| Name | Ted DiBiase |
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| Names | Ted DiBiase |
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| Height | |
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| Weight | |
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| Birth date | Theodore Marvin Wills, Sr.January 18, 1954 |
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| Birth place | Miami, Florida |
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| Resides | Clinton, Mississippi |
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| Billed | Omaha, NebraskaPalm Beach, Florida (Spring residence)Hyannis Port, Massachusetts (Summer residence)Bel Air, California (Autumn residence)Netherlands Antilles (Winter residence) |
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| Trainer | Dory Funk, Jr.Terry Funk |
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| Debut | June 1975 |
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| Retired | January 18, 1994 |
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Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is a retired
professional wrestler,
manager, ordained minister and
color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career. He is arguably best recalled by mainstream audiences for his time in the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled as
"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.
Among other accolades in the WWF, DiBiase was a one-time (though unofficial) WWF Champion, the first WWF North American Heavyweight Champion, a three-time WWF Tag Team Champion (with Irwin R. Schyster) and the 1988 King of the Ring. DiBiase also created his own championship, the Million Dollar Championship. He was well-known for his cutting-edge heel promos, which were often concluded with his trademark evil laugh; DiBiase has been described by WWE as the organization's "most despised villain" during the late 1980s. He held the WWF Championship belt in 1988 after purchasing it from André the Giant, but this period is not recognized by WWE as an official title reign. Nonetheless, DiBiase frequently performed in main event matches and has been cited as one of the finest in-ring technicians in history.
DiBiase was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010 by his sons, Ted and Brett.
Early life
DiBiase is the biological son of wrestler Helen Nevins and Ted Wills, an entertainer and singer. Ted is the adopted son of wrestler
"Iron" Mike DiBiase who was Italian. Ted DiBiase is of mostly German and English ancestry. His adoptive father died of a heart attack in the ring when Ted was just 15. Seven-time NWA world champion Harley Race rushed to the ring and performed CPR but was unable to save Mike DiBiase's life. In response, his mother suffered from depression and alcoholism, so Ted was moved to
Willcox, Arizona to live with his grandparents. He attended Creighton Preparatory high school and attended
West Texas State University on a football scholarship. While there he became a member of the
Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. However, he later dropped out of college to begin a career in professional wrestling.
Professional wrestling career
Mid-South Wrestling (1975–1979)
Ted DiBiase was trained by
Dory Funk, Jr. and
Terry Funk. He made his professional wrestling debut in June 1974 in the Amarillo territory owned by the Funks. He then went to the Mid-South territory in 1975 where he wrestled for four years.
World Wrestling Federation (1979)
DiBiase had a short stint with
Vince McMahon, Sr.'s
World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979. He was awarded the short-lived
North American Championship, becoming the title's first champion. On June 19, 1979, he lost the North American Championship to
Pat Patterson, who unified the title with the fictional "South American Championship" to become the first ever
Intercontinental Champion.
He was Hulk Hogan's first opponent in Hogan's first Madison Square Garden match.
NWA and Mid-South Wrestling (1980–1987)
DiBiase also spent time in the Georgia area where he had an early
face run frequently tagging with
Tommy "Wildfire" Rich. The two then feuded, leading to a
loser leaves town match which DiBiase won, but instead of Rich leaving the area, he donned a mask calling himself "Mister R." The feud culminated in a match between Mister R and DiBiase, Tommy Rich appeared from backstage and distracted DiBiase. Mister R then rolled up DiBiase to get the win and unmasked as
Brad Armstrong. Both DiBiase and Rich left the territory shortly thereafter.
In the early to mid-1980s, DiBiase participated in angles in various territories with the likes of Dick Murdoch, Ric Flair, the Fabulous Freebirds, Jim Duggan, One Man Gang, and Junkyard Dog. He also held various championships and made frequent trips to All Japan Pro Wrestling until his eventual departure from Mid-South Wrestling (which by this point was now the UWF). Typically, his matches ended with the use of a "loaded" black glove, which he pulled from his tights to "knock out" his opponent when the referee was not looking.
While locked in talks with the National Wrestling Alliance in 1987 after the UWF was acquired by Jim Crockett, DiBiase received an offer from the WWF. DiBiase was eventually convinced by WWF to sign up despite the fact that he would not be told his gimmick until after he agreed, under the promise that it was something that would receive a serious push. WWF official Pat Patterson informed DiBiase that if owner Vince McMahon were to go out to wrestle, it would be the gimmick that he would give himself.
Part of his stint in Mid-South wrestling was a heel group called "The Rat Pack" which consisted of DiBiase, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Matt Borne.
All Japan Pro Wrestling (1983-1987, 1993)
Dibiase entered
All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1983. He won the
NWA United National Championship on October 14, 1983 in a tournament defeating
Jerry Lawler by forfeit. Two months later on January 28, 1984, Dibiase lost the title to
Michael Hayes.
In August 1985, Dibiase formed a tag team with fellow gaijin: Stan Hansen and the two became the PWF Tag Team Champions when Hansen chose Dibiase to replace Bruiser Brody who left for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Later that year, Dibiase and Hansen entered the 1985 World's Strongest Tag League and would emerge victorious finishing in first place with 7 points.
On July 3, 1987, Dibiase and Hansen would lose the PWF Tag Team Championship to Jumbo Tsuruta and Tiger Mask, ending their two year reign as champions. Eight days on July 11, Dibiase and Hansen regain the titles for a second time but would be stripped of the titles shortly after due to Dibiase leaving All Japan for the WWF.
In September 1993, Dibiase returned to All Japan and reformed his team with Hansen. The two immediately saw success as they defeated The Holy Demon Army on September 3, 1993 for the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship. Two months later on November 13, 1993, Dibiase and Hansen would be stripped of the titles so they could be put on the line for the 1993 World's Strongest Tag League. Dibiase would enter the tournament but would only wrestle one match on November 14 where he and Hansen defeated Tracey Smothers and Richard Slinger before he suffered neck and back injuries which forced him out of the tournament (Giant Baba ended up replacing him).
Return to the WWF (1987–1996)
The Million Dollar Man
In the WWF, DiBiase was known as "The Million Dollar Man", a millionaire who wore a gold-studded, dollar-sign-covered suit and, in time, a custom-made, diamond-encrusted and self-awarded "
Million Dollar Championship Belt". The Million Dollar Man character was based on the type of wrestler that Vince McMahon would want to be. DiBiase had a bodyguard by the name of
Virgil, that was also by his side during matches, and all of his vignettes. The idea for the name Virgil was based on then-NWA booker
Dusty Rhodes, whose real name is Virgil Runnels. The name of DiBiase's finishing move, the Million Dollar Dream (in which someone is put to sleep), was also meant to be an insult to Dusty Rhodes, who was named the American Dream.
Virgil was often seen performing humiliating tasks, such as rubbing DiBiase's feet. DiBiase claimed "Everybody has a price" demonstrating his "power" through a series of vignettes in which he did things such as bribe the manager of a local swimming pool to close for the day so he could have the pool to himself. Other skits featured DiBiase traveling in limousines, giving $100 tips to waiters, and using $100 bills in convenience stores for small purchases like chewing gum. In reality, DiBiase's road travel was deliberately booked for first-class airplane flights and five-star hotel accommodations, and he was given a stipend of petty cash from the WWF Offices so that he could throw money around in public (i.e. pick up tabs and overtip, buy drinks for entire bars, actually pay for small items with a $100 bill, etc.) in order to make the character seem more real. Other times, DiBiase invited fans (including a young Rob Van Dam) to perform humiliating acts (such as kissing his feet) for money. During one skit, he invited a young boy onto a stage and told him if he bounced a ball 15 times in succession, DiBiase would pay him $500. After the 14th bounce, DiBiase kicked the ball away, sending the boy home without pay. (Though, according to his autobiography, everybody who wasn't paid on-camera ''was'' paid off-camera.) He frequently stuffed a $100 bill into the mouth of a wrestler on whom he had used the Million Dollar Dream move.
His first big in-ring angle came in late 1987 on an episode of ''Superstars of Wrestling'', where he announced his plan to buy the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan. Hogan refused and said that DiBiase would have to defeat him in the ring for the belt. Hogan got the upper hand in a series of matches, and a frustrated DiBiase approached André the Giant to win the belt for him. On the February 5, 1988 edition of ''The Main Event'' (which aired live on NBC), André defeated Hogan under questionable circumstances for the WWF Championship. Referee Dave Hebner was detained backstage and replaced with a referee DiBiase paid to have plastic surgery (actually Dave's twin brother Earl). He counted the pin for André despite the fact that Hogan's shoulder was up at the count of one; André then announced he was surrendering the belt and handed it to DiBiase. The WWF refused to acknowledge DiBiase as the champion (since titles could not be handed to someone else) and declared the title vacant. André's world title win was always recognized though, and is still considered the shortest world title reign in WWF history(Until Yokozuna's first reign at Wrestlemania 9, when he won the title from Bret Hart only to challenge and lose the title to Hulk Hogan moments later). This angle was an amplification of an angle in the old Georgia Championship Wrestling, when Larry Zbyszko paid Killer Tim Brooks $25,000 for his NWA National Heavyweight Championship in 1983.
A tournament was announced to crown a new WWF Champion. At WrestleMania IV, DiBiase defeated Hacksaw Jim Duggan in the first round and Don Muraco in the quarterfinal before receiving a bye in the semi-finals to advance to the finals of the tournament. DiBiase was defeated by "Macho Man" Randy Savage in the finals. After repeated interference by André the Giant, Hulk Hogan got involved to even the odds. DiBiase continued to feud with Savage throughout the summer of 1988, culminating in a tag team match pitting DiBiase and André the Giant vs. Hogan and Savage at the inaugural SummerSlam (in a match billed as "Where The Mega Powers Meet The Mega Bucks"). Although pro-heel commentator Jesse "The Body" Ventura served as the guest referee, Hogan pinned DiBiase to win the match. DiBiase then defeated Brutus Beefcake, Ken Patera, Ron Bass, and Randy Savage to win the 1988 King of the Ring tournament, receiving his first WWF success.
Bobby Heenan sold Hercules' contract to Ted DiBiase for his services as his personal slave. DiBiase claimed that Hercules was his slave but started feuding with him after Hercules turned face. He eliminated Hercules from the main event at Survivor Series.
At the Royal Rumble in 1989, DiBiase purchased the #30 entrance spot from Akeem to become the final entrant in the match. Big John Studd and DiBiase were the final two participants in the match. DiBiase offered Studd a bribe to eliminate himself, but Studd eliminated him to win the match. DiBiase continued to feud with Hercules; the two had a series of matches including a match that DiBiase won on the February 3 edition of ''The Main Event''. He defeated The Blue Blazer on the March 11 edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event''. After that match, he introduced the WWF Million Dollar Championship, his own championship belt which was not recognized by the WWF. He created this belt because he was unable to buy or win the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan.
DiBiase fought Brutus Beefcake to a double-countout at WrestleMania V. DiBiase's next big feud was with Jake "The Snake" Roberts. A few weeks after WrestleMania, DiBiase attacked Roberts on ''WWF Superstars of Wrestling'' after Roberts defeated Virgil in a match. DiBiase put Roberts out of action for several months with a neck injury. While Roberts recuperated, DiBiase defeated Jimmy "The Superfly" Snuka at SummerSlam by countout. On the October 14 edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', DiBiase faced Hulk Hogan in a match for the WWF Championship where DiBiase had the monster Zeus by his side. DiBiase lost the match when he accidentally hit Zeus and was pinned by Hogan with a small package. At Survivor Series, DiBiase captained a team dubbed the "Million Dollar Team" consisting of himself, the Powers of Pain (Warlord and Barbarian), and Zeus against Hogan's "Hulkamaniacs" consisting of Hogan, Jake Roberts, and Demolition (Ax and Smash). DiBiase eliminated Roberts after pinning him with help from Virgil before being pinned himself by Hogan.
In 1990, he broke the record at the time by lasting 45 minutes in the Royal Rumble match after entering as the #1 entrant (rather than #30 like the previous year). He eliminated two opponents before he was eliminated by The Ultimate Warrior. He then continued his feud with Jake Roberts, who stole the Million Dollar Belt, leading to a match at WrestleMania VI where Roberts was counted out. Shortly after WrestleMania, he had a brief feud with Big Bossman which dated back to when DiBiase tried to bribe Bossman into retrieving the Million Dollar Belt. Bossman refused DiBiase's bribe and returned the Million Dollar Belt to Roberts. At SummerSlam, DiBiase bought the services of Sapphire, who was the manager of Dusty Rhodes at the time. This led to Rhodes and DiBiase feuding throughout the end of 1990 into the beginning of 1991. On the October 30 edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', he attacked Dusty's son Dustin Rhodes during Dusty's match with Randy Savage. DiBiase and Dusty captained rival teams at Survivor Series, with DiBiase's mystery partner turning out to be the debuting Undertaker. DiBiase wound up eliminating both members of The Hart Foundation and was the sole survivor of the match. He, however, was eliminated in the main event by Hogan. At the Royal Rumble, Ted DiBiase and Virgil defeated Dusty and Dustin Rhodes in a tag team match. After the match, DiBiase ordered Virgil to put the Million Dollar Championship belt around his waist. Virgil instead hit DiBiase with the belt, turning face. At WrestleMania VII, DiBiase lost by countout to Virgil, who had help from 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper. Sensational Sherri, who earlier in the night had turned on a losing Randy Savage, came down midway through the match to help DiBiase and became his full-time valet. On the April 27 edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', DiBiase fought Bret Hart to a double countout.
DiBiase lost the Million Dollar Championship to Virgil at SummerSlam when Virgil smashed his head into an exposed turnbuckle and pinned him to get the victory. DiBiase participated in the King of the Ring tournament drawing with Ricky Steamboat in the first round. DiBiase regained the Million Dollar Championship from Virgil with help from Repo Man on the November 11 edition of ''Prime Time Wrestling'' which was dubbed "Survivor Series Showdown". At Survivor Series, he was one of the contestants eliminated from his match. At
This Tuesday in Texas, DiBiase and Repo Man defeated Virgil and Tito Santana.
Money Inc.
Ted DiBiase officially formed the tag team, Money Incorporated, with
Irwin R. Schyster (IRS). The duo, mostly managed by
Jimmy Hart, won the
WWF Tag Team Championship three times between February 1992 and June 1993. Their first reign came on February 7, 1992 when they defeated
The Legion of Doom for the titles. Money Incorporated then feuded with
The Natural Disasters (
Earthquake and
Typhoon). They defended the title against the Natural Disasters at
WrestleMania VIII and lost the match by countout, thus retaining the title. On July 20, they lost the title to the Natural Disasters.
After losing a match to the Legion of Doom at SummerSlam, DiBiase and IRS regained the belts on the October 13 edition of ''Wrestling Challenge'' from the Natural Disasters. This title change led to a feud with The Nasty Boys, who were originally scheduled for the title shot. On the November 8 edition of ''Saturday Night's Main Event'', they defended their titles against the Ultimate Maniacs (Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage). DiBiase and IRS lost the match by countout and thus retained the titles once more.
Ted DiBiase participated in the Royal Rumble match, entering at #4 before eventually being eliminated by The Undertaker. Shortly after, DiBiase and IRS became involved in a major angle with the returning Brutus Beefcake. DiBiase faced Beefcake on one of the first episodes of ''Monday Night Raw''. DiBiase and IRS attacked Beefcake after the match and slammed his face (which had been surgically repaired following a windsailing accident) with a briefcase. Money Inc. also attacked their manager Jimmy Hart, who was disgusted by their actions. Beefcake's best friend Hulk Hogan came to Beefcake's defense and challenged Money Inc. to a tag team title match at WrestleMania IX. DiBiase and IRS retained their titles by disqualification after Hogan used Beefcake's protective face mask as a weapon.
Money Inc. dominated the tag team division of the WWF. They feuded with the Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) and had a series of title exchanges. DiBiase and IRS were defeated by the Steiners for the WWF Tag Team Championship on the June 14 edition of ''Monday Night Raw''. They would regain the titles on June 16 at a live event but lost them back to the Steiners three days later on June 19 at another live event. DiBiase last wrestled for the WWF in August, bowing out following an angle which saw Razor Ramon turn face and 1-2-3 Kid debut. The Kid had scored an upset pinfall against a cocky Ramon, causing DiBiase to mock Ramon and tell him he would show him how it was done. He then went on to also lose to the Kid, giving Razor a newfound respect for the Kid thus turning Razor face. This included a match at SummerSlam between DiBiase and Ramon which DiBiase lost. After a few months in Japan, he quietly announced his retirement due to accumulated injuries and returned to the USA.
Million Dollar Corporation
DiBiase returned to the WWF at the
Royal Rumble as a guest commentator. DiBiase then began working as a commentator and manager for the WWF. Later in 1994, DiBiase purchased the contracts of many wrestlers for his Million Dollar Corporation stable in the WWF, which over time included I.R.S.,
Bam Bam Bigelow,
Nikolai Volkoff,
Kama,
King Kong Bundy,
Sycho Sid, 1-2-3 Kid, and in a
swerve,
Tatanka. DiBiase also renewed his connection with the Undertaker after the latter's six-month hiatus after the January
Royal Rumble. Saying that he had originally brought the Undertaker to the WWF, and he was going to bring him back, DiBiase debuted a new Undertaker under his control. This Undertaker however proved to be an impostor played by
Brian Lee, and was subsequently defeated by the real Undertaker at
SummerSlam.
DiBiase also had a place in the main event of WrestleMania XI as the manager of Bam Bam Bigelow in his match versus Lawrence Taylor. Surrounding the ring were members of DiBiase's corporation to offset Taylor's entourage of NFL All-Pros on the opposite side. After Taylor defeated Bigelow, DiBiase publicly referred to Bigelow as an embarrassment. This culminated in Bigelow quitting The Corporation after DiBiase fired him following a loss to Diesel in a WWF Championship match. Bigelow aligned himself with Diesel in a feud versus members of DiBiase's corporation.
As a manager, DiBiase also later introduced "The Ringmaster", who eventually became Stone Cold Steve Austin, to the WWF in December 1995. Austin became the Million Dollar Champion and began wearing DiBiase's gold belt that was introduced in 1989. DiBiase's last appearance with the company was at In Your House: Beware of Dog in 1996, where he was kayfabe forced to leave the WWF after Steve Austin lost to Savio Vega. In reality, he left for rival promotion World Championship Wrestling.
World Championship Wrestling (1996–1999)
In WCW, DiBiase became the fourth member of the
nWo (along with Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and former enemy Hollywood Hogan) on August 26, 1996, one month after their formation in July 1996. He claimed to be financing the group (thus playing on his "Million Dollar Man" gimmick that WCW could not legally use outright). In an ingenious move, he was referred to, instead, as "Trillionaire Ted", a play on "Billionaire Ted", the WWF-given nickname of
Ted Turner.
DiBiase quit the NWO shortly after Spring Stampede.
Less than a year later, on the August 4, 1997, episode of ''Nitro'', he made a face turn, managing The Steiner Brothers, He made a error during the interview almost calling WCW "The World Wrestling Federation."
DiBiase managed The Steiners until Scott turned heel and joined the NWO.
DiBiase also managed one-time WWF rival Ray Traylor for a while until he stopped managing altogether. DiBiase then became a road agent for the company and left entirely when his contract expired in late 1999.
Retirement from active wrestling
In April 2005, DiBiase was hired as a creative consultant and road agent for the
SmackDown! brand of World Wrestling Entertainment. On October 3, 2005, at ''
WWE Homecoming'', DiBiase appeared with other WWE legends in a ceremony. He eventually led the attack on
Rob Conway, who had come down to the ring to insult the legends.
DiBiase inducted his former manager Sensational Sherri into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 1, 2006 and made an appearance at WrestleMania 22, offering Eugene $1000 to dribble a basketball 100 times backstage and kicked the ball away at the last second. DiBiase also appeared on ''Raw'' on April 17 behind a newspaper doing his famous evil laugh as the camera went off air. DiBiase made an appearance at an IPW show in Newton, Iowa on July 14, 2006, where he watched his sons' tag team match. The following day, he accepted the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame induction for his father, Mike, at the International Wrestling Institute and Museum. He also appeared at the ''Raw Family Reunion'' on October 9, 2006 aiding Ric Flair in his match with the Spirit Squad. On October 26, 2006, Ted DiBiase was released from his WWE contract.
DiBiase made his first in ring appearance in over five years at the ''Raw 15th Anniversary Special'' on December 10, 2007, by winning a 15-man battle royal, in which he was not even an active participant. Irwin R. Schyster, DiBiase's former tag team partner of Money Incorporated, had won the battle royal. DiBiase came down to ringside and offered Schyster a bribe to eliminate himself. Schyster accepted and hopped over the top rope, making DiBiase the victor. DiBiase then declared that even after fifteen years, everyone still had a price for the "Million Dollar Man."
On the May 19, 2008 edition of ''Raw'', he was seen alongside Mr. McMahon about to "discuss business", in William Regal's office. On the following ''Raw'', DiBiase introduced his son Ted DiBiase, Jr. to WWE as its newest member.
Christian ministry and wrestling
DiBiase is now a
Christian minister. In 1999, he founded ''Heart of David Ministry''. Ted is also the author of ''Every Man Has His Price'', a part-
autobiography and part-Christian
testimony.
Part-time wrestling appearances and Hall of Fame (2009-present)
thumb|left|200px|DiBiase making an appearence at a local indy show on August 20, 2011.On the June 29 episode of
''Raw'',
Ted DiBiase, Jr announced in a segment with
Cody Rhodes and
Randy Orton that DiBiase would appear on ''Raw'' the following week as the special guest host, and DiBiase appeared as scheduled on July 6. On the show, DiBiase
booked his son to face Randy Orton. After DiBiase Jr. lost the match, he accused his father of setting him up and trying to steal his time, even slapping his father across the face. DiBiase would later come out at the end of the show and sanctioned a triple threat match for Randy Orton's
WWE Championship at
Night of Champions including
John Cena and
Triple H in his final act as the guest host. He is also a playable character in
WWE Legends of WrestleMania and an unlockable superstar in
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010. DiBiase was announced as the first inductee of the
WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2010 on February 8, 2010 during an episode of ''Raw''. DiBiase appeared again on the November 2 edition of ''
WWE NXT'', where he was the minister for
Aksana and
Goldust's wedding. On February 21, 2011, it was announced DiBiase would induct
Jim Duggan into the Hall of Fame.
DiBiase is making various appearences for indy shows across the country, including Pro Wrestling Syndicate and Northeast Wrestling.
Books
DiBiase, Ted. ''Every Man Has His Price''. Multnomah Publishers. 1997. ISBN 1-57673-175-8
DiBiase, Ted. ''The Million Dollar Man''. Pocket Books. 2008. ISBN 978-1-4165-5890-3
Penholder
Ted DiBiase (Fore-wording Author), William J. Bruce III (Author) ISBN 978-0-9813-1831-8
Documentaries
''Wrestling with Faith'' is a documentary film about Ted DiBiase. It went into production in February 2010.
''The Price of Fame'' is a documentary film about Ted DiBiase's redemption and faith. It will be released in 2011. It will also feature Scott Hall and Sean Waltman.
Personal life
All three of his sons
Mike (from his first marriage)
Ted Jr. and
Brett (from his current marriage) are professional wrestlers, with Ted Jr. currently wrestling for
World Wrestling Entertainment's ''
Smackdown'' roster. He went to
West Texas State University, where he was a member of
Alpha Tau Omega.
DiBiase, appeared in Christian Living Magazine in the July/Aug 2008 edition where he stated: “God
had allowed me to climb to the top — my life was made into action figures; I wrestled in front of 80,000 people. Yet, I was still not satisfied. I was trying to fill this void in my life, like so many others have done in the entertainment world. But the thing that’s almost unbelievable about God is His grace and mercy. We fail all the time, but there’s no shame in failing—only in not getting up and keeping on.”
On May 14, 2009 Ted appeared in MuscleSport Magazine where his ministerial booking agent and publicist William J. Bruce III commented saying, "I have had the privilege of getting to know Ted over the last couple of years as his booking agent and publicist though Willowcreek Marketing. I will never forget a comment that I once heard him relate about the difference of knowing God or knowing about God; “a lot of people remember my last match, they can remember what I wore, what moves I made and who won, they know everything about me, but they don’t know me. In many ways that is how we as Christians are, we know everything about God…but we don’t know Him.”
In wrestling
Finishing moves
Diving back elbow drop
Figure four leglock
''Million Dollar Dream'' (Cobra clutch)
Signature moves
Backbreaker
Back elbow smash
Delayed falling fist drop
Elbow drop
Jumping stomp to face
*Multiple suplex variations:
*Belly to back
*Gutwrench
*Vertical
Piledriver
Scoop powerslam
Sleeper hold
Spinning toe hold
Standing clothesline
Managers
Jimmy Hart
*Sensational Sherri
*Virgil / Vincent
Wrestlers managed
*André the Giant
*Virgil / Vincent
*Irwin R. Schyster / V.K.Wallstreet
*Tatanka
*King Kong Bundy
*Nikolai Volkoff
*Chris Benoit
*1-2-3 Kid / Syxx
*The Ringmaster / Stone Cold Steve Austin
*Ray Traylor
*Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Teams and stables managed
*Million Dollar Corporation (Irwin R. Schyster, Nikolai Volkoff, Ted DiBiase's Undertaker, Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, Kama, King Kong Bundy, Sycho Sid, 1-2-3 Kid, Xanta Klaus)
*nWo (Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, The Giant, nWo Sting, Syxx, Vincent, V.K.Wallstreet)
*The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner)
Nicknames
"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
*"Trillionaire Ted" (WCW)
*"Do Aw Haw Haw"
Championships and accomplishments
All Japan Pro Wrestling
AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Stan Hansen
NWA United National Championship (1 time)
PWF World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Stan Hansen
*World's Strongest Tag Team League (1985) – with Stan Hansen
Central States Wrestling
NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
Georgia Championship Wrestling
NWA National Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
NWA National Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Stan Frazier (1), and Steve Olsonski (1)
NWA Tri-State / Mid-South Wrestling Association
Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
Mid-South Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Matt Borne (1), Jerry Stubbs (1), Hercules Hernandez (1), and Steve Williams (1)
NWA North American Heavyweight Championship ''(Tri-State version)'' (1 time)
NWA United States Tag Team Championship ''(Tri-State version)'' (1 time) – with Dick Murdoch
NWA Western States Sports
NWA Western States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Tito Santana
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
*PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (1982)
*PWI ranked him #17 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1991
PWI ranked him #32 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
PWI ranked him #20 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Steve Williams in 2003
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
*Class of 2007
St. Louis Wrestling Club
NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
Texas All-Star Wrestling
TASW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
*WWF Championship (1 time)1
WWF North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWF World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Irwin R. Schyster
*Million Dollar Championship (2 times)2
King of the Ring (1988)
*Slammy Award for Humanitarian of the Year (1987)
*WWE Hall Of Fame (Class of 2010)
Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
*Best Gimmick (1987)
*Best Heel (1987, 1988)
*Best Technical Wrestler (1981)
*Feud of the Year (1982) vs. Junkyard Dog
*Feud of the Year (1985) vs. Jim Duggan
*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
1 Ted DiBiase is not recognized as a WWE Champion because Andre The Giant surrendered the WWE Championship to Ted DiBiase but the title was instantly vacated by Jack Tunney and the championship reign is not counted as an official championship reign.
2 The Million Dollar Championship isn't an official championship recognized by World Wrestling Entertainment. It is a championship created entirely for the promotion and storyline of Ted DiBiase's "Million Dollar Man" character.
See also
References
External links
HeartOfDavidMinistry.com (Official Ministry Website)
TedDiBiase.com
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Profile
WWE Hall of Fame Profile
Category:1954 births
Category:Adoptees adopted by relations
Category:American professional wrestlers
Category:American professional wrestlers of English descent
Category:American professional wrestlers of German descent
Category:American Protestants
Category:Living people
Category:Sportspeople from Nebraska
Category:Professional wrestling announcers
Category:Professional wrestling executives
Category:Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
Category:Professional wrestling managers and valets
Category:Professional wrestling trainers
Category:WWE Hall of Fame
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de:Ted DiBiase
es:Ted DiBiase
fr:Ted DiBiase, Sr.
ko:테드 디비아시 시니어
it:Ted DiBiase
nl:Ted DiBiase
ja:テッド・デビアス
no:Ted DiBiase
pl:Ted DiBiase Sr.
pt:Ted DiBiase
ro:Ted DiBiase
th:เท็ด ดิบิอาซี่ ซีเนียร์
