WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase is fondly remembered by WWE fans for his “Million Dollar Man” persona. A villainous rich guy with an evil cackle, DiBiase not only paid people to do humiliating things for his amusement but also constantly attempted to buy his way into wrestling greatness by paying other wrestlers for championships or sweet spots in the Royal Rumble.
But that run in WWE started in 1987 -- at which point he was already a 13-year veteran -- and lasted about six years. There’s actually a lot of fascinating information about Ted DiBiase that’s completely flown under the radar, so let’s check some of it out.
10 His Mother Was Helen Hild
Fans may know that DiBiase has three sons who took part in the wrestling business, but Ted himself was born into a wrestling family. His mother, Gladys Helen Nevins, was a wrestler herself, performing under the name of Helen Hild, and was a top star during her run from the 1940s to the 1970s. Not only was she a rival to The Fabulous Moolah, but she challenged the influential Mildred Burke for the NWA World Women’s Championship on multiple occasions.
9 His Stepfather Was “Iron” Mike DiBiase
While Ted DiBiase’s biological father was not a wrestler, his stepfather was. When young Ted was only four, Helen Hild married “Iron” Mike DiBiase, a highly decorated wrestler in the NWA territories, particularly in the Southwest and Midwest, as well as a NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion. However, while wrestling in Lubbock, Texas in 1969, DiBiase suffered a fatal heart attack in the ring during a match against Man Mountain Mike.
8 Trained By The Funks
Ted DiBiase grew up in Texas and pursued the wrestling business after dropping out of West Texas State University due to sustaining an injury playing college football. He ended up being trained by the legendary Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr., whose father Dory Sr. famously wrestled Mike DiBiase in a Texas Deathmatch that lasted over three hours and ended in a draw due to police interference.
In 1974, Ted DiBiase would make his in-ring debut for the Funks’ NWA Western States in Amarillo, Texas, first as a referee before actually competing.
7 Wrestled For Mid-South
After his in-ring debut, Ted DiBiase would begin working for wrestler-turned-promoter “Cowboy” Bill Watts’ innovative Mid-South Wrestling, where he’d establish himself as a star and become not only a five-time North American Champion but a six-time Tag Team Champion. He would also famously draw the ire of fans by turning heel on Junkyard Dog and later take part in a feud with Jim Duggan, leading to a classic Loser Leaves Town steel cage match in 1985.
6 His 1979 WWE Run
Before signing to WWE for his famous run in 1987, Ted DiBiase actually had a brief run with the company in 1979, where he’d become the inaugural North American Champion, holding it for a reign totaling 126 days. DiBiase would then drop the belt to Pat Patterson, who would go on to unify it under completely fictional circumstances to become the inaugural Intercontinental Champion. During this run, he also had the distinction of taking on Hulk Hogan in the Hulkster’s first match in Madison Square Garden.
5 His “Victims” Were Paid
As The Million Dollar Man in his second, more famous WWE run, Ted DiBiase famously drew heel heat by paying fans (often children) to perform simple activities, only to prevent them from doing so and thus keeping the money. One classic example had him getting a kid to dribble a basketball 15 times and then kicking it away after he reached 14. According to DiBiase himself, while many of the incidents at house shows were improvs, the ones that did it on camera were paid off-camera.
4 The Story Behind The Million Dollar Man Gimmick
The Million Dollar Man gimmick was not something Ted DiBiase started out his career with, nor was it even an idea he had for himself. In 1987, the WWE began enticing him to join up with their promotion but curiously refused to actually tell him what his gimmick would be until he signed.
However, DiBiase eventually agreed to sign with the WWE after being told that he was going to get a substantial push under the mystery gimmick. In a meeting, former rival turned WWE creative official Pat Patterson assured DiBiase that it was a persona that boss Vince McMahon would give himself were he to step in the ring.
3 Debuted In WWE As A Babyface
Once he signed to WWE, Ted DiBiase started appearing at house shows in his home state of Texas in the summer of 1987, working as a babyface and taking on One Man Gang on several occasions. On one night in late June, however, he and fellow Texan Sam Houston were taking on One Man Gang and Ron Bass in a tag match, during which DiBiase turned heel on his partner, abandoning him in the ring so Houston could suffer a double-team loss.
2 AJPW Run
The most forgotten run of Ted DiBiase’s career is likely the time he spent performing for All Japan Pro Wrestling in the 1980s. Debuting in 1983, DiBiase soon captured the promotion’s NWA United National Championship, one of three belts that would be unified to form the Triple Crown Championship. He also teamed up with Stan Hansen and enjoyed three tag title runs and won AJPW’s 1985 tag team tournament World's Strongest Tag Determination League. DiBiase would return to the promotion in 1993, reuniting with Hansen, but injuries to his neck and back would force him into retirement.
1 Meant To Be The Mouthpiece for nWo
In 1996, World Championship Wrestling kicked off its red-hot New World Order storyline, featuring Hulk Hogan turning heel and forming a faction with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Ted DiBiase would actually become the fourth man to join the group over a month later, functioning as a mouthpiece and being a natural fit for being the guy (kayfabe) bankrolling the whole endeavor. However, this position would be short-lived, lasting only a matter of months before WCW boss Eric Bischoff took over the role for himself.