The Shining Wizards Podcast sent out the following:

Recently, the Shining Wizards spoke with “The Patriot” Del Wilkes:

On Tom Brandi using the Patriot Gimmick: I have not spoken to Tom Brandi in over twenty years. He came over and did a tour with us in All-Japan and it just didn’t go well, he just didn’t fit in. Not being critical, but facts are facts. When you spend as much time together as we did on the American Bus… we spent hours on that bus; we all stayed at the same hotel for the most part, on the same floor. Most of us go to the same restaurants, the same gym. We’re together constantly over there. Chemistry is so important, and he just didn’t fit in. A lot of the boys went to Baba about it and he actually caused some friction, so Baba never brought him back after maybe one or two tours. So that’s the last time I’ve laid eyes on Tom or spoken to Tom. He didn’t buy anything from me, I didn’t sell him anything, I didn’t give him permission, I didn’t give him my blessings, but it is somewhat really just a sad commentary on a guy that- again not being critical, I think being factual- had a mediocre career at best. I guess the best thing that’s ever happened to him was me. But, ya know what’s bad about it? It’s one thing to present yourself as someone you’re not, but he takes it a step further. My bio, he has taken as his. HE worked in All-Japan. HE worked in Global. HE worked in WCW. A lot of the fans had gotten smart to him. I’ve had numbers of them communicate with me through Facebook, say, “Hey man we saw you at a show in New Jersey somewhere,” and they were suspicious. So they’d walk up to Tom and say, “Hey are you Del Wilkes or are you somebody else?” And he goes, “No, yeah, I’m Del. How ya doing?” So he introduces himself as me, he sells pictures of me. I think several years ago, he did a shoot interview about his career and I was on the cover, it was ME, not him. So he has basically stolen my identity.

For more with Del, including talk about his upcoming documentary Del “The Patriot” Wilkes: The Man Behind the Mask, his addiction to pills and overcoming said addiction, his thoughts on his time in Global, WCW, WWE, the origins of the Patriot gimmick, and more, go to www.shiningwizards.com and listen to Episode 214: A Tale of Two Dels.