The Gimmick Table: The Origin of The Patriot

Brian Damage

A gimmick is something that is intended to hook the attention of fans to a wrestler. They may be outrageous or steeped more in reality, whatever the case may be…some have succeeded and many others have failed. The Gimmick Table takes a look at the origins of some of your favorite and not so favorite gimmicks of professional wrestlers.

Today we browse the gimmick of The Patriot

In 1991, Del Wilkes had just completed a tour of Japan, when he received a phone call from Joe Pedicino about being a part of an upstart promotion based in Dallas, Texas called the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF). Pedicino convinced Wilkes to join the GWF after hearing about their television deal with ESPN and with promises of being the company’s top babyface star. When Wilkes met with Pedicino and booker Bill Eadie at a Dallas hotel, Wilkes was under the assumption that he would debut for the GWF using his real name or under the gimmick named ‘The Trooper.’ 

The Trooper was the gimmick Wilkes used while wrestling for the AWA and during his most recent tour of Japan. The gimmick was basically Wilkes dressed up as a State Trooper and he handed out tickets to his opponents. Wilkes thought process turned out to be false, as Pedicino and Eadie had other ideas to utilize his talent. The gimmick was to be simply called the Patriot and he would wear wrestling tights with the stars and stripes adorned on them. He would also be given a mask with an American Eagle stitched into it to conceal his identity.

The gimmick was created by both Pedicino and Eadie and it was based on the Gulf War that was transpiring at the time. They created a character that would play on many Americans feelings of patriotism during the war. The outfit was initially made by Bill Eadie’s mother in law. Wilkes would use a finishing maneuver he called the ‘Uncle Sam’, which was really a Dragon Suplex…something he learned while wrestling in Japan. The Patriot gimmick remained with Wilkes for the remainder of his career and while wrestling for the GWF, All Japan, WCW and the WWF. The gimmick is still used on the independent circuit to this day.