Wrestling 101 recently interviewed WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase Sr. who recalled being the first wrestler to work with Hulk Hogan at Madison Square Garden. Below are some highlights:
DiBiase on working with Hogan: “At that time Hulk was just coming into the business and I had been in the business longer than him. At that particular time Hulk Hogan wasn’t the babyface he was the heel managed by Fred Blassie and I was the babyface. I was having my last match in the WWF at the time and they wanted me as his first opponent. I was very grateful to Vince for his faith in me, when I went to him and asked him what he wanted to do he told me to do anything because he knew I would do it right. I put Hogan over as a heel in his first match at the Garden and he never forgot that.”
DiBiase on what Vince McMahon was like as a boss: “I got along fine with Vince (laughs). It was kind of like a love hate relationship at times, and Vince said this to me a long time ago and I think he says it to everybody, ‘we can agree to disagree’, he doesn’t expect people to be yes men, if you don’t agree with him it’s not going to piss him off and he’s not going to fire you, but he added, ‘because we’re spending my money whether you like it or not we’re going to do what I want to do.’ I haven’t always agreed with what Vince did, I was not a big fan of the Attitude Era, but for the most part we wouldn’t be having this conversation if it wasn’t for what Vince McMahon did for me and did for wrestling.”
