The Million Dollar Man

Family and Origin

‘The Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase was one of the greatest WWE villains of all time. Born to

wrestler Helen Nevins and entertainer-singer Ted Wills, DiBiase was the adopted son of wrestler

“Iron” Mike DiBiase. Following Iron Mike’s death in the ring from heart attack and his mother’s

depression, DiBiase moved to Arizona to live with his grandparents. An injury in senior year of school

made him drop out of college and football, and go for professional wrestling.

Life in WWE

Following a short stint at WWE in 1979 as a holder of the short-lived title of the North American

Championship, Ted DiBiase returned once again in 1987, soon to be known as the Million Dollar

Man. He became the millionaire with gold-studded suits, diamond encrusted belts and residences

for every season. His gimmick of a moneyman and getting others to do dirty and often humiliating

tasks for him made him famous.

Be it purchasing the WWF Championship from Andre ‘The Giant’ or for his various villainous factions

and stables, DiBiase’s impact in WWE wrestling is unparalleled. On his Million Dollar Championship,

he would introduce the world to his henchmen. Future stars like Rob Van Dam and Linda McMahon

were invited on the show as well.

The Undertaker

In 1990, as part of his Survivor Series, Ted DiBiase led out none other than The Undertaker himself,

the first time that the world would see the Dead Man in this avatar in WWE. This was a gimmick he

retained for the rest of his career.

Life Outside WWE

Outside WWE Dibiase also wrestled in Japan early on in his career. After WWE he signed with WCW

in 1996 and was supposed to be the mouthpiece of the nWo group. Unfortunately for him Eric

Bischoff had other plans and replaced him as the mouthpiece in three months, a move Dibiase is yet

to forgive.

Departure

He left the company in 1999 after working as a manager for a while and Road Agent for the rest of

the time being unable to be part of the success of nWo. He would retire from wrestling officially in

2004 and took a job in creative for WWE. Ted DiBiase was admitted to the Hall of Fame in 2010.