Ted DiBiase (29 page)

“I'm not sure.”

“Well, are you at least willing to talk to John?”

“Yeah, sure. Have him give me a call.”

ARN ANDERSON:

I first met Teddy while working for Bill Watts in the old Mid-South territory. I had just started in the business. Teddy took an interest in me and we became friends. Although he was one of the top performers in the territory, he still took time out of his schedule to
watch my matches. He really helped me in the early days of my career. I'll never forget it. When I left the territory, I reminded Teddy that if there ever was an opportunity when I could repay him for helping me, I would.

Although it took nearly two decades, in late 2004, a road agent and creative team opportunity became available in WWE. I was working in the same capacity. Granted, there are many talented people who work in creative from outside the business, but you also need guys who are from the inside. We needed someone who had drawn money and knew how the business worked. The first person that came to mind for the opening was Teddy. He had the experience and conducted himself in a professional manner. It was a no-brainer.

So I called Teddy. We had a good conversation. I then asked him if he wanted to work for the company. He eventually did and it was a great hire for WWE.

MICHAEL HAYES:

I really pushed for Teddy to be part of the creative team. Since the wrestling business has evolved, many of the talents don't have the benefit and the experience of coming up through the territorial system. In hindsight, this is probably a detractor right now for the industry because the territories were the place where talent could hone and learn their craft. Thus, when they got to the big show, they were experienced veterans and knew what to do to get over and how to perform on top. This isn't the case today.

As the company grew, it was brought up to me on many occasions that if there was anyone out there that had a really good mind for the business, loved the business, and could help teach, then I should try to get that person on board. Teddy's name was at the forefront of my mind, and the office reached out to him because of his immense qualifications and ability to satisfy our guidelines.

After a few days, I spoke with John. He repeated what Arn had told me. “If you come back to work for WWE, you would report directly to Stephanie McMahon. If you are interested, we will make all the arrangements to fly you up here to interview with her.” After discussing it over with Melanie, I agreed.

I missed the wrestling business. It was the only thing that I really knew. Melanie and I both agreed that I should at least listen to what the company had to say.

In January of 2005, I flew to New York. It was déjà vu. A limo picked me up at the airport and took me to the WWE main offices in Stamford. Just like in 1987, the same concerns and questions were racing through my head.

I immediately met with Stephanie. We hugged and shared some laughs. She was very gracious and conducted herself as a consummate professional. I found it ironic. The person that might be my boss was the same person I watched grow up in the business. I've always liked Stephanie. As most people know, she is the daughter of WWE chairman Vince McMahon and Linda McMahon and is married to Triple H. She works for the company as the executive vice president of creative writing and is the head of the creative team. She's a graduate of Boston University and is one of the most articulate individuals I've ever met.

During the interview, Stephanie explained the position. “Ted, because of your in-ring experience and success, we are interested in bringing you back to serve as an advisor to the creative team writers. These are the folks who write the story lines for the shows. We will also have you do some work as a producer, where you will help the wrestlers work out their matches for
SmackDown!
”

“Stephanie, that's great. I am very interested, but as you know, I've been a critic of some of your programming, such as the Stone Cold Steve Austin character. He is a great guy, but I have a problem with what his character projects. He comes to the ring flipping people off, drinking beer like it's water, and cursing like a sailor. You have young kids in the audience and I think it's very inappropriate. Stephanie, one of these days you will have a child. When the two of you are watching wrestling, do you want his hero to be a stone cold, beer-guzzling bully?”

“I'm aware of your concern and you are entitled to your opinion. But
Ted, things have changed. Everything today is driven by ratings. We have to answer to our sponsors and their bottom line is all about ratings. Regarding Steve, I see your point, but Ted, we didn't make Steve a babyface, the fans did.”

The moral decay of our society is something that we all need to be concerned about. I don't agree with all the trashy lyrics in rap music and the near obscene music videos. Don't get me wrong, I support free speech. But there have to be some limits on certain types of speech, especially when it infringes upon others and violates the basic moral codes of this great nation. Let's forget the fact that I am a minister, but as a man, I believe that something has to be done to protect our children from the profanity and sex-driven advertising. There is a clear difference between what is right and what is wrong. Just because one can doesn't mean that they should.

Stephanie and I chatted about the position some more. “I am willing to give it a try, but to be perfectly honest, I may not be cut out for it. I am comfortable working as a producer, where I can coach talent based on what I have acquired and learned over the years. As far as being an advisor and script writer, however, I'm not so sure.”

“Ted, we are not asking you to be a writer. We are asking you to listen to what the writers are scripting and then put that in a wrestling perspective.”

“Okay, perhaps I can do that. I am very interested and I will give it some thought.”

Stephanie concluded the interview by telling me that she was going to interview some other people and would get back to me in a few days. She told me that her brother Shane was down the hall and wanted to see me. Like I did with Stephanie, I watched Shane grow up in the business. He's a great guy and we shared a few laughs. Shane works as a vice president for the company and sometimes wrestles. He can do some incredible aerial moves in the ring. As Shane walked me to the limo, I spoke to a few other folks. It was very therapeutic to see many old acquaintances.

Before leaving, I spoke to Jim Ross. I have known Jim since my MidSouth days and we are good friends. He is the lead announcer for WWE and is, bar none, the best wrestling announcer ever to call a match. I closed the door behind Jim and explained to him my concerns about the position. He
understood and bluntly said, “Ted, this is a job that will keep you up at night. You're constantly thinking about what to do, where the angle can go, what will happen with it in the long term. I know that if you really want to do the job, and your heart is in it, you will succeed. But keep in mind, you have to really want to do it.”

As I headed to the airport, I had mixed feelings about the position. I was very happy serving in my current position as a preacher and spreading the word of God throughout my ministry. On the other hand, I was not the Million Dollar Man in real life. The pay of a preacher is nominal. The position would offer a better salary and a great benefits package. It would also allow me the opportunity to continue preaching on my off days. I was intrigued by the opportunity. I had done almost everything in the wrestling business. The position would now allow me to have done it all in professional wrestling.

I will always have a place in my heart for the wrestling business. Despite the grind and temptations of the road, I guess my love for the business is why I kept going back into wrestling over and over again. It had been an integral part of my life; once it's in your blood, you never lose the desire to be a part of the industry.

While waiting for my flight home to Jackson, I made a few calls. I told Melanie about the interview and my reservations. She was very supportive and reminded me, “Teddy, you have the credentials to do a great job. You were one of the best wrestlers ever in WWE. If you really want to do it, you can.” She boosted me up some more and told me not to sell myself short. I needed to hear that because for whatever reason, I sometimes have a problem with self-confidence.

I also called Shawn Michaels. Shawn and I are very close friends. Our friendship goes back to when he broke into the business in the Mid-South territory. I remember the first time I saw him in the dressing room. He was very young and had a real baby face. He was extremely quiet and respected the veterans in the room. He watched and learned from those who were in the ring. Over the years, I have watched the Heartbreak Kid grow in the business from a tag-team wrestler to one of the greatest workers in the history of our profession.

In the prime of my wrestling career in World Wrestling Federation,
Shawn and I would regularly drink beer and chat about the business. We wrestled on the same cards together throughout the country. Because of our interaction, we became good friends. He would often get frustrated because he felt the company wasn't utilizing his talents. After one of his vent sessions I told him, “Shawn, there is one thing that this business will never deny and that is talent. The cream will always rise to the top. You are talented and your time will come. There are all types of politics involved in this business. Sooner or later you will get your shot. Believe me, don't give up and keep going. Your time will come.”

SHAWN MICHAELS:

I met Teddy in the Mid-South territory, which was where I first broke into the business. He was the top heel. I didn't talk too much back then and kept to myself, respecting the veterans. During that time, I was a jobber and got beat up a lot. But I will never forget the match I had on TV against Ted. I only did two moves—a sunset flip and a small package. But Teddy worked the match in such a way that it was probably the best match for my career in the territory. Ted gave me so much feedback and helped me to understand why things were to be done in the ring. For me at such an early stage of my career to have someone like Teddy take time out to teach me speaks volumes about him.

I shared my heart with Shawn and told him my concerns about the position with the company. “Shawn, I just don't know about this opportunity. There is a part of me that says I can do it and another part that says I'm not cut out for it.”

“Ted, you have to follow your heart. I think you can do it. Just keep in mind, however, it is a very demanding position. The folks on the creative team work more than people give them credit for. You know I would love to have you working here. Just pray about it. I am sure you will make the correct decision.”

SHAWN MICHAELS:

I supported Teddy being part of the creative team and a producer. To work in those capacities, Teddy had to try to teach a generation that simply didn't have an appreciation for the business. It was hard for him to find a connection with the talent. I think he also felt the business had changed.

He felt that everything that he was good at, perhaps, did not apply. And that really wasn't true. To me, that is why he never got comfortable in those positions. He believed it had changed, and in fact it hadn't. All the basics that he knew so well and could do so well were just tough for him to relay to the younger generation. Teddy took that as a failure on his part, but really it was a failure of the generation to appreciate the basics and foundations that will always be a part of professional wrestling.

At thirty thousand feet, my mind continued to explore. Although Stephanie had told me that I would be on the road four days a week and home the other three, I began to wonder if I could be away from my family for even that duration. I had enjoyed spending time, for the past six years, with Melanie and the boys. I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to break the continuity.

By now, my two oldest boys were interested in becoming professional wrestlers. Although I wished they wouldn't pursue that career route, I was supportive of their desires. Melanie told me that if they offered me the position, and I accepted, it would be a great opportunity to be with my boys in the business. I could be there to watch over them and help influence and guide their careers. It all made sense, and the pros outweighed the cons. I made the decision that if they offered me the position, I would accept.

About two weeks passed and I hadn't heard anything. I started to wonder if they had chosen someone else. Then one day in early March, I received a phone call in my office while I was preparing for an upcoming speech to the Promise Keepers. It was Stephanie. “Ted, we decided to choose you for the
advisor to the creative team position. If you are still interested, we would love to have you be part of our company.”

Without hesitation, I said, “Yes!”

We talked about the work schedule and some of my other prior commitments. Stephanie understood and knew I had to honor them. We settled on a starting date of April 6, 2005, three days after
WrestleMania XXI
in Los Angeles. Meantime, Stephanie gave me my first assignment: to start watching the wrestling matches on TV and familiarize myself with the WWE characters.

As I watched the shows on TV, everything seemed so foreign. It was like watching a different business. It was more entertainment than when I was wrestling. I watched a two-hour show and only saw four or five matches. It wasn't a wrestling show anymore. There was a lot more drama and scripted talking.

The one thing that stood out was the talent; they all looked the same. Everybody was built like a muscle head. They had tattoos all over their bodies and had bald heads. I wondered what had happened to all the characters in the business. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon created characters like the Million Dollar Man, Koko B. Ware, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, the Bushwhackers, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Yokozuna, I.R.S., Undertaker, and Hulk Hogan. Everybody was different. But now, everybody looked the same. It was too much of the same thing. New characters were needed.