by Ted DiBiase
Prior to SummerSlam 1994, all the fans were concerned about the whereabouts of Undertaker. In January at the Royal Rumble, Yokozuna had the help of eight other wrestlers as he locked Undertaker in a casket to win the match. There were some Undertaker sightings, but nobody had seen him for weeks.
“Hey, I am the Million Dollar Man. My money talks and nobody has the ability or resources to bring Undertaker back except me. I will bring him back and he is now guided not by the urn, but by money.” Then I brought out a guy who walked, looked, and dressed like Undertaker. But it wasn’t him. Eventually the real Undertaker came back, which was a setup for an Undertaker vs. Undertaker match. After throwing the fake Undertaker (Brian Lee—who wrestled as “Prime Time” Brian Lee in Smoky Mountain Wrestling) in a coffin, the real Undertaker won the match and the fake one was never seen again in World Wrestling Federation.
Vince eventually took me out of the announcing booth. He told me that he wanted me exclusively as a manager. Vince wanted me on the road fulltime to manage Sid Vicious. I served as his advisor and mentor. I was to groom Sid, and teach him about the business and how to work in the business.
Sid had come into World Wrestling Federation after an incident that had happened overseas with World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He and Arn Anderson got into an altercation at their hotel in England. It led to a fight that ended up with Sid stabbing Arn in the back with a pair of cuticle scissors. After all was said and done, Arn ended up with more than twenty stab wounds. The company fired Sid.
When Vince told me this, I didn’t want to do it. The reason was because of my friendship with Arn. I pulled Bruce Prichard to the side and told him, “So, Vince wants me to go on the road and babysit this big and strong yet raw guy who stabbed one of my best friends, Arn, in the back?”
Bruce simply replied, “Yes.”
I came to find out that Sid was a decent guy. He wasn’t a good technical wrestler, but he had a chiseled body, conducted great interviews, and had respect for the business. He was a legitimate six-nine and was very
Sid Vicious.
intimidating. He listened to me and worked very hard to improve in the ring. He eventually became a two-time World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion.
In 2001 while working for WCW, Sid unfortunately suffered a career-ending injury in the ring. While wrestling Scott Steiner, Sid uncharacteristically went to the middle rope. As he landed, he broke his leg. With the cameras catching every detail, Sid’s left leg broke in half, snapping both the fibula and tibia, with one of the bones poking through the skin. It was heartbreaking. What was even more pathetic was how WCW exploited the injury, showing it over and over on TV. I understand Sid is trying to make a comeback and I wish him the best of luck.
While managing Sid, I traveled all over the States and even a couple of times to Europe. I really didn’t want to be on the road. It pulled me away from my family. Because of my commitment to the company, and the fact that I needed the money, I sucked it up and went on the road. I thought to myself that everything would eventually work out and my days on the road would soon decrease.
After Sid left the company, I was very fortunate to manage one of the most successful wrestlers in the history of the company, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Back then, he was known as the Ringmaster. Once again, Vince thought that I could help get Steve over with the fans. Steve had worked in the WCW as “Stunning” Steve Austin. He was a good worker and held a few singles titles as well as the tag-team titles with Brian Pillman. Together they were the Hollywood Blondes. While wrestling in Japan, Steve suffered an injury and he had to take some time off. The next thing you know, WCW boss Eric Bischoff fired him. It had also been reported that Eric didn’t think Austin was marketable. What was he thinking? Steve would go on to win the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship on six different occasions and is hands down one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of WWE.
I liked Steve the first time I met him. He was a very likable guy and he had lots of charisma and talent. He had a deep appreciation for the sport and respected those who paved the way for him. Steve was always working to get better and he would always listen to me.
I remember early on, some of the agents were unnecessarily critical of Steve’s ring work. Steve asked me, “Ted, so-and-so keeps coming up to me and telling me that I need to do more in the ring, especially my TV matches. They say that I have to pick up the pace and do more high-flying moves and things like that. What do you think?”
“Steve, don’t change anything. What you are doing in the ring is wrestling in a way that is believable. You aren’t flying all over the ring like a Ping-Pong ball and that’s a good thing. Your style makes you different from others. You are wrestling very old-school. Now Steve, the way you work might not get you over with the crowd as fast as the high flyers, but everything you do in the ring is crisp, sound, and believable. And because of your sound technique, you will eventually get over. And when you get over with the crowd, you can bet the house that you will be permanently over. Stick to your guns and keep doing what you are doing in the ring. I believe that you will soon be one of the top heels that this company has ever had.” I was right.
Along the way, I gave Steve the Million Dollar Belt. Since he was my guy, it made sense for me to just give him my title. I think the belt and Steve’s association with me played a major role in helping him initially get over with the crowd.
I had to face it, my heart was no longer in the wrestling business. Despite all the success I had with World Wrestling Federation from 1987 to 1993 as a wrestler, television commentator, and manager, I no longer wanted to spend so much time on the road. I thought it was time for me to get off the road once and for all, to make my family and faith the top priorities in my life. Since my contract required me to give written notice if I wanted out, I decided to write Vince a letter. The letter was drafted by my attorney to make sure all was legal and per the guidelines of my contract. It said that I did not want to renew my contract as it was written. When Vince received the letter, I guess he was very upset. On May 26, 1996, at the next major Pay-Per-View TV taping, In Your House 8: Beware of Dog, Vince said, “Ted, I received your letter. You will finish today.”
We shook hands and I said, “Okay, but I really didn’t want it to end this way.” If Vince had been willing to keep me as a manager and commentator so that I didn’t have to be on the road all the time, I would have renegotiated my contract and stayed.
I was told by the creative team that when I went into the ring with Steve, I was to cut this promo. “I am so confident that the Ringmaster can beat Savio Vega that if he doesn’t, I will permanently leave World Wrestling Federation forever.” In the Caribbean Strap match, I interfered and caused Steve to lose. As I left the ring, the capacity crowd in Florence, South Carolina, were going bananas as they enthusiastically chanted, “Na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, hey, hey, good-bye …” After all that I had been through in World Wrestling Federation, it was a pretty unceremonious end to the career of the Million Dollar Man.
The wrestling business had been very good to me. I rose to a level of success and achievement that few guys get to do in the industry. I will always be grateful for the opportunities that Vince gave me with his company. He gave me an unbelievable character and the means to maintain it for nearly a decade. My time with Vince in World Wrestling Federation was hands down the greatest in my career.
I wish I would have spoken to Vince directly and not sent him that letter. At the time, I just didn’t think that Vince would understand. I still regret it to this day.
I had a chance to reconcile with Vince in 2003 at Road Warrior Hawk’s funeral. Hawk had died in his sleep from a heart attack at forty-six. Along with Nikita Koloff, I was asked to give the eulogy. We were very good friends and I know that before he died he had accepted Jesus as his savior.
During a quiet moment, I pulled Vince aside. It was the first time I had seen him since 1996. We hugged and shook hands, then I said, “Vince, it
is great to see you. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you in a long time. I just wanted you to know that I shouldn’t have sent you that letter. I should have just sat down and told you how I was truly feeling face-to-face. I didn’t get a chance to tell you then, but I am telling you now.”
Vince nodded his head and said, “You should have told me, Ted. I would have understood. But now I’m glad you told me.”
“I got word that you were upset with me because I told some of the boys that I was happy to finally get out of the company. Well, I did make that statement. But it was misinterpreted. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh my gosh, I am finally out of World Wrestling Federation.’ What I was trying to say was that I could finally relax from the grind of being on the road. Please understand that I didn’t leave the company because I was dissatisfied or unhappy. I left because I was neglecting my family and trying to get my personal life in order.”
“I understand and thank you for sharing that with me.”
14
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING
I wanted to get off the road; however, I still wanted to be part of the wrestling business. It was in my blood. What else was I supposed to do to make a living? I never graduated from college and had no other skills. After a show in L.A. back in 1993, I ran into Barry Bloom, a Hollywood agent who had a number of wrestlers under contract. Barry and I became friends.
We talked about a lot of things. He sensed that I was unhappy and asked me what was wrong. I poured out my heart to him. I mentioned that I was very unhappy with my current working situation and being away from my family. Barry was supportive and understanding. He mentioned that there might be another option. “They might want you at WCW.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Why can’t you go to WCW and do the same thing you are doing with Vince? You can go to WCW as a manager or television commentator.”
Intrigued, I asked, “Do you think there is any interest?”
“Ted, I don’t know but I can easily find out.”
I didn’t hear from Barry again until we were back on the West Coast for some spot shows. I called Barry and told him I was in town. He told me to swing by the office when I had some time. One afternoon, as I walked into his office, the head of WCW, Eric Bischoff, was there. I didn’t stay too long. We exchanged some casual chat and I said, “Okay, guys, I have to leave to get ready for tonight’s show.” We shook hands and Eric jokingly said, “Ted, if you ever get tired of working where you are, look us up.”
A couple of days later, Barry called me and said that WCW had genuine interest in me. It was after the call from Barry that I started thinking about going to work for WCW. I thought that maybe the move would be the best thing for my career and family. Managers in WCW didn’t go on the road; I would only have to be away from home every Monday.
In May of 1996, my contract had ended with World Wrestling Federation. According to the provisions, I was required to sit out for ninety days. Meantime, I got ahold of Barry and told him that I was interested in working for WCW. Barry became my agent and he met with Eric Bischoff to negotiate my contract. It was the first time in my wrestling career that I had both an agent and someone else negotiating my contract.
Once the ninety-day clause expired, I signed a six-figure, three-year, stair-stepping, guaranteed no-cut contract with WCW. I would serve as a manager and television commentator. It was substantially more than I had made doing the same thing with World Wrestling Federation. The deal also included first-class round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, and all my rental car expenses.
I joined the WCW in the middle of World Wrestling Federation vs. WCW. I wasn’t alone. I ran into many old World Wrestling Federation wrestlers that Vince had created who had jumped ship: Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. It was a landmark time in the wrestling business that no one had experienced before. The greatest angle in wrestling wasn’t Hulk Hogan and his newly formed nWo (New World Order) faction, or what was going on in World Wrestling Federation with its New Attitude; it was the war between the two companies. And it was during the advent of hundreds upon hundreds of wrestling websites and 900 telephone numbers, all of them filled with wrestling rumors and information. The fans knew what was going on and they loved it.
Because of the ongoing battle, more people started watching wrestling, more than ever before. Every Monday night, people would switch back and forth between World Wrestling Federation’s flagship show, Raw, and the WCW’s Nitro. For a time, more people watched wrestling than Monday Night Football.
The Monday Night Wars created some of the best wrestling drama. The talent and writers for both companies pulled out all the stops to attain ratings and sponsors. For more than a year, the WCW was winning the ratings battle. But Vince didn’t and never would quit. With the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Mick Foley, WWE eventually won the war.
I was introduced to WCW at a live Nitro show. A few weeks prior to me actually being seen on live TV, they showed live clips of the nWo (Hogan, Nash, and Hall) talking to someone in a limousine parked outside the venue. The announcers told the audience and viewers that there was someone in the limo. The viewers couldn’t tell who it was. For weeks, they did a good job of building the suspense and teasing the viewers about who it could be.
Finally, the television cameras showed me walking into the arena and taking a seat in the audience. The commentators were stunned and energetically said, “Look at that. Who is it? Oh my gosh, it’s Ted DiBiase! What in the world is he doing here on Nitro?”
Throughout the two-hour show, they kept cutting to me in the crowd. At the very end of the program, right after the nWo won their match, the camera panned back to me. I was smiling. Then I looked directly in the camera and said, “Next week, four!” As the show concluded, the announcers speculated, “What does Ted DiBiase mean? What does ‘Next week, four’ mean? What is he talking about?”
The following week on Nitro, I came out to the ring with the nWo. I was introduced by Hulk Hogan to the wrestling world not as the Million Dollar Man, but as Billionaire Ted. Vince owned the Million Dollar Man name, but Hogan came up with the nickname. Hogan had used the term quite frequently, though people assumed he was talking about Ted Turner. In October of 1996, when the nWo was beating up the Nasty Boys, Hogan even called me Trillionaire Ted.
Hogan told the crowd that I was the so-called financier behind the nWo. I cut a promo saying, “I am the money and power behind the entire nWo takeover. With my resources and the nWo’s power, there is absolutely nothing that anyone can do to stop us!”
VIRGIL:
Ted helped bring me into WCW to serve as the head of security for the nWo. Although they changed my name to Vincent, Teddy and I, along with Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Syxx, and Eric Bischoff, were the original seven members of the nWo.
The experience was great. I went from one great gimmick as the bodyguard for the Million Dollar Man to the head of security for the hottest faction in professional wrestling, the nWo.
After working a few weeks with the company, I quickly realized that the WCW was one of the most disorganized companies that I had ever been a part of. I sensed that there was an internal power struggle going on among some of the major talent—namely Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. With all three men having guaranteed contracts, it seemed that each guy was continually battling and jockeying for the spotlight.
Another problem that contributed to the disorganization was that many of the nWo’s stars, and other talent, had a creative-control clause in their contract. In other words, if any of the wrestlers didn’t want to work with Eric or do what the creative team wanted him to do, then he simply didn’t have to do it. It led to no one ever wanting to get beat or lose a match. I can’t tell you how much complaining, fighting, and griping went on backstage about who had to win or lose a match. The nWo was very over with the crowd, but because of all the problems, it eventually lost its impact.
The nWo was Eric Bischoff’s idea
. Although Paul Orndorff and Terry Taylor helped polish up the particulars, Eric deserves credit for the idea. But the nWo was his only idea. What Eric couldn’t do was what Vince McMahon could, create stars. Eric didn’t have the experience, savvy, or pedigree to do what Vince did with wrestling talent. When Eric was put in charge of WCW, he simply signed a stable of guys, for huge amounts of money, that Vince had already made famous. Unquestionably, Eric Bischoff was no Vince McMahon.
While Paul Orndorff did play a role in the training of Bill Goldberg—at the WCW’s Power Plant—Bill was the only wrestler that Eric somewhat developed. Although he had a great look, his wrestling skills were limited. To get Bill over with the crowd, they put him on an unbelievable winning streak: 173 consecutive victories. However, when Kevin Nash beat Goldberg, ending the streak, they didn’t know what to do with him.
When I first met Goldberg, we got along. He was nice and a very personable guy. Some guys have told me that Bill let his success go to his head. But he always seemed to have respect for the business. He held numerous titles, including the Heavyweight Championship for about three months back in 1993. Currently retired from wrestling, Bill hosted a reality television series called Bullrun, where twelve teams compete in a four-thousand-mile road rally.
My character and role in WCW was affected because of all the internal problems. I was signed by Eric to serve as the manager and mouthpiece of the nWo. As the nWo’s popularity started to grow, Eric decided that he wanted to be that mouthpiece. So he took himself out of television commentating and put himself into my role.