Mike Droese
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" Droese is a retired American
professional wrestler
. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation
between 1994 and 1996 under the ring name
Duke "The Dumpster" Droese.
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 1992 thanks to Pro Wrestling Illustrated
's first annual PWI 500 (top 500 wrestlers in the world) where he was placed at #500. Throughout the first part of his tour with the WWE Droese was accompanied to the ring by many fans chanting "500".
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 in late 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".
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, when he and Vince McMahon
mutually agreed on a contract release due to the toll that extensive touring was taking in Droese.
In 1997, Droese appeared with the Europe
an 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.
In the late 1990s, Droese began wrestling for Florida Championship Wrestling. In 2000, he won the FCW Heavyweight Championship. 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
", which was won by the Iron Sheik.
On April 18, 2009. Duke Droese made an appearance at Fusion Tradition Wrestling in Sparta, TN.
He is currently the strength and conditioning coach for football at Warren County High School. He is also involved in a relationship with Mica Luna.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
between 1994 and 1996 under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Duke "The Dumpster" Droese.
Career
Droese was trained as a professional wrestler by Bobby Wales. He debuted in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
in February 1990, defeating Johnny Blade in his first match. Droese wrestled on the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
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 1992 thanks to Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
's first annual PWI 500 (top 500 wrestlers in the world) where he was placed at #500. Throughout the first part of his tour with the WWE Droese was accompanied to the ring by many fans chanting "500".
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. Droese was given the gimmick Duke "The Dumpster" Droese, a garbage man
Waste collector
A waste collector is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and remove refuse and recyclables from residential, commercial, industrial or other collection site for further processing and disposal...
who carried a trash can
Waste container
A waste container is a container for temporarily storing refuse and waste. Different terms are in use, depending on the language area, the design and material and the respective site .The most general terms are waste receptacle and container bin.Common terms include dustbin ,...
to the ring. He debuted in late 1994 as an opponent for color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
. 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
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
on WWF Monday Night Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
. Lawler was obliged to apologize legitimately for "demonstrating such a brutal amount of violence".
Droese took part in the 1995 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1995)
Royal Rumble was the eighth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 22, 1995, in the USF Sun Dome located in Tampa, Florida. The event featured five matches based on scripted storylines and the results...
and the 1995 King of the Ring
King of the Ring (1995)
King of the Ring was the third annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on June 25, 1995 at the CoreStates Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, but did not win at either event. Later in 1995, Droese began feuding
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
(later known as Triple H). At the 1996 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1996)
Royal Rumble was the ninth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 21, 1996 at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California....
, Droese handed Helmsley his first WWF loss by disqualification in a match with the stipulation that the winner would enter the Royal Rumble match
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1988, with its inaugural event taking place on January 24, 1988 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario...
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
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
and Kama
Charles Wright (wrestler)
Charles Wright is an American businessman and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1990s and early 2000s under the ring names Papa Shango, Kama, Kama Mustafa, The Godfather, and The Goodfather .After leaving the wrestling...
. The feud between Droese and Helmsley intensified on the January 27, 1996 edition of Superstars
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It debuted on September 6, 1986...
, 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
In Your House 6
In Your House 6: Rage In The Cage was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation, which took place on February 18, 1996 at the Louisville Gardens in Louisville, Kentucky.Six matches aired on the broadcast...
on February 18. Droese left the WWF in the summer of 1996, when he and Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
mutually agreed on a contract release due to the toll that extensive touring was taking in Droese.
In 1997, Droese appeared with the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an Catch Wrestling Association
Catch Wrestling Association
The Catch Wrestling Association was a professional wrestling organization based in Austria and Germany and was founded in 1973. It was formerly run by famous AWA champion Otto Wanz. The CWA featured a traditional brand of mat wrestling mixed with various “Strong Man” competitions...
under the ring name Marshall Duke. On August 16 in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Droese defeated Ulf Herman
Ulf Herman
Ulf Nadrowski is a German professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ulf Herman. He is best known for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling between 1998-1999 where he would join with the Full Blooded Italians faction...
to win the vacant CWA World Heavyweight Championship
CWA World Heavyweight Championship
The CWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the German professional wrestling promotion the Catch Wrestling Association....
. The title was later vacated.
In the late 1990s, Droese began wrestling for Florida Championship Wrestling. In 2000, he won the FCW Heavyweight Championship. Droese went on to form a stable with Drake Dexton, Hack Meyers
Hack Meyers
Donald Haviland is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Hack Meyers. A mainstay in Florida independent promotions during the 1990s, he is best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1993 to 1996.-Career:Haviland made his wrestling debut as Bronco...
, and Tony Carlone
Anthony Michaels
Anthony Michaels is an American professional wrestler, also known as Snot Dudley and Tony Carlone. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling as a member of the Dudley family in the mid-1990s.-Career:...
. 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
WrestleMania X-Seven
WrestleMania X-Seven was the seventeenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on April 1, 2001 at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Texas...
, reprising the Duke Droese gimmick in the "gimmick battle royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
", which was won by the Iron Sheik.
On April 18, 2009. Duke Droese made an appearance at Fusion Tradition Wrestling in Sparta, TN.
He is currently the strength and conditioning coach for football at Warren County High School. He is also involved in a relationship with Mica Luna.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Trash Compactor (Tilt-a-whirl powerslam)
- Signature moves
- Elbow drop
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- The Dumpster
- The Garbage Man
- The Wrestling Garbageman
Championships and accomplishments
- Catch Wrestling AssociationCatch Wrestling AssociationThe Catch Wrestling Association was a professional wrestling organization based in Austria and Germany and was founded in 1973. It was formerly run by famous AWA champion Otto Wanz. The CWA featured a traditional brand of mat wrestling mixed with various “Strong Man” competitions...
- CWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipCWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe CWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the German professional wrestling promotion the Catch Wrestling Association....
(1 time - FCW Heavyweight Champion
- CWA World Heavyweight Championship