WWE star Virgil, known as valet for âMillion Dollar Manâ Ted DiBiase, dead at 61 â KIRO 7 News Seattle
Michael Jones, known to professional wrestling fans as Virgil, the dour valet of WWE star âMillion Dollar Manâ Ted DiBiase, died Wednesday. He was 61.
No cause of death has been announced for Jones, who also wrestled as Vincent in the World Championship Wrestling promotion. According to WTRF-TV, Jones was diagnosed with dementia and had two massive strokes in 2022. In December, a GoFundMe page was established to help cover Jonesâ living expenses.
âThis is to confirm the sad news about our beloved Meatsauce God and Wrestling Superstar Virgil/Michael Jones has passed away,â the post read. âThere is so much to say here and would love to share stories but for now itâs a rough day as our friend is gone.â
Jonesâ death was announced on his verified Instagram account and confirmed by WWE.
Mark Charles III, a pro wrestling referee was the first to announce Jonesâ death in a Facebook post earlier Wednesday.
âMy dear friends, it is with great sorrow that I bring news from the Jones family of the passing of our beloved Michael Jones, whom we know and loved as Virgil, Vincent, Soul Train Jones and more,â Charles wrote. â… I ask that you pray for him and for his family. May his memory be eternal!â
Jones was a defensive back at Virginia Union and was an amateur wrestler, according to The Athletic.
He began his pro wrestling career as Soul Train Jones in 1985 and joined the WWE the following year as Lucious Brown, according to the sports website.
In 1987 he began his signature role as Virgil, the bodyguard and valet for DiBiase, who was portrayed as the arrogant âMillion Dollar Man.â
Jones, as Virgil, would stoically take DiBiaseâs abuse and orders to perform demeaning tasks. But that changed at the 1991 Royal Rumble, when Virgil turned the tables on the âMillion Dollar Manâ after teaming with DiBiase to defeat Dusty Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes in a tag-team match, according to Bleacher Report.
The WWE capitalized on the Virgil-DiBiase feud, including the duo in a March 1991 match at WrestleMania VII that ended in a count-out win for Virgil, The Athletic reported. Later that year at SummerSlam, Virgil pinned DiBiase to win the Million Dollar Championship.
In a 2016 interview with Ring Rust Radio, DiBiase spoke about his relationship with Jones.
âWhen we were together, he was never a problem,â DiBiase said. âThe guy didnât drink, he didnât smoke, he didnât do drugs, he was always on time. Of course, you know you lay the foundation down when the relationship begins, and I think Virgil understood at least, he knew what his job was and he knew where his place was in terms of the pecking order.
âWe would do our thing on the road and then I would see him in three days or a week, whatever it was and then we would come back. I didnât really socialize a lot with him so to speak, but we had a great working relationship and were friends.â
Jones retired from competition in the ring in 2000, according to The Athletic. He would make an appearance in the All Elite Wrestling promotion in 2019, returning again as Soul Train Jones and an ally to Chris Jericho.
Jonesâ death was the second death of a major wrestling star this week. On Monday, Ole Anderson, a wrestler, manager and promoter who was a founding member of the âFour Horsemen,â died at the age of 81.
[ Ole Anderson, one of pro wrestlingâs âFour Horsemen,â dead at 81 ]
Several wrestlers posted condolences on X, formerly known as Twitter, including Jake âThe Snakeâ Roberts, âHacksawâ Jim Duggan, Brutus Beefcake and Matt Hardy.
