[4.0] "Rewatching this dude in the beginning of the Attitude Era is just cringy, I'm sorry. Even if he was good in AJPW (never seen those matches so can't comment) the promos he was cutting made we want to root for the Hart Foundation anyways, despite being major heels. I'm basing this rating entirely off his 97' WWF run, but from what I saw he was just so corny and out of place it was embarassing to watch and impossible to root for him. My favorite part of his run was Jerry Lawler constantly bashing him on commentary, which was often hilarious."
[9.0] "Always knew that Del Wilkes was a hella underrated worker. He go in the ring and had very good size and in-ring ability. He was fine in AWA, WCW, Japan, and WWF. Well should've had a longer run in the WWF and should've been AWA champion. Did fine as The Trooper and The Patriot."
[6.0] "Great look, good in the ring, but by the time he came to the WWF, the drugs and injuries ended his career rather quickly. Didn't really fit the attitude era that was blooming. Did good everywhere else."
[7.0] "The Trooper was one of the only reasons to keep watching the AWA at the time, had "future superstar" written all over him. Once Global was a thing and this newfangled fellow "The Patriot" arrived, I KNEW who it was but was still excited for & invested in this new gimmick/character! The whole Global run was tremendous (the company was in many ways built around him) and The Dark Patriot angle was very enjoyable. Fun stuff in WCW with Stars & Stripes along with Marcus Alexander Bagwell. He was also employed by the WWF at one point (that's all I will say). Unfortunately, behind the scenes the man had a litany of issues and because of them we never got to see him truly rise up and above in the ranks. Still a fan though!"
[7.0] "A very underrated worker in my opinion, Del "The Patriot" Wilkes was actually a great wrestler with a good gimmick, that perhaps came a few years too late. That being said, his run in the WWF in 1997 (possibly his best known run) was a great throwback to the classic 1980's, All-American hero wrestlers as the federation began to throw more and more of its stock into attitude. RIP good sir."
[7.0] "Del Wilkes, as the Trooper and then the Patriot, was a well-traveled figure, spending the most notable parts of his career between AWA, AJPW and WCW, and between his solid ring-work, look and patriotic gimmick was an easy-to-root-for babyface. His WWF career, despite starting with a bang with a proposed feud with Bret Hart, was ultimately short and unremarkable, but it is ultimately a footnote to a rather successful international career. Though Wilkes retired in 1997, the Patriot gimmick he originated lives on as it's currently portrayed by Tom Brandi on the independent scene (though allegedly without Wilkes' approval)."
[3.0] "I remember when WWE brought him in & he was suddenly in a top program with Bret & I was completely confused as to why. The announcers were talking like he was a huge name on the level of a Sting coming in to save the USA while riding on a bald eagle. He wore a mask, but they told us that everyone knows who he is. As a youngster at the time, I was just confused & I had no investment in this guy. I don't know if he made much of a name outside of WWE & quite frankly, I don't care to try to find out."
[6.0] "A solid wrestler with a pretty good gimmick. He was really unlucky with his run in the WWF, his gimmick didn't fit with the time and his run suffered greatly. He was a absolute beast during his run in Japan though."
[8.0] "An sich eigentlich ein sehr guter Wrestler. Kam allerdings mit diesem ernst gemeinten Face Gimmick zu einer Zeit in die WWF, als die Fans solcher 0815 Faces schon längst überdrüssig geworden waren. Da hätte auch das Anti-USA Stable in Form der Hart Foundation wahrscheinlich perspektivisch nix Wesentliches dran geändert. Zumal er unter den Backstage Querelen zwischen Hart und Michaels mit Blick auf seine Erfolgsaussichten (nach dem, was man so hört) gelitten hat wie kein Zweiter. Dann kam noch die Verletzung ... was ein Pechvogel."
[8.0] "Man sollte beim Wrestling vielleicht nicht immer nach dem "Sinn" fragen, aber warum bitte trägt ein Patriot in einem offen patriotischen Land wie Nordamerika eine Maske, warum muss er seine Identität verstecken? Ich befürchte es gibt auf diese Frage keine vernünftige Antwort, außer die Tatsache dass der Mann unter der Maske schlichtweg nicht das hübscheste Gesicht hatte. Als Wrestler auf jeden Fall sehr kompetent, hat mir immer gut gefallen."
[7.0] "Als ich vor ein paar Jahren alte WWF-Tapes sah war ich ziemlich angetan vom Patriot und hatte mich gefragt, warum ich heutzutage nichts mehr von Ihm sehe. Verletzung erklärt das natürlich. Schade drum, mir hat er gut gefallen."
