Ted DiBiase Read Free Page A

Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on March 27, 1988; Donald Trump himself was in attendance.
    I wrestled three times that night. In the first round of the tournament, with both Andre and Virgil by my side, I pinned “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. In my quarterfinal match, I wrestled and pinned Don “the Rock” Muraco. Because I had interfered in Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant’s quarterfinal match, causing both men to be eliminated, I didn’t have an opponent in the semifinal, so I was now in the finals against fellow heel Randy “Macho Man” Savage.
    During the course of the match, Andre attacked Randy outside the ring. Sensing trouble, Randy’s manager, Miss Elizabeth, ran to the back. Within a few minutes, the crowd went wild as she returned with none other than Hulk Hogan. Now it was Andre in my corner and Hogan in Randy’s. Even thoughRandy was a heel, the crowd could feel his babyface turn with each passing minute of the match.
    In the end, I had Randy in my finishing move, the Million Dollar Dream. Elizabeth got up on the ring apron and distracted the referee. Hulk Hogan entered the ring and nailed me in the back with a steel chair. Soon thereafter, the Macho Man pinned me after dropping his patented flying elbow drop from the top rope. Randy Savage was crowned the new champion.
    Although I lost the title, I was still very arrogant and quite rich. I told everyone that the world heavyweight title didn’t matter. I didn’t need the title. Rather, I created my own belt: the Million Dollar Belt. From that day forward, I became the self-proclaimed Million Dollar Champion, crowing and bragging that my belt was worth millions of dollars in gold and diamonds.
    BRUCE PRICHARD:
    The Million Dollar Man character was perfect for Ted. His skills in the ring were excellent, and he played the character to perfection. He carried himself like he owned the world—just the way we envisioned.
    For more than three decades, I have been a part of professional wrestling and have literally done it all, traveling all over the world, including to Australia, Europe, and Japan. I have been to all fifty states. I have wrestled alone and as part of a tag team, and I’ve served as a referee, a manager, an announcer, a producer, and an advisor to the creative team.
    I have held almost every title in the business and have worked for every major promotion. Some of my accomplishments include: AJPW International Heavyweight Champion (four times); NWA National Heavyweight Champion; NWA National Tag Team Champion (two times); Mid-South North American Heavyweight Champion (four times) and Mid-South Tag Team Champion (four times); World Wrestling Federation World Tag Team Champion (three times); and the
King of the Ring 1988
.
    Not too bad for someone who technically didn’t win the title.

    That’s me riding the streets of Willcox.

3
THE EARLY YEARS
    On January 18, 1954, at 11:11 p.m., I was born two months premature to Ted Wills and Gladys Helen Nevins in Miami Beach, Florida. I weighed in at five pounds, eleven ounces.
    My dad, whom I was named after, was born and raised in South Florida, and was an entertainer and singer. He had a great bass voice and was a regular on
The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show.
    My mother was born in Grand Island, Nebraska. She wasextremely attractive and was a great dancer. In her early years, she worked as a showgirl, performing with many of the big bands of the 1940s and with Frank Sinatra.
    At sixteen years old, she married her first husband, professional wrestler “Spiderman” Al Galento. She was clearly too young, and the marriage was doomed from the start. When she discovered that Al had had an affair, my mom divorced him (she was pregnant with my older brother, Albert Jr., at the time). The marriage lasted less than six months.
    After the divorce, her parents, Edgar and Marie Nevins, helped out with raising Albert. At the time, my grandparents were living in