Del Wilkes
| Del Wilkes | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Dream Weaver The Trooper The Patriot |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg) |
| Born | December 21 1961 Columbia, South Carolina |
| Trained by | Brad Rheingans The Fabulous Moolah |
| Debut | 1988 |
| Retired | 2002 |
Del Wilkes (born December 21, 1961 in Columbia, South Carolina) was a masked professional wrestler best known as The Patriot.
Career
Del Wilkes began his athletic career as an offensive guard for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team. He started wrestling
in 1988 in the American Wrestling
Association as The Trooper, where he wrote out tickets for his opponents after defeating them. He formed a
tag team with MIKE DAVIS and they won the World Tag Team Titles in a feud with Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom. Wilkes went to the Global Wrestling Federation as The Patriot after the AWA folded in 1991 and quickly became the top face there by winning both the North American Title and the Television Title. He
feuded with Al Perez,
In 1994, Wilkes went to World Championship Wrestling to form a team with [[MIKE DAVIS AKA SHAVI] called RUTHLESS N RUGGED. They feuded with Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma and won the World Tag Team Titles twice. In 1997, Wilkes wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation and feuded with Bret Hart. The premise of this feud was that Hart had just started his anti-American Hart Foundation, and the Patriot was, as the name implied, a man who stood up for America. He defeated Hart on television in a match on July 28, 1997 (after interference from Shawn Michaels), but never won the WWF Title from Hart when it was on the line (at IYH: Ground Zero). His WWF theme music was the same theme music later used by Kurt Angle.
After leaving the WWF, Wilkes wrestled in the independent circuit until 2002, at which time he retired. Since his retirement, Wilkes admitted that he had used steroids and cocaine during his career starting with his college football days. He spent 9 months in prison in 2002 for forging a prescription due to his addiction to pain killers. He is now cleaned up and off drugs. As of July 2007, Wilkes is a car salesman in Columbia, South Carolina.
In a July 25, 2007 interview with WACH Fox 57 News at Ten reporter Justin Kier, Wilkes talked about his career, steroid use, the Benoit tragedy and various other topics. Kier's last two questions involved saying goodbye to the fans and giving advice to youngsters in the wrestling business. Wilkes urged young wrestlers to 'learn from our mistakes.' He says that 50 people who he once worked with in the wrestling business were dead. To the fans, Wilkes thanked them for their longtime support, and admitted without the fans he wouldn't have been able to live his dream.
Wrestling facts
- Finishing and signature moves
-
- Patriot Missile (Shoulder block takedown / Diving shoulder block)
- Uncle Sam Slam (Full nelson slam)
- Clothesline
- Bear hug
Championships and accomplishments
-
- AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with The Eagle
-
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with D.J. Peterson
-
- AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with Buff Bagwell
- Eastern Wrestling Alliance
-
- EWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- National Championship Wrestling
-
- NCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
-
- PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year award in 1991
- PWI ranked him # 208 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
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