After years of taking orders from and being subservient to Ted DiBiase, Virgil followed the advice of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and stood up for himself. He broke free from the oppressive rule of his boss and became his own man. became somewhat of a protege of Piper's. He took advice from the Hot Scot and began showing flashes of a legit in-ring competitor. At WrestleMania VII, Virgil clashed with his former ally in his first major singles bout. While the match was not necessarily pretty, it increased fan interest. Virgil had shown enough that fans believed there was a chance that the popular underdog could overcome the pompous veteran. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1UIcFIo9yY At SummerSlam 1991, the fans' belief in the athletic youngster was repaid as he sent DiBiase face-first into an exposed turnbuckle and pinned him to win the Million Dollar belt. The fans in Madison Square Garden exploded as Howard Finkel announce Virgil the winner and new champion and WWE could relish in the fact that it had given fans a legitimate feel-good story. Of course, it was a one-and-done deal as Virgil dropped the title back to DiBiase shortly thereafter before settling into WWE's lowest tier as a jobber but for those few months in 1991, fans had an easy-to-follow story that kept them motivated and excited all the way through the company's summer spectacular.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
