WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase has opened up about his WWE departure and says he wishes he’d spoken to Vince McMahon before leaving.
The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase was one of the then-WWF’s biggest stars in the late 80s. Tangling with Randy Savage in the main event of WrestleMania 4 put DiBiase on the map but the closest he came to the WWE Championship was when he thought he’d bought the title from Andre The Giant after the colossal Frenchman had unseated Hulk Hogan for the gold.
As the nineties took shape DiBiase found himself competing in a tag team with Irwin R. Schyster as Money Inc. The duo captured the WWE Tag Team Championship three times but more was to come for DiBiase as the decade wore on. By the mid-nineties, Ted DiBiase had his own Million Dollar Corporation as he proved that everyone did indeed have a price for the Million Dollar Man.
The final star that named his price in WWE for DiBiase was The Ringmaster, who of course later became Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin was DiBiase’s hand-picked Million Dollar Champion but their partnership was not destined to be a long one.
At In Your House: Beware Of Dog in May 1996, Austin lost a Caribbean Strap Match against Savio Vega with the stipulation in place that should Austin lose then DiBiase would have to leave the company. In reality, Ted DiBiase was doing what many WWE stars of the time were doing and heading south to WCW.
Speaking exclusively to Inside The Ropes’ Kenny McIntosh for issue 21 of Inside The Ropes magazine, Ted DiBiase discussed his exit from WWE and his regrets from that time:
“I should have gone in and seen him and sat down with him, but I sent him a letter. In hindsight, I should have gone in man to man and done it that way. But I went [to WCW] and left there, then when my ministry started in 2000. I didn’t have anything to do with wrestling for a while, then I got an opportunity to go back and I finally got a chance to sit down with Vince and said, “I should have come and talked to you.” He was okay with it, we mended the fence and it has been mended ever since.”
To read the full interview with Ted DiBiase you can order Issue 21 of Inside The Ropes Magazine here or take out a monthly subscription to get great wrestling interviews, features, and a whole lot more delivered to your door. Alternatively, Inside The Ropes Magazine is also available as a download.