10 Dark Secrets About WWE Legends

6. Ted DiBiase DID Say He Likes Money...

Randy Savage
WWE.com

Ted DiBiase was such a fabulous character.

He was a booker/writer's dream. The man fuelled great storytelling with a motive that was so easy to root against. In his WWF 1980s heyday, his immense wealth and evil intentions threatened to corrupt the sporting integrity of the WWF, and to far lesser effect, his money and quest for power shaped some of the better (and under-looked) midcard storylines of the New Generation era. In WCW - before Eric Bischoff took it on himself to take over the role - he originally funded the New World Order. This, for a brief time, was one of the most inspired ideas in wrestling history. The role explained how the mercenaries were paid, lending credibility to the entire concept, and DiBiase was connected to the WWF.

He was such a cackling, love-to-hate villain with it, too. A true icon, one of very few wrestlers your lapsed friends recall fondly.

Character?

Well...

In yet another example of the "wrestlers play exaggerated versions of themselves" maxim, it was announced in October 2021 by Mississippi State Auditor Shad White's office that DiBiase's Heart of David Ministries had been ordered to repay misappropriated welfare funds as part of a wider embezzlement scandal.

Every man has a price; Ted's was $722,299.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!