How Ted DiBiase Used 'Flash Cash' To Get Over Million Dollar Man Gimmick

Vince McMahon had a very simple ethos for Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Man character, which the veteran star recently spoke about.

"He said, 'Everybody hates someone who by the virtue of their wealth thinks they're better than everybody,'" DiBiase explained on "Everybody's Got A Price"'s debut episode. "That was the essence of the character." McMahon then went about devising a creative way for DiBiase to flaunt his wealth.

"From the first day, I signed the contract, somebody in the office walked in the room, counted out $2,000 in brand new hundred dollar bills and Vince says, 'Ted, this is your flash cash,'" said DiBiase. "He says, 'Here's what I want you to do. Don't abuse it. If you abuse it, you lose it, but you've gotta pick the right spot.'" 

McMahon said that DiBiase should find a time at a restaurant or hotel where DiBiase could make a big show of paying for everyone's meals and having Virgil, in character, as his manservant, and collect the checks from the customers. Ted would then bring the receipts to Vince, who would write off the expenses as "marketing."

Vince promised that DiBiase would get a lot of heat from not just fans but the locker room, as he had limo service and exclusive hotels to maintain the character, while the wrestlers were still stuck in the usual Holiday Inns. According to DiBiase, it didn't create as much heat with the locker room as expected, as pretty much everyone there knew they'd have jumped at the opportunity to do the same.