We are saddened to learn that former WWE/WCW Superstar Virgil (real name Mike Jones) has died.
Pittsburgh referee Mark Charles III broke the news via a Facebook post:
“”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. 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!”
Virgil had been dealing with a number of health issues in recent years, including a dementia diagnosis in 2022 and two previous strokes. His sister stated that he had never had cancer, despite previous claims.
Before becoming Virgil, Mike Jones was known as Soul Train Jones in the CWA in Memphis. His most successful run came in the World Wrestling Federation, where he teamed up with the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. As DiBiase’s bodyguard, he never spoke, but in early 1991, he broke away and became his own man, accompanied by Roddy Piper. Fans heard him speak for the first time after he officially became Babyface.
The Virgil name was a rib on Dusty Rhodes (real name Virgil Runnels). Years later, when Jones signed with WCW, he was renamed Vincent (a reference to Vince McMahon) and briefly known as Shane.
He worked on independent shows for many years after WCW folded, and he returned to WWE in 2010 to reprise his bodyguard role for a storyline involving Ted DiBiase, Jr.
We send our condolences to Mike Jones’ family and friends.
