#42 - Virgil

For many the pinnacle of the Civil Rights Movement was in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1960s. Sadly those people are mistaken for the Civil Rights Movement was on a simmer throughout the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter and Reagan administrations until finally boiling over into frothy madness early on in the Bush presidency. Of course the watershed moment was when Virgil was finally able to win his freedom from "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.

For years Virgil was basically the slave of Ted DiBiase. In a PC world, the DiBiase/Virgil relationship was about as un-PC as it got. Then finally Virgil was able to become emancipated and he struck it out on his own, where he became one of the losingest wrestlers in WWF history.

Was life fair to Virgil? Certainly not. After being destroyed by Yokozuna he left WWF and went to WCW where he became Vincet, the slave of the nWo. Natch this was bewildering to fans who had cheered Virgil on during his meteoric Roots esque rise from poverty to prosperity but still Virgil persevered yet again, as he has been able to parlay his fame into gigs at all the major comic book conventions. And as you can see from the picture above, empty chairs across the world eagerly get in line for his $30 autograph.

Virgil's in ring acumen is top notch, but his societal impact is the biggest justification for his spot at #42 on our list. So next time you think about Rosa Parks, remember that it was Virgil who finished what she started.