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Former professional wrestler Del Wilkes, known in WWF/WWE as The Patriot, passes away at the age of 59.
Retired professional wrestler Del Wilkes, also known as The Patriot and The Trooper, has passed away. He was 59 years old.
Wilkes’ passing was confirmed by WWE, where he performed from 1997 to 1998. “WWE is saddened to learn that Del Wilkes, known to WWE fans as The Patriot, has passed away at the age of 59,” the company said in an official statement. “WWE extends its condolences to Wilkes’ family and friends.”
Prior to joining the world of pro wrestling, Wilkes was a standout football player for the University of South Carolina, where he was voted a consensus All-American — one of only four in the history of USC’s football program. He entered the squared circle in 1988, debuting for Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association (AWA) under his real name before adopting the moniker of The Trooper.
In 1991, Wilkes joined the Global Wrestling Federation (GFW) as The Patriot, becoming the organization’s inaugural Television Champion. Around the same time, he also had a brief stint wrestling for WWE — then known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) — wrestling a handful of matches as either The Trooper, The Patriot or under his real name.
The Patriot went on to wrestle for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), teaming with Jackie Fulton (aka The Eagle) to defeat Kenta Kobashi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi for All Asia Tag Team Championships. In 1994, The Patriot debuted for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), joining forces with Marcus Bagwell (better known as Buff Bagwell) to form the Stars and Stripes. Patriot and Bagwell won the WCW World Tag Team Championships on two occasions.
Following a brief return to AJPW, Wilkes returned the WWF almost exactly 24 years ago on June 30, 1997, debuting on television as The Patriot two weeks later. Upon his arrival, he immediately entered a feud with the Hart Foundation, who were anti-American heels at the time. As a matter of fact, The Patriot’s patriotic theme song would eventually be repurposed for Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kurt Angle when he transitioned to WWF.
A mere two months after his TV debut, The Patriot challenged Bret “Hitman” Hart for the WWF Championship at the Ground Zero: In Your House pay-per-view in a losing effort. Wilkes was released by the WWF in 1998 and retired from wrestling shortly thereafter due to injury. After managing to kick his drug addictions, Wilkes began working as a car salesman in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. Behind The Mask, a documentary chronicling his life and career, was released on DVD in 2015.
Source: WWE
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