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VITAL STATISTICS Height: 6' 3" Weight: 260 lbs. Hails From: The U.S.A. Theme Song: "Medal" by WWF Music |
Who is the man behind the mask?
In the Mexican style of pro-wrestling known as Lucha Libre (which translates into �free fighting�), the act of donning a mask is tradition, steeped with a rich history as long and as deep as professional wrestling itself. The mask is akin to a nation's battle flag, a knight's coat of arms or a family crest. It is a famous trademark, bringing the wearer fame and fortune. Ultimately, however, the mask transcends the man. What the mask symbolizes, all that it represents, becomes the driving force, the sole purpose, of the man who wears it. If that is indeed true, then in the case of the man known only as the Patriot, he is the living embodiment of the American Fighting Spirit.
With an American flag in one hand and the desire for truth, justice and the American way burning within his heart, the man known as the Patriot exploded onto the wrestling scene in 1988. While garnering critical acclaim early in his career, it wasn�t until the Patriot joined World Championship Wrestling in the mid 1990�s that he really made his mark in wrestling history.
The Patriot formed an alliance with a man who is known today as �Buff� Bagwell. However, before he was the �Buff Daddy� of the nWo, before he was an American Male, he was Marcus Alexander Bagwell, a tag team specialist who already had the taste of WCW Tag Team Championship gold fresh on his lips. Together, these men formed Stars and Stripes, an outstanding tag team loaded with talent and brimming with patriotism.
In time, their hard work and determination paid off, assuring their place in WCW�s record books. On September 25th, 1994, before a sold out crowd in Atlanta, GA, Stars and Stripes toppled the team of �Pretty� Paul Roma and �Mr. Wonderful� Paul Orndorff, otherwise known as Pretty Wonderful, to win their first of two WCW Tag Team Championships. This, however, would only be the beginning of a heated rivalry between these two outstanding teams. One month later in Detroit, MI, Pretty Wonderful would regain the titles from the men who had relieved Roma and Orndorff of that mantle in the first place. Despite this setback, the yearning for championship gold that burned deep within the Star Spangled Superstars clad in red, white and blue could not be extinguished. Pretty Wonderful fell once again to the American might of Stars and Stripes, resigning the World Championship Wrestling Tag Team titles to the Patriot and Bagwell once again on November 16th in Jacksonville, FL. While this would be the second title reign for Stars and Stripes, it would also be their last, losing the straps to Harlem Heat on December, 8th, 1994.
Soon after, the Patriot faded away from the spotlight until the distant rumbling of a looming battle echoed in the distance. In 1997, a disgruntled Bret �The Hit Man� Hart initiated a controversial U.S.A. versus Canada war in the World Wrestling Federation, deserting his Yankee fans. Like the bald eagle, the Patriot, defender of Old Glory and apple pie, swooped into the WWF to fight for the U.S. of A.! At the next WWF Pay-Per-View, Ground Zero, the Patriot got his shot at �The Hitman� and the WWF World Heavyweight Title. If not for the British Bulldog, the Patriot would have become the next WWF champion. In the end, however, the �Hit Man� proved to be the better man and the Patriot soon left the WWF to compete in the independent circuit and Japan where he�s been met with great success.
Recently, the Patriot has been feuding with Pat Tanaka (formerly of Paul Diamond�s Bad Company in the AWA and, before that, as a part of the WWF�s Orient Express with Akio Sato and then Kato) in a series of �Flag versus Flag� matches across the independent scene, with Tanaka being managed on occasion by �Risky Business� Ronnie Raines.
So just who is the man behind that vaunted mask? Many claim that his name is Del Wilkes, an All American guard who led his University of South Carolina football team to national prominence. Others allege Wilkes retired after a shoulder injury, passing down the mantle to another red blooded American who wishes to maintain anonymity behind the mask. Although, how often does anyone really retire from this great sport?
And really, people shouldn�t ask, �Who is that masked man?� but rather, �What does it matter?� After all, it isn�t about the man. It�s about the mask and everything it represents. It�s about the United States of America and all of the freedoms, rights, and civil liberties we enjoy as citizens of this great country. Who the Patriot really is, we, the people, may never know. Regardless, the one truth we can hold self-evident is that he fights here in IRON MAN CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING for this one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.
