On a fresh episode of his “The Snake Pit” podcast, Jake Roberts, who is also a WWE Hall of Fame Inductee, shared some intriguing stories. Prominent among them was the detail of using his power to recruit Junkyard Dog, also known as Sylvester Ritter, to the Mid-South Wrestling Federation.
Following are some of the episodes highlighted during the podcast conversation.
He described his own role in the decision to bring Sylvester Ritter, popularly recognized as Junkyard Dog, to the Mid-South Wrestling scene. He said, “When he was introduced, they just didn’t gel with his real name Sylvester Ritter. Hence, he took up ‘Junkyard Dog’. Truly a spectacle it was – with him heading to the ring pushing a wheelbarrow filled with automobile parts like transmissions and other hefty stuff. His gimmick also included him getting hold of his rival post-match, hoisting them into the wheelbarrow, and wheeling them all the way back to the dressing room.”
On the topic of his own injury experience in the ring, Jake gave an account of how he fractured his arm during a wrestling bout with Ernie Ladd. His words were, “Factually, I just remember breaking my arm, though how it occurred, I forgot”.
Discussing the aftermath, Jake narrated his encounter with Bill Watts. He said, “Once my arm was sufficed in a cast, rumors started circulating after a month about my potential replacement if I failed to return to work. In response to those talks, I decided to remove the cast myself and return to ring action. Unfortunately, this decision backfired badly as my arm re-broke after a few shows. This time, it was a compound fracture with the bone actually protruding from the skin. I still remember the nauseating disgust of my opponent seeing the bone out in the open. He couldn’t hold himself back and heaved onto me.”
The episode showcasing these anecdotes can be viewed on “The Snake Pit Ep. 96: Mid-South Wrestling Debut”.