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Former WWE writer Vince Russo recently shared his favorite memory of Virgil following the wrestling legend's passing.
On the October 29, 1987, episode of Prime Time Wrestling, Ted DiBiase Sr. offered to give a child $500 if he bounced a basketball 15 times. Virgil watched on closely as DiBiase Sr. kicked the basketball out of the child's hand after 14 bounces, meaning he failed to win the money.
Russo appeared on the latest episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws with Dr. Chris Featherstone and EC3. Reflecting on Virgil's career, he recalled how much he enjoyed the famous segment:
"When you bring up Virgil and Ted DiBiase, bro, and I don't even know how many years ago it was, what's the first thing that comes to mind?" Russo said. "That little black kid, bro, bouncing the basketball. How long ago was that?! This wasn't Ted DiBiase going out and having a 25-minute match. That one thing, bro, what was that? Thirty years ago? Forty years ago? I mean, my God, bro, that's what I'm talking about. When you watch that, you never, ever forget that." [16:58 – 17:35]
Virgil, real name Michael Jones, worked for WWE between 1986 and 1995 before appearing in WCW between 1996 and 2000. He is best remembered for being a bodyguard for Ted DiBiase Sr. in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Later in his career, he also became a member of the legendary nWo faction in WCW.
EC3's favorite Virgil moment in WWE
After a long-term alliance with Ted DiBiase Sr., Virgil turned against the WWE Hall of Famer at the 1991 Royal Rumble. The feud led to Virgil defeating his former friend for the Million Dollar Championship at SummerSlam 1991.
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion EC3 grew up as a wrestling fan before getting into the business in the 2000s. As a child, he enjoyed watching DiBiase Sr. and Virgil's Million Dollar Title skits at a jewelry store:
"Ted's just so comic book bad, over-the-top villainy, laughing," EC3 said. "I think the beauty of that sketch is everybody else is just looking at him like it's ridiculous, and he doesn't know. I thought that was kinda humorous tongue-in-cheek. I do remember being very happy he [Virgil] won the Million Dollar belt, and I do remember nWo, and he was just there." [15:38 – 16:06]
Virgil's date of birth has caused confusion among fans since his death. WWE listed 1962 as the year he was born on a recent graphic, but it has since emerged that he was born in 1951.
What are your favorite memories of Virgil? Let us know in the comments section.
Please credit Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
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