Derrick Dukes
Derrick Dukes (born in Barberton, Ohio, residing in Cottage Grove, MN, his home) is an American professional wrestler best known for his stint in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the late 1980s as one half of the tag team The Top Guns with Ricky Rice. The team was originally made up of Rice and Jon Paul DeMans. However, DeMans left the AWA and Dukes replaced him as a member of the team. Career. Early career. Dukes and Rice, who had formerly competed in Eddie Sharkey's Pro Wrestling America, were one of several brought into central Canada  by promoter Tony Condello in 1986. American Wrestling Association (1988 - 1989). While in the AWA, Rice and Dukes feuded with Badd Company over the AWA tag team titles but broke up shortly after appearing at "SuperClash III" with Wendi Richter in a mixed 6-person tag team match against Badd Company and Madusa Miceli on December 13, 1988. After participating in the "Superstars of Wrestling" tour of Europe in early 1988, Dukes then feuded with Colonel DeBeers in 1989 and lost a "Loser Gets Painted Yellow" match at "War in the Windy City", however the controversial nature of the match  caused it to be subsequently cut from the televised broadcast. Pro Wrestling America (1990). After AWA folded, Dukes would return to Pro Wrestling America where he lost to the Lightning Kid in a match for the PWA Iron Horse Television Championship on April 20, 1990. Boxing career. Dukes would stop wrestling full-time and pursue a career in boxing for a brief period during the early 1990s. His most famous bout came against former NFL All Pro Mark Gastineau in Salem, Virginia on June 8, 1991. Gastineau knocked Dukes out in the first round of the fight, however it was  later found out that Dukes took a dive. Return to PWA (1995 - 1996). In 1995, he returned to Pro Wrestling America and teamed with former World Championship Wrestling wrestler Charlie Norris as Thunderblood winning the PWA Tag Team titles from the Storm Troopers and remained tag team champions until the promotion's closure in early 1996. Return to boxing (1999). In 1999, Dukes would lose to Innocent Otukuwu in Lula, Mississippi on July 31, and Chris Brown in Memphis, Tennessee on September 7, in an attempt at a comeback. Shortly thereafter, he once again returned to professional wrestling and began  touring in Japan with Worldwide Pro Wrestling.