Ted Dibiase

by Ted DiBiase

Book Overview

Everyone's got a price.

Everyone's got to pay.

'Cause the Million Dollar Man always gets his way.

After proving his point, Ted DiBiase would laugh and fan out his large roll of hundreds, worsening the degradation of whoever had been foolish enough to accept his challenge or get in his way. Defeated opponents -- put to sleep with his Million Dollar Dream -- would have the added humiliation of awakening to discover that the Million Dollar Man had been stuffing bills down their throats. Winning match after match, yet no closer to the championship, DiBiase wanted the title, but he couldn't seem to win it. His solution: pay Andre the Giant to win the title, make sure the referee was also "taken care of," and then have Andre hand the championship title over to him.

True to his taunt, the Million Dollar Man had gotten his way, and Ted DiBiase became the most hated person in sports entertainment.

Making his way to the top of the profession that he had loved since he was a child, Ted DiBiase never did anything by half measures. He couldn't, because the men he respected and worked side by side with expected that "Iron" Mike's kid would give his all. And each day while on the road learning what it was to be a wrestler, Ted remembered how his father had taught him to give his all every time. It was how his father lived -- and how he lost his life, dying during a wrestling match while Ted was still a boy.

From the dusty roads of Texas to the bayous of Louisiana, Ted moved from one wrestling promotion to another -- sometimes a babyface, other times a heel. He learned how to tell a story and how to draw the fans in, both inside and outside the ring. In 1987, Vince McMahon had an idea for a new character, the Million Dollar Man, and one person came to mind: Ted DiBiase. For nearly a decade, fans waited to see just how Ted could prove his adage that "Everyone's got a price." When he was sidelined by a neck injury, DiBiase started a second wrestling career, as a manager. He managed some of the biggest stars: Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, and a very green wrestler, the Ringmaster (who would later be known as Stone Cold Steve Austin).

Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, is fondly remembered by wrestling fans for his style and his command of the ring. This is the inside glimpse of three decades inside and outside the squared circle.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 141655890X
• ISBN13: 9781416558903
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Former wrestling fan enjoys book

I originally bought this book to save money on shipping, but it was really entertaining. I used to watch wrestling around 20 years ago, I wondered what the million dollar man really like. Reading this book I learned about the constant travel and respect for the wrestling business. I also learned about Ted Diabase the person. I would recommend this book to anyone who knows who Ted Diabase is, you don't have to be a wrestling fan to enjoy this one. Remember don't cheat, don't steal and don't lie

Great bgok!

As a huge fan of Ted, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and his honesty. He was always one of my favorite characters and he's extremely easy on the eyes.

A must read

The DiBiase that writes this book and the one who was the perrenial bad guy in the 80's and 90's aretwo different people. I am a pro wrestler myself and it is good to know that with all of the garbage that goes on in the business, a man can actually change for the better. Ted talks about the territories and the old days and does it with class that doesn't sound forced. Even though it is a WWE book, it does come off honest. Highly recommended.

Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man

The book is written well and provides a detailed account of his entire life to this point. He talks about his childhood, his mother and father's wrestling career, highschool and college football, his wrestling career from the terrritorial to the WWE and WCW, to his addictions and being a born again christian. I picked up this book based on hearing his son Ted would be coming to the WWE, which jogged my memory of the WWE in the late 1980's and early 1990's. I really liked some of his stories about being on the road and also hanging with Andre The Giant!

Excellent Book!

This book is an excellent one which provides the reader with much insightful information about professional wrestling during the 1970s through 2006. Ted DiBiase was a very talented wrestler who performed as one of the greatest heel characters of all times - the totally despicable Million Dollar Man. It was also quite interesting to note that the heel persona which Ted DiBiase was able to so successfully present was clearly not the real Ted who is known to his friends, fellow wrestlers, family and others. This book presents solid information about how the Million Dollar Man was created by the WWE honcho Vince McMahon and capably carried out by DiBiase. The book also provides much insight into what it takes to become a wrestler and the sacrifices which must be accepted in order to receive any measure of success in the mat world. I know that true wrestling aficionados will find reading this book to be a real pleasure with much that can be learned about the profession of wrestling. After ending his wrestling career, Ted went into the Christian ministry to serve people in a very different capacity, and very successfully too. All aspects of Ted's life were covered in this book and provided in a way which demonstrates his self awareness and his honesty in revealing himself to the reader.