The King of New Orleans: How the Junkyard Dog Became Professional Wrestling's First Black Superstar
#PWHS #BookReview #JYD #JunkYardDog #MidSouth #WWF #WWE #Louisiana #NewOrleans #Shreveport #Wrestling #ProWrestling
2.5/5 Stars
The author of the book Greg Klein has worked in various roles during his life time including, an actor, a director, a producer, a professional wrestler, and a journalist. A fan of wrestling from around the age of six years old until he left the business, but his infatuation with Mid-South Wrestling never ended. Sylvester Ritter, better known as the Junkyard Dog, is often considered a revolutionary black figure in the world now known as sports entertainment. Arguably the first black star to be a babyface (Good guy) and be the main attraction of a company, and it worked. He is often more commonly remembered for his time more cartoonish time in the WWF (World Wrestling Federation, now WWE) though.
Before the book starts properly, even before the introduction we get a pre-chapter called 'Man of the People.' Which is a nice way to start the book as it includes Klein's walk around a modern New Orleans, Louisiana talking to people who still remember the Junkyard Dog to the day of publication. The introduction that follows sets the tone for the book with an introduction to the JYD and the general ways of the south at the time he was growing up, getting into the business. From here on out we take a detailed look at the split between Bill Watts and Leroy McGuirk, the arguments between the two and other members of the committee over race. A brief over view of his time in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling is provided to the reader also, the territory where Ritter really cut his teeth in the industry. As we get back to Ritter being in Mid-South a territory he would stay on top of for around a five year period, and how he really transformed into the Junkyard Dog and where the name came from. His time with Bill Watts spends a lot of time looking at the major feuds that happened especially the parts of these feuds that took place at the Superdome Arena in New Orleans. That's not all that is shared though, we get backgrounds on his opponents, partners, people he worked or associated with, in what seems to be a measure to bulk out the book for a lack of real in depth information on either JYD or what happened in between these feuds. Klein does however provide an insight into JYD's personal life that may not be commonly known to all. Names you can expect to find in his Mid-South days induced in this book are Jim Duggan, the Fabulous Freebirds, Ted Dibiase, Butch Reed, and others. Once we get up to the point where Ritter is ready to move on to the WWF, Greg takes a rather long winded look at the superstars who Bill Watts tried to model after the 'Mid-South JYD Push' to stardom. We then breeze through his time in the WWF, and the author acknowledges Ritter spent time on the independents and briefly in WCW (World Championship Wrestling). Klein closes the book with a look at his childhood growing up and what attracted him to wrestling and the eventual research undertaken on the Junkyard Dog for this biography. This is just before he takes a look at JYD's forgotten legacy and provides a solid argument for why JYD should be recognized by Hall of Fame's in professional wrestling and in the area of Louisiana where he was so popular for his five year stay.
Whilst this isn't an entirely bad book by any means, at times it does rather feel like there has been a lot of information included about subjects only loosely connected to Sylvester Ritter have been included as a way to pad out the pages between the covers. At times you can't help but get the feeling you're actually reading the history of Mid-South wrestling as a territory instead of the biography of the Junkyard Dog. Whilst there is some interesting insight held within the book about Bill Watts, the way the promotion was run, and the general wrestling scene at the time, it is vastly disappointing to have to read that stuff when you are eager to read 192 pages of the 'First Black Superstar's' career. With the exception of his personal demons involving drugs, and circumstances surrounding his own family, I have to say Wikipedia would actually be a much quicker and efficient way to view the JYD's career rather than picking in this book. Having said that, if you want a book that paints the scene of the whole territory and social state, the wrestlers he was working with as well as JYD then this could be a very enjoyable book. Just don't expect a Junkyard Dog biography when you pick it up, it's more of an explanation of the cultural effect he had on the wrestling. It's for that reason that I'm rating this book as average and only average, as I previously said, I feel to call this a biography, well, it's misleading.
Before the book starts properly, even before the introduction we get a pre-chapter called 'Man of the People.' Which is a nice way to start the book as it includes Klein's walk around a modern New Orleans, Louisiana talking to people who still remember the Junkyard Dog to the day of publication. The introduction that follows sets the tone for the book with an introduction to the JYD and the general ways of the south at the time he was growing up, getting into the business. From here on out we take a detailed look at the split between Bill Watts and Leroy McGuirk, the arguments between the two and other members of the committee over race. A brief over view of his time in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling is provided to the reader also, the territory where Ritter really cut his teeth in the industry. As we get back to Ritter being in Mid-South a territory he would stay on top of for around a five year period, and how he really transformed into the Junkyard Dog and where the name came from. His time with Bill Watts spends a lot of time looking at the major feuds that happened especially the parts of these feuds that took place at the Superdome Arena in New Orleans. That's not all that is shared though, we get backgrounds on his opponents, partners, people he worked or associated with, in what seems to be a measure to bulk out the book for a lack of real in depth information on either JYD or what happened in between these feuds. Klein does however provide an insight into JYD's personal life that may not be commonly known to all. Names you can expect to find in his Mid-South days induced in this book are Jim Duggan, the Fabulous Freebirds, Ted Dibiase, Butch Reed, and others. Once we get up to the point where Ritter is ready to move on to the WWF, Greg takes a rather long winded look at the superstars who Bill Watts tried to model after the 'Mid-South JYD Push' to stardom. We then breeze through his time in the WWF, and the author acknowledges Ritter spent time on the independents and briefly in WCW (World Championship Wrestling). Klein closes the book with a look at his childhood growing up and what attracted him to wrestling and the eventual research undertaken on the Junkyard Dog for this biography. This is just before he takes a look at JYD's forgotten legacy and provides a solid argument for why JYD should be recognized by Hall of Fame's in professional wrestling and in the area of Louisiana where he was so popular for his five year stay.
Whilst this isn't an entirely bad book by any means, at times it does rather feel like there has been a lot of information included about subjects only loosely connected to Sylvester Ritter have been included as a way to pad out the pages between the covers. At times you can't help but get the feeling you're actually reading the history of Mid-South wrestling as a territory instead of the biography of the Junkyard Dog. Whilst there is some interesting insight held within the book about Bill Watts, the way the promotion was run, and the general wrestling scene at the time, it is vastly disappointing to have to read that stuff when you are eager to read 192 pages of the 'First Black Superstar's' career. With the exception of his personal demons involving drugs, and circumstances surrounding his own family, I have to say Wikipedia would actually be a much quicker and efficient way to view the JYD's career rather than picking in this book. Having said that, if you want a book that paints the scene of the whole territory and social state, the wrestlers he was working with as well as JYD then this could be a very enjoyable book. Just don't expect a Junkyard Dog biography when you pick it up, it's more of an explanation of the cultural effect he had on the wrestling. It's for that reason that I'm rating this book as average and only average, as I previously said, I feel to call this a biography, well, it's misleading.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Review of The King of New Orleans.
Reviewer: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: Pre-2020.
Book Review: #36.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Review of The King of New Orleans.
Reviewer: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: Pre-2020.
Book Review: #36.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
The King of New Orleans: How the Junkyard Dog Became Professional Wrestling's First Black Superstar.
Author: Greg Klein.
Pages: 192.
Published as Paperback: May 3, 2012.
Publisher: ECW Press.