by Ted DiBiase
“Man, the last time you guys were here, Virgil went to take the car back. He got into the car and instead of backing up, he drove forward and ran right over the concrete block. The air bag shot out of the steering wheel and hit him right in the head. It gave him a black eye and a bloody lip.”
That evening Virgil picked me up to take me to the arena. On the way there I asked him, “Hey, man, how is your lip and eye?”
“Oh, it’s okay now.”
“Hey, Virgil, that door you ran into didn’t happen to look anything like an air bag, did it?”
His eyes got big and he said, “Who told you, man, who told you?” We just laughed.
VIRGIL:
I purchased a three-thousand-dollar Pelle black leather coat. Davey Boy Smith ribbed me real good by putting tape on the back of my jacket. When I went to remove the tape, the glue pulled the leather off. I was furious and immediately wanted to get back at Davey Boy. Ted convinced me to wait a while and get him a few weeks down the road. A few weeks later, Davey left his Union Jack flag cape unattended. I seized the moment and cut my name out of the back of the cape. It was perfect. Davey then tried to get me back by cutting my black pants. The pants he destroyed were actually Mr. Fuji’s trousers.
I wrestled the Macho Man, Randy Savage, in a Steel Cage match in Madison Square Garden. There were no disqualifications, but the only way to win in that type of match was to escape from the cage by either climbing over the top or going through the door, and having both feet touch the ground. Throughout, we teased the fans with a tit-for-tat match. The final spot was for Randy to knock me out and climb over the top of the cage. As Randy headed up, Virgil came up from the outside to prevent him from leaving. Out of nowhere, a fan jumped the rail, climbed the cage, and tried to knock Virgil down. I screamed for Virgil to knock the fan down. He grabbed the guy by the head and threw him to the ground. Simultaneously, security and the police were there to arrest the guy. When we got back to the locker room, we had a good laugh.
In February of 1988, in front of a national televised audience, Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan to win the title. The Million Dollar Man who could buy anything wanted the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight title, so I purchased the title from Andre and became the new champion. World Wrestling Federation Commissioner Jack Tunney quickly stripped me of the title and ordered a tournament be held at WrestleMania IV to determine the new champion. It was my first WrestleMania and it was held at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City. I even met Donald Trump and his then wife, Ivana.
In the tournament, I beat “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Don Muraco. After getting a bye in the semifinals because Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were disqualified in their match, I squared off against Randy Savage in the finals. With the help of Hulk Hogan, Randy pinned me around the ten-minute mark to become the new World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion. The noise from the near-capacity crowd of over twenty thousand was deafening.
I was told that at WrestleMania IV I was going to win the title and become the champion. But Vince came up to me and told me that there was a change in plans. It seemed that there was an earlier dispute between the Honky Tonk Man and Randy Savage. In an effort to make everyone happy, Vince McMahon did what he had to do in the best interest of his company.
I would have loved to have been the champion. To have my name etched in stone with those who paved the way would have been a major accomplishment. But a heel champion is a transitional champion and he never holds the title for any major period of time. The fans wanted to come and cheer for their heroes. They wanted their champion to be the good guy, like Hulk Hogan. Winning the title isn’t that important from a career standpoint.
When Vince told me that the plans had changed, he said, “Ted, you are the Million Dollar Man. What do you care about the title? It makes you an
The Macho Man and I always had great matches.
even bigger heel by losing. Afterward, you say you don’t need the belt and we create your own title, the Million Dollar Belt. The way we will design it will put the heavyweight title to shame.” I was now the biggest pompous ass in the industry and the fans hated me more than ever. I was so hated that my character was instrumental in turning many heels to babyfaces, such as Randy Savage, Hercules Hernandez, the Big Boss Man, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
TERRY FUNK:
The Million Dollar Man may have been Vince McMahon’s idea, but I don’t believe there was another person in the wrestling industry who could have been that character any better. He did a wonderful and marvelous job with it.
Teddy is a very unselfish individual. He also had respect for his opponent and the business. This is why Teddy did so well in the business, and I think Vince McMahon knew this about Teddy. And Teddy never held the heavyweight championship, which was a sign of him being a great worker. He could draw crowds and money without a championship title around his waist.
After WrestleMania IV and for the rest of 1988, I mainly wrestled in tag-team matches, partnered with Andre the Giant. It was a way for Andre to stay in the main events while protecting his injured back. Andre was a great friend. Most people didn’t know he wrestled in pain. There were times when we walked to the ring together and he would have his hand on my shoulder to keep himself balanced. In the ring, I basically did all the work. Andre was very limited. Still, we had great tag-team matches against Hulk Hogan and a variety of guys. At the first-ever SummerSlam held at Madison Square Garden, we tagged for the match dubbed “Where the Mega-Powers Meet the Mega-Bucks.” Former Minnesota governor and Superstar Jesse “the Body” Ventura was the guest referee. Randy’s manager and then real-life wife, Elizabeth, moved away from her conservative nature and tore her skirt off to distract Ventura when victory was in our hands.
In March of 1988, Melanie gave birth to my third son, Brett. Although we are so blessed to have Brett today, at the time he was the proverbial accident. Another child was the furthest thing from our minds. In fact, Melanie was on birth control. But she caught a cold and was put on antibiotics. Unbeknownst to us, the antibiotics canceled out the pill. I will never forget the day we saw the sonogram. Melanie saw it first. She smiled and said, “I guess you got your way again.” Sure enough, it was a boy!
I wanted to make sure that I was with Melanie before and after the baby was born. As it got closer to the due date, we decided that Melanie would have a cesarean section. I adjusted my schedule to make sure everything was in order. On March 16, with me by her side in the delivery room, Melanie gave birth to a healthy, seven-pound baby boy.
Later that year in Providence, I won the fourth King of the Ring tournament. I went through some great guys that night, first pinning Brutus Beefcake and then Ken Patera. In the semifinal, I was scheduled to face Ron Bass after he pinned none other than young and upcoming Superstar Shawn Michaels. But I paid off Ron Bass and he forfeited the match. I told the angry crowd, “Don’t get upset with Ron Bass. He is no different than you. He did the same thing that anybody would do. He took the money. Just like him, everybody has a price for the Million Dollar Man.”
Tim White, Andre’s friend and handler, Virgil, and I would travel together. I enjoyed being with Andre. Besides eating and drinking a lot, we did everything first-class. He loved champagne and one night he ordered a hundred-dollar bottle of Dom Pérignon. Before the night was out, we had gone through ten bottles.
The more I traveled with Andre, the more I understood what he went through on a daily basis. He was a larger-than-life guy with a big heart, but he didn’t have any private time. Where could a seven-four giant hide? People were constantly asking him for his autograph or to have their picture taken with him. It had come to the point where someone had to be with him at all times just to keep people away. One night, Andre and I were sitting at the lounge drinking a beer at the Marriott hotel in San Francisco. A woman came up to him. “Andre, Andre, will you please sign your autograph.”
Andre replied, “No, not now.”
She persisted and
wouldn’t take no for an answer. I finally stepped in and said, “Look, lady, everybody is entitled to their privacy. This is our time. Please come back in a little while.”
In a snippy tone she replied, “Well, that isn’t fair. I just attended the event and paid for a ticket to see you guys wrestle. I also spent money on T-shirts and even bought a video game. This is how you treat me?”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, but you got exactly what you paid for. You were entertained tonight. What you have to understand is that all the wrestlers are entitled to their privacy, including Andre. So it would be appreciated if you would simply leave.”
It was amazing to me how indignant some people can get. They think that just because one is a celebrity, they have a right to intrude on that person’s privacy. And they don’t. Now, did Andre and I both sign autographs? Absolutely, yes! The fans are what the sport of wrestling is all about. But with respect to Andre, there came a time when he just quit signing. He was simply bombarded with too many requests.
The World Wrestling Federation work schedule was initially three weeks on and then a week off. I was in a different city every day and a different hotel every night. The schedule was then changed to ten days on, three days off, back on for four days, and then off for three again. In reality, we only got off six days a month.
HARLEY RACE:
Ted and I were both in World Wrestling Federation together. He was always congenial and we had respect for each other. He performed wonderfully in his role as the Million Dollar Man. His work in the ring was impeccable.
By early 1989, World Wrestling Federation was on an incredible roll. Vince McMahon’s strategy was an overwhelming success. Some business schools throughout the country started using World Wrestling Federation as a case study. Vince had also started to market a vast array of wrestling games and toys, such as the action figures of me, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, and the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard). The Tonka toy company later introduced a soft, stuffed doll about eighteen inches tall called Wrestling Buddies. My youngest son, Brett, grew up with a doll of me by his side. World Wrestling Federation also launched its first-ever video arcade game as well as a video game for the Nintendo game system.
ARN ANDERSON:
One of the best ribs Teddy ever pulled on me was the “Ear in the Glass” rib. It was so famous that Bret Hart alluded to it in his 2006 WWE Hall of Fame speech. After a show in Salt Lake City, we had a little party at the bar in the Marriott hotel. I was leaving World Wrestling Federation, so it was sort of a going-away party. We were drinking and having a good time. Teddy was there with Tully Blanchard, Bret Hart, Terry Taylor, and a bunch of the guys. One of Teddy’s fraternity buddies from college, Mad Dog, was also there. He was the equipment manager for the West Texas football team. He also had a prosthetic ear. I guess when I left to use the bathroom, Teddy took the guy’s ear off and put it in the bottom of my sea-breeze drink. Without me looking, Teddy led a toast wishing me success, calling a salute, and everybody drank. As I drank, something hit the top of my teeth. I looked in the glass and there was a man’s ear. I couldn’t believe it. I started spewing and puking from the bar all the way to the front door. They all had a good laugh, and I have to admit, it was infamous in the annals of ribs for achieving its desired effect!
I started off 1989 wrestling in the thirty-man Royal Rumble held in Houston. At the live Pay-Per-View, I drew number twenty-two. I didn’t like the number. Using my status and wealth, I consulted the manager of the Big Boss Man and Akeem, the Slickster. I made him an offer that he couldn’t refuse and swapped picks to attain position number thirty. Unfortunately, I was eliminated by Big John Studd. For the next four years, I had a horrible streak of losses at the Royal Rumble.
The Royal Rumble 1990 was held in Orlando. I knew I was going to be part of the event and didn’t think that I would wrestle more than five or ten minutes. So I went out with the boys, partying at Church Street Station and other area bars. I definitely had drunk more than I should have. I arrived at the arena and felt very light-headed. I thought to myself, “Thank goodness I’m wrestling in the Rumble. There is no way I could wrestle for more than fifteen minutes.” Pat Patterson came up to me and said, “Ted, don’t eat too much today. You are going to be in the Rumble a long time.” I smiled and thought he was teasing me. Pat quickly added, “No, no, Ted. I am serious. You are going to be in there for nearly an hour.”
PAT PATTERSON:
I created the Royal Rumble. Years ago, somewhere in the business somebody came up with the idea of the regular battle royal. I always wanted to come up with an idea for the business. The Royal Rumble involved thirty guys, beginning with two men in the ring, and every ninety seconds or two minutes someone else would enter. The guys loved working the event.
At first, Vince didn’t fully believe in it. He thought an hour would be too long. The first Royal Rumble was held in Hamilton, Ontario, as a special on the USA Network. The results were huge ratings. Television-wise, it was a very successful night. It is now an annual Pay-Per-View event held every January.
Since I purchased the final spot at the previous year’s Royal Rumble, the creative team decided to have some fun with the Million Dollar Man. With a national audience watching, I was stunned when I drew the first spot in the Rumble. The interviewer said, “It looks like the Million Dollar Man’s money didn’t work for him this year. He is number one!” I went out and wrestled for a record forty-four minutes and forty-seven seconds until I was eliminated by the Ultimate Warrior. After the match, I was completely exhausted.
At first, I had no problem with the Ultimate Warrior. He had a great body, but his wrestling skills were limited. Vince McMahon wanted to market his look. As a person who grew up in the industry and respected it, I just believed that the Ultimate Warrior didn’t appreciate the opportunity. He was even made the champion. I didn’t believe that he gave his all to the company.
The Ultimate Warrior wasn’t a good technical wrestler and he lacked charisma. There have been many guys in the business who weren’t good workers, such as JYD, but he had charisma and, more important, he respected the profession. Vince helped the Warrior get over by putting him in the ring with guys who could make him look good: me, Jake Roberts, and Hulk Hogan. All of his matches with Hogan were a credit to Hogan’s wrestling. But the Ultimate Warrior never became a student of the business and never appreciated anybody who tried to help him, including me.
Very rarely did I leave the ring angry. When I wrestled the Warrior one time in Japan, I left the ring mad. Right after he became champion, World Wrestling Federation went on a tour of Japan. Vince put me in a match with the Warrior in the sold-out Egg Dome to make him look good. I had no problem doing that, but I did get upset by the way it turned out.
Having wrestled in Japan, I was familiar with the style. I let the Warrior know that our match should be more serious and less animated than in the States. For the first ten minutes of the match, I made him look like a wrestling god. I bumped all over the ring and absorbed all of his power spots. When my turn came to make a comeback, the referee told me that time had been cut and the match had to end. In front of a capacity crowd, I got squashed by the Warrior. I never asked or found out why, but I was clearly mad.
One example of his self-centeredness was when I was invited to do an autograph session in New York a few years ago. There were other wrestlers that attended, including the Ultimate Warrior. All the wrestlers were together in a room and we signed autographs and sold our gimmicks. A few fans asked about the Warrior and wondered where he was. I didn’t pay attention but noticed he wasn’t in the room. I was told, “The Warrior said he didn’t want to be in the same room with the other wrestlers signing autographs. He wanted his own room, space, and table.” His pompous attitude was typical.
If the Warrior had been more personable, and appreciated what the boys tried to do to help him, I would have had no problem with him. But he didn’t. If it wasn’t for everyone else wh
o worked their tails for him, he would have never made it in World Wrestling Federation.
The Royal Rumble 1992 in Albany, New York, was one of my easiest paydays ever, but the end result made all the fans in attendance and watching on Pay-Per-View very happy. Based on my history in the Rumble, the creative team decided to do something different with my character. The British Bulldog drew the first spot and I got the second. Before the commentators could even share our stats with the viewers, I was eliminated in slightly more than one minute. The loss would soon spearhead me into tag team wrestling.
Since I couldn’t win or buy the World Wrestling Federation title, the storyline then had me purchasing my own championship title. I unveiled the Million Dollar Belt in 1989. It was designed and made by Terry Betteridge of Betteridge Jewelers in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is a world-renowned gemologist. The fans were told that it was made of real gold and laced with
hundreds of real diamonds in the shape of three large dollar signs. It wasn’t. The belt was gold-plated and all of the stones were cubic zirconia. But on the back of the belt, there were three tiny authentic diamonds. I asked Vince, “Why are those three diamonds back there?”
“They are real diamonds.”
“Why are they back there? Nobody is ever going to see them.”
“Well, Ted, we just want to keep you honest. When anybody asks you if the diamonds in the belt are real and you say yes, well, you aren’t lying.”
According to the documents that I carried for the belt whenever I went through customs, its estimated value was about forty thousand dollars. In all of my years that I carried the belt, I was never asked to show papers. Though I have a replica of the belt, the actual one is locked in a safe. It should be noted that the belt was never an official title and thus wasn’t ever sanctioned by World Wrestling Federation.