Ted DiBiase Reveals Origin Of His 'Million Dollar Man' Moniker

Everybody has a price for "The Million Dollar Man," and now Ted DiBiase, the man behind the gimmick, has revealed its origin.

"Vince [McMahon] kinda laid out there, he says, 'The one thing that everybody hates is someone who bullies people with their wealth,'" DiBiase told Bill Apter of Sportskeeda. "He says, 'And like most bullies, they talk real big but in reality, most of them are cowards.' And I said, 'Yeah, my dad always told me that.' And he said, 'That's the essence of this character, and you're that type of heel.' ... He said, 'This character, we haven't named him, but you're gonna have all this money, and you're gonna throw your money around.' And he says, 'We're gonna do some vignettes before people ever see you in the ring.' And I am almost speechless."

McMahon explained to DiBiase that he would fly him first class and have limousine service in every situation that people would see him publicly, to go along with the gimmick. McMahon also disclosed that he was also going to try and make DiBiase wealthy in real-life. The WWE Hall of Famer revealed that he was "beside himself" and signed, but remained committed to prior obligations that he had in Japan. 

"He says, 'Now the limousine is waiting for you. We've got you at the Helmsley Palace, in New York City,' which is one of the finest hotels," DiBiase said. "He says, 'We have a room for you and your wife there.' ... I said off the top of my head, 'He sounds like a million dollar man to me.' He goes, 'The Million Dollar Man he is.'"

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Sportskeeda and give a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.