Alex Marvez: Remembering 'Special Delivery' Jones

ShareThis

He was "special" for more than his nickname.S.D. "Special Delivery" Jones - one of the more memorable World Wrestling Entertainment performers during the 1970s and 1980s - died Sunday following complications from a stroke, according to the promotion's web site. Jones, whose real name was Conrad Efrain, was 63.During a 22-year grappling career, Jones enjoyed only three title reigns for regional promotions. But while he never wore gold in WWE, Jones will be remembered as a champion at making others look good.Jones was the quintessential loser, a role referred to within the industry as a "jobber," "jabroni" or the more politically correct "enhancement talent."To place his gig in perspective, Jones wrestled during an era where a promoter's main focus was drawing fans to live events. Feuding wrestlers barely met on television, with the medium used primarily to hype upcoming arena bouts.That's where grapplers like Jones worked their magic. A heel wrestler would be given a run for his money before ultimately defeating Jones, who remained a fan favorite despite loss after loss.Jones was so good at being bad that he was part of two storylines at WWE's inaugural Wrestlemania show in 1985. Jones was Andre the Giant's tag-team partner in a televised bout when the latter had his hair cut by "Big" John Studd. That led to an Andre vs. Studd 'Mania grudge match.Jones was then squashed in nine seconds at 'Mania by King Kong Bundy, another behemoth the WWE was pushing for headline matches against Andre and Hulk Hogan.During a 2004 interview, Jones told the Slam! Wrestling Web site that he originally balked at being dispatched so easily in such a high-profile match but WWE owner Vince McMahon changed his mind with a "big, big, big, big payday.""I knew there was no way I was going to get to that main championship," Jones said. "I was comfortable because I knew what (the promoters) wanted ...You're making a living and you just keep on going."As WWE and World Championship Wrestling battled for viewers and pay-per-view orders during the mid-1990s, more competitive matches with big-name talent were presented on television. That helped effectively eliminate the kind of slots Jones filled before his retirement in the late 1980s to become a newspaper delivery driver.Here's a quick look back at some other notable "jobbers": Sean Waltman: Long before finding stardom as X-Pac, Waltman was a scrawny television loser on WWE telecasts. Waltman's big break came when he scored a stunning upset over Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall on an early episode of Monday Night Raw in 1993. The image of Waltman running around the ring and away from Hall during his victory celebration remains one of the show's most memorable moments. Steve Lombardi: No WWE performer has ever lost as many matches under so many different monikers. In the 1980s and 1990s, Lombardi worked under such names as the Brooklyn Brawler, Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz and MVP (Most Violent Player, a precursor to the MVP gimmick currently used by Hassan Hamin Assad). Lombardi also doubled at various times as Doink the Clown and Kamala's masked manager Kim Chee. Barry Horowitz: Known for patting himself on the back in exaggerated fashion before his matches, Horowitz deserves praise for forging a lengthy career. Long-time Florida wrestling fans will remember when Horowitz wrestled in the mid-1980s as "Winless" Jack Hart. Managed by Percy Pringle (who would later become Undertaker manager Paul Bearer), Hart was reputed to have dropped 131 consecutive matches before scoring his first victory over Leo Von Stroheim with use of a loaded glove. Another decade of losing followed before Horowitz broke from his jobber status for a brief WWE mid-card run. Randy and Bill Mulkey: As steroid-filled wrestlers became headliners during the mid-1980s, the albino-like Mulkeys developed a cult following in the National Wrestling Alliance for getting mercilessly destroyed by their bigger opponents. After finally winning a tag-team match, "Mulkey-mania" was briefly born as a spoof on Hogan's "Hulk-a-Mania." Gillberg: After years of getting crushed, Duane Gill finally found his calling for WWE in the late 1990s mocking WCW star Bill Goldberg. The much-punier "Gillberg" unsuccessfully tried executing Goldberg's trademark maneuvers and embarked on a losing skid as long as Goldberg's faux winning streak in WCW.During a 2007 interview, Gill told me he eventually met Goldberg, who wasn't thrilled about being mocked but was gracious enough to take photos with him."The Gillberg gimmick was really the highlight to my career," Gill said.Spoken like a true jobber. Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro wrestling column for Scripps-Howard News Service. E-mail him at alex1marv(at)aol.com