Conrad Efraim
Encyclopedia
Conrad Efraim was a former professional wrestler
best known as Special Delivery Jones or S.D. Jones from his time in the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF). He also wrestled in Jim Crockett Promotions
and the National Wrestling Alliance
(NWA), and he won the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
three times.
in the sport of professional wrestling. Upon completion of his training, he quit his job and began working for NWA
Mid-Atlantic under the name "Roosevelt Jones" in a tag team
with his partner and kayfabe
cousin Rufus R. Jones
. While there, they had a memorable feud
with the Anderson family
(Ole
and Gene
).
On January 17, 1975, after leaving the Mid-Atlantic area for California
, Jones won his first of three tag team titles, combining with Porkchop Cash
to take the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
from the Hollywood Blonds (Buddy Roberts
and Jerry Brown). The following month, Jones and Cash dropped the titles back to the Blonds. Jones won the title again in 1977, teaming with Tom Jones to defeat Black Gordman and Goliath. Gordman and Goliath regained the championship, but Jones and Jones won the belts back from them on November 18, 1977.
Jones also continued to wrestle in the WWF as a mid-card babyface
who would give the heels
a hard time but end up losing. He did, however, win quite a few matches on smaller cards against lower card or fellow mid carders like Ron Shaw and Johnny Rodz
. Jones was often featured in tag team matches partnered with Tony Atlas
, and the two challenged Mr. Fuji
and Mr. Saito
for the WWF Tag Team Championship several times in 1981. On one occasion, the two ended up as the final men in a battle royal and flipped a coin to decide the winner, as seen on the WWF Coliseum Video 'Best of the WWF Volume 4' and 'Grand Slams' video cassettes.
He was also the tag team partner of André the Giant
on November 13, 1984 when André's hair was cut by Ken Patera
and Big John Studd
. At the inaugural WrestleMania
in 1985 he famously lost to King Kong Bundy
in an official match time of nine seconds, although the actual time from bell to pinfall was twenty-five seconds.
Despite mainly being used as a preliminary talent in the 1980s WWF, Jones garnered further recognition when LJN
created an action figure of him for their Wrestling Superstars
toy line. He also appeared in the WWF's music video
for Land of a Thousand Dances
. In 2006, SD Jones appeared for the WWE inducting Tony Atlas
into the Hall of Fame
. After retiring from wrestling, Jones lost a considerable amount of weight and took a job at the New York Daily News.
Efraim died in Antigua on October 26, 2008, following a stroke suffered two days earlier.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
best known as Special Delivery Jones or S.D. Jones from his time in the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWF). He also wrestled in Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
and the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(NWA), and he won the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
The NWA Americas Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Hollywood Wrestling based out of Los Angeles, California....
three times.
Career
Before becoming a wrestler, Efraim worked at a telephone company. While there, he began training under Johnny RodzJohnny Rodz
Johnny Rodriguez is a retired American professional wrestler. He has previously worked as a professional wrestler under the ring name Johnny Rodz.-World Wide Wrestling Federation:...
in the sport of professional wrestling. Upon completion of his training, he quit his job and began working for NWA
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
Mid-Atlantic under the name "Roosevelt Jones" in a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
with his partner and kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
cousin Rufus R. Jones
Carey Lloyd
Carey L. Lloyd , also known by his ring name Rufus R. "Freight Train" Jones, was an American professional wrestler who competed in the Central States and Mid-Atlantic regional promotions as well as the American Wrestling Association and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1970s and...
. While there, they had a memorable feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with the Anderson family
Anderson family
The Anderson family is a group of professional wrestlers, a fictitious extended family largely consisting of brothers and cousins. It started in the Minnesota area in the late 1960s with a tag team called The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, consisting of "brothers" Lars Anderson and Gene Anderson...
(Ole
Ole Anderson
Alan Robert Rogowski , better known by his ring name of Ole Anderson, is a retired professional wrestler and a promoter. He held numerous NWA World Tag Team Championships with Gene Anderson, who was portrayed as his brother...
and Gene
Gene Anderson
Gene Anderson was an American professional wrestler best known for his days of teaming with his brother Ole Anderson.-Career:...
).
On January 17, 1975, after leaving the Mid-Atlantic area for California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Jones won his first of three tag team titles, combining with Porkchop Cash
Porkchop Cash
Bobby Cash is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He competed primarily in promotions operated by the National Wrestling Alliance...
to take the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
The NWA Americas Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Hollywood Wrestling based out of Los Angeles, California....
from the Hollywood Blonds (Buddy Roberts
Dale Hey
Dale Hey is a retired professional wrestler better known as Buddy Roberts.-Professional wrestling career:Dale Hey grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. He started wrestling in 1965 as Dale Valentine, the "brother" of Johnny Valentine...
and Jerry Brown). The following month, Jones and Cash dropped the titles back to the Blonds. Jones won the title again in 1977, teaming with Tom Jones to defeat Black Gordman and Goliath. Gordman and Goliath regained the championship, but Jones and Jones won the belts back from them on November 18, 1977.
Jones also continued to wrestle in the WWF as a mid-card babyface
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
who would give the heels
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
a hard time but end up losing. He did, however, win quite a few matches on smaller cards against lower card or fellow mid carders like Ron Shaw and Johnny Rodz
Johnny Rodz
Johnny Rodriguez is a retired American professional wrestler. He has previously worked as a professional wrestler under the ring name Johnny Rodz.-World Wide Wrestling Federation:...
. Jones was often featured in tag team matches partnered with Tony Atlas
Tony Atlas
Anthony White better known by his ring name "Tony Atlas" is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding title, "Mr...
, and the two challenged Mr. Fuji
Harry Fujiwara
Harry Fujiwara is an American former professional wrestler and manager, best known by his ring name Mr. Fuji. He was infamous for often throwing salt in the eyes of face wrestlers...
and Mr. Saito
Masa Saito
is a former Japanese professional wrestler better known as Mr. Saito or . He wrestled for several years in various promotions operated by the National Wrestling Alliance . He later joined the World Wrestling Federation , where he teamed with Mr. Fuji to hold the World Tag Team Championship twice...
for the WWF Tag Team Championship several times in 1981. On one occasion, the two ended up as the final men in a battle royal and flipped a coin to decide the winner, as seen on the WWF Coliseum Video 'Best of the WWF Volume 4' and 'Grand Slams' video cassettes.
He was also the tag team partner of André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
on November 13, 1984 when André's hair was cut by Ken Patera
Ken Patera
Ken Patera is a former professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and Strongman competitor.-Weightlifting/Strongman career:Patera is a former Olympic weightlifter and American powerlifter...
and Big John Studd
Big John Studd
John William Minton was an American professional wrestler and actor who was born and raised in Butler, Pennsylvania, better known by his ring name, Big John Studd.-Career:...
. At the inaugural WrestleMania
WrestleMania (1985)
WrestleMania was the first annual WrestleMania professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on March 31, 1985, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The attendance for the event was 19,121 fans...
in 1985 he famously lost to King Kong Bundy
King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan "Chris" Pallies is an American professional wrestler, stand-up comedian and actor, better known by his ring name, King Kong Bundy.-Personal:...
in an official match time of nine seconds, although the actual time from bell to pinfall was twenty-five seconds.
Despite mainly being used as a preliminary talent in the 1980s WWF, Jones garnered further recognition when LJN
LJN
LJN was an American toy company and video game publisher. It created toy lines and video games based on movies, television shows, and celebrities. It was headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and later in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.-Founding:...
created an action figure of him for their Wrestling Superstars
Wrestling Superstars
Wrestling Superstars was an action figure toyline based on the wrestlers of the WWF. They were made by the toy and video game company LJN from 1984 to 1989. The toys were made of solid rubber and were very accurate in appearance to their real life counterparts, however they did not have any...
toy line. He also appeared in the WWF's music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for Land of a Thousand Dances
Land of a Thousand Dances
"Land of a Thousand Dances" is a song written and first recorded by Chris Kenner in 1962. The song is famous for its "na na na na na" hook, which was added by Cannibal & the Headhunters in their version of the song in 1965, whose version peaked at number thirty...
. In 2006, SD Jones appeared for the WWE inducting Tony Atlas
Tony Atlas
Anthony White better known by his ring name "Tony Atlas" is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding title, "Mr...
into the Hall of Fame
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
. After retiring from wrestling, Jones lost a considerable amount of weight and took a job at the New York Daily News.
Efraim died in Antigua on October 26, 2008, following a stroke suffered two days earlier.
Championships and accomplishments
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Americas Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Americas Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Americas Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance's NWA Hollywood Wrestling based out of Los Angeles, California....
(3 times) – with Porkchop Cash (1) and Tom Jones
- NWA Americas Tag Team Championship
- Universal Superstars of America
- USA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Tony AtlasTony AtlasAnthony White better known by his ring name "Tony Atlas" is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding title, "Mr...