Derrick Dukes facts for kids

Derrick Dukes (born January 4, 1965) is an American who used to be a professional wrestler and a boxer. He is most famous for his time in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the late 1980s. During this period, he was one half of a wrestling team called "The Top Guns" with his partner, Ricky Rice.

Professional Wrestling Career

Early Days in Wrestling

Derrick Dukes started his wrestling career in 1986. He teamed up with Ricky Rice, and they were known as "The Top Guns." Before joining bigger promotions, they wrestled in places like Eddie Sharkey's Pro Wrestling America in Minnesota.

Time in the AWA

From 1988 to 1989, Dukes and Rice wrestled in the American Wrestling Association (AWA). They had a big rivalry with another team called Badd Company for the AWA tag team titles. Dukes and Rice also appeared at a major event called SuperClash III in December 1988. There, they teamed up with Wendi Richter in a special six-person tag team match against Badd Company and Madusa Miceli.

After this, "The Top Guns" team broke up. Dukes then had a rivalry with Colonel DeBeers in 1989. He also went on a wrestling tour in Europe called "Superstars of Wrestling" in early 1988.

Wrestling in Different Promotions

After the AWA closed, Dukes continued to wrestle in various places. He returned to Pro Wrestling America in 1990. In 1992, he wrestled in Germany and Austria for the Catch Wrestling Association.

Later, in 1995, he went back to Pro Wrestling America again. This time, he teamed up with World Championship Wrestling wrestler Charlie Norris. Their team was called "Thunderblood." They won the PWA Tag Team titles from a team called the Storm Troopers. They held these titles until Pro Wrestling America closed down in 1996.

In 1999, Dukes traveled to Japan to wrestle with Worldwide Pro Wrestling. He also had a few matches with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which is now called WWE. He appeared on shows like WWF Shotgun Saturday Night and Jakked. Derrick Dukes officially retired from wrestling in 2001.

Boxing Career

Besides wrestling, Derrick Dukes also tried boxing for a short time in the early 1990s. One of his most talked-about boxing matches was against National Football League star Mark Gastineau on June 8, 1991. Gastineau won the fight quickly, but it was later found out that the match's outcome was not entirely fair.

Dukes tried to make a comeback in boxing in 1999. He had matches against Innocent Otukuwu and Chris Brown, but he lost both of them.

Championships and Accomplishments

Derrick Dukes won several championships during his wrestling career:

• World Wrestling Council
  • WWC Television Championship (1 time)
• International Wrestling Association
  • IWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Pro Wrestling America
  • PWA Iron Horse Television Championship (3 times)
  • PWA Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Ricky Rice and Charlie Norris
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a magazine that ranks wrestlers. They ranked Derrick Dukes as the 153rd best singles wrestler in their "PWI 500" list in 1991.
• St. Paul Championship Wrestling
  • SCW Northern States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)