In this “Wrestling Salvage Yard,” we look at Del Wilkes, better known as The Patriot, and his WWE run. If you dropped in on the Attitude Era in the summer of 1997, you might remember this red, white, and blue-clad masked grappler.
The Brief WWE Run of Del Wilkes
Prior to arriving in WWE, The Patriot had built quite the career overseas with All Japan Pro-Wrestling during a hot run for the company. He joined the company in June 1997 and made his RAW debut against Bret Hart in July 1997. His target was the Hart Foundation, so this made for the most cartoonish version of America vs. Canada during a time when the patriotic gimmicks were pretty dated by the late 90s.
The peak of his run would be another showdown with Bret Hart at Ground Zero: In Your House—this time for the WWE title. After that, he continued his battle with the Hart Foundation and was supposed to be in a Survivor Series match at the titular event that year but was injured before the PPV.
Since he couldn’t wrestle with a bad wing, he sat out in-ring action and didn’t make further appearances. His last match was in October 1997 but he was released early the following year. Thus ends The Patriot in WWE.
Salvaging The Patriot
Honestly, his feud with the Hart Foundation was a good side quest for the faction. Also, The Patriot wasn’t a bad wrestler by any stretch. He had a good build, and a TV-ready physique for that time, and he was well-rounded enough that he could wrestle most opponents.
Wilkes’ in-ring ability was such that he didn’t do anything complex and had a basic enough style that he could’ve worked as a regular tag wrestler or an undercard presence. The main black mark here is that the gimmick was dated.
If his feud against the Hart Foundation came two or three years earlier at the earliest, he wouldn’t seem that out-of-place during the Attitude Era.
What would’ve benefited The Patriot during this period is a gimmick change—and I actually liked the gimmick. However, he would’ve needed a time machine to go back to the early 90s when I really think the gimmick could’ve gotten steam in WWE.
CHECK IT OUT: To get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
