He grew up in Lodi, California, and started his wrestling career in 1990 on the Independent Circuit. His big break came when the WWF brought him on the roster in 1994. While his WWF career never really took off to star status he did have a great fanbase in Germany anytime he wrestled there.
Born:
August 20, 1968
Real Name:
Michael Droese
Place Of Birth:
California, USA
Height:
6 ft 6
Weight:
305 lbs
Twitter Handle – @RealDukeDroese
Duke Droese WWE Career
WWF Debut: 1994
Current Status: Retired
Main Character: Duke “The Dumpster” Droese
Entrance Music: Dumpster
By: Jim Johnston
Billed From: Mount Trashmore, Florida
Manager(s): No Manager
Alter Egos: Marshall Duke, Rocco Gibraltar, Garbage Man, Duke El Basurero, The Dumpster, Harry Race
Finisher: The Trash Compactor
Signature Moves: Elbow Drop
Last WWE Match: 2001 Gimmick Battle Royal
Last Pro Match: May 2019 Infinite Gauntlet Match, Chikara Organization
Gimmick: Duke’s main gimmick was the Garbage Man. He would carry a metal garbage can to every match and more often than not used it on his opponents by smashing it over their heads.
Career Summary: Duke Droese was, unfortunately, part of the wrestlers with other jobs gimmick that the WWF would often utilize in the 90s. The gimmick really didn’t do much for his career as it never really went over with the crowd and was kind of silly overall.
That being said he did as much as he could with the role and made it work here and there. The crowd always got satisfaction when someone got smacked on the head with one of his garbage can lids. He had the size and worked well on the microphone but injuries took their toll on Droese and he eventually worked out a contract release from the WWF with Vince McMahon.
Duke Droese WWF Stats
Won: 136 (57%)
Lost: 99 (42%)
Draws: 2 (1%)
- Most Wins Against – Triple H (15-13)
- Most Losses Against – Pierre Carl Ouellet (3-20)
- Titles Won – None
Notable Wrestlers, He Defeated:
- Triple H
- Kane
- Jerry Lawler
Duke Droese Wrestling Attire Looks
Duke for the most part wore a classic blue garbage man’s outfit for most of his WWF career. It had black suspenders and a white name patch with Duke written across. From time to time he also wore a beige shirt overtop with the sleeves cut off.
For a brief time, they experimented with a green look. This included green pants, a white tank top with Duke written across the chest, and a black beanie on his head.
Of course, his main accessory was always a metal garbage can which he brought to ringside every match.
Duke Droese Royal Rumble Results
1995 Royal Rumble
Draw – #4
Eliminated # – 3rd man out
Eliminated By: Shawn Michaels
1996 Royal Rumble
Draw – #30
Eliminated # – 26th man out
Eliminated By: Diesel and Kama
Fun Facts About Duke The Dumpster Droese
- Duke handed Triple H his very first loss in the WWE, the win earned him the #30 spot in the 1996 Royal Rumble.
- Jerry Lawler once used Droese’s own garbage can to smack him over the head in a spot for their feud. This is considered one of the earliest instances of “hardcore” wrestling and Lawler actually had to apologize for the violent act at the time.
- After wrestling Mike Droese became a special education teacher in Florida.
