Biography WWE Legends S04E15 28 July- Ted DiBiase
Biography WWE Legends S04E15 28 July- Ted DiBiase
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00:00For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered
00:14away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
00:28He's got a price for the million dollar man, including you.
00:35Let's take a review of how Ted DBS has developed into one of today's top stars.
00:40When Vince met with Ted, he says, I've got an idea, I think you'd be the perfect guy
00:45for it.
00:46I'm rich, you're poor, and that makes me better than each and every one of you.
00:53He said, I think you'd be one of the hottest deals I'd ever have.
00:56It was so well done, it just fit him perfect.
01:00He was actually giving away $100 bills everywhere, I was like, yes, this is gonna work.
01:05You're all a bunch of suckers.
01:08Everything that he did was horrible.
01:10Let's hear a big bulldog bark.
01:13And people ate it up.
01:16Ted was just the consummate heel.
01:18One of the greatest characters, I'm tired.
01:24Is that enough?
01:30I always likened it to selling your soul to the devil.
01:35Temptations were endless.
01:37And I got caught up in the lifestyle.
01:39Ted ran hard.
01:40I mean, partied and ran hard.
01:44I think he got himself in trouble.
01:46We had to share him with the rest of the world.
01:49We want dad, we want dad, we want him.
01:52How do you make that transition to go from superstar to hoe?
02:06Well, this is my office.
02:08Well, all of these things have a special meaning to me.
02:11If you throw them all together, it's a history of my life in professional wrestling.
02:16This is the first action figure of me.
02:19I can still remember the first time I walked into whatever store it was.
02:24And I was like, wow, little piggy bank, million dollar little piggy bank.
02:28There we go.
02:31And this picture right here is my mother.
02:34Now, there's a lot of my peers who, like myself, are second and third generation wrestlers.
02:39Who can say, well, my dad was a wrestler, too.
02:42But there aren't too many that can say my mom and dad were wrestlers.
02:48I was born Theodore Marvin Wills.
02:51My biological father was a professional singer.
02:54Had a beautiful, deep bass voice.
02:57Sang with guys like Tennessee Ernie Ford.
03:00Now, I have a very deep bass voice, but I couldn't carry a tune if it had handles on it.
03:06My mother and he divorced when I was two.
03:09My mother was an entertainer.
03:12She did what you call stage show dancing.
03:16And I'm not sure how she transitioned into being a lady wrestler, but she did.
03:22When I was really little, the deal was, she says, whatever you do, you sit right where I put you,
03:29and you don't get out of that chair.
03:32She goes out and has this match, and she's getting beat up really bad.
03:36You know, that's my mama up there, you know.
03:38So I went running up to the ring right when she caught me, if looks could kill.
03:44And all it took was that look on her face, and I literally turned and ran.
03:50Well, I tell you, I never got out of my seat again, that's for sure.
03:54And when I was five, my mother married Mike DiBiase.
03:58Mike DiBiase's wrestling name was Iron Mike.
04:01Introducing Iron Mike.
04:04He was not only a professional wrestler, but 1946, he was the AAU National Heavyweight Amateur Wrestling Champion.
04:13I wanted to emulate him in life.
04:17And, of course, the one thing that he didn't want me to be was a professional wrestler.
04:25And it wasn't about the wrestling.
04:27It was about the lifestyle of wrestling.
04:30Wrestlers put miles and miles and miles on their vehicles, having to stay in hotels.
04:35Of course, none of that was covered.
04:37You know, everything was paid out of their own pocket.
04:40He would take me with him every now and then, and I had probably some of the greatest conversations of my life with my dad on those trips.
04:54You know, this is the guy that, in the most formative years of my life, from the age of five to 15, was the inspiration of my life.
05:02And when I say 15, that's when I lost him.
05:06July 2, 1969, in Lubbock, Texas.
05:11Some people came to the house.
05:12I know they were wrestlers and people we knew.
05:16But it was late at night.
05:18I immediately knew something was wrong.
05:22One of those great relationships in his wrestling career was with the Funk family.
05:28There's not a bigger name in Texas than the Funks.
05:32Everybody came through West Texas and that territory up there in Amarillo because of Dory Sr.
05:38Terry Funk's mother took me out in the hall and looked me straight in the eye and said,
05:44Teddy, your dad had a heart attack tonight and died on the way to the hospital.
05:51And that's how I found out that he was gone.
05:54I remember the shriek that went out when they told my mother she just lost it.
06:05Terry Funk showed up and he had my dad's wrestling bag.
06:11And I remember opening that bag and my dad's wrestling tights were still wet with his sweat.
06:26And I buried my face in that.
06:29I could smell my dad.
06:31It's funny the things you do in situations like that.
06:35It was just one of those moments in my life that I'll never forget.
06:40Teddy became the father of the family.
06:44And Teddy would do everything.
06:48And that was a tragic, tragic time.
06:51And they moved to Arizona then.
06:55As a young man, I didn't go to church that much.
06:59But I prayed a lot for my mother.
07:01She started drinking heavily.
07:04And so I stayed there in Wilcox, Arizona with my grandmother.
07:11Football meant the world to me at that time.
07:16I played offensive, guard, and tackle.
07:20My driving force was to be good enough to earn that scholarship to play college football.
07:28I graduated in 1972 from Wilcox High School.
07:34I had initially signed a letter of intent to play football at the University of Arizona.
07:40I'm watching TV one afternoon.
07:44And wrestling comes on.
07:47And it's the wrestling out of Amarillo, Texas. The Funks.
07:51And they're promoting that they're going to bring a show to Tucson.
07:54And I hadn't seen any wrestling for three years since my father died.
08:00So I went to Tucson to see the Funks.
08:04And that visit turned into a visit to West Texas State University.
08:10In the back of my mind as a kid growing up, I always wanted to be a wrestler.
08:15I always wanted to be my dad.
08:17So going to West Texas State served two purposes.
08:21Number one, I was there on a football scholarship.
08:24And number two, it would be the lead-in to my professional wrestling career.
08:29And my family's relationship with the Funk family.
08:32You know, I'd basically known them all of my life.
08:35And I knew that they would help train me to get into wrestling.
08:39I knew he was going to be in the business.
08:41I wanted him to be in the business, of course.
08:44I just wanted him to not go in as early as he did.
08:48I heard Mom and him talking about a career path in wrestling.
08:53And it was always, no, that's not what's going to happen.
08:581974, in Lubbock, Texas, I had my first match
09:05in the ring where my father had his last.
09:09And I didn't even think about it until after it was over.
09:11Weighing 257 pounds, Ted Demias!
09:15Ted Demiasi, like many others,
09:18became honed and skilled wrestler of Mid-South.
09:22The Figure Four Leg Lock by Ted Demias!
09:24It was a big territory.
09:25Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi.
09:29I was exposed to so much great talent.
09:32Ted Demias, who was just a teenager,
09:34dedicated himself to someday honoring his father's memory.
09:38It's Demias after fire!
09:40Great work ethic, really good performance.
09:42He was trained and hung around the two of the best ever, Terry and Dory.
09:47Dropkick by Demias!
09:49I had one year of college left, and I didn't go back.
09:52People were telling me,
09:53Kid, you got it, and you're going places.
09:56And it's funny because he never really had a gimmick.
10:01No ring wear or anything like that.
10:04You know, he was a wrestler.
10:05He was a tough, strong guy.
10:09You know, he was a wrestler.
10:10He was a tough, 6'4", 265-pound wrestler.
10:19And one day I got this call from Tev.
10:22He says, well, I got a call from Vince.
10:26Do you think I should stay here in Oklahoma or go to New York?
10:32I said, get your ass up to New York, is what I told him.
10:39The first time I wrestled Ted DiBiase was in Madison Square Garden.
10:44The incredible Hulk Hogan!
10:48His opponent, Ted DiBiase!
10:54Ted DiBiase had made quite a name for himself
10:58and was considered a great technical wrestler.
11:01And that was the type of wrestler
11:03During the Territory Era,
11:04a wrestler would come into a wrestling promotion,
11:07work for a few months, and then usually lose
11:10to whoever the next top good guy might be on his way out.
11:14I remember Ben Senior coming to me and saying,
11:18hey, we got a lot of high hopes for this guy.
11:22Nervous Rock.
11:24And I said, you know what?
11:25You know what?
11:26You know what?
11:27You know what?
11:28You know what?
11:29You know what?
11:30You know what?
11:32Nervous Rock.
11:34Ted made me look great.
11:36Now he has him in a bear hug and it could be over.
11:40It's over.
11:43You know, I was wrestling that night in the garden
11:45and then I was going back to Texas.
11:49Jerry Funk called me and he said,
11:51you need to get to Georgia
11:53because there's three names in the hat
11:55for who possibly might be the next NWA world champion.
11:59And the three names are Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes,
12:02and Ted DiBiase.
12:04To be number one in professional wrestling,
12:06you gotta be a winner and you gotta go
12:08where the action is and where the best is.
12:10For all the regional territories that existed,
12:13no championship meant more at that time
12:17than the National Wrestling Alliance
12:19heavyweight championship.
12:20Ted DiBiase had the skills to be an NWA champion.
12:26When I went to Georgia,
12:27that was when Melanie and I met in Atlanta
12:30on April the 26th, 1981.
12:35We actually met at a swimming pool
12:38and the guy that I was friends with said to Ted,
12:43this girl over here wants your autograph.
12:45And I said, okay, what's your name?
12:46She goes, Melanie, but everybody calls me Mel.
12:48So I put Tamel, the best looking girl at the pool for sure.
12:52And I said, I don't need your autograph.
12:54The best looking girl at the pool for sure.
12:56And I said, I don't even know you
12:58and I'm going to sign this love.
12:59And I did love Ted DiBiase for 26, 81.
13:05I looked at him and I was like,
13:07well, what number are you?
13:09What number am I?
13:11You gotta be a football player.
13:12She says, so you play for the Falcons, don't you?
13:19I said, I'm a professional wrestler.
13:22You mean like the stuff on TV?
13:27I'm too impressed with that.
13:29I don't have to stand here and give you my credentials.
13:31Everybody knows what I can do.
13:33He did ask me after that, if we could go out on a date.
13:38And I said, absolutely not,
13:41because how am I going to defend myself?
13:43I don't know this guy, he's huge.
13:45So I said, let's just meet at the pool.
13:48I needed to know who he was
13:50before I was alone in a car with him somewhere.
13:55And we ended up just having a really close connection
14:01right from the start.
14:03That was the beginning of it.
14:05And so New Year's Eve, 1981,
14:08with J.Y.D. as my best man,
14:11Mel and I got married.
14:14Three months after we got married,
14:16I found out I was pregnant.
14:21There was a lot of talk of Ted DiBiase
14:23becoming the next NWA World's Heavyweight Champion.
14:27But he was passed by.
14:29And so Ted DiBiase looked at his options
14:32and he left the Georgia territory.
14:34He spent time with his family.
14:37But he was always looking for that next big thing.
14:42Look at this!
14:44He slammed the giant!
14:46I don't believe it!
14:47Oh, dropping a big leg!
14:49Over for the cover!
14:51It's over!
14:52I opened the hotel room door
14:54and I pick up this paper.
14:55And the front page says
14:57World Indoor Tennis Record.
14:5993,000 people at the Pontiac Silverdome
15:02for WrestleMania III.
15:04I mean, my mouth dropped open.
15:06I was like, oh my gosh.
15:09All I remember thinking is
15:11that I'm going to have to ultimately
15:13be working for that company.
15:16Ted DiBiase and I had been together
15:18in Mid-South Wrestling
15:19and I had made the move.
15:21I was coming to New York to work for WWE.
15:24While I did that,
15:26Ted was on a tour in Japan.
15:28So I get this call from Bruce
15:30and Bruce says,
15:31Vince McMahon is extremely interested in you.
15:35I had just had a baby.
15:37I was a full-time mom.
15:40I could see it on his face.
15:42It was a really important conversation
15:45he was about to have
15:47that could possibly change his life and mine.
15:51When Vince met with Ted,
15:53he says, well, I've got an idea.
15:56I think you'd be the perfect guy for it.
15:58Ted had the look
16:00and Ted had a bit of the swagger.
16:02He says, if you want to come up here,
16:04I can guarantee you
16:05that you'll make more money
16:06than you ever dreamed of.
16:07We'll have more fun
16:08than you could possibly imagine
16:09having in this business.
16:11Then he laid it out for me.
16:13The one thing everybody hates
16:15is someone by virtue of their wealth.
16:17They bully people.
16:19That's the essence of this character.
16:21And he said, I think he'd be
16:23one of the hottest heels I've ever had.
16:25Off the cuff, I said,
16:26well, he sounds like a million-dollar man to me.
16:35For all you people out there
16:37who aren't familiar with me,
16:38let me introduce myself.
16:40I'm Ted DiBiase.
16:41I'm the million-dollar man.
16:43Money can and does
16:45buy you anything
16:47or anybody.
16:49100% Vince McMahon's vision.
16:55To create this character
16:57that exploits the fact
16:59that everybody
17:01has a price.
17:03Everybody's got a price
17:04for the million-dollar man.
17:06What a great gift to be given to you.
17:08You're basically playing Vince McMahon.
17:10You know?
17:12In the 1980s,
17:13American pop culture
17:14was all about greed
17:16and excess
17:17and how much money
17:19you could actually make.
17:20One of the biggest movies in theaters
17:22was Wall Street.
17:23One of the biggest television shows
17:25in the world
17:26was Dynasty.
17:28The million-dollar man,
17:29Ted DiBiase,
17:31embodied that in the WWE.
17:34What would it take to make this
17:35a private movie right now?
17:37I'm afraid I can't do that.
17:38It was just a fun ride.
17:40He was having so much fun.
17:42He loved it.
17:43I pay more taxes in a month
17:44than these people make in a year.
17:46Virgil?
17:47He was actually giving away
17:48$100 bills everywhere.
17:50I was like,
17:51yes, this is gonna work.
17:53This is brilliant, Virgil.
18:01Virgil.
18:05As a million-dollar man,
18:06you're not gonna do things yourself.
18:08So you have to have a man
18:09that is going to do
18:10the dirty work
18:11that you don't feel
18:12comfortable doing.
18:13Come on, you brats.
18:14Get out the pool.
18:15All of you, come on out.
18:16Oh, Virgil was a key to this,
18:18I think, you know?
18:19Virgil takes care of
18:20all of life's little problems
18:22that I don't have time
18:23to take care of anymore.
18:25Million-dollar man
18:26would snap his fingers.
18:27Hey, Virgil, get this.
18:28Virgil was right there with him.
18:29I'm rich, you're poor,
18:31and that makes me better
18:34than each and every one of you.
18:37Ted would use his money
18:39to make people do things
18:41that they might not
18:42ordinarily do.
18:44But for the right price,
18:46maybe they would.
18:47Let's hear a big bulldog bark.
18:49Ruff, ruff.
18:50The vignettes were great.
18:52The vignettes.
18:53Now get down there
18:54and give me ten push-ups.
18:55Five, four, three, two, one.
19:01Doing your best
19:02just ain't good enough
19:03for the million-dollar man.
19:05You're all a bunch of suckers.
19:09All those things that we did,
19:11all those people got the money.
19:17Everything that he did
19:18was horrible,
19:20how he treated people.
19:21How dare he?
19:22And people ate it up.
19:24If you can dribble
19:25this basketball 15 times,
19:28look at here,
19:29I'm gonna give you $500.
19:31And we realized
19:32the heat is,
19:33you offer somebody money
19:34to do something,
19:36they just about get there,
19:38and then you take it away from them.
19:40Six, seven, eight, nine,
19:41ten, eleven, twelve,
19:42thirteen, fourteen.
19:44Oops.
19:45Oh.
19:47That child learned
19:48a hard lesson that day.
19:50And if you don't do the job...
19:52You don't get paid.
19:56The laugh was diabolical.
20:00The laugh made it.
20:02The tagging,
20:03every vignette with that laugh
20:04was like,
20:05what you gonna do?
20:06Many runs while you laugh
20:07was the same thing.
20:10That's an exaggeration
20:11of my regular laugh.
20:12Vince just happened
20:13to be walking by,
20:15and he heard it,
20:16and he goes,
20:17that's the million-dollar man.
20:18I want to hear that laugh
20:20at the end of every interview.
20:23And I tell people that
20:24now all the time.
20:25I said, you know,
20:26I had almost a 20-year career,
20:28but what am I remembered for?
20:34Who wouldn't want
20:35to be the million-dollar man?
20:37Who wouldn't want
20:38to live that way?
20:39And Ted,
20:41he lived that character.
20:43You know, you've done
20:44a lot of things.
20:45What's the nicest thing
20:46you've done?
20:49Gee, that's a hundred-dollar bill.
20:51You want that
20:52hundred-dollar bill, kid?
20:54Well, the flash cash
20:55is Vince's idea.
20:56We're gonna try
20:57to make the public believe
20:58you're really this guy.
20:59So he says,
21:00if you go in
21:01and buy a cup of coffee,
21:02throw down a hundred-dollar bill.
21:04Ted also was able
21:07to live the gimmick
21:08in real life.
21:10Had stretch limousines
21:11pick him up at the airport
21:12to and from the arena.
21:14Stayed at the finest hotels,
21:16paid for by the company
21:17to protect the gimmick.
21:18He also has
21:19to fly first class.
21:21Everybody else in the back.
21:23But not Ted.
21:24He's the million-dollar man.
21:25Got to live the gimmick.
21:26Oh, it was a blast.
21:28Oh, there it is,
21:29the million-dollar dream.
21:30He swapped it on.
21:32You know, I would
21:33beat my opponent
21:34when I'd take a hundred-dollar bill,
21:36shoved a hundred in their mouth.
21:38You know, when they got back
21:39to the dressing room,
21:40I said, cough it up.
21:41It was like a fairy tale,
21:45the beginning.
21:46And I go from working
21:47like every wrestler used to work.
21:49You're putting the miles
21:50on your car and, you know,
21:52none of that's paid for.
21:55I go from that
21:56to Learjets and limousines.
21:58And while all the wrestlers
21:59are out there
22:00beating each other to pieces,
22:01I'm sitting back relaxing,
22:03contemplating my next move.
22:05He didn't need the competition.
22:07He didn't need the sportsmanship.
22:09He didn't even need to win.
22:11He was willing to use his money
22:13to get the WWE championship.
22:17Everybody has a price
22:18for the million-dollar man.
22:19I'm going to prove it to you
22:20in the biggest way I know how.
22:23I'm going to buy
22:25the World Wrestling Federation
22:28Heavyweight Championship.
22:30Got so much heat
22:31because people were like,
22:32he could buy the belt?
22:34He could buy a championship?
22:36There's no integrity in the WWE?
22:38It immediately elevated him.
22:40That's right, baby.
22:42It's gonna be mine.
22:43Lock, stock, and barrel.
22:45Ha ha ha ha ha.
22:48The million-dollar man
22:51always gets what he wants.
22:53I went out and I fought
22:54Andre the Giant.
22:56This man will beat Hulk Hogan
22:58and the heavyweight title
23:00will be mine.
23:02Welcome to the largest
23:03television audience
23:04in World Wrestling
23:05Federation history.
23:07The million-dollar man,
23:08Ted DiBiase,
23:10purchased Andre the Giant
23:12with the intention
23:15of Andre winning
23:16the WWE Championship
23:19so he could hand it over
23:21to DiBiase.
23:23And it was also the first time
23:24that wrestling
23:26had been on prime time
23:29network television
23:31in many years.
23:32Here comes the holster.
23:34Oh!
23:35I saw something the other day.
23:36It's still the largest viewed
23:38audience for that time slot.
23:40That was a smart move by Andre.
23:42Championship is on the line
23:44and the unthinkable happens.
23:45Suplex right on top of him.
23:47He's on him.
23:48One.
23:49We got two.
23:50That's it.
23:51We got him.
23:52He got him.
23:53He got him.
23:54No, he didn't.
23:55The referee counted three.
23:56A fast count that doesn't even
23:58acknowledge that Hogan's
23:59shoulders were up.
24:01Ted DiBiase has not just
24:03paid off Andre the Giant.
24:05The one in the ring
24:06took the money.
24:07It had to be.
24:08It had to be
24:09since you can't recall.
24:10Ted DiBiase bought him off.
24:12Some guy named
24:13the Million Dollar Man
24:16helped the Giant just a little.
24:18The loophole there
24:19was once Andre won
24:20the championship,
24:21he surrendered the championship
24:24to the Million Dollar Man,
24:25Ted DiBiase.
24:27A surrender to welcome
24:28to the championship
24:30to Ted DiBiase.
24:31Wait a minute.
24:32Hold on, Andre.
24:33What are you saying?
24:34There was a big fuss
24:35about that.
24:37Million Dollar Man
24:38with a championship
24:39that's not legal,
24:40I don't think.
24:41Because of the circumstances
24:43surrounding the title switch,
24:45a decision was made by WWE.
24:47Ted DiBiase is also not
24:50the World Wrestling
24:52Federation champion.
24:53I now declare the title vacant.
24:56And there was going to be
24:57a tournament at Wrestlemania 4
24:59to determine a new champion.
25:01Hi, Wrestlemania 4.
25:03The very short list of people
25:06who have gone on last
25:08at Wrestlemania.
25:10There's a reason
25:11Ted DiBiase found himself
25:13in that spot.
25:17It was because Ted DiBiase
25:19was the best
25:21villainous wrestler
25:23on the WWE roster.
25:28Wrestlemania 4,
25:30the idea was
25:31I would somehow
25:32become the champion.
25:35Oh, look at that shot.
25:36But now, Vince is
25:39marketing toys
25:41and games
25:43to children.
25:45It's about making that money.
25:47You know, if you're the champion
25:49and you're a heel,
25:50you're not going to be
25:51the champion long.
25:55Because all those kids
25:57want to see the championship belt
25:59around their hero.
26:01Oh, that's not an elbow.
26:03Touch the leg.
26:04It's over.
26:06We have a new champion.
26:12Ted DiBiase should have been
26:13a five-time world champion.
26:15Easily two or three.
26:17Easily.
26:19But he didn't need it.
26:20He could draw money.
26:22He was believable as hell.
26:24His work was off the charts.
26:27It's the Million Dollar Man.
26:28Oh, wow.
26:29Gosh.
26:30So I said,
26:31I don't need your stinking belt.
26:33I'll create my own title.
26:35I'm the Million Dollar Man.
26:37You were a designer
26:38of fine jewelry, are you not?
26:39Oh, wait.
26:40Of course you are.
26:41I wouldn't come to you.
26:42The Million Dollar Man
26:44would have just
26:46a regular championship.
26:47I want gold.
26:49I want diamonds
26:50and spare no expense.
26:52And Terry Betteridge
26:53in Greenwich, Connecticut
26:56was a jeweler that Vince knew
26:57that created this
26:59championship belt for us.
27:01It's mine.
27:02It's mine.
27:04Oh, my gosh.
27:05It was amazing.
27:06I give you, brother love,
27:08the Million Dollar
27:10Championship Belt.
27:13There's 700 stones
27:14in the face of the belt.
27:16Well, those are all
27:17cubic zirconium.
27:18I asked my wife,
27:19what's a cubic zirconium?
27:20She said,
27:21it's almost a diamond.
27:23I said, okay,
27:24it's almost a diamond,
27:25so it's worth something.
27:26The real joke is
27:27that in the back of the belt,
27:29there's three real diamonds.
27:30I said, why?
27:32Well, if anybody asks you,
27:33are the diamonds real?
27:34You can say yes,
27:35and you won't be lying.
27:36Nothing makes more to me
27:37than money.
27:38So nothing makes more to me
27:40than this championship belt.
27:44Back then,
27:45if you were a main player
27:47in WWE,
27:48that meant you were
27:49a character very familiar
27:51to the mainstream.
27:52And I would say
27:53every person in Western society
27:55at that time
27:56had heard of
27:57and probably seen
27:58the Million Dollar Man.
28:00It seems to me
28:01that I should have been out here
28:03about 30 minutes ago,
28:04and since I wasn't,
28:06I think you owe me
28:07a little money.
28:10It moved so quickly
28:12into that.
28:14Limousines and room service
28:16and suites
28:18and private jets,
28:20and I'm at home
28:21with three boys.
28:23You're just rolling along
28:25and trying to survive
28:27all the bumps
28:28that come along with it.
28:30We, as kids,
28:31we had to share
28:32with the rest of the world.
28:34And so our time
28:35actually together
28:36was very, very, very minimal.
28:39Really, at the end of the day,
28:40we want Dad.
28:42We want Dad.
28:43We want him.
28:47I was putting the future
28:48and the stability
28:49of my own children at risk.
28:53I was out three straight weeks,
28:5421 days, 21 cities.
28:58I'm really only off
29:00six days in a month.
29:04Fun, but at the same time,
29:05you know,
29:06we missed Dad a lot, too.
29:08Part of my life growing up,
29:09I would see Dad, you know,
29:11maybe a couple times a year.
29:13It was just a fantasy out there
29:16that I needed reality.
29:19I was raising three boys.
29:21I could not live in that.
29:26The Million Dollar Man
29:27lived that character
29:29in and out of the ring,
29:30and I'm sure the other,
29:32the boys didn't like it
29:34because, you know,
29:35they're sharing rental cars,
29:37and he's traveling around
29:38in limousines
29:39because he's the Million Dollar Man.
29:42Separate dressing room,
29:43coming in a little later,
29:44than normal,
29:46and it just felt
29:47a little different sometimes.
29:48Staying out a little late
29:50sometimes at some of the bars
29:51and partying and having
29:52a good time,
29:53where before,
29:54the old Ted DeVos
29:55really didn't do it, you know?
29:56And so I think I really had
29:57a change in his home life
29:58and his life,
29:59and I think it affected everything.
30:01Ted ran hard.
30:04I mean, partied and ran hard.
30:07Maybe we partied
30:09a little too much sometimes,
30:10you know?
30:12I think he probably had
30:14a problem with that too,
30:15and I think he got himself
30:17in trouble.
30:19I always kind of likened it
30:20to selling your soul
30:21to the devil
30:23because you're gonna
30:24make a lot of money,
30:25you're gonna be more famous
30:26than you could have
30:27ever imagined.
30:28There's no really relationship.
30:30I don't know how you keep
30:31a relationship going,
30:32not only with your spouse,
30:33but your children.
30:35The temptations were endless.
30:39And I got caught up in the life,
30:40the lifestyle, to a degree.
30:43I did everything at the house.
30:46Took care of the home,
30:47took care of the kids,
30:48and I was paying the bills
30:50one time,
30:51and I noticed some charges
30:52that were a little
30:54suspicious to me.
30:55And so I followed up with that
30:57and just found out
31:01that Ted had been unfaithful
31:03in our marriage.
31:05And she confronted me
31:08with what she found.
31:12And I said,
31:13I don't want to talk about this
31:14on the phone.
31:15I'll be on the next plane home.
31:16I said, no, you won't.
31:18You don't live here anymore.
31:19Click.
31:25That was the worst day
31:26of my life.
31:34I was unfaithful.
31:37When my wife found out
31:39and confronted me with it,
31:41it was immediate remorse for me.
31:46How could you be so stupid?
31:49How could you put
31:50something so precious
31:52at risk like that?
31:55And quite frankly,
31:56I didn't deserve her.
31:58So you have to make a decision.
32:00I'm going to keep this.
32:01I'm going to go bitter.
32:03I'm going to divorce.
32:04I'm going to make
32:05my children's lives hell
32:09and be gone with him.
32:12Or you can do
32:16what a Christian would do,
32:17and that's work through the pain.
32:20I had accepted that
32:21I was going to lose
32:23the best thing
32:24that ever happened to me,
32:25that I was a fool,
32:26that I was an idiot,
32:27the whole nine yards.
32:29And that's when my journey,
32:33I call it back to God,
32:34really began.
32:36During that time,
32:37we were counseled
32:38by one of my best friends,
32:40Pastor Hal Santos.
32:44One night, Ted calls me.
32:45He's going through a tough time,
32:47and he said,
32:48I need your help.
32:49I said, let's make a plan
32:51how we can get you all here.
32:53Ted and Mel came,
32:55and then the boys came.
32:57We joined him
32:58and went with all of his kids
33:00from this church
33:01to this thing up in Chicago.
33:03There's Ted DiBiase.
33:04There's the million-dollar man.
33:05What's he doing here?
33:07Good question.
33:10I went to my knees.
33:11I put my nose in the carpet,
33:12and I laid there
33:13and cried like a baby.
33:14Didn't care what a soul
33:15in that room thought.
33:17And all I could think of
33:18was Melanie, God loves Ted
33:22as much as he loves you.
33:24He still does.
33:26And I looked at Mel that day,
33:27and I said,
33:28if you'll give me this chance,
33:30I'll become the man
33:31you thought you married,
33:33and God willing, one day,
33:35I'll regain your respect
33:38and trust.
33:40That was in March of 92.
33:43We were stronger because of it.
33:46We probably had a healthier respect
33:48for each other than we did before
33:50because you kind of take for granted
33:52your partner,
33:54but you shouldn't.
33:56You should treasure it.
33:57His whole life was gonna end
33:59for what he knew it,
34:00and to him,
34:01that was too huge a price,
34:02and it snapped him back
34:04into reality.
34:05Who are you?
34:07Hulk Hogan.
34:08Hulk Hogan?
34:09The change was immediate.
34:11He waited till it got
34:12to a tough place,
34:14but then he found God's grace.
34:16He kept his marriage together,
34:18raised his kids.
34:20Mom, give me the other money.
34:22Give you the other monies?
34:24I don't have any more.
34:25That's all of it.
34:31How do you make that transition
34:32to go from superstar
34:34to home,
34:36where you're expected
34:37to just be dad?
34:40He was really good with them
34:42in that the first few hours,
34:45that first day that he would be home,
34:47he did nothing
34:49but play with them.
34:52And then the next day,
34:54he and I would have
34:55kind of a date.
34:56That would be our time.
34:57And then the next day,
34:58he was back on the road.
35:00If your dad is playing
35:01a character that flashy and fun,
35:05you know, I would try
35:06to imitate the laugh.
35:08I would catch them
35:09playing with each other
35:11in their rooms
35:12when they didn't think
35:13I was listening.
35:15They loved it.
35:17That's everything to you.
35:18Everything.
35:20And you want to be
35:21just like them.
35:25Even to this day,
35:26I'm 45 years old,
35:27and I still,
35:28it chokes me up
35:29because...
35:35I love my dad.
35:40When you work
35:41the type of competitive style
35:42that Ted DiBiase had been working
35:44his entire career,
35:47those injuries
35:48are going to pile up.
35:49And by 1993,
35:51Ted DiBiase had accused
35:53so many neck and back injuries
35:56that really,
35:57he made the choice
35:58at 39 years old
35:59that he'd be better
36:01off retiring.
36:03My dad, Mike DiBiase,
36:04was 45 years old.
36:06He had a heart attack
36:07at the ring and died.
36:09I remember I made
36:10a promise to myself
36:11that I wasn't going
36:12to stay too long.
36:14And I remember telling Mel,
36:15I said,
36:16I'm done.
36:18If you gotta step on people,
36:19if you gotta be
36:20a little bit cutthroat,
36:21then that's what it takes.
36:23And he was a commentator,
36:24he was a manager.
36:27But in the meantime,
36:28he wasn't taxing his body
36:30the way he had
36:31throughout his in-ring career.
36:33And that allowed him time
36:34to be with his family
36:36and do the other things
36:37he enjoyed doing.
36:39I was starting to do
36:41some of the ministry work then.
36:43Because every time
36:44I see an invitation
36:45and every time I see
36:46the altar full,
36:47it takes me back
36:48to that moment in my life
36:50that was life-changing.
36:51The man, you know,
36:53changed so much.
36:56I think it saved his life.
37:06Ted has two legacies, really,
37:10that overlap.
37:12Not many people
37:13get to say that.
37:15But he had a career
37:16in wrestling that
37:17is legend-worthy.
37:21The second half of his life,
37:23he's left a legacy.
37:25To me, it's much more powerful
37:27than being a legend
37:28in a wrestling ring.
37:37He really believes
37:38what he's saying.
37:39And he does walk the talk.
37:42He's not going to
37:43shove it down your throat.
37:44But if you want to talk about it,
37:45he will.
37:46There's a lot of haters
37:47out there.
37:48I don't believe the hype.
37:49I judge people
37:50by their actions.
37:51So I judge Ted
37:52on who he is
37:53and how he treats people.
37:54And I think
37:55he's a great man.
37:57Lord, I pray that
37:58you would touch
37:59those lives tonight
38:00and that you would
38:01give them freedom.
38:02So many other guys
38:04that I'd worked with,
38:05their lives
38:06didn't end up so well.
38:07And so many of them
38:08are gone now.
38:09And, you know,
38:10thank God
38:11that Ted found that path.
38:15Ups and downs,
38:16whether, you know,
38:17good or bad,
38:18the main thing
38:19is how he found me
38:20and Dad's legacy.
38:21He said,
38:22Dad has always,
38:23always been consistent.
38:24Whether he's wrestling
38:26or speaking,
38:27Dad comes from the heart.
38:29The Million Dollar Man,
38:31Ted DiBiase.
38:37Dad was excited
38:38to get that recognition
38:40to be inducted
38:41into the Hall of Fame.
38:42He had a great career.
38:43He worked hard.
38:44It meant everything to him
38:46in his work life.
38:48That was his passion.
38:51I mean, he gave
38:53literally blood, sweat, and tears
38:55to that business.
38:57I guess,
38:58as the Million Dollar Man,
38:59I hate to admit
39:01that there are
39:02some moments in time
39:03and some things in life
39:05that just really can't
39:06put a price tag on.
39:09And for Ted DiBiase,
39:12tonight is that priceless night.
39:14I feel so fortunate
39:15to have been chosen
39:17to be this guy.
39:19I think that Ted will forever
39:21be known as
39:22the Million Dollar Man.
39:24He was a great gimmick
39:25and I think Ted wore it well.
39:27I think one of the greatest
39:28characters of all time.
39:3010, 11, 12, 13, 14.
39:32Oops!
39:33People know who
39:34the Million Dollar Man is,
39:36you know,
39:37and it goes from the laugh
39:39to the theatrics
39:43to just being the guy,
39:45Ted DiBiase.
39:48People ask me,
39:49even now,
39:50they go,
39:51are there times
39:52when you miss it?
39:53I love the business.
39:54I thank the fans
39:55all the time.
39:56I'm satisfied.
39:58You know,
40:00I'm satisfied
40:01with where I am.
40:04I certainly have
40:05to thank my wife.
40:06You put up
40:07with a lot of garbage
40:08you didn't have
40:09to put up with.
40:10You forgave me for a lot
40:12and you gave me
40:13a second chance
40:14and now,
40:15never forget you for it.
40:16You're my rock.
40:17What you doing?
40:18Oh, okay.
40:19You're gonna go
40:20to honey first,
40:21aren't you?
40:22He is the best
40:24grandfather ever.
40:26We literally
40:27do not miss
40:28an opportunity
40:29to be with them.
40:31I don't want to be
40:32remembered as being
40:33a great wrestler,
40:35but a man who
40:37truly loved
40:38and served his family.
40:40And you know what?
40:41What?
40:42You cannot escape
40:43the technical monster.
40:51This is one of those moments
40:52in my life
40:54when I wish my dad
40:55were here
40:57and I think
40:58that he would pat me
40:59on the back
41:00and he would say,
41:01job well done.
41:02I'm proud of you, son.
41:04There's nothing more
41:05that I ever wanted
41:09before I go.
41:11Just in case
41:13there's any doubt
41:15left in your mind
41:17that what I have said
41:18for so many years
41:21is true.
41:24Because you see,
41:26everybody's got a price
41:28for the million dollar man,
41:30including you.
41:37Probably the richest wrestler
41:38that ever lived.
41:39Ted DiBiase,
41:40the million dollar man.
41:41I don't know why
41:42Vince didn't call him
41:43the billion dollar man.