Ted DiBiase Jr. is an entrepreneur, actor, former wrestler and the son of WWE legend “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. He joins Chris Van Vliet to talk about his new marketing and branding company called “16 Creative”, growing up as the son of the legendary Million Dollar Man, why he decided to leave WWE in 2013, how being a father has changed him, being semi-retired from wrestling, starring in The Marine 2 and much more!
On people assuming he would have a rich lifestyle because of his dad:
“Far from that bro. Yeah it was a gimmick I wish it was real, that would be nice. When you are down there, the microscope is a lot bigger. My dad was not only a former professional wrestler but a legend. He’s a Hall of Famer, so there’s big shoes to fill. There’s self expectations that you place on yourself, and then that feeling, whether it’s there or not, what the fans expect from you. And the desire to carve out your own name and legacy and to improve yourself, that’s a long story.”
On raised expectations due to his name:
“Personally I feel like they are, that’s a personal opinion. But yeah you want to do justice to the legacy, when that torch is passed and you are trusted with the opportunity and to be blessed with the opportunity. But yeah they give you time and pay a lot of money on these networks to deliver, and in a short time. The difference was my dad had I don’t know how many years in Mid-South and in the territories leading up to his career in WWF. Whereas for me, I trained for a year in Elden, had 4 months in Japan and when I get back WWE hires me. A year later I am debuting on TV. It’s about 2 years in the making and then here I am a WWE Superstar. And my dad introduces me May 26th 2008 I believe it was in Denver Colorado. I felt the pressure big time that night for sure.”
Did he want to follow in his dad’s footsteps growing up:
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. There was a period where I just didn’t think it was gonna be a possibility. He was pretty adamant about us not wrestling. That was due to a lot of road life and his focus on having a family when he shifted out of the business. That focus on having a family became more his faith and became more important than being a global icon. But when you’re watching your dad wrestle Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant at Madison Square Garden, it’s like watching Batman and Superman go at it. Of course I wanted to be like him.”
On if he has retired:
“I’ll say yeah. As of today I’ll say yes, but if somebody called me, I’d be totally lying if I said there wasn’t an itch. I can still go, I just like to keep doors open and don’t burn bridges. If you’re going to burn one then blow it up. My connection to that world, at times it’s like being married. Sometimes it’s this love-hate relationship. No it’s hard, but it’s such a deep routed piece of who I am and what I come from being a 3rd generation wrestler. My grandfather and grandmother were wrestlers, then my father so you know. I leave that door open, but it would have to be the right scenario for me to get in the ring again.”
On why he left WWE:
“I was offered another 5 year deal. It was generous, but when it came down to it I was battling some things internally. There were some mental health issues. I was going through depression and anxiety, and also being a new father. I just knew. What I didn’t have growing up, although I had this iconic father I love dearly, he wasn’t at my birthdays. He also wasn’t there for my football or soccer games. I believe the greatest asset we have in our world is time. You’re not guaranteed more and you can’t get it back. That was one of the greatest gifts I could give my son. With no plan I left and we are doing good. I thought I was going to wrestle and have a long career, but I really believe it’s not what we do that defines us but who we become along the way. I spent a lot of time while I was there trying to climb the ladder. But I realized that’s not who I am. My core values are faith, family, love, wisdom, service, in that order. I was dying internally and losing sight of who I was. I love helping and serving people, and also entertaining people. To be able to walk into a hospital or a base and bring a smile onto the face of a family or a veteran, that was such a blessing.”
On saying no to WWE:
“There really wasn’t a lot of back and forth. I think at that time in my career it was kind of part of me thinking I was just going to come back. I was going to figure this out, but that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t the usual best of luck in your future endeavours. I quit on YouTube or Twitter, I did a video and announced [I was leaving]. I just wanted to be me, I wanted to let people know how grateful I was and let WWE know how grateful I was. Also, I was walking out on my own accord for personal reasons. There wasn’t any back and forth. There’s tons of guys sitting in the wings waiting to take that spot. That’s what makes this industry hard to get into and even harder to hang onto.”
On what he is doing now:
“I launched Combat Veterans with a couple of buddies of mine. It’s also majority veteran owned. I love those guys, they are mission minded like me. They are always seeking significant living. You learn how to define what success is for you. For me, that is serving and serving alongside guys that served for our country. It’s really to serve guys like my father. When you leave WWE, which is this global conglomerate multi billion dollar marketing machine. Minus the work you do in the ring, everything is done for you. When you leave, it’s good luck in your future endeavours. The average life of a wrestler is 5 years. A lot of guys don’t plan for life after wrestling. We’ve got subsidiary collections as part of 16 creative. There’s the wrestling collection and the military collection. We are getting NFL legends soon too. It’s helping these old timer legends too. We are building a community where they can engage with their fanbase and take care of their families. It’s creating a legacy and an insurance policy. When they pass, their legacies will live on for their families.”
On his identity now:
“I am a father first and a husband. I’m a child of God, I love the lord with all of my heart and soul. I’m a serving leader, I am not serving myself anymore. The motto ‘Mission minded, purpose driven, always seeking significant living.’ That’s my motto for life. Those core values faith, family, love, wisdom, service, is how I base my decisions now. Instead of chasing luxuries of the world, for me it’s about what am I passing onto my kids. When I die, I want people to say he wasn’t perfect but that’s what he was striving for.”
On what lesson he learned from his time in WWE:
“Never stop growing and never stop learning. I think my time with Legacy, I can look back at how focused I was. It wasn’t that I stopped, but I got comfortable. What it took to get to the WWE was this insane focus and mental grind. Then you get there and for 2 years I show up and I’m in 3 segments. All night long we are opening and closing the show. We were main eventing all of the overseas tours and I was having the time of my life. The second we had that match at WrestleMania 26, Michael Hayes asked me what do I want to do next? I’m like that’s your job. We had all of these promos and storylines, but there was nothing planned for after that day. You can always live out a mission. If I can’t serve someone who is needy, I can serve my wife or my son. If I’m constantly serving myself, it is easy to get distracted from what really matters. When they said what do you want to do next, I should have had a book of ideas. I got dependent on the system.”
On if The Million Dollar Man’s laugh is the same in real life:
“A little bit, it is that loud. If we are at a restaurant and I go to the bathroom, I hear a laugh and I know who that is. That signature laugh is so iconic, there’s nobody else that has that. I was like I think we need to trademark this, we are trying to figure that out.”
On bringing back the Million Dollar Championship:
“That started with WWE. I think that was one of the things that felt like a downfall. You go from up here to working the dark matches. That was probably a test. But I just never owned that, because there was that part that was this is my dad. That was stupid on my part, because this is entertainment. I should have owned it, made the most of it and be as authentic as you can. I think I had some subconscious barriers that kept me from getting into that character or developing that character. When you don’t know who you are, or feel separated from that character, it does not come off well.”
On if he would let his kids wrestle:
“Oh man. I’m gonna support whatever they do I believe in that, and giving them the proper instruction. Also positioning them for the greatest success they can have, whatever that is. I would want to know if it’s something they are really passionate about or if it’s chasing fame or money. Those things are fleeting and it isn’t a good reason. I remember my dad told me ‘You’re not going to be a wrestler. Over my dead body.’ I’m not going to do that to my kids. My daughter wants to be a diva, oh man. She is 3 and I am already struggling. If some punks around I’m answering the door in my boots and Speedos. I’ll show him highlights of me beating up John Cena.”
On his work with children:
“Before I left to go and wrestle, I did a lot of mission trips and it was really about serving people. It’s not a façade it’s what I love to do. That’s the part of not what we do but what we do with what we have been given. I’ve not been given a platform to just be happy and just be selfish. The greatest joy I get is taking a kid, or 300 of them and put together a week long camp. Some of these kids, underprivileged is not the right word. They have been abused, neglected and homeless. To put them into a safe environment and teach them that they have value, that is priceless. There is nothing in return except seeing them smile and knowing someone has their back. To me that is fulfilling and that is happiness.”
On what he is grateful for:
“My faith, my family and friends and our health.”
Ted DiBiase Jr can be found on Twitter here.
Featured image: WWE
