by Ted DiBiase
TERRY TAYLOR:
In an effort to be part of World Wrestling Federation, I used to call Pat Patterson every Friday at noon for nine months straight. I had a new son and I needed to work. I also really wanted to be in World Wrestling Federation. When Teddy got hired as the Million Dollar Man, I called him and asked if he could help me out. I told Teddy I had been trying to get in for some nine months. Sometimes Pat would answer, but most of the time I got an answering machine. Teddy understood and said he would go to bat for me and talk to Pat. And he did.
Soon thereafter, I called Pat one Friday at noon for like the fortieth time. This time Pat answered and said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you are just looking for an opportunity.”
“You don’t even know who this is.”
“Yes, I do. You have been calling here every Friday at noon for almost a year. If you promise to never call again, I’ll give you a chance to come to TV on Monday.” Thanks, Teddy!
I also want to say that I am lucky Teddy was around because he has the largest head in the business. I can’t believe the size of that melon. If it wasn’t for him, I probably would have that honor. Thanks again, Teddy!
There is an old saying in wrestling, “There are big stars and there are good hands. And the good hands never make any money, because they are making the big stars into big stars.” I think Teddy is one of the first guys to ever be a good hand that became a big star. Because he could get a great match out of anybody—he was big, athletic, and could talk as good as anybody on the microphone. Teddy meant a whole lot to the business and gave a whole lot back. Not many people can say that.
In mid-1989, I started an angle with Jake Roberts. It initially started when Jake and Andre got into a program. Andre had interfered in one of Jake’s matches. As Andre was beating Jake down, Jake sought help from his snake, Damien. Jake let his snake out of the bag and Andre hightailed it out of the ring. It was obvious that Andre was scared of snakes. I voiced my opinion about Jake and the next thing I knew, Jake started using Damien to scare Virgil and me. After a match at a television taping of Superstars of Wrestling Jake pinned Virgil. When his back was turned, I jumped him from behind and administered a series of piledrivers. I had broken his neck, putting him out of commission for a few months. He actually had already needed surgery on his neck, so the angle gave him an opportunity to take some time off.
We re-ignited our program in March of 1990. Jake returned to wreak havoc on me and Virgil. He even stole my Million Dollar Belt. We finally ended the program at WrestleMania VI. The event was held in Toronto, Canada. A new attendance record was set when 67,678 people packed in the SkyDome. After roughly twelve minutes, I defeated Jake by a countout to regain the Million Dollar Belt.
My contest at WrestleMania VI was probably one of my most enjoyable matches, simply because it was a really good match and it was very easy to work with Jake. We didn’t have to talk that much in the ring or plan things in advance. It just came together. Jake had great ring psychology. In my estimation, if Jake would have kept himself clean, I believe that he would right now be in Stamford working for Vince McMahon on the creative team.
In the summer of 1990, I started a program with the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. Back then, he was dressed in yellow polka dots and called the Common Man. Vince completely changed him from the character that made him a Superstar in the NWA. They put him in this awkward outfit and assigned him a heavyset African-American manager, Sapphire. I think the change was a test by Vince to see if Dusty could be a team player. Dusty was great to work with in the ring and we had some very good matches together.
Anyway, we feuded for about six months, which started with me buying Sapphire’s services at SummerSlam and ended when Virgil and I beat Dusty and his son Dustin. I pinned Dusty with a roll-up. After the match, I demanded that Virgil wrap the Million Dollar Belt around my waist. Virgil picked it up, but instead of putting it around my waist, he hit me with the belt right upside my head. Immediately, I started an angle with Virgil and he instantly became a babyface.
TERRY FUNK:
The Dusty Rhodes–Ted DiBiase feud didn’t work out because Vince gave Dusty a horseshit, polka-dot gimmick that nobody could get over with.
Virgil wasn’t the best worker in the business. When we started our program, I had to be at my best. For us to have a match at WrestleMania VII in 1991 and work at the highest level was truly a testament to Virgil’s desire to listen and let me lead. He was very coachable and ended up wrestling a lot of good matches. The match’s success had a lot to do with the presence of Roddy Piper. In the end, even though my new valet, Sensational Sherri, was in my corner, I lost to Virgil. I was counted out after attacking Roddy Piper outside the ring. The story line crowned Virgil as the new Million Dollar Champion.
VIRGIL:
I learned the psychology aspect of the wrestling business from Ted. In fact, there is no better teacher than Ted when it comes to the psychology of the business, overall wrestling ability, and speaking skills. He is the best.
Working with Ted was unbelievable. There is no better field general than Teddy. He was one of the best wrestlers ever in the business. He is in a class by himself.
Sherri Martel was a wonderful person and we worked perfectly together. She had a storied wrestling career and worked for every major federation in the United States. She was a great wrestler and became the Women’s Champion in both World Wrestling Federation and the now defunct American Wrestling Association (AWA). She was just as awesome a manager, having managed numerous top-named guys such as Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and Randy Savage. Because of her impact and success in the sport, in 2006, I inducted Sherri into the WWE Hall of Fame. It was unfortunate that she passed away in June of 2007 at forty-nine.
Given that Piper had interfered in my matches against Virgil, we started a program. Roddy Piper is a great guy and an excellent worker. We had many good matches together. Before the start of each match, I would get on the microphone and say, “You know, I really don’t feel like wrestling tonight. It’s been a long trip and I don’t feel like breaking a sweat. Roddy Piper, I know you don’t want to be embarrassed by me in front of all these people. Because Roddy, if we wrestle tonight, you will be embarrassed. So to save you from being humiliated by the Million Dollar Man in front of this crowd, I am going to offer you three hundred dollars. Take the money and go out and have a fine meal and order a nice bottle of wine. What do you say?” When I’d turn away, Piper would punch me and the money would go flying up in the air. He nailed me a few more times until I landed outside the ring on the concrete floor. While I was dazed, Piper scooped up the money and handed it to the fans in the front row. I went crazy and screamed, “That is my money! Don’t give the fans my money!”
At an event in Sacramento, I decided to have some fun with the angle.
Roddy Piper just didn’t appreciate my offers to spare him.
Melanie traveled with me to the show because we had just visited my step-sister, who lived roughly eighty miles from the venue in Napa Valley. My stepsister wanted to come to the show. So I got them two ringside tickets. In all the years that I have been in the business, my wife has never sat in the front row; she was either in the dressing room area or in the cheap seats.
With my gimmick, everything operated on the honor system. I never wasted or abused the company’s money. But this one time, I thought that my wife and stepsister should have the three hundred dollars. We were going to use the money to have a nice meal after the show. Nobody would know the difference.
Prior to the match, I spoke to Piper in the dressing room. “Look, Roddy, when we do this thing tonight and you roll out of the ring to give away the money, I want you to give it to my wife. She will be sitting in the front row. Nobody knows that she is my wife. So when you get the money, roll out of the ring and slap the money in her hands. Tonight, we will all go out and have a good time.” Piper agreed.
Piper followed everything perfectly and put the money in my wife’s hands. A
fter the conclusion of our match, we joked about it in the locker room and planned to go out for a nice little meal together. After showering, we met up with my wife and stepsister. I asked Melanie if she had the money. She looked at me with an angry pout. “No. Don’t you ever do that to me again. When Roddy put the money in my hand, and then walked away, people started coming from everywhere. They started grabbing and reaching for the money. It was unbearable. I thought they were going to trample me, so I just let it go. Don’t get any other harebrained ideas like that again or I’m going to kill you!”
It would be some five years before I would run into Piper again backstage at a house show in Kansas City. After the show, we went back to our hotel. We were both staying at the Marriott by the airport. Before settling in, we decided to go to a local pub down the road to have a few beers for old times’ sake. I remember saying, “What trouble can we get into?” Sure enough, after about ten minutes, some guy said something obnoxious to me. I tried blowing it off so as not to start any trouble. But the guy was being quite repulsive. Piper is a pretty scrappy guy. He is well known for losing his cool and is very successful at bar fights. Right before I was about to grab the guy by the throat, Piper came from out of nowhere and started beating the guy up. He actually laid him out.
I regained my title by defeating Virgil with the help of the Repo Man. When I became a Tag Team Champion a few months later, the angle allowed me to put the Million Dollar Belt in hibernation. It wasn’t until four years later when I was managing Steve Austin that the title came back into play. Since he was my protégé, I simply gave him the belt and started calling him the champ.
PAT PATTERSON:
I don’t even have a clue where the belt is today. A few years ago, I recall someone asking where the Million Dollar Belt was. Nobody could find it. I am sure Vince has it somewhere locked away.
At the King of the Ring 1991, I wrestled Ricky Steamboat to a draw. Ricky was one of those wrestlers whose work in the ring I sincerely admired. As chance happened, that night in Providence was the only time I ever wrestled Ricky. We had an excellent match and I remember telling him how enjoyable it was to work with him. The event also marked when Mike Rotundo (I.R.S.—Irwin R. Schyster) started getting a push as one of the major heels in the company. Toward the end of 1991, creative decided that I needed to enter into tag-team wrestling.
MIKE ROTUNDO (I.R.S.):
Since Ted basically worked in the Mid-South territory and me in Florida and the Carolinas, we never crossed paths until we were in World Wrestling Federation. We hit it off instantly. The creative team soon decided to team us together as Money Inc. They thought we would fit well together with Ted’s Million Dollar Man gimmick and my deal as the I.R.S. It was a great move because we worked very well together and had a tremendous amount of success.
We wrestled many great tag teams such as the Natural Disasters, the Steiner Brothers, the Beverly Brothers, the Nasty Boys, the Mega Maniacs (Brutus Beefcake & Hulk Hogan), and the Legion of Doom. In February of 1992 we defeated the Legion of Doom (aka the Road Warriors) to become the Tag Team Champions. We went on to be three-time World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions.
The Road Warriors were one of the most popular tag teams in the world. I was friends with both Animal and the late Hawk. I will never forget our match that year at the SummerSlam 1992 event. In front of eighty-thousand-plus fans in Wembley Stadium in London, we lost to the Legion of Doom after Animal pinned me to secure the victory. It is a fact that World Wrestling Federation sold out Wembley Stadium faster than anybody, including the Beatles.
STEVE KEIRN:
Teddy, in his peers’ eyes, is one of the greatest wrestlers that ever came through the business. I personally put Teddy and those other second-generation wrestlers at the highest level. They were introduced to the business at an early age, knew the terminology, and respected the profession. As the Million Dollar Man, he made a name for himself. The promotion makes you the star, but you have to be able to carry the ball once they hand it to you. When Vince gave him the Million Dollar Man opportunity, Teddy didn’t only run with the ball, he stole it. He shined brighter than many stars have ever shined. In the ring, he gave a hundred percent and never went to the ring with an attitude that he was just going to get by. He was a complete professional and will forever be a legend in the sport of professional wrestling.
It was a very exciting time in wrestling in 1993. Raw started airing on the USA Network. Raw was an unprecedented TV show shot in front of a live audience.
On Raw with Vince and I.R.S.
We also started doing tours overseas. I wrestled in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany. No matter what country we were in, every venue was packed with screaming fans.
During that time, good ol’ J.R. joined Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler doing the announcing duties on Raw and Pay-Per-View events. It was probably one of Vince’s best hires ever. Jim is the greatest announcer in the history of professional wrestling. I have known him for years and remember him calling a World Heavyweight Championship match between me and Ric Flair in the mid-1980s when I was in the Mid-South/UWF territory.
JIM ROSS:
The Million Dollar Man persona is one for the ages, and you can take that to the bank … no pun intended. A creation of Vince McMahon and Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man was someone anyone could identify with on varying levels—no matter their background—on any continent. Ted was perfect for the role because he could naturally outwrestle most opponents, who were usually fan favorites, and then robustly laugh in the face of the popular Superstar and the Superstar’s fans. I would suggest that the Million Dollar Man was one of the top ten all-time great characters WWE ever featured, and in the top five of antagonists. The Million Dollar Man’s exploits will live for generations to come, and if I ever had to draft wrestlers to start my own company, the Million Dollar Man would be a surefire first rounder. Wrestlers have to fit roles and roles have to fit wrestlers. Ted DiBiase was the perfect choice for the Million Dollar Man, who the fans just knew was laughing all the way to the bank.
NIKITA KOLOFF:
Ted’s wrestling skills and abilities speak for themselves in terms of his success in the wrestling industry. He was great on the microphone and had great psychology for the business—an art that I believe had long been lost. He portrayed the Million Dollar Man gimmick extremely well and had great success with the character.
It was about this time that my drinking and partying was getting out of control. From the late-night drinking to the infidelity, I started to believe that I was the Million Dollar Man. My ego was out of control, more so my drinking. Because of my celebrity status, I was invited to party after party. One time in Germany, Ric Flair and I were at a local bar near the venue. Our fans were packed into the bar and we both were enjoying the attention. Ric left to go to the bathroom, and a young lady came up to me and engaged in small talk. She was very cordial; I would find out she was an undercover police officer. All of a sudden, everyone in the bar heard “Wooooo!” Ric was headed toward me, in nothing but his socks and underwear. Before I could wise him up, he said, “Hi, honey. How would you like to ride Space Mountain?” The look on Ric’s face when I told him that she was a police officer is permanently etched in my mind.
A few years earlier, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to have introduced to the wrestling world maybe the most extraordinary wrestler in the history of WWE, Undertaker. He was part of my Million-Dollar Team on Thanksgiving Day at the Survivor Series 1990 at the Hartford Civic Center. It was a four-on-four elimination match where we challenged Dusty’s Dream Team. His team consisted of him, Koko B. Ware, and the Hart Foundation.
For weeks I teased the fans that I would have a mystery partner with my two other teammates—the Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine. After we made our way to the ring, the crowd eagerly awaited him. The fans were in awe when Undertaker made his way down to the ring. Even to this day, his entrance into the ring is one of the most entertaining moments i
n the business. He eliminated Dusty Rhodes but subsequently got himself eliminated when he followed Dusty to the back. My team won the match after I pinned Bret Hart.
Bret and I go way back to my college days at West Texas State. I met him and a few of his brothers when they came to Amarillo to visit the Funks. I admired his wrestling talent and pleasant personality. The two of us got along well because of what we had in common: mutual love and respect for the business. We were second-generation wrestlers and both of our fathers were shooters. Bret’s dad, Stu, had a tough reputation and would train people in the basement of his house, which he called the dungeon.
After we visited in Amarillo, I didn’t see Bret again until I started working for Vince. Unfortunately, we didn’t wrestle each other that often because we were both heels. We wrestled once in Los Angeles and it was probably one of the best matches I ever had in World Wrestling Federation. Bret had great technical skills and ring psychology. Bret was one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of World Wrestling Federation.
About a month before WrestleMania IX, my grandma was rushed to the hospital. I hopped on a plane to Tucson and prayed that she would still be alive when I arrived. She was. As I prayed for and held the hands of the woman who had raised me, hundreds of images scrolled through my mind—from the fun times I had hanging out at her restaurant to the constant love she gave me.
Grandma was my anchor.
I couldn’t believe she was dying. Despite the fact that Grandma continued to fight for a couple more months at home, she eventually slipped into a coma. As she lay there, I kept saying, “Grandma, I love you.” I’ll never forget the look in her beautiful eyes. She eventually passed away at the age of eighty-nine.
