Ted DiBiase Compares his In Ring Ability to Ric Flair

[@chrissabbath4551]

DiBiase, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated workers of all time. The guy was incredible.

[@mikequinones3069]

If you really pay attention to his in-ring ability, Ted is a pretty good technical wrestler.

[@James-xx4kb]

He was *A LOT* better than pretty good.

[@rubenarriaga3029]

@@James-xx4kb agreed

[@KylePrime_1986]

I always wish million dollar man wore a flat type robe

[@curthennig9448]

He's also a pretty good recipient of funneled money from the welfare department.

[@chadwickerman]

@@curthennig9448 "it was just a god funnel. God wanted him to have embezzled money for His glory. Any good christian would take what god gives because they know poor people aren't true servants of god. Otherwise they wouldn't be poor." No doubt said by some evangelical somewhere.

[@BlackMoore82]

Mr. DiBiase's in-ring work in All Japan and Mid-South spoke for itself.

[@curthennig9448]

So does his church work!

[@donjohn2695]

Personally I thought ted was a better wrestler then flair was I think Ric's over the top personality and unmatched charisma made him a huge star I don't think he was as great a wrestler as Bret Hart dynamite kid or Mr perfect

[@robertrodriguez787]

Yeah that's Because the Way Vince Used Flair in the WWE . In the NWA it would have been Different if Bret or Curt faced him there . Which by the way was Proven when Both Faced Flair in WCW

[@standardofexcellence]

You sound like an Oldhat fan dude, all we can watch is how they are booked. We can't control that, the reason why they are booked bad in other feds is because vince or whatever wrestler is an outsider to that fed so they aren't going to get the same treatment as a homegrown talent. Look at Cody rhodes for example a family of ex wcw guys and aew losing to vince's pet project roman reigns. If guys are favored in nwa over the e then we'll they are discriminating with hindering there potential by not being an nwa guy by the same token

[@papennypincher7287]

It pains me to say it but I agree. I loooove flair and his gimmick with Rhodes might be the greatest rilvary of all time. But MDM…he might be the greatest heel of all time…and his wrestling was some of the best of that time.

[@danielfryer8768]

Both he and Bret were overrated as hell.

[@papennypincher7287]

@@danielfryer8768 yes for the Love of God thank you!!! I will say this tho: flair had charisma. He was great on the mic. The ring…meh…but definitely Bret. I just don’t see what is so special. Owen was waaaaaaay better than Bret was.

[@clamstrips]

I agree that people overlook how good Ted Dibiase was in the ring .

[@jaythor70]

Ted in MidSouth is even better than 88. His early 80s before and after the heel turn on JYD is great stuff. Promos were spot on, his in-ring was without equal, and he could work with brawlers, scientific guys, carry newbs, or out-wrestle the best. I would have loved to see matches with Ted as champion vs Ricky Steamboat, Kerry Von Erich, Magnum TA, Dr. Death (his former partner!), and Barry Windham.

[@chico1680]

When you're working in those hard as concrete 1980s WWF rings for almost 365 days a year, it's going to take its toll on a wrestlers work. Even Flairs work wasn't the same once he jumped in 91

[@jonathanturbide2232]

WWE released a great dvd set on Mid-South wrestling back in 2014, and some of the matches on the set showcase Ted's awesome abilities as a ring general. Huge respect for him.

[@dazzle1933]

I agree I always like Ted as the head of the Rat Pack over the Million Dollar man

[@jaythor70]

@@dazzle1933 I give credit that he was able to be the "over-the-top" character amongst all the other cartoon-y characters of WWF, but his Mid-South stuff was so real (believable) to be life-threatening. He told me the story of having to leave the Municipal Auditorium (the Dog's House) in the trunk of Grizzly Smith's car to make it out alive.

[@TheJudgeofLevelstm]

88 ?

[@arlichar11]

absolutely... teddy is a great worker.. way under rated

[@bara7331]

"teddy"? oh brother, what are you guys buddies? SMH

[@bara7331]

STOP WITH THIS "UNDER RATED" BULL SHIT!! jesus bleeping christ. he had a long great career, and a great run as the million dollar man, that is still talked about 35 years later. JUST STOP IT

[@curthennig9448]

@@bara7331 They're both ministers of money!

[@wreckingKREW1]

DiBiase was every bit the in ring talent that Flair was...moves,taking bumps,putting guys over,ring psychology. He had it all.

[@GraemeCree]

Lots of people did. Well, not "lots", but they had more people who could do the job than spots available. DiBiase could have done it in the ring, but not many people would have liked the travelling champion lifestyle that made them spend over 300 days a year on the road. For that, you have to be a little crazy.

[@jumbothompson]

Plus Flairs matches got hokey at some point. Same over the rope thing. Falling flat etc...

[@graveyardshowpodcast]

Ric has had great things to say about Ted, including that Ted could have been a great NWA Champ. Ted is easily one of the greats; especially in those NWA days whether as heel or babyface. If you haven't seen any of those matches I highly recommend seeing them on KZbin. ~ Caretaker

[@3luckydog]

I always thought Ted was one of the best in-ring performers ever.

[@gregorykrug8034]

I think Ric's in-ring work would be better suited for the time before nationwide most of the matches were televised. Seeing him do his bump over the turnbuckles before running on the apron and getting caught coming off a neighboring top turnbuckle is great the first time you see it. It is not great after seeing it countless times.

[@adamlone5548]

2:24 He hit the nail on the head there. MDM was one of the greatest gimmicks of all time, so legendary that people mostly remember that instead of Ted's ring work. That's a shame, because I remember him being very fluid in the ring and also an excellent seller. One time he took an atomic drop from Virgil and sold it so well that I still, to this day, cringe when I recall how painful it looked.

[@airfixx_8952]

His work putting Virgil over in those 2 title matches was an absolute masterclass!

[@jd9119]

Well since Virgil was such a shitty worker, he probably broke Ted's tailbone for real.

[@brianmiller6055]

To see just how good Ted was, just watch the match between he and Flair from November 85. It is a classic that delivers in every way

[@lee.valley]

Ted was fluid and so smooth, his work rate and mic skills were spot on too.

[@ColKurtz-xr9ie]

When Ted was wrestling in the NWA he was the Missouri State Champ. (meaning he was the ranked number 1 challenger). All Missouri State Champs became the NWA Champ or in Backlund's case the WWWf Champ in the mid to late 70's.

[@Ohionortheast]

Ted in Georgia and mid south was a great heel if Ted stayed in the Nwa wouldn’t be surprised if he would have been champ at some point

[@rudyrusso711]

Mid South Dibiase imo was the very best of him.

[@hotrodd29]

I remember Ted Dibiase going against Bret hart in the closing moments of the survivor series match in 1990. It was fast paced and many near falls. I would’ve loved to have seen a programme between Bret and Ted.

[@kevinfitz8516]

DiBiase v Bret Hart in that Survivor Series match was epic

[@airfixx_8952]

Ted v Bret, Ted v Owen, Ted v Perfect, Ted v Rude, Ted v Martel... Sadly booking deprived the WWF of such dream matches.

[@shaolin1derpalm]

Teddy in 83 Georgia was World Champ material.

[@HalseyHFW]

Hated Ted as a kid and really appreciate his work as an adult.

[@curthennig9448]

You talking about his stealing?

[@roobear78]

totally agree ted was on equal par with flair,dusty was another level above though not because dusty was more talented in ring but because dusty had that vision he could see beyond his match and the whole picture,flair kinda had it and i dont know that ted ever got the oppertunity to prove if he had it

[@propanepusher101]

I have to agree, Ted was a strong presence in the ring when wrestling was good and Ted was like Hacksaw Jim Dugan, neither one needed a belt to be tops or needed the belt to draw fans Ted was talent and skill all rolled into one

[@Chuck_A_Luck_Stank]

Him & Terry Taylor at the time.. superb work, even though the companies really didn't know what to do with them. Fortunately Curt Henning got a good peak but he got shorted too. All good performers to watch wrestle a more notable name but the matches were equally interesting concerning both opponents.

[@Bryantthewizz]

Growing up watching Mid-South Wrestling. I can easily agree that Ted Dibiase was at least as good as Ric Flair. Ted's weapon before turning heel was the figure-four; I remember Ted was the one who was credited with breaking/injuring the Grappler's leg. Whereas the Grappler started wearing the orthopedic boot. When Ted turned heel, he used the loaded glove. No doubt, it was major when Flair came to town. He gave the fans their money's worth.

[@grawakendream8980]

i would suggest. for people to go back before 88 before the gimmickry and look at ted's mid south stuff, that was his prime. by 88 he wasn't more that a few years from retirement, he had been wrestling 15 years by then

[@ericmarks6322]

Ted was the real deal and could hang with Flair in any match.

[@jd9119]

Flair is great if you want to see the exact same match every single night. If we're judging who is the best in-ring worker, Regal mops the floor with both Dibiase and Flair. But there are more factors than just in-ring work.

[@therrock2587]

Ted is also the perfect man who introduced us to the Undertaker in 1990 he did that with that evil Laugh

[@drackkor725]

In-ring ability is basically being able to handle the night after night wrestling. Also for some of those territories going close to an hour anyone from this time has the same ability as Flair or the other 200-plus wrestlers in that era.

[@coastalpaladin5024]

Million dollar man was amazing bad guy. He was one of the heels I cheered for as a kid. Love ya Ted!!

[@jd9119]

Yeah, I definitely cheered for him when he was feuding with Dusty. I hated Dusty ask a kid and I still do.

[@Scorch1028]

Both Ted DiBiase and Ric Flair held Royal Rumble records for lasting the longest in the match.

[@bobbyjohnson9409]

People are on some kind of crack when they act like Flair is the best in ring performer of all time. Flair is great and arguably the best because of his character and promos. His in ring skills are doo doo honestly

[@ERICARCIERI]

Ted has a amazing match with Paul orndorff in mid south watch how good that match is

[@hadbl12]

I liked Ted in Mid-South, I didn’t watch him much before or after that era

[@steveschmidt4063]

They all do their signature moves....

[@lonniec7603]

Ted could hang against the best of them

[@chillinbrotha1072]

I agree with a lot of the comments. Ted was by far the better in-ring technical wrestler. Ric had the charisma and knew how to work and angle. Ted was a technician in the ring. Ted was right that Flair was predictable and you knew about the slam, the new drop, etc.

[@brunopaolucci6054]

He’s not lying about the title

[@smyersfishingadventures]

Flair is the GOAT. Ted was great as well.

[@dustinbarton8473]

Ted DiBiase I to this day still my favorite heel wrestler of all time!!

[@jd9119]

See as far as heels go, I'm more of a fan of Triple H's. Triple H wants to win so bad he's willing to do anything to win. Dibiase just wanted to buy the belt, he didn't actually give a shit about winning the belt.

[@JosephMiller-hu7bq]

Even in MID - SOUTH Ted was as good as any wrestler on the planet.

[@dj7973]

Ted was awesome, especially in Mid-South/UWF. What are his memories of Buddy Landel? Thanks.

[@frankbartholomew150]

Ted was as good as anyone, one if the all time greats

[@titansrule72]

only 3 people couldve pulled off the mdm gimmick. ted dibiase, ric flair and Vince McMahon. Ted and Ric were two of the greatest heel workers ever. Vince is the greatest heel of all time. in defense of the nature boy.. he is like the rolling stones in that the fans come to see you play the hits and that is what ric did every single night.

[@markfabiszewski6383]

Ted you're sniffing glue

[@bjs001001]

To me, Ted was as good as anyone, period.

[@BrotherTonyshow]

Flair is on another level. Ted was great but Flair was the man. No doubt about it. Not even remotely close to equal

[@jonathanzissman5476]

If Ted thinks he was on the same level with Naitch, I think that's pretty fair assessment. The only real difference, in my opinion, is Flair flamboyance.

[@thehandsofstone]

I would say he is correct. But nobody could sell better or act better than flair. Nobody. Thats why he was 16x worlds heavyweight champion

[@jeffswanson4594]

My top three favorite wrestlers. 1) Ric Flair 2) Hulk Hogan 3) Ted DiBiase

[@allenm.355]

This man was dam good

[@HiNRGboy]

I gotta go with NWA Flair over DiBiase but both are great of course.

[@30907bng]

Ted as a heel from 82-85 definitely on the same level as Flair it was just hard to take his WWE character seriously, 87-93 unfortunately no, nonetheless , I was huge fan of his,the first time, I started watching wrestling as a kid in '82, in Georgia, loved the black glove gimmick.

[@crushthecrusher7134]

I like to see Ric flair wrestler hulk Hogan at wrestlemaina 8 for the wwf world wrestling champion

[@paulpokorny1238]

Ted was such a great heel.

[@brianalex2193]

They should have formed the 4 horse men of wwe with irs and razor.

[@Kirkland-rv5jf]

The top 5 for me... no particular order.... Flair, Dibease, perfect, angle and eddie guerrero All could entertain and were believable.

[@dazzle1933]

Dibiase was close to Bret and Hennig in work rate. I would point out one thing in the general public more people who knew who Bruno and Backlund was over Flair or Race.

[@HiNRGboy]

Nobody cared for Backlund though, the rest were top of the line A class wrestlers.

[@dazzle1933]

@@HiNRGboy Backlund was a far better wrestler than Race or Flair , Flair even admidts it. Remember I am talking about ring work and who was known more by the general public. Backlund has great matches as opposed to Race

[@jaythor70]

@@dazzle1933 Race had great matches against ALL the big names in wrestling. Steamboat, the Von Erichs, Dusty, Brisco, Flair, Funks, Superstar Graham, Tommy Rich, and literally dozens more, and made them all look good. You are totally wrong in this assessment. Race did his job better than anyone else but Flair, and even that is debatable. 7 times NWA world champion for a reason.... Backlund was milquetoast outside the ring, but a great wrestler inside. Couldn't seel tickets. The cards he "headlined" in MSG that sold out were due to the undercard matches.

[@bigolebot]

You'd be surprised, Backlund was surprisingly a good worker lol, I felt that way about too​@@HiNRGboy

[@johndrake3472]

Ted is better

[@josephmiller9424]

Ted is every bit as good and I think he is bigger and he was a better bad guy

[@sc239]

No disrespect intended (incoming disrespect) but... As a 80s WWF kid the idea of Ric Flair was always better than actual Ric Flair. I knew Him and Sting from the wrestling mags but when Flair came to WWF i didnt get it.. He felt like the bootleg Hogan. He got this massive push but i didnt believe he was on Hulk, Macho, Warrior, Sid, Bret Harts level.. Hell he seemed like he was WWF Inter Continental contender level.. Rick Rude and Jake shouldve got the push over him.. Ric Flair felt like he shouldve been mid card wrestling Greg Valentine or Dino Bravo.. As far as Ted Dibiase. One of the best heels ever.. I was 100% invested in seeing him lose.. Million Dollar Man, Ravishing Rick Rude and HHH top 3 heels. When Andre sold the belt to MDM? Mega Powers vs Mega Bucks? Iconic.

[@David.M._1979]

I would say this. Back in 88 Ted DiBiase was the man. He was the top heel. Anything NWA seemed second class to WWE.

[@HiNRGboy]

second class, really??? I would say the opposite but it depends on what kind of wrestling entertainment you liked I guess..

[@albertlopez2237]

Skill wise i cant say who was better. Persona wise the difference Rick was too busy admireing himself because of his wealth Tedd was looking how he can buy people or use people with his wealth.

[@shaolin1derpalm]

In ring I agree

[@chadk890]

Ted isn't wrong though. He was just as good as Flair

[@chrishagins3309]

Why do people always say "I went to New York" when talking about going to the WWF when Titan Sports was headquartered in Connecticut?

[@standardofexcellence]

It is close to new York, and that is there big time

[@Matt-cr4vv]

Marquee event was MSG as well aka NY. It was in the NY media market. Etc. same reason the Giants are labeled as NY when they’re in NJ.

[@JasPlun]

Ted could hang with Bret technical wise in his Prime, but the demands on his Character got in the way a lot of the time and the fact he had to keep heat on him at all times. I always wanted to see him flip to Baby Face and do good things with his money for awhile that could have been BIG if they played it right then he wins the Heavyweight Title. Either way he did his job I hated him with a passion back then!

[@airfixx_8952]

The idea of a babyface MDM sound so horrible.

[@JasPlun]

@@airfixx_8952 He was a huge Babyface before he was the MDM and people loved him it would have worked. His run in NWA was good:P

[@airfixx_8952]

@@JasPlun - I'm more than aware of this, BUT that's not under the MDM gimmick.

[@yesterdayproductions1019]

Yeah, Ted was a very good athletic wrestler who could DEFINITELY touch Flair. In other words, pretty equal.

[@billybob5337]

I will go a step further and say he was BETTER in the ring than Flair. Dibiase could work a match in several different ways. With Ric, you got basically the same match every night. Although Ric did have insane cardio/stamina and could go on for hours without blowing up

[@thegeop5906]

Til this very day it's a miracle to me why Flair was this successful 🤷🏻‍♂️🤔

[@billybob5337]

I mean he was a revolutionary promo cutter, and really elevated the bar in terms of wrestling personas. Before Flair, most wrestling personalities were rather stiff, monotone talkers, or mainly just comedic. Flair almost single-handily changed the nature of promos, how they were composed, etc........If you watched promos from the 60's and 70's......and then watch a range of them from the 80's and 90's. He was the biggest reason for the change. It even directly rubbed off on 80s WWF. Guys like Hogan started taking on very animated personalities. That was the Flair effect

[@supermanbatman4992]

I really LOVE 💘 ❤ 💕 💖 💗 ♥ THE ROYAL RUMBLE THAT... ... THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN TED DiBiase... ...he went a really really long time in the royal rumble!!!!! ...now he doesn't win the rumble match... but he started very early in the thing and goes a HELL OF A LONG WAY IN IT AND WAS COOL 😎!!! I THINK IT'S THE 1990 ROYAL RUMBLE.. BECUASE THE 89 RUMBLE TED.. BUYS HIS WAY TO NUMBER 30!! HAHAHA 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣.. SO AS PUNISHMENT FOR THE 1990 RUMBLE...THEY STICK HIM IN AT NUMBER ONE.. BUT HE ENDS UP HANGING IN THERE FOR A REALLY LONG TIME THAT LETS YOU KNOW.. ...THAT.. THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN TED DIBIASE IS A BAD MOTHER FUCKER AND IS COOL 😎 👌 👍 😀 😉 😜

[@mikejejenich-pb5zx]

No argument here. Ted is there with flair. ( if not better). 👋

[@gmgt1982]

I love them both…but Ted is better.

[@gopherstate777]

Personally, I would put Curt Hennig above both of them and Bret Hart.

[@Boroguysi]

I disagree with you, Ted. You were a much better in ring worker than Flair ever was.

[@MPPharaoh]

He was slightly way better than Flair… FACTS

[@robcharette1915]

Ted was a great worker but Flair had far more Charisma, cut better promos and had a much better physique.

[@mosesgladstone8274]

Here is the difference between Ted and Flair And this is fair Whem Ted came to wwe he played a character.... flair already was the character. I love Ted... but thats it

[@PeterBornAgain]

I was just re watching all the old wrestlers yesterday and then again today and I came across the Million Dollar Man theme song I thought how demonic it actually sounded and then I read a post in the comments that Ted is a preacher now then I found a 5 year old video of him giving a testimony and preaching I couldn't believe it because I could actually resonate with most of which he said as I myself just came out of a 20 year nightmare fuelled not just by an abundance of money but also the pride & ego as well or as Ted says EGO = Edging God Out which makes sense. I won't bother typing my testimony except to say when I was done I was DONE it was all over on April 19th 2023 I blew $250,000 (CDN) gambling and now the devil took his money back just as he gives with his right hand he takes it back with his left I was a complete fool. Anyway, I repented at 40 I just turned 41, Ted said in the video he was a teenager up till he was 38 thats exactly how I felt as well right around there and I had all the same perks as he did except the fame but I had tons of women, money, and just like he said "by the grace of God I didn't become addicted to drugs or alcohol" and low and behold by that exact grace I myself was able to get out of a very dangerous lifestyle and have no addictions what so ever yet I dealt with all these illicit substances daily and nightly pretty sure that gives a good idea of what I was up to with out elaborating any further. Crazy how Ric flair survived all he did, wrestling is actually a very dangerous lifestyle I have cone to realize even though it may be fake the people themselves are definitely not fake and so many of them died young just like with what I was doing lots of people died or went to prison. Thanks for sharing your testimony Ted, like you I also lost my dad (step dad) to a heart attack when I was 12 and I believe you said you were 15 it is unbelievable how similar our testimonies are in the sense of we both went down a dark path for 20 years I still remember buying the super nintendo wrestling game and seeing all the $ $ $ signs come up when you came into the royal rumble lol. Grace and blessings to you. 🙏✝

[@kenterminateddq5311]

I would say Ted is as good as Ric. Dibiase's style is similar to Buddy Rodgers or Dory Funk Jr. in the ring.

[@HajimeNoJMo]

Yes, considering Funk trained DiBiase

[@NightWarriorAlive]

I'd rather pay to see a Dibiase match than Flair- because I got my price- ha ha aha!!

[@zemmons5000]

That's bs, flair had the same exact match no matter who he fought, every single night. Ted was far and away better! He worked according to who he was with and didn't have the same match every time

[@wesleysteeleiv]

Honestly he might be better than Flair.

[@indianastones6032]

Id say yeah ya are teddy boy and ya should have got the push Flair had. Didnt have wcw in uk in the 80s/90s and nor did anyone else i knew, so when Flair came to wwf, it was the first time of knowing Flair. The belt flair brang with him didnt mean anything to me which is a shame looking back now. So to me Flair was just a normal wrestler who was still amazing but just didnt have what Ted had back then. Will say, from what ive seen of wcw from back then, me and my mates sure missed out though!

[@herohunted85]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[@chrisbolton6598]

To me, flair gets the nod. Ted is up there but Flair was a god in the 80s. Ted is definitely top 20 but no where near Ric Flair.

[@josephmiller9424]

And over all Ted was better , yes Nature Boy is great but Ted took a character MILLION DOLLAR MAN and made it great , and if WCW had Ted as the man behind the NWO it might have been even better and he keeps playing THE MILLION DOLLAR MAN.

[@karimsunderji9180]

Ted was good. Now he steals

[@YETIPUNK]

Ted is a Million times better in the ring than flair

[@grayrecluse7496]

Why ain't ted in jail?

[@TheJudgeofLevelstm]

While I despise Ted Dibiase for being a predatory grifter and parasite he's easily as good as Flair as neither ones performance is predicated upon appearing as a technical wrestler. They both are basically brawlers that can take bumps and have a passable working punch. They both are far better than Hogan in that regard.

[@universaltalentbookings1389]

IMO Ted's in ring ability and mic skills were both superior to Flairs ... Flair was way way overrated .. same four move match set every time .... Ted could mix it up and do different matches each and every time

[@stevep4574]

Teddy is tall, please ask him about Tully Blanchard.

[@michaelking2582]

Ted was as good as Flair. But until WWF, he COULD NOT TALK TO SAVE HIS LIFE !!!! But as a "worker" ? Ted was equal to Flair easily......

[@willshad]

Come on, he was boring in the ring. Was there even a single memorable or celebrated Dibiase match? Flair has dozens of great matches under his belt.

[@tyhronnasbury3332]

I think Ted is a better wrestler then Flair

[@HiNRGboy]

Not better than NWA and early WCW Flair..

[@dan7478]

Flair's in-ring work was overrated in my opinion. Props for his insane cardio, but I always found his matches derivative, same-y and goofy.

[@Chopping-it-up]

Million dollar man was always better than flair. Flair always did the same thing in every match. Million dollar man matches were way better and his gimmick was better too! Flair ripped his whole gimmick from Gorgeous George.

[@PrimeEvilDean]

Don't be modest, sir. You were most certainly NOT on equal level as Ric Flair. You were better in every conceivable category. Promo work? Check. You didn't just scream like a lunatic. Ring work? Double check. You didn't wrestle the same match for 40 years. Entertainment value? Check. You were the ultimate "Lex Luthor/Norman Osborn type heel" for the 1980's. Marketability? Well let me just say this: Are you aware of the fact that people still dress as you for Halloween? lol