Men of Mystery: 10 of the greatest masked wrestlers

#8 The Patriot

The Patriot

In the wake of the US invasion of Iraq...the first time, that is...came the Patriot. The masked wrestler was an attempt to rekindle the American nationalistic pride in wrestlers like Hulk Hogan.

To a degree, it succeeded. Patriot was a major force in the GWF, winning that promotions major titles with his patented Patriot Missile top rope dropkick. In fact, Patriot was so over in GWF they created a nemesis--the Dark Patriot, with his Scud Missile attack!

Patriot eventually found his way to the WWE, where he was slated for a major push against Canadian heel, Bret Hart. Unfortunately, a knee injury ended his career, and DX took over the Hart Foundation's spot as top heels. The Patriot is still remembered fondly by 90s kids who remember his un-ironic nationalism well.