Kemo
06-11-2023, 08:31 PM
The 'Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase is well remembered for his iconic promos and catchphrases and is no fan of WWE's scripted promos.
In 2021, the WWE Hall of Famer made a brief return to WWE programming as part of NXT and was part of a storyline with Cameron Grimes. Grimes, who had come into money thanks to investing in GameStop, had declared himself the richest man in NXT. In June, DiBiase reintroduced the Million Dollar Championship, which was held by LA Knight and later by Grimes.
In his final segment as part of the storyline, Grimes handed DiBiase the title, but the Million Dollar Man handed a title back to Grimes. It was revealed that the title Grimes now possessed was a fake and the Million Dollar Man had kept the real deal.
One of the biggest critiques of WWE in recent years has been the promotion's use of scripted promos. While there has been some leeway in recent months, fans have long complained about promos being written by TV writers and recited by talent. The consensus is that this format of promos lacks authenticity and comes across as wooden. On an episode of his Everybody's Got a Pod podcast, DiBiase revealed that he refused to have lines written for him in NXT.
"They do these scripted interviews nowadays and I can't stand it!
"I said, 'Look, I'm going to look this over, and I'm going to say what the message is here, but it's not going to be word-for-word what you've written. It's gotta be me. The more me it is, the more real it is to the people."
Ted DiBiase hasn't appeared for WWE since the NXT run, which he "had a blast" working on. More recently, the DiBiase family has been rocked by legal troubles, with Ted's son Brett pleading guilty to one charge of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. for his role in the Mississippi Welfare Fund scandal. Ted Jr. is facing multiple felonies and Ted Sr.'s ministry was forced to repay some of the fraudulently-obtained funds.
In 2021, the WWE Hall of Famer made a brief return to WWE programming as part of NXT and was part of a storyline with Cameron Grimes. Grimes, who had come into money thanks to investing in GameStop, had declared himself the richest man in NXT. In June, DiBiase reintroduced the Million Dollar Championship, which was held by LA Knight and later by Grimes.
In his final segment as part of the storyline, Grimes handed DiBiase the title, but the Million Dollar Man handed a title back to Grimes. It was revealed that the title Grimes now possessed was a fake and the Million Dollar Man had kept the real deal.
One of the biggest critiques of WWE in recent years has been the promotion's use of scripted promos. While there has been some leeway in recent months, fans have long complained about promos being written by TV writers and recited by talent. The consensus is that this format of promos lacks authenticity and comes across as wooden. On an episode of his Everybody's Got a Pod podcast, DiBiase revealed that he refused to have lines written for him in NXT.
"They do these scripted interviews nowadays and I can't stand it!
"I said, 'Look, I'm going to look this over, and I'm going to say what the message is here, but it's not going to be word-for-word what you've written. It's gotta be me. The more me it is, the more real it is to the people."
Ted DiBiase hasn't appeared for WWE since the NXT run, which he "had a blast" working on. More recently, the DiBiase family has been rocked by legal troubles, with Ted's son Brett pleading guilty to one charge of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. for his role in the Mississippi Welfare Fund scandal. Ted Jr. is facing multiple felonies and Ted Sr.'s ministry was forced to repay some of the fraudulently-obtained funds.