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Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man
Everyone's got a price.
Everyone's got to pay.
'Cause the Million Dollar Man always gets his way.
After proving his point, Ted DiBiase would laugh and fan out his large roll of hundreds, worsening the degradation of whoever had been foolish enough to accept his challenge or get in his way. Defeated opponents -- put to sleep with his Million Dollar Dream -- would have the added humiliation of awakening to discover that the Million Dollar Man had been stuffing bills down their throats. Winning match after match, yet no closer to the championship, DiBiase wanted the title, but he couldn't seem to win it. His pay Andre the Giant to win the title, make sure the referee was also "taken care of," and then have Andre hand the championship title over to him.
True to his taunt, the Million Dollar Man had gotten his way, and Ted DiBiase became the most hated person in sports entertainment.
Making his way to the top of the profession that he had loved since he was a child, Ted DiBiase never did anything by half measures. He couldn't, because the men he respected and worked side by side with expected that "Iron" Mike's kid would give his all. And each day while on the road learning what it was to be a wrestler, Ted remembered how his father had taught him to give his all every time. It was how his father lived -- and how he lost his life, dying during a wrestling match while Ted was still a boy.
From the dusty roads of Texas to the bayous of Louisiana, Ted moved from one wrestling promotion to another -- sometimes a babyface, other times a heel. He learned how to tell a story and how to draw the fans in, both inside and outside the ring. In 1987, Vince McMahon had an idea for a new character, the Million Dollar Man, and one person came to Ted DiBiase. For nearly a decade, fans waited to see just how Ted could prove his adage that "Everyone's got a price." When he was sidelined by a neck injury, DiBiase started a second wrestling career, as a manager. He managed some of the biggest Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, and a very green wrestler, the Ringmaster (who would later be known as Stone Cold Steve Austin).
Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, is fondly remembered by wrestling fans for his style and his command of the ring. This is the inside glimpse of three decades inside and outside the squared circle.
Everyone's got to pay.
'Cause the Million Dollar Man always gets his way.
After proving his point, Ted DiBiase would laugh and fan out his large roll of hundreds, worsening the degradation of whoever had been foolish enough to accept his challenge or get in his way. Defeated opponents -- put to sleep with his Million Dollar Dream -- would have the added humiliation of awakening to discover that the Million Dollar Man had been stuffing bills down their throats. Winning match after match, yet no closer to the championship, DiBiase wanted the title, but he couldn't seem to win it. His pay Andre the Giant to win the title, make sure the referee was also "taken care of," and then have Andre hand the championship title over to him.
True to his taunt, the Million Dollar Man had gotten his way, and Ted DiBiase became the most hated person in sports entertainment.
Making his way to the top of the profession that he had loved since he was a child, Ted DiBiase never did anything by half measures. He couldn't, because the men he respected and worked side by side with expected that "Iron" Mike's kid would give his all. And each day while on the road learning what it was to be a wrestler, Ted remembered how his father had taught him to give his all every time. It was how his father lived -- and how he lost his life, dying during a wrestling match while Ted was still a boy.
From the dusty roads of Texas to the bayous of Louisiana, Ted moved from one wrestling promotion to another -- sometimes a babyface, other times a heel. He learned how to tell a story and how to draw the fans in, both inside and outside the ring. In 1987, Vince McMahon had an idea for a new character, the Million Dollar Man, and one person came to Ted DiBiase. For nearly a decade, fans waited to see just how Ted could prove his adage that "Everyone's got a price." When he was sidelined by a neck injury, DiBiase started a second wrestling career, as a manager. He managed some of the biggest Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, and a very green wrestler, the Ringmaster (who would later be known as Stone Cold Steve Austin).
Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, is fondly remembered by wrestling fans for his style and his command of the ring. This is the inside glimpse of three decades inside and outside the squared circle.
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 12, 2016
Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man is the story of the former pro-wrestler of the same name.
Yeah, even at $3.99, this one was a dud.
Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, was one of the top heels of the late 1980's and early 1990's. Before that, he was one of the wrestlers in line for the NWA belt and a star in Georgia, the Mid-South, All-Japan, and points in between. This should have been a really interesting book, full of road stories and behind the scenes skullduggery.
It was not. It took 30% of the book for Ted to step into the ring. Instead, it focused on his early life and his college footman career. Strike one!
There wasn't a hell of a lot of depth given to his pre WWF-career. Just a few pages each were given to the various territories he worked in. His WWF career was given maybe 20 pages. Nothing new was revealed about his WCW stint. Yeah, we all know it was disorganized behind the scenes by now. His stint as a producer behind the scenes in the WWE after his wrestling days were over were given more time than some of his stints in wrestling territories.
I hate to shit all over this book since it wasn't terrible. I liked what little road stories he gave us and the quotes from various wrestlers and wrestling personalities interspersed in the text were a nice touch. I think the book started on the wrong foot and didn't give me enough interesting stories to bring me back around.
The Million Dollar Man used to say "Every man has his price." In my case, it's apparently $3.99. I wouldn't mind having my $3.99 back. Two out of five stars.
Yeah, even at $3.99, this one was a dud.
Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, was one of the top heels of the late 1980's and early 1990's. Before that, he was one of the wrestlers in line for the NWA belt and a star in Georgia, the Mid-South, All-Japan, and points in between. This should have been a really interesting book, full of road stories and behind the scenes skullduggery.
It was not. It took 30% of the book for Ted to step into the ring. Instead, it focused on his early life and his college footman career. Strike one!
There wasn't a hell of a lot of depth given to his pre WWF-career. Just a few pages each were given to the various territories he worked in. His WWF career was given maybe 20 pages. Nothing new was revealed about his WCW stint. Yeah, we all know it was disorganized behind the scenes by now. His stint as a producer behind the scenes in the WWE after his wrestling days were over were given more time than some of his stints in wrestling territories.
I hate to shit all over this book since it wasn't terrible. I liked what little road stories he gave us and the quotes from various wrestlers and wrestling personalities interspersed in the text were a nice touch. I think the book started on the wrong foot and didn't give me enough interesting stories to bring me back around.
The Million Dollar Man used to say "Every man has his price." In my case, it's apparently $3.99. I wouldn't mind having my $3.99 back. Two out of five stars.
December 26, 2011
Ted Dibiase's autobiography, "The Million Dollar Man," is the latest release in the WWE's officially-licensed batch of sanitized, neutered "autobiographies" that do not carry the voice of the purported author. Co-author Tom Caiazzo writes in a very simple, concise, neutral style that conveys all the excitement of a lasagna recipe.
At the same time, Dibiase does have an interesting story to tell. "TMDM" is one of the few wrestling books I've read that gives the reader some incite into the Mid-South territory under Bill Watts, and he also shares some great tales of the Amarillo territory run by the Funks. The most notable part of Dibiase's career -- his 6-year run as a top heel in the World Wrestling Federation -- however, is briefly covered in about two chapters. The back half of the book spends far more time covering the topic of Dibiase's first book, his life as a born-again Christian and minister. Given that this story falls largely into the "If you've seen one, you've seen 'em all" category with the usual "I was an adulterous drug addict and then I found Jesus" narrative, it did not exactly grab my attention. Sting, Bill Watts, Vince Russo, and Goldust have all published the same basic story of turning to religion from the wrestling business.
As the only double-second-generation wrestler I can think of (his mother and stepdad were both accomplished wrestlers,) Dibiase has an interesting and unique story to tell. Sadly, that story is really not told here. Recommended for fans of the Mid-South Wrestling Association and/or UWF, but that's about it.
At the same time, Dibiase does have an interesting story to tell. "TMDM" is one of the few wrestling books I've read that gives the reader some incite into the Mid-South territory under Bill Watts, and he also shares some great tales of the Amarillo territory run by the Funks. The most notable part of Dibiase's career -- his 6-year run as a top heel in the World Wrestling Federation -- however, is briefly covered in about two chapters. The back half of the book spends far more time covering the topic of Dibiase's first book, his life as a born-again Christian and minister. Given that this story falls largely into the "If you've seen one, you've seen 'em all" category with the usual "I was an adulterous drug addict and then I found Jesus" narrative, it did not exactly grab my attention. Sting, Bill Watts, Vince Russo, and Goldust have all published the same basic story of turning to religion from the wrestling business.
As the only double-second-generation wrestler I can think of (his mother and stepdad were both accomplished wrestlers,) Dibiase has an interesting and unique story to tell. Sadly, that story is really not told here. Recommended for fans of the Mid-South Wrestling Association and/or UWF, but that's about it.
July 10, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this autobiography. I grew up watching pro wrestling in Arkansas from the Mid-South wrestling territory so I saw Ted DiBiase from the beginning of his wrestling career. I have read another book about him (Every Man Has His Price) which is also very good. Ted was one of my favorite wrestlers when he was a good guy and he was even more fun to watch as a heel. Ted is very honest in this book about his successes and failures, both professionally and in his personal life. The book is classy and does not unnecessarily tear down other people while still remaining honest. I especially enjoyed the details about his time in the Mid South area because I grew up with that. He had some classic angles and matches which I'm happy are preserved on YouTube. It is great to see Ted has turned his life over to the Lord and now is a minister. Last year, I went and saw a movie about his life which was also very good. I highly recommend this book, especially for Christians who are fans of pro wrestling.
February 5, 2019
Great read
Great read coasted through it quickly. Ted was one of the best in the golden age of wrestling. Highly recommend
Great read coasted through it quickly. Ted was one of the best in the golden age of wrestling. Highly recommend
May 28, 2017
A good read for anybody for anybody who was a professional
Wrestling fan of the 80's Ted Dibiase the million dollar man was
One of my favorites he gave the best promos
Wrestling fan of the 80's Ted Dibiase the million dollar man was
One of my favorites he gave the best promos
May 17, 2021
Everybody's got a price
October 13, 2021
Really poorly written. Felt like a collection of rambling and endless stories that had little or no payoff.
March 3, 2022
I've read a lot of rasslin books, and this is one of the best. Ted's not going to win any writing awards, but it's a very interesting book. I love reading about the territory days.
September 22, 2024
Wrestling bad boy turned to Jesus. Years after this was published he was accused of embezzling from a charity. Guess Jesus was just as fake as the wrestling. Put this one in the fiction category.
June 23, 2008
I love wrestling biographies. I usually plow through them in 2 to 3 days. Like any genre, they range from the great (Mick Foley’s first 2 books) to the not so great (The Rock’s pointless tome). THE MILLION DOLAR MAN falls somewhere in the middle.
Ted Dibiase started wrestling pre-WWF, when the business was still divided up into territories. This makes for more diverse experiences and, hence, more interesting stories. All of the “I remember that” moments that I read these books for are in there. The vignettes before he arrived in the WWF. The duplicate referees in the Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant match (“How much for the plastic surgery, brother?”). Billionaire Ted showing up in the nWo. Good nostalgic stuff.
The problem is it’s too repetitive (Dibiase will say something like “Vince McMahon explained the Million Dollar Man Character to me” and then you’ll have a testimonial from Pat Patterson saying “Vince McMahon explained the Million Dollar Man character to Ted.”) Also, with a story that wraps up with a guy being born again, there’s not much build to that revelation. It could have had more detail on his life of sin, instead of just a sentence here and there saying “I drank a lot and cheated on my wife.” Of course, he did have a book come out before this one. Maybe it’s all in that one.
All in all a fast read with a good amount of nostalgia.
Ted Dibiase started wrestling pre-WWF, when the business was still divided up into territories. This makes for more diverse experiences and, hence, more interesting stories. All of the “I remember that” moments that I read these books for are in there. The vignettes before he arrived in the WWF. The duplicate referees in the Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant match (“How much for the plastic surgery, brother?”). Billionaire Ted showing up in the nWo. Good nostalgic stuff.
The problem is it’s too repetitive (Dibiase will say something like “Vince McMahon explained the Million Dollar Man Character to me” and then you’ll have a testimonial from Pat Patterson saying “Vince McMahon explained the Million Dollar Man character to Ted.”) Also, with a story that wraps up with a guy being born again, there’s not much build to that revelation. It could have had more detail on his life of sin, instead of just a sentence here and there saying “I drank a lot and cheated on my wife.” Of course, he did have a book come out before this one. Maybe it’s all in that one.
All in all a fast read with a good amount of nostalgia.
December 1, 2013
i felt rather disappointed with this wrestler's book. with such a wwe legend like ted dibiase, i was expecting him to take the reader into what it was like being a part of the biggest wrestling company in the world. instead of which, he seems to avoid revealing much of what occured during his time with the wwe from 1988 to 1989. there's no mention of his feuds with hulk hogan, jake roberts or the macho man randy savage. dibiase starts off by revealing how he came to work for vince machon, how the "million dollar man" gimmick was created, both of which i found interesting. however, i felt as though more could have been detailed.
the early days of ted dibiase takes up a lot of the book and as this volume is fairly brief in comparison with the memoirs of other wrestlers, 240 pages, accounts of how dibiase came from a wrestling background, the constant changes of address during his childhood and his budding football career tend to take up too much of one's reading time.
the selection of photos are very good on the whole, how different the man looks clean-shaven! his days as a wrestler working for bill watts's mid-south wrestling territory are interesting and are by far the most readable and remembered.
not a bad volume but certainly no classic by any means.
the early days of ted dibiase takes up a lot of the book and as this volume is fairly brief in comparison with the memoirs of other wrestlers, 240 pages, accounts of how dibiase came from a wrestling background, the constant changes of address during his childhood and his budding football career tend to take up too much of one's reading time.
the selection of photos are very good on the whole, how different the man looks clean-shaven! his days as a wrestler working for bill watts's mid-south wrestling territory are interesting and are by far the most readable and remembered.
not a bad volume but certainly no classic by any means.
November 13, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. Although it reads like someone else was physically writing it, the story of the greatest heel in wrestling history is one of the most interesting wrestling tales ever. Ted DiBiase is a legend. If nothing else, this book was an amazing history lesson about one of the greatest careers ever.
January 26, 2013
I really like learning about the lives of people in the WWE. I gave this 3/5 stars because there were some parts of the autobiography left me dragging but Ted Dibiase is one of the greatest of all time and I still adore him as much.
Everybody has a price for the Million Dollar Man.
Everybody has a price for the Million Dollar Man.
April 1, 2009
More of a career review; than a tell all book. Very similiar to his other book.
Just another WWE moneymaker.
Just another WWE moneymaker.
May 16, 2011
This wrestling biography has some local interest, as Ted spent some time growing up in Omaha. A pretty good read - learned a lot about his early life, and post-WWF career.
August 3, 2011
I said it with the Andre the Giant book, and I'll say it with this one...."WWEish" and not enough Dibiase stories....bland from start to finish.
February 15, 2012
I love Ted DiBiase and am a die hard of that era of WWF however this book seemed like a rushed attempt of getting his story out while the market was big for pro wrestling biographies.
September 16, 2016
Very sanitised book, almost to a point of bring like a children's book. But some good wrestling stories.
May 12, 2009
Really good four star.I gave it five cuz i got da author and rassler Ted Dibiase to sign it.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews