10 Wrestlers Who Piggybacked Their Way To Success

8. Virgil

Nikki Cross Becky Lynch
WWE

Virgil laid out his out own path to wrestling stardom, if apocrypha is to be believed. And by "path", we mean "c*ck" on Pat Patterson's office table.

Virgil's career was one gigantic, pulsing piggyback. He starred as the Million Dollar Man's "servant"/bodyguard, playing the role with a certain detachment. All the while, as the subsequent, expert storyline indicated, Virgil was simmering - and this long-held silent contempt erupted in a fabulous arc of cathartic revenge. Of course, Vince McMahon's delight in ribbing Dusty Rhodes informed his name, and this petty act of brinksmanship informed the second dawn of his career.

Rib created man, and a rib created 'Vincent' - WCW's weirder attempt to mock Vincent McMahon. Vincent joined the nWo, allegedly by piggybacking off Kama's higher paycheque. He barely wrestled for the company, and simply existed as the most strange and pointless reminder possible that the head of the competition did, in fact, possess a forename. The son of Vince did, too, and so Vincent became 'Shane' in 1999.

It's quite fitting that Virgil enjoyed a career defined almost entirely by banter, because he is a surreal expert in this field. He once responded to every rib in a Reddit AMA by demanding payment. What would you do for $100? one poster asked.

"Dress like your father and tuck you into bed," he replied.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!