Former WWE star Virgil has announced that he is suffering from early-stage dementia after falling ill during WrestleMania weekend.
The legendary former bodyguard of the ‘Million Dollar Man’, Ted DiBiase, also says he suffered two strokes.
The 59-year-old most recently appeared in AEW, but made his name in WWE and WCW alongside Ted DiBiase and the New World Order.
An occasional wrestler, Virgil’s primary duties were to carry DiBiase’s money and Million Dollar Championship to the ring and face off against his many opponents.
After attacking DiBiase in 1991, Virgil subsequently pinned him to win the Million Dollar Championship at SummerSlam. He held the belt for three months before dropping it back to DiBiase.
The Tennessee native left WWE in 1994 before signing with WCW. He was appointed as the ‘Head of Security’ for the nWo under the ring name of Vincent.
Newer WWE fans will remember that Virgil returned to the company for a brief spell in 2010. He accompanied DiBiase’s son, Ted DiBiase Jr, to the ring on numerous occasions and even competed in a tag team match involving Big Show.
Virgil reveals dementia diagnosis
Taking to Twitter, Virgil explained his diagnosis: “Since Mania weekend (of all weekends), I was not feeling so great. Something wasn’t right. My head, my arm and my heart.
“When I came back from Dallas, I ended up going to the doctor, and they discovered a whole bunch of issues.
“For starters – without me knowing, over the past few months, the doctor had identified that I suffered two massive strokes. Like I didn’t even have a clue till I started not working with one of my arms. It’s basically not able to do anything. This was the decent news.
“The worse news is that I have been told that I am fighting with an early stage of dementia. The years of taking the big main event bump every night (that nobody else wanted to take) had started to effect me.
“I’m nervous, I’m scared, and God knows I can’t afford to get through this and even make a living. I’m really sad as all I want to do is have fun & do what I always do. Survive.”
Featured Image Credit: WWE / YouTube
