Ted DiBiase (2 page)

Wrestling was in Teddy's genes. His mother, Helen Hild, was one of the best and most beautiful women workers there was in the business. His stepfather was one of the greatest in-ring wrestlers and was also an incredible athlete at the University of Nebraska. Following their lead, Teddy had come to the right place to learn his craft. While in Amarillo, he learned to respect the business and made a commitment to do extremely well. Through his dedication and because he came into the business properly, Teddy became one of the truly great performers in the history of professional wrestling. He had an insatiable love for the business—maybe at times he loved it too much—and I don't think there could have been a better Million Dollar Man.

Teddy still has a lot to offer to professional wrestling. But he also has a great deal to offer to the layperson, someone who may be walking through this world needing to understand God a little better.

Teddy is an honest person and has a huge heart. In business and in life, he has never tried to manipulate or take advantage of anyone. I still call Teddy a kid, because that's what he will always be to me. I love him like he was one of my own. My life, as well as the world of professional wrestling, is much better because of Ted DiBiase.

—Terry Funk

TED DIBIASE

In 1993, my last wrestling match in the United States was at
SummerSlam
in Detroit against Razor Ramon. I could have stayed as long as I wanted in World Wrestling Federation; Vince McMahon and everyone in the company had treated me with the utmost respect. But the travel schedule was wearing on me and I wanted to spend more time at home with my family. I missed my wife and my three sons, Michael, Teddy Jr., and Brett. So I chose to leave to pursue other wrestling opportunities.

After taking a few weeks off to rejuvenate, I lined up some bookings with Sohei “Giant” Baba's All-Japan promotion. I first met Baba when I was playing college football at West Texas State; Terry Funk introduced me to him after a match in Amarillo. When I got into wrestling, Giant Baba invited me to work for a four-week tour, and I continued to work for him over the next two decades.

The schedule in Japan was lighter and I would be able to spend a lot more time with my family. Baba also gave me a great financial deal. Besides the money, I was issued round-trip first-class airfare and guaranteed all accommodations. The only thing I had to pay for was my food.

My first night back in Japan, I was immediately teamed up with my good friend and West Texas State alum Stan Hansen. Stan was the most popular American wrestler in all of Japan. Even though it was my first trip back since 1987, I was put right to work in the main events. My first match was in the Budokan in Tokyo; in front of thirty thousand fans, we captured the tagteam titles.

During the match, I took a basic bump. When I landed, a razor-sharp pain shot down both my arms. I got up and immediately tagged in Stan, and he could tell something was wrong. But somehow, through the pain, I managed to finish the match and we became the new champions.

The pain subsided and didn't return until after about three more matches. After I took a simple body slam, the sharp twinges once again pulsed down my arms, and the pain continued for the next few weeks. All I could think of was finishing out the tour, but the pain was getting worse. The bottom line was that I knew something wasn't right. So I finished the three-week tour and headed home.

A few days later, I went to see my local doctor. He referred me to the best neurosurgeon in the state of Mississippi, Dr. Glenn Warren. He ran some tests and scheduled me for an MRI. The results showed that I had two herniated cervical disks in the base of my neck, which was where I had landed when taking the bump. Dr. Warren said, “Ted, you have two choices. Undergo surgery, which would consist of some dissection of your muscle and tissue, and a bone graft procedure, or try a course of rehabilitation using a traction machine.

“Either way, I suggest you retire from professional wrestling.” I was blown away. Sensing my disbelief, he added, “The pain is just going to get worse. You can try the traction, but inevitably you are going to need the surgery. And even after the surgery, if you get dropped on the area just right, you could be paralyzed for life or even killed.” I was stunned. I understood what he was saying, but I couldn't believe it. At the time, I guess I just didn't want to go through what I thought was unneeded surgery.

I also was in denial. At this point, I needed to get my life back on track. For years, due to World Wrestling Federation's demanding road schedule, I'd conducted myself in a very immoral and unprincipled manner. Not only was I drinking and using drugs, I was unfaithful in my marriage. Although I'd been happily married to Melanie for more than a decade, my overinflated ego led me to womanizing.

In 1993, shortly before
WrestleMania IX,
Melanie found out about this behavior. I begged for her forgiveness; the thought of losing everything that I loved—my wife and children—scared me to death. Luckily for me, Melanie agreed to give me a second chance. In the interest of saving my marriage, I decided that wrestling in Japan was the best thing to do.

Needless to say, I was very concerned. Giant Baba had just given me a generous contract and I needed the money to support my family. Before I left the doctor's office, I explained my situation to him. I told him I had to go back and give it a try out of respect to both Baba and my career.

So, I chose the rehabilitation. The doctor gave me this traction device, which I was required to wear for about thirty minutes a day. A week or so later, I packed the device with my bags and headed back to Japan for another three-week tour.

After only three days in Japan, I was in so much pain that I couldn't wrestle. The next evening, I spoke to Giant Baba in the dressing room. I respectfully explained to him the entire situation and that I needed to go home to have the surgery. Baba knew exactly what I was talking about—it turned out he had the same medical condition. He told me that he would meet me at my hotel in the morning to pay me for my three days of work.

That next morning, Baba told me that I was welcome back to All-Japan anytime. He then opened a briefcase full of cash. I was expecting him to pay
me for only the three days, but Baba proceeded to count out all the money he had guaranteed me for the entire three-week tour. I was flabbergasted. Baba was all class, and the gesture showed me just how much he respected me. We shook hands and I left for the airport to catch my plane back home.

Although I put surgery off for a few more years, I took the doctor's advice and never wrestled anywhere again. When I went back to work for Vince as a commentator and manager, and even later as a producer, I never wrestled. I wasn't taking any bumps, so I didn't think I needed surgery. I kept holding off because I thought I could tolerate the pain, and also that the rehab would ease the pain. But nothing worked, and at times the pain was unbearable.

It wasn't until 1996 that I checked into the River Oaks Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, for my herniated cervical disk surgery. After I was prepped and had my vitals checked, I was given anesthesia. The doctor proceeded to remove a portion of the herniated disk that was pushing on the nerve. He made an incision in the front of my neck in order to reach the spine, then removed disk material from the nerve and fused it with two bone plugs taken from my hip. Some four hours later, I woke up in the recovery room. I spent only one night in the hospital, but it took me about a week to recover. Although the surgery was a success, the scars on my hip and on my neck are a daily reminder of the incident that eventually forced me into retirement.

Technically, I didn't win the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship.

In June of 1987, shortly after the conclusion of
WrestleMania III
, my Million Dollar Man character was introduced to the world via a series of video vignettes. These were crafted in such a manner that even before I stepped into a World Wrestling Federation ring, the fans

couldn't stand me. For example, one vignette showed me riding in a stretch limousine. With my personal bodyguard, Virgil, by my side, I stepped out of the vehicle and said arrogantly, “Hello, I'm Ted DiBiase. I'm the Million Dollar Man.”

Another vignette showed me using my vast amount of money to gain favors and special treatment. I went to a public swimming pool, where kids were playing and enjoying themselves. I decided that I wanted to swim and have the pool all to myself. I called over the pool attendant and told him that I
needed my privacy and that all the kids had to get out. Of course, the pool attendant said, “I can't kick everyone out of a public pool, especially not the kids.” I said, “Look, you don't understand. I am the Million Dollar Man. I don't wait on anybody.” I called Virgil with a snap of my fingers, and he pulled out a wad of money, handing the pool guy four or five hundred dollars. The pool attendant took the money and said, “I think there is too much chlorine in the water. I'll be right back.” The next thing you saw was Virgil kicking all the kids out one by one, and me sitting on a lounge chair in my bathing suit, enjoying the pool, while all the kids were staring at me with sad faces from outside the fence. Then I turned to the camera and said, “Don't get upset with the pool guy. He's 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.”

I would always conclude these vignettes by turning to the camera, grinning with sheer evil, and stating, “You see,
everybody
has their price for the Million Dollar Man.”

All these vignettes were designed to fuel the fans' anger, but it was a live event at the MECCA arena in Milwaukee that really catapulted my character to the hated status. In another effort to show my evil side, and that everyone had a price, I offered a five-year-old boy an opportunity to win some money. I asked the eager child, “Can you bounce a basketball?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“Can you bounce it ten times in a row?”

“Uh-huh,” he answered.

Virgil lifted the boy from the ringside-seat area and took him into the ring. The cute-as-could-be young man easily dribbled the ball ten consecutive times. With the crowd sensing my compassion, I said, “That's great. Now, if you can bounce the ball fifteen times in a row, I'll give you five hundred dollars.”

With the crowd cheering the young boy on, he dribbled away. After his fourteenth dribble, I stuck out my foot, which caused him to miss the last bounce. As the crowd gasped in disbelief, the little boy started to cry, and I told him, “Ah, you missed, how unfortunate for you, son. You are going to learn a very hard lesson at a very young age. When you don't get the job done,
you don't get paid!” I laughed. The young boy burst into tears and ran to his mother.

BRUCE PRICHARD (Brother Love):

We had so much fun with the creation of Ted's vignettes. They were real and everyone involved got their money. More important, they accomplished our goal of introducing to the wrestling world the Million Dollar Man character.

I was now a full-fledged heel and my character was established as a person who could buy anything he wanted. In fact, I proclaimed the unthinkable: I told the fans that I was going to buy the World Wrestling Federation heavyweight title. To help me with this transaction, I was going to contract out Andre the Giant to beat the champion, Hulk Hogan. After Andre defeated Hogan, I would purchase the title from Andre. Since he was cheated out of the title by Hogan at
WrestleMania III
, Andre enthusiastically agreed to my terms.

The stage was set for February 5, 1988. The night was a historic one, because it was the first time professional wrestling was being broadcast on live national network television since the 1950s. During the event, which aired during prime time on NBC as part of a special
The Main Event
, Hulk Hogan was set to defend his title against Andre the Giant. Of course, since I had purchased Andre's services, I was going to be ringside.