Which Pro Wrestling Star Was Inspired by Sammy Davis Jr.’s Appearance on ‘The Rifleman’?
Sammy Davis Jr. was a man of many talents, but wrestling wasn’t one of them. The man famous for singing with the Rat Pack and acting in movies like the original Ocean’s 11 and The Cannonball Run never traded headlocks with The Crusher or dove off the top rope. Despite that, Davis Jr. does have a place in the wrestling world, thanks to a cameo on The Rifleman and All Elite Wrestling star Bryan Keith.
It was during an episode of Hey! (EW) that the show’s host, RJ City, a known devotee of classic film and television, brought up a tidbit from Keith’s past — specifically how his trainer, Booker T, came up with his gimmick.
“Then, and this is probably the only thing that I and Booker T have in common, he’s watching The Rifleman, starring Chuck Connors. There’s an episode where Sammy Davis Jr. is guest-starring as a bounty hunter. And then, [Booker T] says—”
“’I want you to be this bounty hunter,’” said Keith. And thus, his character, “‘The Bounty Hunter’ Bryan Keith” was born.
The episode in question was “Two Ounces of Tin,” first airing on Feb. 19, 1962. Sammy Davis Jr. played Top Corey, a “young gunman with a killer’s reputation.” When confronting Marshal Micah Torrence (Paul Fix), Corey demanded that the lawman toss his badge—the titular “two ounces of tin”—in the dirt by sundown, or he’ll kill him.
When other duties take Marshal Torrence out of town, he deputizes Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors) until he gets back, prompting a showdown between McCain and Corey, who demands that he throw the badge into the dirt.
As the episode unfolds, there’s a reason why Tip Corey is back in North Fork, and why he has a grudge against the law. And, spoiler alert, it doesn’t go well for Corey. As RJ City mentioned to Keith, “You know Sammy Davis Jr. dies in the episode?”
“Well, if I have to go out like that,” said Keith, responding to how Tip Corey’s death came while standing for what he believed in, “then it ain’t so bad.”
Where Are They Now? Music Legends
July/August 2025
They rocked and rolled us, they shredded, they head-slammed and they crooned, but what happened to them and where are they now?
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