Ted DiBiase On His Relationship With WWE Hall Of Famer Junkyard Dog

WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase came up in an era when the industry was populated by countless larger-than-life stars, including Jake "The Snake" Roberts and the legendary Junkyard Dog (real name Sylvester Ritter). Speaking on an episode of his podcast, "Everybody's Got A Pod," Ted DiBiase reminisced about meeting Ritter and developing a close relationship with his fellow Hall of Famer.

"I didn't come back to Mid-South until ... the summer of [1981]," DiBiase said. "By that time, obviously, [Junkyard Dog] was there. ... We became fast friends." DiBiase stated that his first impression of Ritter was that he was incredibly nice and very funny.

"At first, we were both babyfaces," DiBiase continued. "He was doing great. He was coming along [well]. ... He wasn't an in-ring, great technician type of guy, but he had so much charisma. Oh my gosh. And he was so good on the microphone that it made up for what he didn't have." DiBiase then recalled working in the ring with Ritter, stating that he had to figure out what Ritter could and couldn't do and base the match around that.

Eventually, the two became such good friends that Ritter served as the best man at DiBiase's wedding. Ritter and DiBiase had an in-ring rivalry that saw them compete for both the Mid-South North American Championship and the Mid-South Tag Team Championship throughout the early 1980s before both eventually wound up in the WWF.

Ritter passed away on June 1, 1998 in an automobile accident, cutting his life short at the age of 45. He was part of WWE's Hall of Fame class in 2004, with DiBiase joining him two years later in 2006.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Everybody's Got A Pod" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.