Sep 30 2024 85 mins 3
In Episode 57 of Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk, The Professor Talks JYD, Greg:
Welcomes his first guest to the show, New Orleans native and JYD original fan, the Professor Ricardo Coleman.
Greg and Ricardo talk about the historic nature of Sylvester Ritter's wrestling career.
They explain how wrestling differed in New Orleans before and after JYD, especially where in town the matches were held and who was in the audience.
They look at the unusual personalities of Bill Watts and Ernie Ladd and how that mixed to create the iconic character and his alter ego, Stagger Lee.
They discuss a Mount Rushmore of JYD villains and how the story of who opposed JYD is like a lesson in Black history.
They discuss JYD's first couple of years in the WWF and how big a star he was there in 1985 and 1986.
They question is the workrate issue is holding back Black wrestlers, who had to work a certain style, from getting into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
Greg's note: I said Ernie Ladd and Ray Candy were on the 1978 Dome show with Bill Watts and Terry Funk. The Funk-Watts Dome show was 1976. Paul Orndorff vs Bruiser Brody and Dusty Rhodes vs Superstar Graham were underneath Candy vs Ladd.
Greg Klein's Old School Rasslin Talk is sponsored by Ricardo's French Quarter Tour business Hottest Hell Tours. Go to https://www.hottesthell.com/ to book an incredible tour of New Orleans.
