WWE Hall Of Famer Ted DiBiase Sr. recently spoke to Fan Buzz to promote his new documentary “The Price of Fame.” Here are the highlights:
What was the finest moment of his career: “I had been in the wrestling industry for 12 years. It was one thing to have one match (at WrestleMania IV), but I had three. The tournament had culminated with me wrestling Randy Savage. The other unique thing about it, it was the first time we had ever been in the ring together. We had never had a match before that night. It set the stage.”
The “Million Dollar Man” laugh: “I’m doing an interview and I just happened to have ended the interview with a laugh like that. It’s an exaggeration, an extreme exaggeration of the way I really laugh.”
Vince poking his head in the room after hearing it: “That’s it. ‘That’s the Million Dollar Man and I want to hear that laugh on every interview [McMahon said].’”
The challenges of traveling on the road as a wrestler: “That’s what the documentary is about. The ‘Price of Fame.’ You know what you’re getting into when you get in. You hear stories and you realize you’re going to be spending a lot of time away from home. The reality of it doesn’t set in until you’re in it. I’ve told people, on the outside, you watch guys walk into an arena and the crowd is cheering and yelling your name. What a thrill. But the game is over, show is over and you go back to the hotel and have dinner and go to your hotel room.
“You have a TV and four walls. Your wife and children are not there — whether they’re 20 miles away or 2,000 miles away. The road can become a very lonely place. It’s not what it’s cracked up to be. Of course, it’s what you make it. I tell young guys, you need to build accountability into your life to avoid the pitfalls.”
Advising his sons against being wrestlers: “Obviously, this is why I didn’t encourage any of my boys to be wrestlers. At the end of the day, they know my story. Teddy made it and was doing really well. He figured it out. That’s why when his contract was up, he didn’t re-sign. He said ‘it’s too much.’”
Managing Stone Cold Steve Austin: “I don’t think anybody could have predicted it back then. I saw his talent, and I told him that. Some of the producers at the time were encouraging him to do more. I said, no. I said, ‘you come across very believable. Sometimes less is more. You keep doing what you’re doing. It may take you a little longer to get over. But once you’re over, you’re over. And you can do anything you want.’”
Read Ted DiBiase Sr.’s full interview with Fan Buzz by clicking here.
