Ted DiBiase

[10.0] "DiBiase still remains one of my favorite pro wrestlers of all time. He could do anything, and his ability to work the crowd and deliver absolutely perfect promos was God-given. He was such a huge part of the 80s/90s wrestling that I can't imagine the WWF without him. The fact that he was one of the best workers I was exposed to as a kid places him way at the top of my personal list, and comparing him to today's talents tells me that we really miss these type of characters."

[9.0] "Ted DiBiase is one of the greatest heels of all time. His "Million Dollar Man" gimmick was iconic, and he played the role to perfection--cocky, calculating, and always entertaining. He was technically sound in the ring, trained by Dory and Terry Funk, and could hang with anyone during the golden era of wrestling. Whether it was his promos, character work, or matches with guys like Savage or Hogan, DiBiase made everything feel important. Even without holding the WWF Championship, he's remembered as one of the best. Truly a legend, and a cornerstone of 80s and early 90s WWE."

[8.0] "Every man has his price! Great gimmick, great tag team member with Money inc and a very good worker."

"Great wrestler... but, this guys promo skills are so underrated. So natural and confident on the mic. I miss characters like this."

[10.0] "Great wrestler, could even carry the likes of Ultimate warrior to great matches, absolutely brilliant technician on the mat and one of the great promos when it comes to mic work, was a given NWA champion and also a given Four Horseman member, Ted Dibiase I've to say is one of those guys who are confirmed to have had two generational hall of fame worthy carees depending on whatever company he chose."

[7.0] "Ted has one of the greatest gimmicks of all time in the form of the Million Dollar Man. The question is: did he make the gimmick or did the gimmick make him? Personally, I think the gimmick made him. He was skilled in ring but it only ever came out with certain others, he couldn't carry a weaker opponent to a good match IMO. He was very successful in very promotion he found himself in so he knew how to get over. Could he have been World champ? Yes but not a long reign. Overall, a very good performer who I think is a little overrated."

[9.0] "Ted DiBiase was one of the top workers who emerged in the mid-seventies along with Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Bob Backlund, and Jumbo Tsuruta. Ted combined athleticism and precision across a wide array of wresting moves. His early babyface work lacked passion, with Ted coming across more like a younger Dory Funk Jr. You can see this in his full length match against Pat Patterson in the WWWF. Ted and Pat were a revelation by WWWF standards of the time, but they didn't really engage the crowd in that match. Ted moved on to Georgia where he ended up replacing Stan Frazier as Robert Fuller's partner in the long running Freebirds feud that featured a revolving cast of local babyfaces opposite the 'Birds. This led to the infamous TV studio match angle where Terry Gordy gave DiBiase multiple piledrivers both inside and outside the ring before Tommy Rich threw in the towel to save DiBiase. Ted gave interviews from the hospital while spending a month recovering. In reality, Ted was working for Giant Baba on a three week tour of All Japan. Ted's career and his connection with audiences started to take off when he turned heel in the early eighties. Ted could back up his swagger with the best execution in whatever promotion he was working for, but he could also use his phenomenal bumping ability to put over even the most limited babyfaces. Looking back, there aren't many classic matches from this era. One might think this was because Ted was trying to use his moves, heel charisma, and ring psychology to cover for hot babyfaces like Jim Duggan and Magnum T.A. who barely knew how to construct a match, but Ted's matches against top flight workers like Ric Flair, Harley Race, Jumbo Tsuruta, and Terry Gordy weren't classics either. There was something structurally missing in Ted's work. Years later, as the top heel in the WWF, he would have exciting matches against fellow spot machines like Randy Savage, but when boiled down they were a bunch of spots, some sloppier than others, leading to an angle driven finish. There are no Flair vs Steamboat or Flair vs Windham level matches in Ted's library which is a shame, because he was in some ways a superior worker. In the end I would compare DiBiase to another ring technician, Bret Hart, but Hart developed the ability to tell stories in his matches that made his high end work superior, despite criticisms about "five moves of doom." In the end Ted DiBiase was clearly one of the top ten workers of his generation, yet had less to show for it than many rivals."

"Ted DiBiase: One of the greatest wrestling heels ever. Many people want to (for one reason or another) completely discount or ignore DiBiase's WWF World Title reign in the beginning of February 1988. Ted successfully purchased the title on nationwide TV before the largest wrestling audience ever & made at least one title defense against Bam Bam Bigelow. Jack Tunney got cold feet from all the negative publicity as litter & trash flew into the ring on the eve of DiBiase's first defense...so Tunney appeased the humanoids & gave Hogan & Andre "a bye" as Ted had to scratch, claw & fight his way to the finals of a grueling 4 hour tournament! Life can be SO unfair!"

[9.0] "MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY! We love Ted. We love the million dollar championship. We love Ted for making the million dollar championship. We love Ted for bringing the million dollar championship to NXT. Ted is the man. He's got that swagger, the best attire, and the best laugh in the history of Wrestling. He's a wholesome guy who's been able to take care of himself, and is celebrated as an awesome wrestling veteran and a classic heel who paved the way for many to come. Also he's a W for giving The Ringmaster Steve Austin and LA Knight the million dollar championship."

[10.0] "Top 10 wrestler of all time without a doubt. One of the best for in ring psychology, technical ability & ring work, great on the mic. For a big man he could get around the ring, took some amazing bumps and would take them all day. He could get anyone he touched over, even Virgil. He could wrestle a brown paper bag and get it over. Better as an arrogant heel, which nearly got him killed in Mid-South and later was pivotal to keeping Hulkamania alive for another few years. He pulled off one of the greatest gimmicks of all time in Million Dollar Man. Pity he was used mainly as a talent booster in the WWF for Vince's fetish of muscles & monsters. Could of had another run chasing the gold if they had the right champion for him, as he had some great matches with Savage for the belt. Both him & Savage carried the SummerSlam 88 main event to a classic. Above all everything he done was real and legitimate, a pro wrestler straight out of the players handbook. If he was to lose any points it would be for his time spent as a manager, it should of worked and would of worked if he was 80's Million Dollar Man, but it just never felt right. 9.9*"

[8.0] "Probably the best heel in 80s wrestling. Ted DiBiase's character work was sublime, being one of the first real "love to hate" heels that wasn't just a racial stereotype. Also great in ring, and a major factor in the best storylines the golden age of the Fed had."

[10.0] "Probably the best heel of the WWF 80s era. He worked his gimmick so fucking well, he was smooth on the mic, the ring, and had size. As a young wrestling fan who likes old-school WWE. I can say that Ted DiBiase The Million Dollar Man should've been the WWF champion or at least IC Champion during his tenure with the company."

[6.0] "Honestly was never a huge fan of DiBiase. He was decent in the ring and was as charismatic as they come. I cant explain it."

[8.0] "Ted DiBiase was a great wrestler. DiBiase was good in the ring for his time period. He made his money as the million-dollar man character. His promo work was always good, and he played the character perfectly. One of the greatest heels wrestling has ever seen."

[9.0] "Brilliant heel and I would dare say he was on par with Ric Flair of NWA/WCW from that 1987-1990 WWF. Dibiase should have gotten the WWF title at least once, for a few months."

[7.0] "I guess you can give him points for tenacity. He was good on the mic and had a decent move set, but he was way out classed physically by the mobile giants of his day. Always brought an effort and in a lesser time, probably goes gown with a better legacy. In the age of Hulkamania however, he is barely a footnote, totally overpushed. I much preferred his work with Steve Williams, now THAT was an excellent team. I also felt he had chemistry with Steve Travis in his first time through the WWWF. He also added a bit to the nWo, but not a ton."

[7.0] "For the most part I will be basing my Wrestler ratings on five criteria four of which are based on in-ring ability and the last on charisma. I believe these five criteria are pro wrestling's version of Tommy Lasorda's criteria of "five points" in baseball. For pro wrestling those five criteria are power, speed, technical ability, hardcore & charisma. Ted DiBiase's scores: Power: 7 Speed: 5 Technical: 8 Hardcore: 8 Charisma: 7 for a total of 35 and an average of 7."

[10.0] "Amazing professional wrestler. Everything about 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase screams money - no pun intended LOL! He's the perfect antagonist for any good guy, and could evelate anyone he worked with. Astonishing promo skills, fantastic in-ring, brilliant character work, and a simply perfect villain."

[10.0] "One of the most important wrestlers from the previous century. Quickly established himself as one of America's best overall workers by the very early 80's. A true elevator of the sport/business, one of those who raised the work rate bar and made for a MUCH better product overall. Chemistry with essentially anyone and an ability to bring others up to his standard of ring work. Probably the #1 reason Mid South was as successful as it was for so long. Major player in the WWF's golden era, a pillar and cornerstone by all means. I could start listing more details but his work over the years speaks for itself. Wrestling was & is a WAY better place/thing to enjoy because of Ted Dibiase. Critical/Essential/Top tier/Underrated!"

[8.0] "Million Dollar Man was all time great gimmick. His best work came before he got to the WWF but he could still go in period he reached international fame. A great promo too."

[9.0] "The Million Dollar Man, always gets his way ahahahahaha! The guy just became the gimmick, does not break kayfabe to the extend of stealing money from the poor, along with his sons, thanks to their church charity scam. That is dedication my friends. Everybody? s got a price, for Ted DiBiase the price consists of aid money that were intended for poor people, worth millions of dollars. Ahahahahaha! Vince should totally use this as a part of Teds gimmick - from what I gather, he? s currently on NXT. It could go something like this: ahahaha remember the video from the late 90s when I cut that promo in a church, saying that Stone Cold 3:16 is a blasphemy? Well, those stupid poor people were so gullible that I took their money and they did not even know! Ahahahaha! And instead of being in prison, Vince gave me a job on NXT. The Million Dollar Man, always gets his way ahahahahah! Support DiBiase heart of David ministries? ahahahhaha!"

[9.0] "A great gimmick brought to life by the perfect performer to take it on. DiBiase had it all, the look, the in-ring skills to have a great match with anyone, able to ruthlessly dominate inferior opposition or elevate a rising star, always fantastic in interviews and on the mic, and still one of the most recognisable and beloved stars ever to grace the squared circle. Simply the best wrestler to have never been WWF/E champion."

[8.0] "What a great gimmick. I don't know that I remember his matches well, but his character work and charisma were on point. He was a very fun, larger than life character and as a kid I hated him-- in a good way."

[9.0] "A legend in WWE whose work has only gotten better the more time goes on. I never saw him during his career, he stopped wrestling full time when I was one, but I'm sure he'd be one of my favorites if I was watching at the time. Also, his theme song was so damn good."

[10.0] ""The Million Dollar Man" is one of the all-time great heel gimmicks. His run with the WWF/E Championship should be recognized."

[9.0] "It really doesn't get much better than the Million Dollar Man. A bit annoyed at how much of a lesser role he had for long stretches in the WCW, because when it comes to heel managers DiBiase was as good as it got."

[10.0] "What can you really say about Ted DiBiase that hasn't already been said? One of the best bad guys ever. An absolute icon of wrestling. Even complete non wrestling fans know the name of The Million Dollar Man."

[10.0] "Was one of the best Technical wrestlers in the World and went on to become Mid Souths top star, when they folded he went to WWF and was given the Million Dollar Man Gimmick and he was excellent with it and is one of the best characters in WWF history."

[9.0] "Solid in the ring, some of the best promos of the Hulkamania era, great gimmick, big charisma, excellent heel. DiBiase was just tremendous."

[10.0] "Man of all trades: Great at the mic, wrestling style, charisma, and excellent heel wrestler. I loved his Million Dollar Dream submission hold. What made him a great heel was when he was the rich greedy man by shoving money down his opponents mouths. What made him look stupid was his Million Dollar Belt as a title. WTF is really a title? Virgil beat him for it. He was great with Irwin R. Schyster as the Money Inc. He was also great in his early years in the Mid-South and the WWWF in 1979. I have seen videos of him and he was one of the best wrestlers in the Mid-South during the early 80's. Also he was a great manager for the Million Dollar Corporation and the NWO. I say he did an excellent job in managing Steve Austin, when Austin first entered the company. IF it was not for DiBiase, Austin would have not have been a success in WWE. What also helps is having your father as a wrestler , who was Mike DiBiase. Now his sons wrestlers, they are great but not as good as Ted Sr. himself."

[9.0] "DiBiase was a great American worker and he could hold his own in 80s All Japan. Throw in his charisma and interview ability, and you've got a guy who could have held up his end of being the long-term lead heel of almost any promotion."

[10.0] "Great in ring. One of the best characters of all time. Superb on mic. Funny. He's an all round wrestler. One of my favourites of all timemails."

[10.0] "Those who only remember the "Million Dollar Man" missed one of the most complete wrestlers of the 80's. His time in the Mid South was amazing he worked both as a Face and a Heel. As a Face he may have been as over at a time as anyone this side of JYD, and as a Heel he was the best of the era. His work as the leader of the Rat Pack and his later team with Dr. Death were 2 of the highlights of the territory throughout the early 80's"

[9.0] "Ted DiBiase was a good in-ring worker and had a brilliant character as the million dollar man. He really was the perfect cartoon villain to play off against the cartoon hero of Hulk Hogan."

[10.0] "A great wrestler who knew how to get great heat. I remember watching a scientific match on UWF with him vs Chris Adams and he was a great worker, which didn't get to show case in WWF. Nonetheless, he could get anyone over, by being a great bump taker which ended his career a lot sooner. Great talker, and god tier heel which helped many babyfaces get a rub off him (including fucking Virgil), to be fair Million Dollar Man could have been a shitty gimmick but he owned it and created a prototype for rich heel. He ranks right up there with Bret and Perfect as one of the best pure workers of the late 80's WWF crew. A legend in the business, and that can't be understated."

[10.0] "Ted Dibiase was a great wrestler, but more importantly a great heel who played a great foil to whoever he went up against, and left us with many iconic moments."

[10.0] "I'm a big fan of DiBiase, both for his iconic WWF work as the Million Dollar Man and also for the substantial amount of great work he did prior to that, in various territories and such. Gotta love that WWF character though, a classic and Ted was just perfect for it."

[10.0] "Better heel than face but could headline a territory either way. Talked good enough to main event the big promotions even as a manager. Was in line to be world champ a couple times but fate and politics got in the way. Possibly the best wrestler of the last 30 years not to get one of the two meaningful world titles."

[10.0] "Great gimmick that he played perfectly, especially with that amazing cackle. Also, a tremendous worker in the ring and a great promo. DiBiase was the complete package of what a great wrestler should be."

[10.0] "Simply one of the greatest heels in wrestling history. Between the ropes, a ring general with a great mat-based skillset and the ability to brawl when necessary, as well as the ability to make any opponent look good. Outside the ring he oozed charisma and could draw tremendous heat from the crowd with just a few words (and the greatest evil laugh ever in wrestling). Around in the wrong era of the WWF to enjoy a notable title reign of his own - in his time, the good guys always won - but still heroes like Hogan needed villains to go against, and DiBiase fit the bill perfectly. Did well as both a single and as a tag wrestler with partners like Andre the Giant and Irwin R. Schyster. Also did well as a manager after his in-ring career wound down."

[10.0] "In the Hulk Hogan era where there were so many colorful wrestling characters on WWF TV, in my opinion, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase had the whole package and was one of if not THE best definition of what a true wrestling superstar was! He's right up there! The Million Dollar Man character fit him so well, he made that character work to perfection and more with his tremendously gifted personality and charisma and his amazing mic skills, and when you watched him in the ring, no disrespect to Mr. Perfect but you were watching the perfect representation of a ring general because Ted always executed his moves and moved around the ring so damn well like he knows full well what he's doing inside that squared circle! Not only that, but it seemed like Ted could make anybody look impressive when they're wrestling against him! Honestly what more could you ask for in a pro wrestler? I've always loved Ted DiBiase! Before he retired, he was one of the best in the business bar none! He was one of THE best workers, one of THE best characters on TV, and he was one of THE best wrestlers that never won the world title in WWF that should have, that's for damn sure!"