Ted DiBiase (22 page)

BOBBY “THE BRAIN” HEENAN:

At that time, Dusty Rhodes was the booker in Atlanta. He was burying everybody who was working in New York. So they needed a name for DiBiase's servant. I said, “How about Virgil?” Ted's finisher,
the Million Dollar Dream, where he put his opponents to sleep, was named after Dusty. He called himself the American Dream. We got to kick Dusty in the balls twice. It was a good rib on Dusty (not that he wouldn't do it to us if he could). It was good fun.

Virgil and I became good friends. He was a heck of a nice guy and we spent a lot of time together. We initially thought that it would be a good idea to room together on the road. Unfortunately, it didn't work out because we needed our own space as well as control of the thermostat. One night, I woke up sweating bullets. I checked the thermostat and Virgil had turned it up to about eighty degrees. I turned the thing down all the way to zero degrees. I am a big guy and enjoy sleeping in cool temperatures. I got up in the morning and couldn't even see Virgil in his bed. He was buried under blanket on top of blanket. He said, “Man, I don't know if I can room with you. I can't handle sleeping in the cold.”

“Ditto, brother, I love sleeping in the cold.”

VIRGIL:

Ted is a great person. Even though we were on the road together every day, Ted and I never had an argument, nor did we get into one single fight. I didn't get along with my own family that well. He was like a brother to me. I even had the privilege to meet and get to know his family.

I signed a contract to be Ted's bodyguard. He treated me as a true professional. I did everything that was asked of me and never complained. I never viewed anything as demeaning and by no means ever took anything personal. I never cracked a smile, always staying in character. I did the job to the best of my ability.

One night we were staying at the Marriott Hotel Newark Airport. At that point, if it wasn't a major show or Pay-Per-View, Vince didn't want Virgil to drive me around in limousines but rather a Lincoln Town Car. After wrestling
that evening, Virgil dropped me off at the front door. I said to him, “Don't worry about picking me up in the morning. I'm going to take the hotel shuttle to the airport and I will catch up with you at the gate.” It was a break for him because he could then take the rental car directly to the airport and check it back in without worrying about dropping me off. When Virgil got to the gate the next day, I saw that his eye was swollen like someone had punched him. “Man, what happened to you?”

“Oh, man, I got up and had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and accidentally ran into the door.”

I didn't think anything about it until about a month or so later when I returned to the hotel. Virgil and I were on different flights. I ended up checking into the hotel by myself. As I was checking in, one of the bell guys came up to me (we were regulars there so I got to know most of the staff). He said, “So Ted, did Virgil ever get over that black eye after that air bag hit him in the head?”

“Air bag? What are you talking about?”

“Man, the last time you guys were here, Virgil went to take the car back. He got into the car and instead of backing up, he drove forward and ran right over the concrete block. The air bag shot out of the steering wheel and hit him right in the head. It gave him a black eye and a bloody lip.”

That evening Virgil picked me up to take me to the arena. On the way there I asked him, “Hey, man, how is your lip and eye?”

“Oh, it's okay now.”

“Hey, Virgil, that door you ran into didn't happen to look anything like an air bag, did it?”

His eyes got big and he said, “Who told you, man, who told you?” We just laughed.

VIRGIL:

I purchased a three-thousand-dollar Pelle black leather coat. Davey Boy Smith ribbed me real good by putting tape on the back of my jacket. When I went to remove the tape, the glue pulled the leather off. I was furious and immediately wanted to get back at Davey Boy. Ted
convinced me to wait a while and get him a few weeks down the road. A few weeks later, Davey left his Union Jack flag cape unattended. I seized the moment and cut my name out of the back of the cape. It was perfect. Davey then tried to get me back by cutting my black pants. The pants he destroyed were actually Mr. Fuji's trousers.

I wrestled the Macho Man, Randy Savage, in a Steel Cage match in Madison Square Garden. There were no disqualifications, but the only way to win in that type of match was to escape from the cage by either climbing over the top or going through the door, and having both feet touch the ground. Throughout, we teased the fans with a tit-for-tat match. The final spot was for Randy to knock me out and climb over the top of the cage. As Randy headed up, Virgil came up from the outside to prevent him from leaving. Out of nowhere, a fan jumped the rail, climbed the cage, and tried to knock Virgil down. I screamed for Virgil to knock the fan down. He grabbed the guy by the head and threw him to the ground. Simultaneously, security and the police were there to arrest the guy. When we got back to the locker room, we had a good laugh.

In February of 1988, in front of a national televised audience, Andre the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan to win the title. The Million Dollar Man who could buy anything wanted the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight title, so I purchased the title from Andre and became the new champion. World Wrestling Federation Commissioner Jack Tunney quickly stripped me of the title and ordered a tournament be held at
WrestleMania IV
to determine the new champion. It was my first
WrestleMania
and it was held at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City. I even met Donald Trump and his then wife, Ivana.

In the tournament, I beat “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Don Muraco. After getting a bye in the semifinals because Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were disqualified in their match, I squared off against Randy Savage in the finals. With the help of Hulk Hogan, Randy pinned me around the ten-minute mark to become the new World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion. The noise from the near-capacity crowd of over twenty thousand was deafening.

I was told that at
WrestleMania IV
I was going to win the title and become the champion. But Vince came up to me and told me that there was a
change in plans. It seemed that there was an earlier dispute between the Honky Tonk Man and Randy Savage. In an effort to make everyone happy, Vince McMahon did what he had to do in the best interest of his company.

I would have loved to have been the champion. To have my name etched in stone with those who paved the way would have been a major accomplishment. But a heel champion is a transitional champion and he never holds the title for any major period of time. The fans wanted to come and cheer for their heroes. They wanted their champion to be the good guy, like Hulk Hogan. Winning the title isn't that important from a career standpoint.

When Vince told me that the plans had changed, he said, “Ted, you are the Million Dollar Man. What do you care about the title? It makes you an

The Macho Man and I always had great matches.

even bigger heel by losing. Afterward, you say you don't need the belt and we create your own title, the Million Dollar Belt. The way we will design it will put the heavyweight title to shame.” I was now the biggest pompous ass in the industry and the fans hated me more than ever. I was so hated that my character was instrumental in turning many heels to babyfaces, such as Randy Savage, Hercules Hernandez, the Big Boss Man, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts.

TERRY FUNK:

The Million Dollar Man may have been Vince McMahon's idea, but I don't believe there was another person in the wrestling industry who could have been that character any better. He did a wonderful and marvelous job with it.

Teddy is a very unselfish individual. He also had respect for his opponent and the business. This is why Teddy did so well in the business, and I think Vince McMahon knew this about Teddy. And Teddy never held the heavyweight championship, which was a sign of him being a great worker. He could draw crowds and money without a championship title around his waist.

After
WrestleMania IV
and for the rest of 1988, I mainly wrestled in tag-team matches, partnered with Andre the Giant. It was a way for Andre to stay in the main events while protecting his injured back. Andre was a great friend. Most people didn't know he wrestled in pain. There were times when we walked to the ring together and he would have his hand on my shoulder to keep himself balanced. In the ring, I basically did all the work. Andre was very limited. Still, we had great tag-team matches against Hulk Hogan and a variety of guys. At the first-ever
SummerSlam
held at Madison Square Garden, we tagged for the match dubbed “Where the Mega-Powers Meet the Mega-Bucks.” Former Minnesota governor and Superstar Jesse “the Body” Ventura was the guest referee. Randy's manager and then real-life wife, Elizabeth, moved away from her conservative nature and tore her skirt off to distract Ventura when victory was in our hands.

In March of 1988, Melanie gave birth to my third son, Brett. Although we are so blessed to have Brett today, at the time he was the proverbial accident. Another child was the furthest thing from our minds. In fact, Melanie was on birth control. But she caught a cold and was put on antibiotics. Unbeknownst to us, the antibiotics canceled out the pill. I will never forget the day we saw the sonogram. Melanie saw it first. She smiled and said, “I guess you got your way again.” Sure enough, it was a boy!

I wanted to make sure that I was with Melanie before and after the baby was born. As it got closer to the due date, we decided that Melanie would have a cesarean section. I adjusted my schedule to make sure everything was in order. On March 16, with me by her side in the delivery room, Melanie gave birth to a healthy, seven-pound baby boy.

Later that year in Providence, I won the fourth King of the Ring tournament. I went through some great guys that night, first pinning Brutus Beefcake and then Ken Patera. In the semifinal, I was scheduled to face Ron Bass after he pinned none other than young and upcoming Superstar Shawn Michaels. But I paid off Ron Bass and he forfeited the match. I told the angry crowd, “Don't get upset with Ron Bass. He is 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.”

Tim White, Andre's friend and handler, Virgil, and I would travel together. I enjoyed being with Andre. Besides eating and drinking a lot, we did everything first-class. He loved champagne and one night he ordered a hundred-dollar bottle of Dom Pérignon. Before the night was out, we had gone through ten bottles.

The more I traveled with Andre, the more I understood what he went through on a daily basis. He was a larger-than-life guy with a big heart, but he didn't have any private time. Where could a seven-four giant hide? People were constantly asking him for his autograph or to have their picture taken with him. It had come to the point where someone had to be with him at all times just to keep people away. One night, Andre and I were sitting at the lounge drinking a beer at the Marriott hotel in San Francisco. A woman came up to him. “Andre, Andre, will you please sign your autograph.”

Andre replied, “No, not now.”

She persisted and wouldn't take no for an answer. I finally stepped in
and said, “Look, lady, everybody is entitled to their privacy. This is our time. Please come back in a little while.”

In a snippy tone she replied, “Well, that isn't fair. I just attended the event and paid for a ticket to see you guys wrestle. I also spent money on T-shirts and even bought a video game. This is how you treat me?”

“I'm sorry you feel that way, but you got exactly what you paid for. You were entertained tonight. What you have to understand is that all the wrestlers are entitled to their privacy, including Andre. So it would be appreciated if you would simply leave.”

It was amazing to me how indignant some people can get. They think that just because one is a celebrity, they have a right to intrude on that person's privacy. And they don't. Now, did Andre and I both sign autographs? Absolutely, yes! The fans are what the sport of wrestling is all about. But with respect to Andre, there came a time when he just quit signing. He was simply bombarded with too many requests.

The World Wrestling Federation work schedule was initially three weeks on and then a week off. I was in a different city every day and a different hotel every night. The schedule was then changed to ten days on, three days off, back on for four days, and then off for three again. In reality, we only got off six days a month.

HARLEY RACE:

Ted and I were both in World Wrestling Federation together. He was always congenial and we had respect for each other. He performed wonderfully in his role as the Million Dollar Man. His work in the ring was impeccable.

By early 1989, World Wrestling Federation was on an incredible roll. Vince McMahon's strategy was an overwhelming success. Some business schools throughout the country started using World Wrestling Federation as a case study. Vince had also started to market a vast array of wrestling games and toys, such as the action figures of me, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Jake
Roberts, and the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard). The Tonka toy company later introduced a soft, stuffed doll about eighteen inches tall called Wrestling Buddies. My youngest son, Brett, grew up with a doll of me by his side. World Wrestling Federation also launched its first-ever video arcade game as well as a video game for the Nintendo game system.