[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mikejones_7811.gif]]
[[caption-width-right:350:No, he's not a Chippendale. Apparently, this is what bodyguards looked like in TheEighties.]]

Michael "Mike" Jones (April 7, 1951 – February 28, 2024) was an American {{professional wrestl|ing}}er (or ''[[InsistentTerminology Wrestling Superstar]]'' as he would put it, more on that later), most popularly known as Virgil, the pseudonym he used during his most famous run with Wrestling/{{WWE}}, where he was the BeleagueredAssistant and bodyguard of "The Million Dollar Man" Wrestling/TedDiBiase. That, and for being a bit down on his luck in his later years... but we'll get to that later.

Young Mike Jones cut his teeth in Memphis as Soul Train Jones before he moved to [=WWE=] (then the [=WWF=]), where he was a {{Jobber}} by the name of Lucius Brown. Quickly he was refashioned as Virgil, personal bodyguard to Ted [=DiBiase=] during the latter's rise. Virgil frequently interfered in matches on [=DiBiase=]'s behalf, and occasionally took a beating from the faces to save Teddy's hide. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment And so it began.]]

Only seldom did he himself wrestle, but this changed at the ''Wrestling/RoyalRumble'' in 1991, where, after constant berating and humiliation from [=DiBiase=], he finally turned on him (to the biggest cheers of his career). He spent 1991 in a much-publicized feud with [=DiBiase=], and being trained by Wrestling/RoddyPiper for the big ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}}'' showdown, but after that feud finally died down towards the end of the year, he became a "Jobber To The Stars" for the remainder of his tenure. His only match of note after his big feud was an 8-man tag match at ''Wrestlemania VIII,'' pitting himself, Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan, Wrestling/SgtSlaughter and the Wrestling/BigBossman against Wrestling/TheNastyBoys, [[Wrestling/BarryDarsow the Repo Man]] and [[Wrestling/JacquesRougeau the Mountie]].

In 1996, Mike Jones departed for Wrestling/{{WCW}}, joining up with the Wrestling/NewWorldOrder under the name Vincent, where he assumed his old role and took beatings for his higher-ups in the stable. When the nWo divided itself into the red-and-black "nWo Elite", comprised of the stable's main-eventers, and the black-and-white "nWo B-Team", which lumped together the stable's mid- and low-carders, Vincent was demoted to the latter, and even saw himself in a feud with Stevie Ray (Wrestling/BookerT's brother) for leadership of the faction-within-a-faction. After Wrestling/VinceRusso arrived to the company, he was renamed Shane, and joined up with Russo's group the Powers That Be, with Wrestling/CurtHennig and the Harris Brothers. He also went through the names Curly Bill (as part of the country-themed West Texas Rednecks) and Mr. Jones (briefly as Ernest "The Cat" Miller's manager, before being replaced by M'''s.''' Jones) before finally wrestling under his real name in the dying days of the company.

As Virgil, he did manage to make a brief return to the [=WWE=] in 2010, this time as the bodyguard of Wrestling/TedDiBiaseJr, but the angle didn't last too long as Junior fired him in favor of his new valet, Wrestling/{{Maryse}}. In 2019-2020, he also managed an unlikely comeback in Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling, under his old in-ring name Soul Train Jones, in segments usually involving Wrestling/ChrisJericho and his Wrestling/InnerCircle stable.

Jones has spent much time at fan conventions and on the independent circuit. Unfortunately, he's gone somewhat memetic within wrestling circles in recent years for seeming a bit hard up, most notably [[http://kayfabecomedy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/virgil-wrestling-superstar.jpg this]] infamous photo of him sitting at an autograph signing. In 2012, he was allegedly spotted in a New York subway station selling his merchandise (at "[[SmallNameBigEgo outrageous prices]]"). It's gotten to the point where there's now a Tumblr called ''[[http://lonelyvirgil.net/ Lonely Virgil]]'', which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. In June 2015, Jones created a [=GoFundMe=] campaign [[https://www.gofundme.com/makevirgilamillion to help make him a millionaire.]]
----
!!Tropes associated with Virgil / Vincent / Shane / Curly Bill / Soul Train Jones- okay, with Mike Jones in general:
* BaldOfEvil: Depending on whether he was a heel or a face.
* BattleButler: As Ted [=DiBiase=]'s bodyguard, and he fit the trope to a T. He was also briefly the bodyguard of [=DiBiase=]'s [[Wrestling/TedDibiaseJr son.]]
* BeleagueredAssistant
* [[BlackDudeDiesFirst Black Dude Gets Beaten Up First]]: He was always the first guy in the [=nWo=] to get attacked.
* BodyguardingABadass: Ted [=DiBiase=] and the NWO can hold their own pretty fine, but Virgil/Vincent took more beatings anyway.
* BodyguardBetrayal: Justified because of [=DiBiase=]'s poor treatment. He finally snapped and turned on Ted, leaving [[Wrestling/SherriMartel Sensational Sherri]] to administer a beating and take Virgil's place.
* ButtMonkey: Sometimes it seems like the guy is the punchline of the wrestling world.
* CivvieSpandex: Only member of the NWO to wrestle in street clothes.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He's a little......out there. His appearances his later years would have him proclaim he had (or wanted to have) "fuck money". Has anyone figured out what "fuck money" even ''means?''
* ConMan: The scourge of convention halls everywhere, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_TZEzFaI1k according to Opie & Anthony]], ''[[WebVideo/OSWReview OSW]]'', and others.
* CoolShades: As Vincent.
* DownerEnding: His last appearance in WWE was being stuck working as the {{Mook|s}} once more, this time for [[Wrestling/TedDibiaseJr Junior.]] After a few weeks, he was unceremoniously fired, and never seen again. Poor guy just can't catch a break.
* EpicFail: Virgil [[RefugeInAudacity straight up asked for a million dollars on GoFundMe]], without explaining why he needed or deserved the funds. Most contributed to the ultimate sum (which was barely a thousand) just so they could ridicule him in the donor comments section.
* FinishingMove:
** The Million Dollar Dream, an [[TheArtifact Artifact]] from his days with [=DiBiase=].
** As Vincent, he started using an armbar.
* IHaveManyNames: As noted above.
* {{Jobber}}: Has spent most of his career as one. This was lampshaded by Wrestling/ScottHall, who said that his action figure is more accurate when he's laying down on his back as that was [[TakeThat how they saw him most of the time]].
* LegacyCharacter: Arguably, Orlando Jordan filled the same role when he worked for [[Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield [=JBL=]]].
* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: His nailing [=DiBiase=] with the Million Dollar Belt.
* {{Mook|s}}
* OlderThanTheyLook: During his life, Virgil claimed his birthdate was June 13, 1962, while in actuality it was April 7, 1951. Nobody ever noticed he's 11 years older than he pretended to be, due to him being in top shape.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney, until...
** ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules
* PowerStable: Post-[=NWO=] and pre-The Powers That Be, was Curly Bill of the West Texas Rednecks (Wrestling/CurtHennig, Bobby Duncum Jr., Wrestling/{{Barry|Windham}} and Kendall Windham).
* ShoutOut: Is a big fan of Olive Garden, and namedrops the restaurant frequently. He would even get to make a reference to it in his appearance in AEW, comparing Wrestling/ChrisJericho's wrestling abilities to the chain's bread sticks, saying they are both "unlimited".
* SmallNameBigEgo: In the [=nWo=]. He had a feud where he was vying for the leadership for one of the group's sub-stables even when it was clear to everyone and their grandma that sub-stable was where all of the nWo's mid-carders and jobbers were lumped together.
* TheStoic: Virgil/Vincent didn't show much emotion during his days as a bodyguard/nWo Head of Security.
* TakeThat: The name "Virgil" was a jab at Wrestling/DustyRhodes; for those not in the know, Dusty's real name was Virgil Runnels. This tradition was continued in [=WCW=] where he was renamed "[[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon Vincent]]", and then "[[Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon Shane]]". Starting to notice a pattern?
** "Virgil" was meant quite affectionately, as Wrestling/TedDiBiase had known Dusty for years (apparently, they were roommates in college) and thought he'd have a laugh naming his butler after his old friend.
* TotallyRadical: His [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPRmGATenqM WWF entrance theme]].
* WhatExactlyIsHisJob: On the August 20, 1998 ''WCW Thunder,'' Wrestling/BobbyHeenan asked, "What does Vincent do?"
* WrestlingDoesntPay: He was the [=nWo=]'s head of security, but because he was a jobber and an egomaniac, he sucked at his job. In real life, he ekes out a living as a math teacher. Somewhat subverted as his role was usually a bodyguard rather than a wrestler.