was really native American until one of my customers i did yard work for gave me all his old wrestling tapes he recorded for years and i finally saw a video of chief dancing, i knew immediately he wasn't nowhere near a real native American... I could tell he's a European American dressed as a native Once i saw him trying to do native dances.. still a great wrestler/character though
My grandmother got me into wrestling. She tells the story that I met junkyard dog at an early age and he nicknamed me Colby col-train. She still calls me that on occasion to this day.
The craziest part about the JYD story, was Jake “The Snake” Roberts telling him to go easy on the drugs. That’s like Matt Cardona or Ethan Page telling you to stop buying toys.
Modern wrestlers telling you to go easy on the leg slaps.
Omega telling you you point too much
Don’t believe Jake on much. He’s got Hogan level of carni’ism
Or Lawrence Taylor telling kids not to smoke crack!!
Or the young bucks telling you to stop the super kicks.
I know they focused mainly on his drug use, but to me the saddest part was hearing that his daughter passed away, especially considering the circumstances of his own death. I hadn’t heard about her death previously
I read about his daughter passed away and Vince should had put the IC belt on him instead on Steamboat and Savage. I would took a chance on him to see if he wanted to be a champion or not if he couldn’t I would have taken the belt off the JYD. Pat Patterson had a brain 🧠 of a cabbage 🥬 when it came to the booking at time and Vince had his head in the Sand he didn’t see the picture in 1985 he saw if territories were going sell to him and dress up the talent as Saturday morning cartoon Characters
@@franklinrichardson757 AEW Fan?
Lol whut?
Oh shit, Jin and Brian didn't even mention that, damn....😕🤔💔🖤
Travis outdoes himself again with the Family Matters throwback art......Jim as Urkel just made my day!
This is what happens when "racist wokeism" invades every area of the "press". JYD deserved a MUCH BETTER episode. #wakeup #walkaway
@@drrydher Derp
Did cornette do that?
@@drrydherthis is whay happens when morons are given access to the Internet.
@@maxxdahl6062 I had to look up "Derp", but I agree........."Derp!!"
Thank you Jim for saving JYD legacy
THANK YOU BRIAN!!!! That is the main problem I had with it. To hear them talk he was a step above The Brooklyn Brawler. He was easily the #2 guy behind Hulk Hogan.
Thank you sir.....
That would ruin the narrative though. It’s gotta be about race
The bit about minority wrestlers being a major part of WWWF until Vince Jr. took over doesn't jibe either. Snuka, Dog and Tito were some of the biggest stars of the time. NOBODY, black or white, was going to be the guy above Hogan at the time.
@@thecapn3560Cause often time it is! But what do I know?? You have never been discriminated against but I have been discriminated against countless of times and I have videos of some of it saved.. I just don't want anyone losing their jobs because of their own stupidity cause I'm pretty sure half of them have children..
I just remember how JYD, Hogan, Savage and Andre were the 4 wrestlers who were larger than life to me as a kid! Nostalgia is an amazing feeling
Add Piper, Sheik, and Nikolai Volkoff. The Saturday morning cartoon helped.
Some reason I thought the blue blazer was in the same light… he was doing moves I never seen at the time
I loe the Ernie Ladd bit. I don't know why but Jim's impersonation of him and Dusty always gets me.
The southern drawl is hilarious
I know the show is called “Dark Side” of the Ring, but I just wish that they highlighted some more of the positive things about his career and life.
I agree 100% This guy was over with me.
This was a good episode. I was too young to know how big a star he was. I heard about him when he was past his prime. Even now hearing Jim and Brian speak Im getting even more insight. Dog wasn't just over as the black star, he was a star
Oh, he was soooo over back in the day! Once “Atomic Dog” hit, the arena went nuts, every time!
He was a huge star he will always be nostalgic to me as a kid he was part of the Rockin Wrestlin cartoon gang im sad he had such a sad short life.
He was huge man i even had his action figure as a kid he was one of my favorites. I would compare how over he was with probably LA Knight and how the crowd goes crazy probably even more over then that
Yeah, same here. I was born in 82' so I only remember JYD during his WWF & WCW runs. I liked his personality and his character. I'd only heard about Mid-South, WCCW and other territories from magazines and older wrestlers in interviews. With all of the uploads to UA-cam of the old recordings of those territories, I'm able to watch them now and appreciate them. I absolutely would've watched Mid-South had I been born earlier and if it aired in my area where I grew up!!
@@craigusselman546great cartoon. I had the ring as well, JYD was in the collection
Brian's ability to correct Jim when he's one year off of wrestling history 🤣🤣😍
We needed this artwork 🖼️..thank you Travis…
Thanks guys
I went to a WCW event in Baltimore many years ago that involved JYD. After the show, JYD walked past me. I patted him on the shoulder. That mf was absolutely solid! He may have been past his prime, but he was still a beast.
In WCW? That was during his “fat” period. Imagine him back in the day! He was definitely ripped!
Big Soup Bones .........
My favorite part was Atlas completely ignoring the fact that Vince made him and Rocky Johnson the WWF Tag Team Champions.
"and it looked like a monkey fuckin a football, it was fuckin ugly." 😂 What a great line. Jim is hilarious.
That's the coach of the 1980 American hockey teams famous quote.
@@joemamma416,that brought you a lot of joy.
@@joemamma416 Herb Brooks.
I thought the same thing about talking heads/directors letting him down. Much more story to be told. JYD was great and big part of my childhood. I wanted more and his story could have been told better. Should have been 2 episodes.
Overhearing his bosses disparaging him while he's hidden in a bathroom stall 🙄 just like in Trading Places
Jim Ross has one of those stories too about being in a stall and hearing some promoter's talk about having Vince murdered 🤣
I grew up in JYD WWF and I fondly remember him as a great fan favorite among children that even as a 5-8 year old I wondered why he didn't win more matches. He deserved an IC title run.
JYD was certainly popular enough to have been an IC title holder but was too limited as a wrestler.
When JYD came into the WWE the IC belt was either held or fought for by wrestlers who could work long, good matches (Valentine, Santana, Savage and Steamboat).
JYD didn't need the IC title to draw or be one of the top faces, but he was unreliable by the time he got to the WWF and out of shape. So, no, I don't agree that he "deserved" an IC title run. You have to earn it.
If JYD looked and worked like he did in 1980 and 1981, he would have had an IC title run.
I love when Ernie Ladd said “He brought that big beautiful black body in there and the girls went crazy” LMAO
Great points Jim. Especially when referring to JYD as the best black wrestler. I have seen JYD in person probably 20+ times. The crowds popped for JYD as much as anyone on the WWF roster in the mid-late 1980s. I still have paper photos of JYD from the Tacoma Dome in Washington State (Seattle area). He was a great performer.
I really appreciate your comments about JYD. I thought the series left many gaps in JYD’s story. I was left with many questions about his wrestling career and his life.
At least I read a book on JYD called, "The King of New Orleans."
@@ithinkaboutthings9052 It is by Greg Klein. I read it for more detail about the Junkyard Dog.
JYD is criminally underrated and it blows my mind how they borderline assassinate his character and don’t acknowledge the things he has done for wrestling and the things he fought against during a time where discrimination was an all time high
@EBC-ENTAgreed. American history should only be ignored when it's to my benefit.
Blame the wwe's historical revisionism for this. Vince's ridiculous anti-Southern stance has done wonders to ERASE/UNDERPLAY the importance of the territories back in the day. Fuck the monopoly
I'd say pre civil war it was higher
I mean dark side of the ring has never been the series to focus on all the positives. It’s always focused on the controversy and negatives. Your issue is not uncommon though which is likely why they tried tales from the territories to have a more positive side of these things, or at minimum not solely focus on negative stuff.
They gave him plenty of credit, Jake,Jim Ted, all praised him and said great things about him. But the guy had serious drug issues as well.
THANK you Jim. There was so much success in JYD's career and all they talked about was drugs and decline. Sad stuff.
Isn't that what Darkside of the Ring always does though? They focus on the drugs and excesses of the wrestling business.
The shows literally called the Darkside of the ring. It's not called the good side of the ring
@@jakeallen7993 how can you show the Dark Side truly if you dont have it balanced with at least SOME of the light side?? You are so so biased and sheltered, I... I feel SORRY for you actually, Jake. Good luck!
Calm down it's not that serious but the sheltered one on this scenario is the one complaining there onset enough nice things said in a show based off of the worst things about the wrestling business Maybe stick the wwe clip shows if you can't handle adult situations
@@jakeallen7993 You're the one berating me and you've been attacking me all morning. Dude its a wrestling show you make it life and death, I just dont get why it always has to be confrontational
It was also weird that they spoke so little on the WCW run considering JYD was there a fair bit (and if memory serves, did try to get clean while there).
I remember JYD did a program against Jim and the MNE in 1990 during his run then, Jim didn't even remember it lol.
That art by Travis. The best awesome lol and a masterpiece!!! Brilliant!!!
I loved JYD when I was a kid. Admittedly more due to the cartoon, but I did get excited everytime I'd get to see him wrestle.
I also had his action figure. I only had a few from that set, but him and Hogan were my favorites.
We need to have corny back in the wrestling business what a wrestling almanac. Love listening to this guy.
"An out of touch by modern standards almanac"
- "The Elite" fanbase
There really isn't a Wrestling Industry for him to come back too.. And as wise as he is on the subject of wrestling he just doesn't get Aggressive Parkour.
@williamkincaid3465 Jimmy is a very smart guy but he's too set in his ways, too stuck in 70s Memphis wrestling. He definitely doesn't understand the corporate aspects of the business. It's too bad he isn't 10 or 20 years older because he could've had a lot more years going from territory to territory. And he doesn't like to admit when he's wrong.
@@sigmablockNo, out of touch by the WWE circus standards.
I do miss SMW
Damn. From action figures, cartoons, sold out shows in Mid-South and WrestleManias to a part time job at Walmart ten years later. That is a hard fall.
Tony Atlas' story about JYD whipping out the crack pipe in the limo had me in stitches 😂
I spat out my drink when I heard that. JYD did gave zero fucks at that point lol
yeah its funny when guys in pain smoke crack. smh
@@theconventionhunter1324yes... because comedy has NEVER come from pain. Comedy is all about happy things... made by happy people 🙄
@@theconventionhunter1324he chose to do the drugs don’t blame depression. I’m clinically depressed and have never had the urge to smoke crack
I have a few family members who like the way the crack taste, they are not in any pain, just like smoking crack like the next man lol😂
I was stationed in Biloxi Mississippi in June ‘98 when we got breaking news that JYD was the person deceased in an auto accident upstate. I was shocked. He was one of my first wrestling heroes, even before Hulk Hogan. Yeah, the way they did that episode was lacking to say the least.
I was stationed in Germany June '98. Somewhat I remember reading abt it as well. Salute to you man! RIP JYD 💜
Junkyard Dog was HUGE here in New Orleans and in Chalmette. I was lucky to see him in his prime here in Mid South. When another one bites the dust would be playing to the house PA all of us were on her feet rooting for JYD yelling 'Who Dat?" (Which would end up bavk in the dome a few years later for our New Orleans Saints) Great memories!!
Loved JYD as a kid. All my friends who were into pro-wrestling loved the Dog. He was the "cool" wrestler because he had the song, the voice, the size, the groove and the Big Thump. one of the things some of the commentators mentioned was how he should've been pushed way up there. I think he was almost like a #4 in terms of the top-top people in the WWF around '85. But he probably had two weaknesses where he couldn't be in that truly upper echelon spot. First, he wasn't mainstream compared to Hogan, Andre and Piper. He couldn't have taken Piper's spot because he was too beloved, which left Andre and Hogan. Andre is Andre and would always be The Attraction at that time while Hogan needed to be in that #1 spot. Maybe if Dog was involved in a major movie, was a little bigger to seem like a threat to Studd, Bundy or Andre and/or was a better overall wrestler, McMahon probably could have pushed him a bit better. It certainly wasn't for a lack of charisma.
I'm sad that they glossed over the WCW period. They didn't even mention the infamous Flair match. The thing is that by the time he got to WCW, he was nothing more than a supporting cast member. Heck, you could argue Paul Orndorff was in a similar spot because both guys ended up playing 2nd fiddle to Sting's "Dudes with Attitudes" horrid group. JYD was not featured prominently at all there, which was sad. But he was not even a shell of himself. He just didn't look like the old Dog by that point and developed a huge belly.
I think Hogan, JYD, Macho, Hart Foundation, Jake, Steamboat, Billy Jake Haynes, Tony Atlas, Ko Ko Bware, etc. we’re all very over in the mid-1980s. He use to feud with Hercules, Jake, and was very over with the fans.
Cable TV helped JYD and others move into the mainstream spotlight. JYD was a house hold name where I’m from - Tacoma, WA mid 1980s
My first wrestling figure was a Junkyard Dog LJN thumb wrestler that we got at a garage sale, probably around 1990 or so. I was only starting to watch wrestling then but I recognized JYD from a Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling lunch box a kid at school had. JYD stood out, frankly, because he was the black guy. I later identified the figure's name from an old Sears Christmas catalog we found which had LJN wrestling figures in it.
Anyway as I got into wrestling I started renting old WWF tapes. I was excited that JYD was on those cards, until I actually saw his matches. He seemed fat and slow and didn't really look much like his action figure. It wasn't until the WWE Network came around and my brother and I watched old Mid South shows and realized that the figure was obviously based visually on what he looked like then. After all those years it was cool to see this muscular wrestler that was as exciting to watch as his action figure suggested. Makes me wonder if the LJN people knew what Dog used to look like and intentionally modeled the figure off of Mid South photos since it would make for a more marketable figure and JYD would probably not get mad if you made him look better than he really did at the time.
I remember when I lived in the projects in Fayetteville NC it was late at night and there was a bunch of police cars and a limo outside. I couldn't go out to see who it was. In the morning everyone was saying it was Junk Yard dog and some people had autographs they showed me. I was so pissed. It was around the time he was feuding with Flair.
First card I ever attended was in Boston Garden 1985. Main Event Andre and JYD vs Studd and Patera. Loved JYD.
Thanks Mr. Cornette. You're a great source of historic information for the industry.
He left for the money. No matter what he told Teddy Long
Made sense in hindsight too, as the oil bust hit around 2 years later forcing Watts to sell to Crockett (where everyone except Sting seemed to get mismanaged).
I remember loving JYD as a kid.. all the kids did pre-Warrior.. he was great! He was one of the good guys.. constant baby face. I hate what drugs did to wrestlers of the 80s and 90s, he should still be with us, he was awesome! Limited in the ring but you loved him regardless.
Yep pre warrior he was the man and i think still the man when warrior was there cause i believe jyd was there when warrior came in if i am not mistaken. I had jyd toy even had the wrestling ring as a kid
I’m really good friends with a Former WWF manager who was in WWF with JYD. This manager told me well before this documentary that JYD told him the same thing about The Bathroom Incident.
JYD was my favorite wrestler as a kid
I'm from Wadesboro, Dog's hometown. I remember when he died. The town was shattered by the news. His football jersey is retired at Anson High School. Montez Ford of WWE ran track for the same high school.
Anson County! HWY 74! Salute man!! RIP JYD 💜
Jim cornette as urkel is funny asf. Travis is a national treasure we have to keep him protected at all cost 😂😂😂😂.
Thanks Jim and Brian 💪 for us old school fans
It took me a second to realize that Corny is supposed to be Urkel because with that outfit he could just as easily be cosplaying as Chris Chan.
I saw the thumbnail and went "oh no" til I looked closer. 😂
Funny enough, this reminds me of the time someone asked him a question using the fake name of Chris Chan
Vince McMahon Jr. Was crazy about Ahmad Johnson.. Probably the one of the few Black Dudes he took really seriously.. I actually liked Ahmad Johnson before the injuries..
There doesn't appear to be much footage from JYD's career from 1980-81. I've watched his Mid-South TV matches for 1982 though, and he was in amazing shape. If that same JYD entered the WWF in 84, I'm convinced that he would have been pushed harder.
WWF would've pushed him more if he was reliable.
Wait JYD is Carl and Cornette is Urkel?! 😂🤣
Did I do that??
Get out of my house Steve!!
@@tonyducks1121
Cornette Urkel: "I don't have to take this. I'm going home."
JYD was my favorite when I first started watching the WWF as a kid, and the first JLN WWF figure that I asked for was of him (not Hogan).
The fact that we never got The Junkyard Dog vs. Bad Bad Leroy Brown in a cage in the Superdome is a travesty...
I like how they List Corny as a Wrestling Historian in these shows. That is spot on!
Speaking of WCW, JYD literally got the biggest pop at SuperBrawl II in 1992 when he came out to save Ron Simmons.
I think Jim forgets that Dark Side is not really about wrestling. It's about the dark stuff in these people's lives, not the good things that happened in their careers.
@@greatblah1202no he didn't. The only person who could comment at all was Ted Dibiase. Bill Watts is still alive and wasn't on the show. John Nord is alive, Terry Taylor, etc. That show promoted more racism in a slick fashion that'll make any real human being go tf off on them. I despise the British, they're so freak'n toxic.
I suppose that's true... but after watching the episode, I couldn't help but feel JYD was nothing but a useless hope-a-dope druggie who got pushed for being black and abused in that way by promoters. That was the overwhelming timbre of 80% of the episode and that just doesn't seem right based on the first 20% where they're hyping JYD up as the most over-by-merit talent of all of Mid-South. I had to do some research to see what they got right and what they got wrong... I'd rather Vice got it all right instead.
I know that thumbnail is trying to portray Urkel from Family Matters but here Jim looks like Chris Chan. Only thing missing is the Sonichu medallion 😭😭😭
JYD was my favorite wrestler, this was when Hulkamania was getting started or going strong. His bodyslam is sill fun to watch. No one does a slam like him, even today, it just looks cool since he hangs on & then bounces up from the other guy. You knew he really enjoyed being out there & just having fun. He was fun to watch. RIP Sylvester! THUMP!
Corny as Steve Urkel : Did I do that? I didnt do that....I wasnt even there!!! what tha fuuuuck?!?
Aw shit, it's James E Urkel.
He'd be like "God damn!!!! Did I do that?" lol
Oh shit! JYD as Carl Winslow n JC as Urkel. Genius! lmao... Loving the content.
Thumbnail had me thinking it was some sort of Chris Chan related video.
It's supposed to be urkel.
I was one of those kids at the start of the whole Rock n Wrestling thing in WWF in the 80s and I can tell you as a kid from that era, JYD was our #2 favorite behind Hogan. Slaughter wasn't around in that time, he had left and was doing GI Joe.
JYD! Talk about someone who was over like $1 million bucks! The first time I saw him was in 1984 when he came to the WWF and he had an immediate impact. Yeah, the guy was not a technician in the ring but his charisma and ability to connect with the fans made him a top attraction in the WWE. So sad that he met his untimely end and was not around to get his 'flowers'. Thanks and RIP, JYD!
FYI, Chief Jay Strongbow is really Joe Scarpa, and Italian-American, BTW.
As a white boy growing up in the hills of Kentucky back in the mid to late 1980s, I can assure you that JYD was over. All of the kids at elementary school with me talked about him constantly. Most of us didn't even have cable TV yet, but boy when a WWF show was on we wanted to see JYD.
👍👍
He was the main event at a house show in Raleigh, NC against Ric Flair after he came out answered a few questions, shook my hand and left .Rest in Power JYD
Junkyard Dog looks like Nutty Professor.
I remember JYD was super over in the WWF when I was a kid he was very loved by everyone I remember
This is best thumb nail ever of this podcast!!!! PERFECT...
Did I Do That.
“i’m what’s left of Jake the Snake Roberts” yep lol
WHAT IF the the late Sylvester "Junkyard Dog" Ritter left Bill Watts Mid-South Wrestling/Universal Wrestling Federation in 1984 and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff left Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1983, which both would have signed to Jim Crocket Promotions???
The Junkyard Dog (JYD) would have been the most over Babyface, outside of Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A. The JYD most certainly would have held the NWA Worlds Television Championship and the NWA National Heavyweight Championship.
Paul Orndorff would have more than likely joined the Horsemen. A JYD vs Chief Wahoo McDaniel feud and Paul Orndorff vs. Magnum T.A feud both would have been crazy.
Watching this episode I no idea how jacked/top of his game JYD was in Mid South. Guy was built like a tank and super over. It seems like when he went to WWE though he just became another guy… I think that may have been an issue in WWEs golden era. The card was so stacked top to bottom it was hard to keep up. Jake Roberts even talks about it
I like referring to thick women as being built like tanks.
The thing that stands out about JYD's run in the WWF was the first Wrestlemania. He beat Greg Valentine's in an IC title match by countout. Meaning that he won the match but not the title. But, they had him and Tito Santana celebrating as if JYD had just won the world title. It didn't make sense to me then and just seems plain stupid to me now
@@bootneyfarnsworth2844Lugered him?
Hercules, Neidhart, Duggan, Dr. Death, Krushev/Demolition Smash, Volkoff, Butch Reed all big men who's best in ring work happened while working in Mid South. It wasn't by accident, the Cowboy motivated similar talents to work their asses off. In the gym and the ring. Dog was the height of those efforts
@@maceomaceo11 those guys were young, filled with testosterone, roids and drugs
The Junkyard Dog also played football at an HBCU
Ya know when people ask who would have replaced Hogan in 84 if he didn’t come to WWF, Junk Yard Dog could have been an option. Now given in 84 he was heavy into his bad habits, had he been told to clean up a bit and get back in top shape, he could have been a huge draw as champ.
It might not have happened exactly the way it was portrayed in the reenactment but I absolutely believe something similar happened,Bill watts has a history.
Yeah, certain guys, i.e. Cornette and JR, love Watts and will always defend him.
What wrestlers or people in the business have definitely said that in the past they first hand witnessed Watts use the N word in regular conversation? I've always heard random people say he was a huge racist but I"d like to know which have actually come forth
@@ninoblakk
Did they accuse him of using negro,niggaa or nlgger?
If you think about it for 10 seconds it doesnt make any sence, dog only said that to cover his ass....
I wished they had talked about JYD's Stagger Lee gimmick in Mid-South.
they pushed a lot of JYD merch, tons of kids had t-shirts
I don’t care what Brian says…”Grab Them Cakes” was an AWESOME song! The crowd would pop hard when JYD walked to the ring to that song!
@@taqiyyaconcarne6908 I am sure it probably does since New Orleans has a significant degree of culinary prominence.
It's probably about butts.
@@je830 That could be.
I saw JYD at least 75 times in Mid-South when I was young, the only person that came to Mid-South that got the pop JYD did everytime was Andre. No one else was close. BTW JYD started the wheelbarrow gimmick when Buck Robley became his tag team partner against the Freebirds. It was due to using the Bad Leroy Brown song and the JYD in their promos . Thats why it had a little stuff (junk) in it with Robley sitting in it riding while JYD was pushing it.
Might be the first time pull out and Samantha Fox were ever used in the same sentence. At least the 80’s Samantha.
I didn't know the JYD was black. Thankfully they told me he was black about 735 times during that episode.
I group JYD with guys like Harley Race and Hillbilly Jim. They didn't have great WWF runs in the mid to late 80s, but they were pushed larger than life with toys and magazine covers and promos. It made them seem so much bigger than what they were really doing at that time. So in that regard I guess Vince got his money's worth and kids like me thought JYD was a god, even though his WWF run was disappointing.
So glad that I experienced all of these stars in their heyday, BEFORE the behind the scenes stories. Saw JYD in Houston in 1979-1980 at the Sam Houston Coliseum. Thank you Paul Boesch and thank you God that I experienced wrestling as a kid when it was great. Happy to be older!
last time I was this early Roman Reigns was still a babyface.
@ChaddeusPrime nah I be teddy long watts did call Dog the N Word
So never gotcha
Dark side of the ring completely dropped the ball on this episode
Totally appreciate the breakdown I really enjoyed it because I have a fascinating story about meeting him in the late 90s. But...I'm not sure you can blame the talking heads here. The production guys pick and choose what they want to include and who knows what was said that didn't make the cut. I think they really focus on tragedy more than actual history and the drug issues really took to much President. I literally met him a matter of days before his death and as a recovering addict myself, I have no doubts he wasn't under the influence of anything at that moment. Absolute sweetheart to the children and even me...who was a teenager at the time. Unfortunately this is darksides MO that is why I enjoyed when A&E ran their episodes at the Sametime as Darkside
Rampage Jackson should play JYD in a biopic.
I saw JYD and the Iron Sheik wrestle one another live many many years ago towards the end of their careers and they were so incredible...🏆🏆 thank you both for the wonderful memories 🙏
dark side should've been over after season 2, they dont know what to put in anymore. He was on the cartoons too if i remember correctly.. so yeah, his wwf push was big.
When I was a kid we didn't even think about what color he was all we knew is we loved him .
Lol, what?
Every recap begins with Jim saying what the episode was and an ahhhhhhh,
Yeah… I agree they missed on several things such as the infamous Louisiana Athlete popularity survey, in which he won in a landslide. Plus, I thought they could’ve included Rodney Mack and Jazz, who JYD got into the business, and they had good WWE runs. Especially Jazz!
Ironically, The movie , trading places , came out around that time. In the movie there was a scene where Eddie Murphy Was in the bathroom and he had heard the two old white guys that he worked for call him the N-word. Maybe junkyard dog saw that and said that it happened to him
I used to always go to the grocery store by my house just to read wrestling magazine.. The whole thing and i remember seeing pics of chief Strongbow and thought he was really native American until one of my customers i did yard work for gave me all his old wrestling tapes he recorded for years and i finally saw a video of chief dancing, i knew immediately he wasn't nowhere near a real native American... I could tell he's a European American dressed as a native Once i saw him trying to do native dances.. still a great wrestler/character though
The show is about the people behind the gimmicks, not just a pointless recap of their feuds every year.
"Yeah, he said it" - Dutch Mantell
This Family matters art is amazing😂
I learned at a early age that life was unfair when Dibiase turned heel on JYD in the MidSouth.
He was in the 80s cartoon. Nuff said.
Some of these old school stories need two parts st least.
Agree. Fat dog with trimmed mustache wasnt him. Dog in 82 was the man! He came out at Stagger Lee when I saw him in Tulsa.
My grandmother got me into wrestling. She tells the story that I met junkyard dog at an early age and he nicknamed me Colby col-train. She still calls me that on occasion to this day.
I remember seeing Dog team with Andre back in 86. He looked great
I thought this was going to be about Jim getting advice from "TV Dad." ☺