LG
02-26-2013, 05:29 AM
Two weeks ago the MMA World Expo came to the Javits Center in Manhattan, and fans of that sport gathered to watch a jiu-jitsu tournament, take in some MMA fights in a cage, attend seminars taught by their favorite fighters, and buy fight-related accoutrement from a multitude of vendors. But tucked away in the back, between a booth that sold backrubs and the overpriced concessions stand, was a table that everyone seemed to ignore. Seated there, unsuccessfully trying to hawk his autographed photos, was Virgil.
Yes, the same Virgil who was Ted DiBiase’s bodyguard back in the day before he hopped over to the WCW and then back to the WWE. The same Virgil who had a Hasbro action figure made in his likeness in the 1990s. The same Virgil who goes to countless expos and conventions, yet is snubbed so much it spawned this website. The same Virgil who, as reported by Deadspin, was seen trying to sell his wares in a Times Square subway station.
In the film The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke’s character looks around at a room full of old, washed-up pro wrestlers and takes stock of their lives, and it’s a poignant moment that speaks to the sad existence of many faded and spent stars. Apparently Virgil is not one of those kinds of wrestlers, and he deserves little sympathy. After all, he did this to himself.
“He’s a money whore,” says Marcus (last name withheld upon request). It was Marcus who snapped pics and video of Virgil in the subway and posted them online, inspiring the Deadspin story. WrestleNewz caught up with Marcus to get some additional color.
“Years and years ago he was Ted DiBiase’s sidekick,” he says. “Then he went to WCW and joined the NWO. He then hit the wrestling convention circuit as a frequent guest, and he would be his own vendor. [He] literally hits every convention. So now nobody needs him on any items because he’s always around. In the wrestling autograph hobby, when you no longer need an autograph from somebody, the term is they are ‘Virgilized’, or ‘that person has been around Virgil amount of times’.”
If flooding the market with his presence was his only transgression, then maybe there’d be room to feel pity for Virgil and his plight. But according to Marcus, it goes beyond that.
“He starts off asking like 30 dollars for an autograph but can be talked down to five. He also often has signs saying other wrestlers will be joining him, but they NEVER do.” Marcus goes on to list the ways how Virgil can often be abrasive to fans – abrasiveness being a surefire tactic to earn love and respect.
“It’s sad to see him essentially as a beggar,” says Marcus of the former WWE wrestler’s subway sighting. “But if he asked reasonable prices, he’d be doing okay. He’s basically like Mickey Rourke in that film.”
WNZ
Yes, the same Virgil who was Ted DiBiase’s bodyguard back in the day before he hopped over to the WCW and then back to the WWE. The same Virgil who had a Hasbro action figure made in his likeness in the 1990s. The same Virgil who goes to countless expos and conventions, yet is snubbed so much it spawned this website. The same Virgil who, as reported by Deadspin, was seen trying to sell his wares in a Times Square subway station.
In the film The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke’s character looks around at a room full of old, washed-up pro wrestlers and takes stock of their lives, and it’s a poignant moment that speaks to the sad existence of many faded and spent stars. Apparently Virgil is not one of those kinds of wrestlers, and he deserves little sympathy. After all, he did this to himself.
“He’s a money whore,” says Marcus (last name withheld upon request). It was Marcus who snapped pics and video of Virgil in the subway and posted them online, inspiring the Deadspin story. WrestleNewz caught up with Marcus to get some additional color.
“Years and years ago he was Ted DiBiase’s sidekick,” he says. “Then he went to WCW and joined the NWO. He then hit the wrestling convention circuit as a frequent guest, and he would be his own vendor. [He] literally hits every convention. So now nobody needs him on any items because he’s always around. In the wrestling autograph hobby, when you no longer need an autograph from somebody, the term is they are ‘Virgilized’, or ‘that person has been around Virgil amount of times’.”
If flooding the market with his presence was his only transgression, then maybe there’d be room to feel pity for Virgil and his plight. But according to Marcus, it goes beyond that.
“He starts off asking like 30 dollars for an autograph but can be talked down to five. He also often has signs saying other wrestlers will be joining him, but they NEVER do.” Marcus goes on to list the ways how Virgil can often be abrasive to fans – abrasiveness being a surefire tactic to earn love and respect.
“It’s sad to see him essentially as a beggar,” says Marcus of the former WWE wrestler’s subway sighting. “But if he asked reasonable prices, he’d be doing okay. He’s basically like Mickey Rourke in that film.”
WNZ