King of New Orleans (eBook)

Telling the remarkable tale of a man who is still remembered on the streets of New Orleans and in the hearts of professional-wrestling fans, this book aims to restore the overlooked Junkyard Dog to his proper place in the history books. In 1979, Sylvester Ritter, also known as the Junkyard Dog, managed to break one of the final color barriers in the sport by becoming the first black wrestler named undisputed top star of his promotion, and this biography reveals all the famous feuds and business back stories that made him a wrestling legend. By 1985, New Orleans was one of the hottest cities in the Mid-South for pro wrestling due in large part to the Junkyard Dog, he became a legend in the Big Easy, drawing sellout crowds to the Downtown Municipal Auditorium and huge crowds to the Superdome, a feat unparalleled by any other wrestler. The King of New Orleans delves into wrestling's recent past and recounts how a region known for racial injustice became the home of the sport's first black idol.

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Five years before the Saints took over the Superdome in 1985, New Orleans was one of the hottest cities in the Mid-South for Pro Wrestling. The reason for this was a man named Sylvester Ritter, AKA 'The Junkyard Dog'. He became a legend in the Big Easy, drawing nearly non-stop sellout crowds to the Superdome, a feat no other wrestler could match. In 1979, he smashed the colour barriers to become the first wrestler to be made the undisputed star of his promotion. This book aims to restore JYD to his place in the history books by looking at the man who made it happen.