Most pro wrestling fans remember Ted DiBiase for his eccentric "Million Dollar Man" gimmick during WWE's Golden Era. To be fair, DiBiase was arguably the top heel in arguably the top era of wrestling. So, it makes sense for that character to leave a lasting impression on fans.
Despite being a legitimate main eventer, DiBiase surprisingly never won any singles titles in WWE. However, DiBiase did reach the top of the tag team division several times, both in WWE and out. DiBiase had the luxury of having some great partners during his career. Unfortunately, there were also a few occasions when all the money in the world couldn't buy him a good partner.
10 Best: Ric Flair
During the 80s, pro wrestling fans were essentially divided into two sections. Fans of WWE and fans of The NWA. While Ted DiBiase might arguably be the best heel of WWE's Golden Era, there's no denying that Ric Flair was The NWA's top heel and overall top star.
In late 1991, "The Nature Boy" finally made his way up north to WWE. One of Flair's first big marquee matches for the company took place at Survivor Series 1991. That night, Flair was part of Ted DiBiase's four-man team which also included The Mountie and The Warlord. Despite being victorious that night, Flair and DiBiase wouldn't team up again.
9 Worst: The Red Rooster
For some reason, WWE's Golden Era gets a pass on some of the whacky characters it featured while The New Generation gets criticized heavily for it. One of the more cartoonish characters of the era was certainly The Red Rooster, played by Terry Taylor.
Taylor was a solid worker but had a problem connecting with fans. This Red Rooster gimmick didn't help. Believe it or not, not many fans could relate to a rooster. At Survivor Series 1988, while still a heel, The Red Rooster was part of Ted DiBiase's Survivor Series team. DiBiase's squad would taste defeat that night but luckily for him, he wouldn't have to team with The Red Rooster again going forward.
8 Best: The Undertaker
Sometimes in pro wrestling, iconic characters have humble beginnings. The Undertaker's debut at Survivor Series 1990 wasn't exactly a humble beginning. However, at the time, nobody could've ever predicted just how successful and influential The Undertaker would end up being.
Regardless, The Phenom was originally introduced to the WWE Universe by Ted DiBiase as part of his Survivor Series squad. It would be the only time DiBiase and 'Taker would team together. Although, later on down the line DiBiase would introduce an imposter Undertaker and have an association with him for a bit.
7 Worst: The Warlord
Vince McMahon was always obsessed with good physiques. Almost to a fault. If McMahon would see someone with an impressive body, he could care less if they knew how to wrestle or not, he'd hire them. This pattern was repeated several times during McMahon's tenure as the head honcho in WWE.
One of the performers with a good physique that McMahon tried to push was The Warlord. While Warlord certainly looked the part, he wasn't exactly a gifted grappler. On top of that, when McMahon gave him a singles push, his gimmick got a little silly. Ted DiBiase would be tasked with teaming with Warlord on a few occasions. None of those matches would be considered career highlights for DiBiase.
6 Best: Andre The Giant
Today, WrestleMania and SummerSlam are the two biggest events on the WWE calendar. In the 80s though, neither event was established. Oddly enough, to get the first iteration of both events over with fans, Vince McMahon booked a tag team match as the main event of both shows. The first WrestleMania would pit Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in the main event.
The main event of the first SummerSlam would see The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) take on The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and Andre The Giant). This wouldn't be the only time DiBiase and Andre teamed. However, they would never have a more high-profile match as a unit than this one.
5 Worst: Paul Roma
In Vince McMahon's book, it was always more important to find a performer with personality than a good grappler. In the 80s, Paul Roma was a very talented in-ring performer for WWE. Unfortunately, Roma struggled to connect with fans. This prevented him from rising too far up the WWE card.
At Survivor Series 1990, while Roma was part of the Power & Glory tag team, he and Hercules were randomly paired with Ted DiBiase and other performers for the show's main event. Their team would lose the match to Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Tito Santana. This would be the only time DiBiase and Roma teamed in WWE. Roma would leave WWE heading into 1992.
4 Best: Stan Hansen
One of the unfortunate things about WWE running the wrestling industry unopposed for almost 20 years is that they essentially controlled wrestling history. Sure, historians and hardcore fans might see through the false narratives WWE presents at times, but not casual fans. Casual fans might not be familiar with Ted DiBiase's career before WWE.
In the early 80s, DiBiase worked all over the country and was even a big star in Japan. He was part of a tag team with Stan Hansen during that time. They'd team together on and off from 1985 until 1987. After DiBiase left WWE in 1993, the duo reunited for one more run. In 1993, DiBiase and Hansen would capture the All Japan Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championships. Unfortunately, DiBiase would suffer a serious back injury soon after which ended his in-ring career.
3 Worst: Repo Man
Demolition is one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history. However, by the second half of 1990, the team was losing a lot of momentum. They would ultimately disband by Spring 1991. From there, the former Smash, continued wrestling with the Demolition gimmick for a bit before transitioning into the Repo Man character.
The Repo Man character was pretty self-explanatory.
The character got a kick out of repossessing items from other WWE performers. Eventually, Repo Man was hired by Ted DiBiase to help him in his feud with Virgil. They would team on a few occasions with their most memorable teaming coming at This Tuesday In Texas. DiBiase and Repo Man would only team once more going forward.
2 Best: Irwin R. Schyster
It's not often, but sometimes in wrestling, two characters can be developed years apart and be unknowingly destined for each other. That was the case with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster aka IRS. DiBiase's character was given to him by Vince McMahon in 1987 while the IRS character wouldn't debut until 1991.
Still, once the two crossed paths, their chemistry was undeniable. Their partnership made sense on paper too with both men's characters being money oriented. As Money Incorporated, DiBiase and IRS would dominate WWE's tag team division in the early 90s to the tune of three WWE Tag Team Championship reigns. They were one of the top tandems of their era.
1 Worst: Zeus
When the celebrity formula from the first WrestleMania ended up working wonders, Vince McMahon didn't hesitate to go back to the well over and over again. McMahon and WWE were always on the lookout for celebrities that could cross over into the wrestling world. In 1989, McMahon got his wish in form of Tiny Lister.
The Hollywood actor became associated with WWE thanks to his role as Zeus in the WWE-produced film, No Holds Barred. WWE would eventually bring the Zeus character into the company as a wrestler. First, at SummerSlam 1989 as Randy Savage's partner. Then, again at Survivor Series 1989 as part of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Team. Both instances were far from highlights for the untrained actor.