Virgil Photos

Check out these photos of Virgil, who was an American professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1986 to 1995.

He also performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1996 to 2000, primarily as a member of the New World Order (nWo) under the name Vincent. While in WCW, he also wrestled under the names Curly Bill, Mike Jones, Mr. Jones, Shane and Vince.

Virgil’s real name is Michael Jones, but he never wrestled under the name during a career that began in 1985 in Memphis, Tennessee, under the name Soul Train Jones. He also wrestled under the name Lucius Brown during his in-ring debut for the World Wrestling Federation in a match against Paul Orndorff that aired on WWF Wrestling Challenge on September 28, 1986.

Virgil’s WWF career will best be remembered for his days outside the ring, rather than in it.

As Ted DiBiase’s personal bodyguard, his main purpose was to be at ringside to provide assistance to “The Million Dollar Man,” if needed. This less-than-desirable position resulted in the soft-spoken Virgil taking the lion’s share of punishment from DiBiase’s chief rivals, including Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage.

At the Royal Rumble on January 19, 1991, Virgil grew tired of the demeaning tasks imposed by his boss, and turned against DiBiase, becoming a fan favorite in the process.

Armed with the training he received from “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Virgil earned the biggest victory of his career when he defeated DiBiase for the Million Dollar Championship at SummerSlam 1991.

At WrestleMania VIII, Virgil teamed with Big Boss Man, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter to defeat The Nasty Boys, Repo Man and The Mountie. He would remain a fixture on television until August 1994, at which point he parted ways with the company. He briefly returned in May 1995, losing to Jean-Pierre LaFitte in matches that never aired on television.

Virgil resurfaced in September 1996 in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Under the name Vincent, he joined the New World Order (nWo) as the notorious faction’s “Director of Security.” He remained a part of the nWo throughout the late-1990s and changed his name to Vince in February 1999. He was one of the group’s last members when it originally dissolved in August 1999.

He reinvented himself in September 1999, joining the West Texas Rednecks under the name Curly Bill.

In December 1999, he assumed a bodyguard role for The Powers That Be under the name Shane.

This persona would be short-lived as he began wrestling under the name Mike Jones in February 2000.

The following month, he began managing The Cat (in addition to wrestling). However, their partnership quickly dissolved and he parted ways with WCW shortly thereafter.

Virgil continued wrestling on the independent circuit until 2020. He briefly returned to WWE in 2010 as a bodyguard for Ted DiBiase Jr., the son of “The Million Dollar Man.”

Under the name Soul Train Jones, he made a few non-wrestling appearances for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2019 and 2020 as an ally of Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle.

During his time away from the spotlight, Virgil would often be seen at fan conventions selling autographs, or rather, trying to. This led to a meme called “Lonely Virgil,” which is based on this photo of the former WWE Superstar appearing lonely at a convention in 2006.

Jones dealt with serious health issues after wrestling his final match in 2020. On April 16, 2022, he revealed on Twitter that he had previously suffered two strokes and had been diagnosed with dementia.

A month later, the former WWE Superstar said on Twitter that he was diagnosed with stage-two colon cancer.

Jones died on February 28, 2024. His death was confirmed by people who handle his official Instagram account, @realvirgil.

“This is to confirm the sad news about our beloved Meatsauce God and Wrestling Superstar Virgil/Michael Jones has passed away,” their statement reads. “There is so much to say here and would love to share stories but for now it’s a rough day as our friend is gone. We would only ask at this time to remember him as the man that he was. Wishing him all the unlimited pasta in heaven. We love you Mike.”

His cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.

Click here to see more photos of Virgil.