Duke Droese

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For other people with the surname Droese, see Droese.
Duke Droese
Droese20010402.jpg
Duke Droese in 2001
Birth nameMichael David Droese[1]
Born (1968-08-20) August 20, 1968 (age 53)[2]
Lodi, California
ResidenceMcMinnville, Tennessee[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Duke Droese[3]
Marshall Duke[4]
Rocco Gibraltar
Garbage Man[4]
Billed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[3]
Billed weight305 lb (138 kg; 21.8 st)[3]
Billed from"Mount Trashmore, Florida"[3]
[1]
Trained byBobby Wales[5]
DebutFebruary 1990[5]
Retired2001, 2019

Michael David Droese (born August 20, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and special education teacher. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1994 and 1996 under the ring name Duke "The Dumpster" Droese.

Early life, family and education[]

According to an article on WWE.com, Droese is a graduate of the University of Miami.[6] The same article indicates he earned a master's degree after leaving professional wrestling.[6]

Professional wrestling career[]

Independent circuit (1990–1993)[]

Droese was trained as a professional wrestler by Bobby Wales. He debuted in Miami, Florida in February 1990, defeating Johnny Blade in his first match. Droese wrestled on the Florida independent circuit throughout the early 1990s. In 1993, Droese wrestled under the name "Garbage Man", which was the inspiration for the gimmick he took the following year in the World Wrestling Federation. Before being signed to the WWF, Droese also wrestled under the ring name Rocco Gibraltar. Droese first came to national wrestling attention in 1993 thanks to Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI 500 (top 500 wrestlers in the world) where he was placed at #500.[7] Throughout the first part of his tour with the WWE, Droese was accompanied to the ring by many fans chanting "500".[citation needed]

World Wrestling Federation/WWF (1994–1996)[]

Duke "The Dumpster" Droese carrying a garbage can to the ring

In 1994, Droese was signed to a contract by the World Wrestling Federation. Droese was given the gimmick Duke "The Dumpster" Droese, a garbage man who carried a trash can to the ring. He debuted on Monday Night Raw defeating Barry Horowitz on May 23. In the summer of 1994 as an opponent for color commentator Jerry Lawler. In the course of a confrontation with Lawler, Droese was struck in the head with his own can, one of the first instances of hardcore wrestling on WWF Monday Night Raw. Lawler was obliged to apologize legitimately for "demonstrating such a brutal amount of violence".[8]

Droese took part in the 1995 Royal Rumble and the 1995 King of the Ring, but did not win at either event. Later in 1995, Droese began feuding with Hunter Hearst Helmsley (later known as Triple H). At the 1996 Royal Rumble, Droese handed Helmsley his first WWF loss by disqualification in a match with the stipulation that the winner would enter the Royal Rumble match at number 30, while the loser would be obliged to enter at number one. Despite entering at number 30, Droese failed to win the Royal Rumble, and was eliminated by Diesel and Kama.

The feud between Droese and Helmsley intensified on the January 27, 1996 edition of Superstars, when Helmsley attacked Droese after his match and cut off his hair. The feud culminated in a match that Helmsley won at In Your House 6 on February 18. Droese left the WWF in the summer of 1996,[9][10] when he and Vince McMahon mutually agreed on a contract release due to the toll that extensive touring was taking on Droese.[11] His final televised match was aired on the July 13, 1996 edition of Superstars, a loss to T.L. Hopper.

Return to independent circuit, Germany and retirement (1996–2001, 2019)[]

In 1997, Droese appeared with the Germany based Catch Wrestling Association under the ring name Marshall Duke. On August 16 in Vienna, Austria, Droese defeated Ulf Herman to win the vacant CWA World Heavyweight Championship. The title was later vacated.[12] He defeated Jason Neidhart on January 18, 1998 at Wrestling in Mombasa in Mombasa, Kenya. On February 3, 1998, he returned to the WWF, defeating Paul Diamond on a dark match on Monday Night Raw.

In the late 1990s, Droese began wrestling for Florida Championship Wrestling. In 2000, he won the FCW Heavyweight Championship.[13] Droese went on to form a stable with Drake Dexton, Hack Meyers, and Tony Carlone. Droese and Dexton teamed together as "The Beach Bullies" and competed in the FCW tag team division.

Droese returned to the WWF for a single night on April 1, 2001 at WrestleMania X-Seven, reprising the Duke Droese gimmick in the "gimmick battle royal" eliminated by Doink the Clown, which was won by The Iron Sheik.[14] Droese returned to the ring as he competed in Chikara’s Infinite Gauntlet match on May 11, 2019, throwing Fireman’s Carry Fray and Snapmare Matt over the top rope before submitting to Armbreaker Amir.

Additional career[]

After leaving wrestling, Droese began working as a special education teacher at Centertown Elementary School in McMinnville, Tennessee.[1] He has also been a strength coach there.[6]

Personal life[]

On September 13, 2013, Droese was indicted for three counts of delivery of a controlled substance, having sold oxycodone and buprenorphine to an undercover police informant in July 2013.[1]

Championships and accomplishments[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Jett, Tyler (September 19, 2013). "McMinnville teacher, retired wrestler, indicted". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  2. ^ "Mike Droese". IMDB.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Duke Droese". WWE.com. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Mike Droese". profightdb.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 – 1995: 103 Duke Drose". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States: Sports and Entertainment Publications LLC. September 21, 1995. p. 34. October 1995.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c Murphy, Ryan (November 17, 2009). "Where Are They Now? Duke 'The Dumpster' Droese". WWE.com. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 1993". profightdb.com. The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  8. ^ Zeigler, Z. (October 23, 2006). "RAW goes 700 strong". WWE.com. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  9. ^ "Duke Drose". Accelerator3359.com. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  10. ^ Marvez, Alex (1995-08-06). "WWF Shaves Psycho, Adds Sharper Razor - Pro Wrestling". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  11. ^ "Duke Droese". WWE.com.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "The CWA World Heavyweight Championship". Solie.org. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  13. ^ "The FCW Heavyweight Championship". Solie.org. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  14. ^ "WrestleMania XVII results". WWE.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
  15. ^ "CWA World Heavyweight Championship". Wrestling-Titles.com.
  16. ^ "The Slammy Awards 1994". prowrestlinghistory.com.

External links[]

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