Mike Jones, known to the wrestling world as Virgil, has passed away at the age of 61. Virgil was a cherished name in the professional wrestling industry, making a name for himself as “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s bodyguard in the World Wrestling Federation. He was regularly positioned as the gatekeeper for DiBiase’s feuds, wrestling The Million Dollar Man’s rivals before they got a crack at DiBiase himself. Virgil would eventually turn on DiBiase and capture the Million Dollar Championship from him, becoming a singles fan-favorite for a brief spell in 1991.ย
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He would eventually follow DiBiase to World Championship Wrestling in 1996 and join the company’s hottest faction, the New World Order. Virgil, now going by Vincent, was the sixth member of the original nWo and was named the group’s head of security. He would eventually retire from active competition in 2000, but would still make sporadic appearances across the independent circuit.
Virgil made cameo appearances on both WWE and AEW programming in relatively recent years. He showed face on WWE Monday Night Raw in 2010 and popped up in pre-recorded segments as “Soul Train Jones” on AEW Dynamite in 2019.
In his personal life, Virgil battled a variety of health issues. He revealed in 2022 that he has been diagnosed with dementia and stage one gastrointestinal cancer.
“My 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,” Pittsburgh referee and friend Mark Charles III announced Virgil’s passing publicly on social media. “Virgil passed peacefully at the hospital this morning and I ask that you pray for him and for his family. May his memory be eternal!”
ComicBook.com sends its condolences to Mike Jones’s friends and family.
