Arn Anderson’s professional wrestling career is truly impressive. A founding member of the legendary Four Horsemen and known for his exceptional wrestling ability, Anderson made a huge impact on the industry.
Yet, the WWE Hall of Famer’s recent revelations suggest that Junkyard Dog (JYD) was a turning point in his career. During an appearance on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, Anderson recounted the moment that defined his path in wrestling.
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He spoke about JYD’s role in creating the character of Arn Anderson: “We’re sitting in front of the TV,” he told Brisco and Bradshaw, “and we’re all gathered in a room for Bill Watts, and he said, ‘You know what, unless you find a partner, you don’t know what’s going to happen.’
Any ideas? Nobody had any. Then all of a sudden someone said, “Hey, Bill, Lunde looks just like Ole Anderson. Why don’t we send him[to Jim Crockett]and make him Anderson?” And that was “Junkyard Dog.”
Anderson recalls, “Without JYD I might not have made it. That’s just what happens in this business.”
Arn and Ole meet
This suggestion led to a meeting to secure Arn’s place in wrestling history.
JYD thought deeply about this, which eventually led to the conflict between Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson that was the defining factor in what became Arnold WA: “Call me into the office,” Arn says enthusiastically.
“I walked into the room and Ole looked up and said, ‘You sure look like me. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but here’s a good way to do it. Let’s try it. We’re going to call you Arn Anderson,'” AA recalled with a smile, giving the world a sense of positivity as soon as he entered the room.
He continued to have a major impact on the wrestling world after his wrestling career, working behind the scenes as a producer/road agent for WWE for many years after retiring, before moving to AEW where he held a similar role.
