Former WWE wrestler Michael Droese, popularly known as Duke “The Dumpster” Droese during his wrestling career from 1994 to 1996, has been indicted by a Tennessee grand jury. The indictment follows allegations that Droese attempted to purchase child pornography in 2024. The charge against him is one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, a class D felony.
The case against Droese escalated after it was revealed that he intended to buy child sexual assault material. Chris Stanford, the District Attorney General of the 31st Judicial District in Tennessee, explained that the act of purchasing such material is considered an aggravated crime. This is because the funds used to buy the material contribute to the profitability of criminal enterprises that produce and distribute it globally.
The allegations against Droese surfaced when his attempt to buy child pornography from the dark web using his Coinbase account was flagged and subsequently terminated by the company on April 21, 2024. Coinbase then alerted the FBI, which in turn passed the information to the Warren County Sheriff’s Department. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was swiftly brought in to assist with the local investigation.
In May 2025, a grand jury handed down an indictment, and Droese turned himself in to the Warren County Sheriff’s Department. After posting a $10,000 bond, he was released. Droese is scheduled to appear in Warren County Circuit Court on May 28 for an arraignment hearing. If convicted, he could face a sentence of two to four years.
At the time of the indictment, Droese was employed as a DUI coordinator for the 31st Judicial District Adult Recovery Court Program, also known as the “Drug Court.” He had been working with the program in various roles for several years. Stanford confirmed that Droese did not work with children during his tenure with the program and that he has been terminated from his position effective immediately.
After retiring from his wrestling career, Droese became an elementary school teacher for students with learning disabilities in Tennessee. He also trained high school athletes. However, in 2013, he resigned from his teaching job after selling oxycodone to an undercover agent, which resulted in a one-month jail sentence.
Droese was a well-known figure in the wrestling world during the early ’90s. He had notable rivalries with Jerry “The King” Lawler and a young Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who is now WWE’s chief content officer. Droese left WWE in 1996 but continued to perform in smaller promotions around the world intermittently.