Ted DiBiase Discusses Drugs & Vices In Wrestling; Admits He Once Did Cocaine
On the latest episode of his “Everybody’s Got A Pod” show, WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase opened up about the late WWE Hall of Famer Junkyard Dog and the challenges he faced in his career due to drug and weight issues.
DiBiase Sr. revealed his knowledge of Junkyard Dog’s struggles with drug use and weight problems, shedding light on a side of JYD that was not widely known. He said,
“I knew that. You knew he was, I guess, secretive about what he was doing with most people. I knew he was doing the coke too. And the thing about cocaine, I mean, it’s kinda like — by the grace of God, I have never had any kind of addiction to alcohol or drugs or anything… As I said, I couldn’t stand to smoke pot because all it made me do was sit in the corner and then get real hungry. I had toyed with the cocaine, but very little. And it was like one of those deals where I could see where it could lead to being addictive.”
DiBiase also discussed the prevalent drug abuse problem in wrestling during that era, sharing his personal experiences and how his life changed after rededicating himself to his faith. He said,
“And for me, the only reason, it’s like a lot of guys that were doing it, they just do it every day. But I would only do it if I had a real long trip because it was a stimulant, because it would keep you awake. And it was like, that was more of the reason I did it than any reason, just to stay awake so I could get through a trip. It was crazy. If I’d have been paid by the mile, I’d be a multi-million-dollar man, Hundreds of millions of dollars by now.”
Reflecting on the past, DiBiase expressed gratitude for his own safety and the relatively few incidents of accidents or legal troubles among wrestlers, considering the lifestyle and challenges they faced during their travels. He said,
“And again, you know, I don’t promote drugs of any kind. My whole life changed when I rededicated my life to Christ. A lot of the fans already know that I’m an ordained minister. I don’t pastor a church or anything like that. I guess you would call me an evangelist. I go and I speak in churches. I speak a lot to a lot of men’s groups, and I tell my story and of getting back to a place where the single greatest relationship in my life is not with my wife. It’s with Christ. That’s what it is. I look back and a lot of the things, a lot of the stories I’m sharing with you guys… I think back to a lot of that traveling we did. And for wrestlers it was just — you know, I was kinda like after the show, you stop at the 7-Eleven, you get a case of beer and down the road you go. I look back at that and sometimes I just need to thank God that I’m still alive and well, because it is truly amazing to me that there weren’t more accidents with the talent and guys getting in trouble with the law, but they didn’t.”
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