The following are highlights from a recent Miami Herald interview with WWE Hall Of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase:
On WrestleMania XXX: “It’s very special. It really dates me a bit when I think, ‘This is WrestleMania 30, and my first WrestleMania was 4.’ It’s almost like, ‘Am I really that old?’ It’s a milestone year. What’s amazing is WrestleMania I, 10 and 20 were all in Madison Square Garden. WrestleMania 30, instead of being in New York, is going to be at the [Superdome] in New Orleans. That’s very special to me because I actually started my wrestling career in this area. Not the entire time, but the better part of the first 12 years of my wrestling career was spent in what was called Mid-South Wrestling. New Orleans was a very big part of that.”
On his sons being in the pro wrestling business: “Just as a father I really didn’t want my boys to follow me into wrestling. It’s not because of the wrestling itself, but because it’s a hard life. It’s really demanding, especially on family time. There are so many things out there. To the WWE’s credit, the atmosphere is much better and the accountability that they’ve built into it with their drug testing policy makes it a lot better. It is better, but it’s a hard thing on family. I was excited for my son. I never thought I was going to walk into a Toys “R” Us, and there is a twin pack of the ‘Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase Sr. and Ted DiBiase Jr. I never thought I would see that. It was pretty wild. I was proud of him.”
On his son Ted DiBiase Jr. leaving WWE: “He did a tremendous job while he was there. He stared in a movie [The Marine 2], and I’m proud how he left there. There are a lot of guys who leave with a chip on their shoulder or feel they weren’t treated right or this or that. Basically what my son did was said, ‘Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity.’ He did it in a very professional way. I told him, ‘Don’t ever burn a bridge because you never know when you may cross it again.’ I was very proud of him on all levels. I think he is happy now. He has become quite the entrepreneur. He has a lot of things going. Before he went into wrestling, he got a college degree in business administration. He has a lot of things going for him. He loves being home with his family, but again, never say never. If the bug hits him again, then maybe he [would return]. For now he is quite happy where he’s at.”
On who he would pick as today’s “Million Dollar Champion”: “Alberto Del Rio is doing a pretty good job. His character is in line with that character. He is the rich guy flaunting his wealth. JBL [John Bradshaw Layfield], in my opinion, was the cowboy version of my character. I think he did it extremely well. You are this extremely wealthy guy, and by virtue of your wealth, you are looking down your nose at everybody. Much like a bully, when you’re confronted, you start backing off. Everybody hates guys like that. No matter how many times you get beat, you don’t mind seeing them get beat again. That’s what a good heel is in our business. I think JBL did it just as good as anybody.”
Check out the complete interview online at MiamiHerald.com.
