Interview Highlights: “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase talks about Bobby Heenan, WMIV being his finest hour, relationship with Vince

Ted DiBiase talked to The Wrestling State this week. The following highlights were supplied to PWTorch by host John Corrigan. FULL SHOW LINK

Do you have any good Bobby stories to share?

DiBiase: “I just loved Bobby. In my opinion, he was the best in terms of you can put him on the mic and let him go. He had that quick wit. He was as funny in real life as he was on television. He was an all-around great guy. I never actually wrestled Bobby, but my deal on television with Bobby was I paid him off to sell me Hercules. (laughs) Bobby was great. I miss him. We all miss him. I mean, my gosh, to lose his voice… that was his thing. Most people would have just gone into depression, but he never changed. I’d see him at some of these autograph signings and of course his wife was always with him. God bless her, she could understand what he was saying and tell you what he was trying to say because it was hard to understand him. But to his credit, his personality never changed and he never lost it.”

In the film, you say that WrestleMania IV was your finest hour. Why is that?

DiBiase: “They had spent several months building my character to this event. To me, it was really the launch point. My son says ‘Well, I wrestled at WrestleMania.’ Really? Did you ever wrestle three matches at WrestleMania? It’s one thing to be a part of the show, but it’s another thing to be a part of the show throughout the show. The matchup I had with Randy was a great match. I enjoyed it. It was actually the first time I ever worked with the guy, which is a testament to Randy as well. Then going forward from there, I was all over the country in tag team matches with Andre.”

How was your relationship with Vince McMahon back then, and how is it today?

DiBiase: “Obviously, it was great back then and it’s fine today. I went back to work for the company in ‘05 for a year and a half. They wanted me to be part of the creative team, one of the producers. I told them up front that I’m not Clint Eastwood . I’m not the story teller. You tell me what the story is and what you want, and I can go out there and make the magic happen. It’s just a different business. Arn Anderson and I had a long conversation about it. I told him I feel like I’ve come back to a business I’ve known all my life and I’m a stranger. He said in a way, I was. But the difference between him and I was that I went away. He’s been there through all the changes. It’s more drama than wrestling, to be honest. There’s a whole lot more talking than there is action today.”

NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS: Jack Swagger talks about departure from WWE, any regrets, potential MMA career, C.M. Punk in UFC