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| Del Wilkes | |
|---|---|
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| Ring name(s) | Dream Weaver[1] The Trooper[1] The Patriot[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg)[1] |
| Born | December 21, 1961 [1] Columbia, South Carolina[1] |
| Trained by | Brad Rheingans Verne Gagne[1] The Fabulous Moolah[1][2] |
| Debut | 1988 |
| Retired | 2002 |
Del Wilkes (born December 21, 1961) is an American former professional wrestler.[1] Over the span of 14 years, he performed in various promotions such as American Wrestling Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling. Wilkes is perhaps best known, however, for his masked persona, The Patriot, in the Global Wrestling Federation, and World Championship Wrestling, and in World Wrestling Federation.
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Football
Del Wilkes began his athletic career as an offensive guard for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team. While at USC, he was an All American.[2]
Professional wrestling career
He started wrestling in 1988 in the American Wrestling Association as The Trooper, a large, well built figure who wrote out tickets for his opponents after defeating them. As a fan favorite, he feuded with AWA World Champion Larry Zbyszko and nearly defeated him for the title had it not been for the match's time expiration. Wilkes also formed a tag team, first with Paul Diamond, then with D.J. Peterson, with whom he won the World Tag Team title 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, Eddie Gilbert, and The Dark Patriot while there. In early 1993, Wilkes went to wrestle in All Japan Pro Wrestling after the GWF folded. He had success with Jackie Fulton who wrestled as "The Eagle" to Wilkes' Patriot gimmick.
In 1994, Wilkes signed with World Championship Wrestling to form a team with Marcus Bagwell called Stars 'n' Stripes. They feuded with Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma and won the WCW 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. Wilkes went on to challenge Hart for the WWF title at Ground Zero: In Your House where Hart forced him to submit with the Sharpshooter.
Personal life
After leaving the WWF, Wilkes wrestled in the independent circuit before retiring in 2002. Since leaving the business, Wilkes admitted that he had used steroids and cocaine during his career, starting with his college football days. He spent nine months in prison in 2002 for forging a prescription due to his addiction to painkillers. As of July 2007, Wilkes has since quit drugs and is a car salesman in Columbia, South Carolina. He was sued by Ric Flair for using his saying "To be the man, you gotta beat the man" in a Suzuki dealership commercial without permission, but Flair later dropped the suit.
In a July 25, 2007 interview with WACH reporter Justin Kier, Wilkes discussed his career, steroid use, the Chris 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 said that 50 people who he once worked with in the wrestling business are now dead.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Full nelson suplex[1]
- Patriot Missile (Spear, sometimes from the top rope)[1]
- Signature moves
- Bear hug
- Clothesline
- Uncle Slam (Full nelson slam)[1]
Championships and accomplishments
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- AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship (1 time)[1] – with The Eagle
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- AWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with D.J. Peterson[1]
- Eastern Wrestling Alliance
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- EWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- National Championship Wrestling
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- NCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
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- PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1991)[3]
- PWI ranked him # 208 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "The Patriot profile". Online World of Wrestling. http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/p/patriot.html. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ^ a b Mooneyham, Mike (1995). "Moolah Simply Fabulous". The Wrestling Gospel. http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=BA253264-7A38-4098-A3B2F0ABE84A3973. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners Inspirational Wrestler of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiinsp.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
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