Ted DiBiase Discusses Jumping To WCW Back In 1996

On the latest edition of his “Everybody’s Got A Pod” show, WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase shared insights into his transition from WWE to WCW in 1996 and his involvement in the NWO faction. Here are some highlights from his conversation:

Reflecting on the time his initial discussions about joining WCW began, DiBiase made note of his comfortable schedule in WWE as a commentator at the time.

“I’m trying to think of who I spoke with initially, but eventually, I would’ve had to speak to Eric. I don’t know if I’ve talked about this before, but I know that going back to later when I went back to WWE. Vince and I had this conversation, and my attitude at the time was, ‘Okay. I wasn’t an active wrestler anymore. I had been a manager for some time. And now, you know, I do this.’ I did the color commentary along with Vince for Survivor Series. Vince was fairly happy with what I did. And I said, ‘Well gosh, you know, if you think I could do it, I’d like to try.’ And so I started going back to the WWF as a commentator, but all that required me to do was to be in Stamford one day a week. I would be there for two days but once a week, and so it’s two days every week and I’m done. And it was doing voiceovers for a lot of the shows. Occasionally we’d do something live, but most of the time, it was watching the tape. And and I think they paired me with Gorilla Monsoon and he kinda helped me along anyway.”

When discussing his aversion to return to the demanding road schedule he presumed he would have in WCW, DiBiase explained,

“So I was doing pretty well with that, but it didn’t require me to go on the road. That’s my whole point. The road had been a — the road was dangerous, you know. It’s kinda like, you get back on the road, you get out there, and all my demons were on the road. So I didn’t want to go back there. Nor did my wife want me to go back there.”

Delving into his decision to join WCW despite reservations, DiBiase recounted,

“When the opportunity presented itself with WCW, you know, basically they told me, ‘You can come to work for us and do exactly what you were doing. It will require you to be there every Monday night, the Monday night was Monday Night Wars, right? And so and it would be a big shock for me just showing up on their TV. So, when my contract was coming up due, I didn’t resign with Vince. And my attitude at the time was you know, ‘Vince is a businessman.’ And he is, he is a shrewd business guy. He gave me a job after an active wrestling career. ’cause once I had the neck injury and the doctor told me, ‘The odds are in your favor that it wouldn’t happen. But he says, ‘If you fell again the right way, you could end up paralyzed.’ I said, ‘I ain’t taking that chance.’ And so, now I’m a commentator, but what Bischoff offered me was this: ‘You just come do for us what you were doing for them.’

“When I got over there, I was like part of the crew. And the other thing was, it was a a significant difference in pay in terms of, this is a three-year deal, no cut contract. And even if I don’t work, I still get paid. My biggest reason for leaving Vince was I didn’t want to be on the road. And much later, when I did go back and work for them again, I had that conversation with Vince. And he said, ‘Teddy, I’m telling you, all you would’ve had to do is come and tell me.’ And I said, ‘You know, I understand that now.’ But at the time, I just told him, ‘I look at it, you’re a businessman. You’re running a business. And you know, you had made a spot for me in terms of a color commentary [guy]. But then when you sent me back on the road, the road was danger for me.’ And he says, ‘All you would’ve had to do was speak up, and I would’ve changed it.’”

Regarding his surprise involvement in the NWO, DiBiase recalled,

“I originally thought it was as a commentator. That was pretty much it. But you know, when the whole NWO thing got to go, and then you take into consideration the character that everybody remembered, the Million Dollar Man. Of course, they couldn’t call me The Million Dollar Man anymore. So now it was what, the trillion dollar something, Ted Trillionaire. So basically, I have become the quasi-funder of the New World Order. And that’s the way that story went, Man.”

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