Both Cody Rhodes Runnels and Ted DiBiase Jr. looked like they were headed for great things in 2009. The formation of the Legacy stable centred around rookies competing with each other for places in Randy Ortons new faction comprising second and third generation stars, AKA the future of the business. Rhodes and Dibiase had been the ones to win the coveted places, ousting Manu and Sim Snuka. Heading into Wrestlemania XXVI in 2011, the stable had disintegrated and Rhodes and DiBiase were given the opportunity to take out their dubious mentor and makes names for themselves. Sadly, in some predictably short-sighted WWE booking, Orton convincingly beat both men. That left each transitioning into a singles career with no momentum. Of the two, DiBiase was considered the hotter prospect. McMahon was more of a Million Dollar Man fan than an American Dream fan, and Dibiase was a big, generically handsome lunk that could be moulded into a Cena-style superstar. Runnels was resolutely his fathers son, old school through and through, and despite movie star looks and perfect timing in the ring, was saddled with a slight speech impediment. Following WrestleMania, Runnels was palmed off with the decidedly midcard Dashing Cody Rhodes gimmick, but excelled in the role: when he had his nose broken in the ring, his transition to Phantom Of The Opera style sinister masked heel was extraordinary. Conversely, DiBiase was gifted with his fathers old gimmick, which he did nothing with: it wasnt suited to him at all, and unlike Runnels display of creativity and commitment, Ted Jr. didnt bring anything to the character at all. An abrupt babyface turn didnt work out either, good-guy-DiBiase being blander than semi-skimmed milk at Sunday school. After losing six months to a broken ankle and shoulder surgery, the Ted DiBiase experiment was so long gone that when he decided not to renew his contract and quit wrestling completely in September 2013, no one really noticed. Two years later, Ted DiBiae Jr. has just this month failed to market a new steak and sausage seasoning on Kickstarter using his dads old gimmick as the selling pointbut he seems happy enough. Which is nice.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
