Professional wrestling is all about characters and stories — two things Mike Jones is associated with under his wrestling personas.
Jones, born in Wilkinsburg and a Pittsburgh area resident most of his life, died Wednesday morning at age 61, according to WWE. Information had been public since 2022 about his health declining.
Jones was best known in pro wrestling as Virgil in WWF/WWE and later as Vincent in WCW as the “head of security” for popular heel faction NWO. Both roles saw him share the screen with some of the biggest stars and moments in the history of the business.
As Virgil he was the employee to the rich and snobby “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. During this time, he had matches and moments with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant. He would later break free from the control of DiBiase, and the two had a memorable rivalry in the early ‘90s with Virgil as the fan favorite.
When he arrived in WCW in the black and white NWO shirt as Vincent in 1996, he was once again sharing segments with DiBiase and Hogan as well as Kevin Nash and Scott Hall — the founding duo of the iconic group. He often found himself the first line of defense for the faction taking punches from their good guy opposition.
While his in-ring career concluded as the ‘90s wrapped up, Jones continued to go by Virgil publicly for appearances at autograph conventions and other random sightings. His personality was one that benefited from the Internet and the concept of going viral. Photos and stories have been shared over the years involving Virgil setting up a table selling photo opportunities and autographs in the most conventional and unconventional settings.
This, along with social media posts or interviews with different quotes and infatuations kept the legend of Virgil always present to wrestling fans. There was a time where Virgil’s appreciation for Olive Garden was a thing on social media. As time has gone on, the quirky stories and experiences fans and fellow wrestlers have with the man have given a charming tone to his legacy left on the wrestling business. Having a “Virgil story” became like a badge to collect and commemorate with other fans or workers in wrestling.
Pro wrestlers always aim to entertain. The man known to fans as Virgil always did that in and out of the ring — a memory that will live on forever.