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Virgil (wrestler)
American professional wrestler (1951–2024) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Michael Charles Jones (April 7, 1951 – February 28, 2024), better known by his ring name Virgil, was an American professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenures in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
 | This article may incorporate text from a large language model. (August 2025) |
In his four-year tenure in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), he wrestled primarily as a member of the nWo with the ring name Vincent, and later wrestled as Curly Bill, Shane, Soul Train Jones, and Mr. Jones. After retiring, he became well known on social media as the subject of viral memes.
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Early life
Michael Jones was born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania on April 7, 1951,[1] to Warren Jones Sr. and Elizabeth Jones.[5] to Warren Jones Sr. and Elizabeth Jones.[6] He had two older brothers, Warren Jr. and Donald, and a sister, Toni.[1] Jones was an athlete who played basketball and football at Williamsburg and played division II college football as a defensive back at Virginia Union University, before becoming an boxer and amateur wrestler.[1]
Jones later worked at his uncle’s loading and moving company and began entering bodybuilding competitions.[1] Where at a chance meeting with Tony Atlas in a Pittsburgh gym, he became inspired to become a pro wrestler too.
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Professional wrestling career
Summarize
Perspective
After Tony Atlas recommended Jones to pro wrestling he began training in 1985 with Afa of the Wild Samoans and Chick Donovan in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Rookie Years (1986–1987)
Jones had remarkable early success in his rookie years while competing as Soul Train Jones in the Memphis territory, Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), where he won championships and earned impressive title shots for a new pro-wrestler to receive in his first year wrestling full time.
- On January 4, 1987, Soul Train Jones defeated Big Bubba(Fred Ottman)to win the AWA International Heavyweight Championship in the CWA.[4] His reign lasted 106 days, ending on April 20, 1987, when he was defeated by Chick Donovan.
- While champion, he also made it to the finals in a tournament for the vacant AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship, defeating Tommy Rich and Dale Veasey on his way to the finals before losing to Austin Idol on March 2, 1987.[7]
- Jones received his first World Tite Match when he challenged Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on May 27, 1987 at Mid-South Coliseum., but was unsuccessful.
- On June 4, 1987 Jones teamed with Rocky Johnson to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship. Their reign lasted 28 days before they lost the titles to Chick Donovan and Barry Horowitz (then wrestling as Jack Hart) on May 4, 1987.[7]
World Wrestling Federation (1986–1994, 1995)
Jones made his debut in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1986 under the ring name Lucius Brown. His first match took place on September 17, 1986, in Salisbury, Maryland, where he lost to "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff.[8][9]
Virgil, Ted DiBiase's Bodyguard (1987–1991)
On June 26, 1987, Jones made his debut as Virgil, the silent bodyguard for "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. Virgil accompanied DiBiase to the ring, carried his money, and was often attacked by DiBiase's rivals while helping him escape. He became a recognizable supporting character during some of the WWF’s most iconic storylines of the era.
Virgil appeared at several major events that have significance in WWE History alongside DiBiase, including:
- The inaugural Royal Rumble contract signing ceremony for the Andre the Giant vs Hulk Hogan Wrestlemania III rematch.
- The infamous "Main Event" special on NBC, where Hulk Hogan controversially lost the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. This was the most watched professional wrestling segment in network television history receiving a 3.3 million rating.
- WrestleMania IV, where DiBiase competed in the tournament for the vacant championship.
- the inaugural SummerSlam (1988), where Virgil stood in the corner of DiBiase and André the Giant (The Mega Bucks) as they faced the Mega Powers (Hogan and Randy Savage with Miss Elizabeth).
On May 10, 1988 Ted DiBiase accompanied Virgil at ringside for his first WWF World Championship title match loosing to champion Randy Savage in Duluth, MN. The episode aired on episode 88 of WWF Superstars on May 21, 1988.
From 1989 to early 1991, Virgil continued performing menial tasks for DiBiase and wrestled in mid-card matches, often being used as a gatekeeper for opponents looking to get to DiBiase.[2]
On January 19, 1991, at the Royal Rumble (1991), after a tag team victory over Dusty Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes, Virgil finally turned on DiBiase by hitting him with the Million Dollar Championship belt, effectively turning face.[4]
WWF Singles Career (1991–1995)
With the support of Roddy Piper, Virgil defeated DiBiase by count-out at WrestleMania VII and then pinned DiBiase at SummerSlam (1991), winning the unsanctioned Million Dollar Championship on August 26, 1991.[10][11][12] After reigning for 77 days, Virgil lost the title back to DiBiase on November 11, 1991 in Utica, NY due to interference from Repo Man at the “Survivor Series Showdown 1991” tv special event. The match was aired on the November 24, 1991 episode of WWF Prime Time Wrestling. [12]
At the Survivor Series (1991), Virgil teamed with Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, and The British Bulldog against DiBiase, Ric Flair, The Mountie and The Warlord. He was disqualified during a chaotic brawl that ended the match.[13]
At This Tuesday in Texas on December 3, Virgil teamed with Tito Santana but lost to Ric Flair and Repo Man, who received assistance from DiBiase.[14]
After his feud with Ted DiBiase ended, Virgil embarked on a singles career, often competing in the WWF's undercard and earning a reputation as a "jobber to the stars". He started wearing distinctive red and white candy-striped tights.[15]
At the Royal Rumble (1992), held on January 19, Virgil entered as entrant number 23 and was eliminated by Hacksaw Jim Duggan after lasting 20 minutes and 45 seconds.[16]
On episode 290 of WWF Wrestling Challenge, Virgil tried to save Dennis Bunt from a beat down by Sid Justice, but suffered a storyline injury instead after Sid broke his nose. As a result, Virgil wore a protective face mask while wrestling for the following months. This aired on March 22, 1991 but was taped on February 18, 1991.[17]
At WrestleMania VIII on April 5, 1992, Virgil teamed with Big Boss Man, Sgt. Slaughter, and Jim Duggan to defeat The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags), Repo Man, and The Mountie. Virgil scored the pinfall over Knobbs after a miscommunication among the heels.[18]
At SummerSlam (1992), Virgil lost to Nailz in a brief match on August 29 (aired on August 31).[19] On the October 27, 1992 in Terre Haute, IN Virgil received a title match against Bret Hart for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Virgil submitted to Hart's Sharpshooter after a competitive match; the two shook hands afterward in a sign of mutual respect.[20] Bret Hart wrote in Chapter 33 of his autobiography “My Cartoon Life In Wrestling” that the match is his favorite from his first reign as WWF champion. Because Hart praised it in his book; the match has become widely regarded as the greatest performance of Mike Jones’s in ring pro-wrestling career.[21] The match aired on episode of 321 of WWF Superstars on November 21, 1992.
Virgil competed at the Survivor Series (1992) on November 25, losing to Yokozuna in the latter’s WWF pay-per-view debut[22] and he entered the Royal Rumble (1993) as entrant number 6 and was eliminated by The Berserker after lasting 17 minutes and 8 seconds.[23]
Virgil continued to appear weekly in undercard matches through 1993. Wrestling weekly on television as part of WWF Wrestling Challenge, WWF Superstars; where he defeated Bastion Booger on episode 351; and WWF Mania episode 3 defeating Iron Mike Sharpe. Virgil also briefly reformed his tag team with Tito Santana defeating Beverly Brothers on episode 8 of WWF Mania. They earned a WWF Tag Team Title shot March 1, 1993 against Money Inc.(Ted DiBiase and IRS) on episode 8 of WWF Monday Night Raw, but lost and broke up again.
By the end of the year, his presence on television diminished, although he did wrestle matches on house shows and episodes of WWF Wrestling Challenge. He notably lost to Johnny Polo (later known as Raven) in a match held in Ontario, Canada in November 1993.[24]
His final pay-per-view appearance was at the Royal Rumble (1994), where he replaced Kamala as a late entrant and was quickly eliminated by Diesel after 32 seconds.[25]
Virgil’s final storyline feud occurred in the summer of 1994 against Nikolai Volkoff, who had been "bought" by Ted DiBiase and forced to wear a cent ("¢") symbol on his tights as part of DiBiase’s new "Million Dollar Corporation" faction. On episode 411 of WWF Wrestling Challenge, Virgil attempted to talk sense into Volkoff and remind him of DiBiase’s manipulative past, but Volkoff ultimately defeated him on episode 412 of WWF Wrestling Challenge in Bethlehem, PA. This marked Virgil’s final televised WWF singles match of his career airing July 24, 1994.[26]
Virgil officially left the WWF after wrestling Nikolai Volkoff at a WWF House Show in Hyannis, MA on August 14, 1994.
He returned briefly to WWF from May 25 to June 4 1995, wrestling a series of house show matches in Western Canada and the Midwestern United States against Jean-Pierre LaFitte. Mike Jones wrestled the final WWF match of his singles career at a WWF House Show in Fort Wayne, ID on June 4, 1995. [27]
Independent Wrestling (1995-1996)
After leaving WWF, Mike Jones had success winning three championships and wrestling full time as Virgil in several independent wrestling promotions; including:
- National Wrestling Conference (NWC) in Las Vegas.
- New Jack Championship Wrestling (NJCW) in the northeast.
- United States Wrestling League (USWL) in the northeast.
- United States Wrestling Federation (USWF) in the northeast.
- Steele City Wrestling (SCW) in Pittsburg, PA.
Virgil won the following championships:
- inaugural NJCW Heavyweight Championship from November 1995-March 26, 1996 with a reign lasting approximately over 240 days.
- USWL Intercontinental Championship, defeating Lord Zoltran on July, 21 1995 at USWL Night of Champions 1995 in Butler, PA.
- USWF Heavyweight Championship, defeating Lord Zoltran on September 30, 1996 at USWF Fall Brawl’95 in Elmira, NY.
National Wrestling Conference (1995)
On January 21, Virgil made his debut with the hardcore wrestling Las Vegas promotion National Wrestling Conference winning a battle royal and engaged in several controversial and violent matches.
Virgil wrestled for NWC Heavyweight Title in a violent 4-way Steele Cage stretcher match with weapons against Cactus Jack, Mr. Hughes, and Sabu On June 24, 1995. August 25, 1995, Virgil competed in the in the NWC super card event "Night of Champions” in a controversial match that ended in a double count out against Jim Neidhart.[28] On June 16, 1996 he wrestled Sabu in a second bloody Steele Cage Death Match with Kama(Charles “The Godfather” Wright) for the NWC Heavyweight title.
World Championship Wrestling (1996–2000)
In 1996, Jones began appearing in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Vincent, serving as the nWo’s “Head of Security”, alongside “Trillonaire” Ted DiBiase.
New World Order (1996–1999)
Vincent made his debut on the September 23, 1996 during episode 54 of WCW Monday Nitro as the seventh member of the nWo. As Head of Security, Vincent’s primary role was to protect Hollywood Hogan’s world title belt. He held the belt for Hogan during interviews and at ringside during all his matches in 1996. In a memorable segment at the conclusion of Starrcade 1996, Vincent was humorously late bringing the spray‑painted nWo World Title back to the ring, prompting Hollywood Hogan to call him out over the microphone before a staged celebration.[29][30]
Upon debut, Vincent enjoyed a brief undefeated streak on WCW Saturday Night that lasted until episode 279 on August 9, 1997 losing to Diamond Dallas Page.
In July 1997 Vincent began actively wrestling again on WCW Saturday Night and WCW’s syndicated television shows WCW World Wide and WCW Pro. Occasionally wrestling on WCW Nitro and WCW Thunder. He also frequently accompanied the nWo’s heavy-hitters—Scott Norton, Scott Steiner, Konnan, and Brian Adams—to the ring.[31]
Vincent made his WCW PPV debut in the massive World War 3 (1997) battle royal, where he was eliminated by The Giant—a match ultimately won by Scott Hall.[32] At Starrcade 1997 on December 28, Vincent teamed with Scott Norton and Randy Savage to defeat the Steiner Brothers and Ray Traylor.[33]
Following the nWo's 1998 internal split, Vincent remained loyal to Hulk Hogan’s original “nWo Hollywood” faction. Vincent wrestled again in the massive World War 3 (1998) battle royal, where he was eliminated by Mike Enos—this time the match was ultimately won by Kevin Nash
In January 1999 following the infamous “Finger Poke of Doom” the nWo was reunited briefly but then split into two divisions once again. Vincent was placed in the "B-Team" (nWo Black & White), alongside Stevie Ray, The Giant, Curt Hennig, Scott Norton, Brian Adams, and Horace Hogan.[34] On February 13, 1999 during episode 358 of WCW Saturday Night, Vincent spoke on camera in WCW for the very first time, renaming himself Vince, and launched a storyline leadership battle with Stevie Ray. The feud culminated in a Harlem Street Fight at Uncensored 1999 on March 15, where Stevie Ray prevailed. This was Mike Jones last pay per view wrestling match of his career. [35]
The rivalry extended into April, when a four-man battle royal on episode 186 of WCW Monday Nitro on April 5, 1999 determined leadership of the B-Team. Vince was quickly eliminated, and Stevie Ray again assumed command.[36]
As WCW’s nWo factions disintegrated, Vincent remained as the last standing B-Team member and symbolic only remaining original nWo member, before the faction fully dissolved later in 1999.[37]
West Texas Rednecks, Powers That Be, Mr. Jones and the End (1999–2000)
After the nWo fell apart, Jones adopted the persona Curly Bill, joining the country-themed stable West Texas Rednecks in mid-1999, alongside Curt Hennig, Barry and Kendall Windham, and Bobby Duncum Jr.[38]
Later that year, during the “Powers That Be” storyline, he was renamed Shane and served as bodyguard for Vince Russo and the Harris Brothers (briefly called Creative Control).[39]
In 2000, he briefly managed Ernest "The Cat" Miller under the name Mr. Jones, before being replaced by Ms. Jones. Then from March until April he wrestled under his real name, Mike Jones. His last televised WCW match was on WCW episode 106 against Dustin Rhodes in Houston, TX on March 28, 2000. His final appearance was on April 8, 2000 before leaving WCW for good was against The Maestro on a WCW House Show in Chattanooga, TN.[40]
Semi-Retirement (2000–2022)
In 2000 Mike Jones retired from full time wrestling competition but would sporadically return to the ring. On November 14, 2001 he took part in Jimmy Hart’s famous X Wrestling Federation (XWF) tapings at Universal Studios Florida wrestling Johnny B. Badd as Mr. Jones.
WWL & ICW Armed Forces Entertainment Tours (2004–2010)
On April 29, 2006, Jones appeared at the World Wrestling Legends (WWL) pay-per-view *6:05 The Reunion*, losing to Rick Steiner.[41] Also that year, he wrestled for Armed Forces Entertainment in International Championship Wrestling (ICW) as Vincent of the nWo for U.S. troops in Korea, Tokyo, Guam, and Honolulu.[42]
Return to WWE (2010)
On the May 17, 2010 episode of Raw from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Jones returned to WWE reprising his Virgil bodyguard character, this time with Ted DiBiase Jr. He carried out all of his old actions, such as holding the ropes open for DiBiase and bringing him a microphone when asked.[43]
On the June 14 episode of Raw, Virgil and DiBiase were in a tag team match against Big Show and Raw guest host Mark Feuerstein. After Virgil was pinned and lost the match, DiBiase stuffed a $100 bill in Virgil's mouth and walked out on him. This was Mike Jones last televised WWE match.[44] The following week, DiBiase apologized to Virgil but then fired him and replaced him with Maryse.[45]
In 2016, he appeared on the "Old School" and "Addicted to the Shindig" episodes of The Edge and Christian Show on the WWE Network. These were his final WWE appearances before death.
Preston City Wrestling, Joey Janela’s Spring Break and Talk'N ShopAMania 2 (2016–2020)
On December 1, 2017, he wrestled a match for Preston City Wrestling (PCW) at Joey Janela's *Big Top Adventure*, held at the Blackpool Tower Circus.[46]
On April 5, 2019, Virgil, dressed as the character Starman from NES Pro Wrestling, appeared at Joey Janela's Spring Break 3, where he defeated Ethan Page.[47]
In late 2020, Virgil made a cameo in a ball match at *Talk'N ShopAMania 2*, hosted by the Good Brothers.[48]
All Elite Wrestling (2019–2020)
From 2019 to 2020, Jones, under his old ring name of Soul Train Jones, began making recurring appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), as an ally of Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle. On the November 6, 2019 episode of Dynamite, he appeared in a video package that mocked an earlier promo from Cody Rhodes (whom Jericho was feuding with at the time).[49]
On the November 27, 2019 episode of Dynamite, Jones was introduced by Jericho during the "Thanksgiving Celebration" segment, which featured an "unlimited breadsticks" promotion at Olive Garden. Jones received critical praise from fans before the segment was interrupted by SoCal Uncensored.[50]
On the April 29, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Jones made a cameo during the Inner Circle's Bubbly Bunch segment, appearing in the Manitoba Melee.[51]
Game Changer Wrestling (2020–2022)
Virgil (Mike Jones) made several notable appearances in Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) late in his career post AEW.
On January 23, 2022, at GCW's major pay-per-view event The WRLD on GCW held at the Hammerstein Ballroom, Virgil made a surprise appearance during the Matt Cardona vs. Joey Janela match. Wearing a Vince McMahon mask, he was introduced by "Smart" Mark Sterling, drawing a significant reaction from the crowd. This was his last known wrestling appearance before his death. [52][53]
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Post In Ring Career as Pop Culture Icon
Summarize
Perspective
After retiring full time from active pro wrestling competition, Jones began appearing at comic cons selling autographs and became a pop culture icon on social media for his humorous stunts; and embraces of his reputation as the subject of humorous social media memes.
Acting
In 2014, Jones appeared in the Jason Michael Brescia film, Bridge and Tunnel as Kony, a neighborhood barfly.[54] In 2017, he reprised the role in Brescia's follow-up film, (Romance) in the Digital Age.[55]
Pop culture
Post-fame, Jones had been attending fan conventions and was seen at subway stations selling autographs. As a result, since 2012, there have been "Lonely Virgil" memes created where fans posted pictures of him at conventions with nobody lining up.[56] Lonely Virgil was originally created by Sam Roberts of the Opie and Anthony radio show.[4]
In 2015, a documentary featuring Jones was released titled The Legend of Virgil & His Traveling Merchandise Table, which discusses his wrestling career and the recent upsurge of social media discussions surrounding him.[57]
Controversy
In an interview with ESPN.com in September 2016, DiBiase revealed that he and Jones had a falling out over Jones booking independent wrestling shows for the two without DiBiase's knowledge, which led to DiBiase unknowingly no-showing the events. DiBiase had to apologize to the promotions for the unintentional no-shows and stressed that Jones did not represent him for bookings.[58]
Personal life and death
Before Mike Jones became part of sports-entertainment's greatest act, he earned a degree in mathematics from the University of Virginia. Upon his retirement from the sport, Jones put the degree to use. It has been rumored that this is a urban legend; and Jones never was a math teacher.[42]
Illness & Death
On April 15, 2022, Jones revealed that he had previously suffered two strokes and had been diagnosed with dementia.[59] A month later, he announced a diagnosis of stage two colon cancer.[60] Jones suffered two additional strokes on February 23, 2024, and died five days later at Canonsburg Hospital on February 28, 2024 from complications related to the strokes and dementia at age 72.[6]
Following his passing, GCW owner Brett Lauderdale paid tribute to Virgil, describing him as a friend of the promotion and praising his memorable involvement.[61]
Age dispute
Multiple conflicting birth dates for Jones circulated during his life and after his death, with most media initially reporting that he died at age 61.[62][63][64] His family and friends later clarified his actual age at death was 72.[6]
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Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling Association
- AWA International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[7]
- AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocky Johnson[7]
- New Jack City Wrestling
- NJCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[7]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- United States Wrestling Federation
- USWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[7]
- United States Wrestling League
- USWL Intercontinental Championship (1 time)[7]
- World Wrestling Federation
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Gimmick (1996) – nWo
- Feud of the Year (1996) New World Order vs. World Championship Wrestling
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Filmography
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References
External links
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