10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (July 5)

7. Vince McMahon Wanted To Un-Mask The Patriot

The Patriot WWE
WWE.com

When Del Wilkes waltzed onto WWF programming in 1997, it was as though someone had gone back in time to the 80s and brought him through the wormhole. His American flag-waving Patriot character seemed at odds with the emerging realism of Steve Austin, D-Generation X and more. According to Del, Vince McMahon knew that.

In an interview with Wrestling Inc, Wilkes told how Vince wanted to remove his mask but keep the flag and American tights combo. The Patriot was only there to complement Bret Hart's anti-USA gimmick anyway, and McMahon believed he'd be more effective without the hood. Wilkes disagreed, because he wanted to stay true to what had brought him to the company in the first place.

When he didn't get what he wanted, McMahon soured on a feud he had previously been so hyped for.

The Patriot ended up working a short-ish program with Bret and then left the promotion in early-1998 after tearing his triceps. It's like Vince couldn't get over the mask and lost interest once it became clear Wilkes wanted to keep it.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.