During the latest episode of his “Everybody’s Got A Pod” show, WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase shared insights about his early days in the WWF, including his thoughts on joining the organization for the first time, Bob Backlund as WWF Champion, and his experiences with Pat Patterson.
Reflecting on Bob Backlund’s reign as WWF Champion, DiBiase remarked,
“Personally, I liked Bob. He was just a different guy. Yeah, just a different kind of guy. And again, he was legit in terms of his athleticism. It’s hard for me to explain. He was legit, I mean, amateur. He had all the credentials, but I don’t know, he didn’t come across that way. He didn’t come across as a tough guy.”
Expressing his views on Backlund’s physique and wrestling style, DiBiase stated,
“I mean, bland, you know. He didn’t have a great body. I think he had a better body than I did at the time. Yeah, he was in good shape. but I don’t know, it’s just strange.”
When discussing his admiration for Pat Patterson, DiBiase emphasized,
“If I had my choice of someone to work with or I just pick somebody, Pat Patterson was great. I mean, he was great in the ring, he was great out of the ring. And he was tag team partners with Ray Stevens, and Ray Stevens is another guy who was an unbelievable worker, just unbelievable. And then as a team was just actually — Tito Santana and I, we both went to New York together the first time… I and Tito wrestled the two of them in a tag team match in Amarillo. That was unbelievable. If ever I had a question the whole time I was wrestling in the WWWF, and when I went back, if I had an issue or I had a problem, if there was a question I had or something… I had that much respect for his knowledge of our business, which is incredible. And I even think Vince Jr. would tell you that now. Because Pat was Vince’s right-hand man for a long time.”
