Junkyard Dog Sylvester Ritter ( December 13 , 1952 – June 2 , 1998 ) 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 ) . 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 . 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 . Career . Football . Ritter played football at Fayetteville State University , twice earning honorable mention All - American status , and is a member of The Sports Hall Of Fame . He graduated with a political science degree and was selected by the Green Bay Packers organization , but knee and back surgery ended his football career . Also a member of Groove Phi Groove and All CIAA member Chet Grimsley who authored a book on their travels The White Golden Bull . Professional wrestling . Ritter debuted in the Tennessee territory , working for promoter Jerry Jarrett , before moving to Nick Gulas ' s company and using the ring name Leroy Rochester . From there he moved to Stu Hart ' s Stampede Wrestling as Big Daddy Ritter , where he captured the North American Heavyweight Championship twice . In the early 1980s Ritter moved to Mid - South Wrestling , where booker " Cowboy " Bill Watts gave him the name and gimmick Junkyard Dog , as he would wear a long chain attached to a dog collar , and white boots . He originally came to the ring pushing a cart filled with junk called the " junk wagon " and lost most of his early matches before his character caught on and became the top face in the company . While on top he feuded with some of the top heels in the company , including a now infamous angle with the Fabulous Freebirds where they blinded him with hair cream . At the peak of the feud JYD ' s wife gave birth to their first child , which was made part of the storyline . It was explained that JYD could not see his new daughter , something that increased the heat on the Freebirds to the point where they needed police escorts in and out of arenas . The feud ended with the still - blinded JYD and Freebird leader Michael " P . S . " Hayes wrestling in a dog collar match . Other notable feuds involved Ted DiBiase , Kamala , King Kong Bundy , and " The Natural " Butch Reed . The feud with DiBiase was particularly notable as DiBiase , once JYD ' s friend and tag - team partner , turned heel and subsequently won a loser - leave - town match against JYD with the help of the loaded glove , which was a DiBiase calling card , forcing JYD to leave town for an extended period of time . A masked man physically resembling JYD , known as Stagger Lee , subsequently appeared in the region and began to defeat the competition , one by one , including DiBiase . Though DiBiase and the other heels strongly suspected that Stagger Lee was in fact JYD , they were unable to unmask him to prove their suspicions . Stagger Lee disappeared once the loser - leave - town clause in the JYD - DiBiase match had expired , and JYD returned and reclaimed the North American Heavyweight Championship . The feud with Reed was notable in that Reed , a protégé of JYD , had turned heel . The two had a series of matches , many of which were bouts for the prized North American Heavyweight Championship . These matches were also notable for their brutality , which included " ghetto street fights , " " dog - collar matches , " two - out - of - three pin - fall matches and steel - cage matches . JYD was lured to the WWF at the peak of the feud with Reed . Late in 1984 , Ritter left Mid - South for the World Wrestling Federation , where he was still an over face . While in the WWF , JYD made a habit of interacting with the growing number of young people in attendance , often bringing them into the ring after matches and dancing with them . Ritter won " The Wrestling Classic " tournament , often cited as the first - ever WWF pay - per - view and his most notable feuds in the company came against King Harley Race , the Funk Brothers , Adrian Adonis , Greg " The Hammer " Valentine and " Outlaw " Ron Bass before he left the company late in 1988 . In 1990 he had a brief run in World Championship Wrestling while it was still under the National Wrestling Alliance banner , where he feuded with Ric Flair over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and won the Six - Man Tag Team Championship with Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich . Death . Ritter died on June 2 , 1998 , in a single - car accident on Interstate 20 near Forest , Mississippi , as he was returning home from his daughter LaToya ' s high school graduation in Wadesboro , North Carolina . The apparent cause was falling asleep at the wheel . Ritter ' s body was laid in an unmarked grave in Wadesboro , North Carolina . Ritter had stayed active in professional wrestling until the time of his death , appearing at Extreme Championship Wrestling ' s 1998 Wrestlepalooza event , just one month prior . He was the founder of the Dog Pound stable in independent Mid - South promotion , based in southern Louisiana . Among Ritter ' s last contributions to professional wrestling was the training of former WWF wrestlers Rodney Mack and Jazz . His daughter , LaToya Ritter and his sister Christine Woodburn , represented JYD as he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at a ceremony held on March 13 , 2004 by Ernie Ladd , the day before WrestleMania XX . His daughter , LaToya Ritter , died on October 19 , 2011 . While talking on the phone to a friend , there was a loud thud and the friend called family members to go check on her because she thought LaToya fell down the stairs . Her brother went to check only to find her unresponsive and called 911 . Paramedics were unable to revive her , She was 31 years old .