10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Oct 6)

4. Bobby Heenan Named Virgil

Virgil WWE
WWE

The late, great Bobby Heenan's tremendous sense of humour knew no boundaries. It was he who made millions laugh with his performances alongside Gorilla Monsoon on commentary, and it was also Heenan who enjoyed playing practical jokes on his friends. That's why he came up with the name Virgil for Ted DiBiase's 'man servant', to rib Dusty Rhodes.

Dusty's real name was Virgil Runnels, and Bobby thought it'd be hilarious to call a lowly character after him in the WWF. That's right, it wasn't Vince McMahon or even DiBiase himself who came up with the Virgil name, it was Heenan. DiBiase told this story to Ring Rust Radio when remembering his friend's life and career.

After years of being told by guys like Bruce Prichard on podcasts that the name definitely wasn't a jibe at Dusty's expense, we now know the truth. Bobby Heenan blurted out Virgil during one creative meeting backstage and the name stuck.

Advertisement
Contributor

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.