When will it be Ted Dibiase's time to shine?

[CM Steel]

Ted Dibiase Jr. has recently fell on hard times with injuries to his wrist and now his ankle. Dibiase is a good in-ring talent with a great wrestling pedigree from the Dibiase family. Upon his WWE debut Ted Jr. looked like a big deal from the gate (or ramp). He's had his share in the lime light with Cody Rhodes & mentor Randy Orton in Legacy. And made only one appearance at a Wrestlemania against the decayed Legacy. And then went on to fill his father's shoe's as the NEW Million Dollar Man of this wrestling era as "Priceless" Ted Dibiase. But that gimmick didn't work out.

After awhile as Cody Rhodes's Virgil on Smackdown for a few months, he went solo to start his "Dibiase Posse" stint as a happy babyface. And then his injuries came into play. Since Ted Dibiase's debut in the WWE to now both Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes has had much success post-Legacy.

But when will it be Ted Dibiase's time to shine as a next generation superstar?

 

[#heel420]

Who really knows? He has everything a young talent could ever want. His 1st year in the company gets put in the top heel at the time Randy Orton's Legacy stable. He's a 3rd Generation superstar, that already puts you in a pretty elite class. And his Father is The Million Dollar Man one of the biggest heels from the 80's. But he has to make it for himself. Seeing where Cody's career is going Ted is looking like the Marty Jannetty of the duo.

 

[Ding_Dong_#2]

Quite honestly, his time and chance has gone.

If he wasn't Ted Biase Jr, there is no way that he would still be around. Talented, good talker but he just hasn't found his spot or the right image that could get him over.

It's pretty much the same as Harry "DH" Smith - everything going for him but nothing that could break him in as a permanent member of the roster.

I would have stuck with the original son of the million dollar man gimmick; iu had something at least - everything else has been an abject failure.

Both of them should look at Cody Rhodes to see what you have to do to work at a character and roll with the punches. When Legacy were together, he was portrayed as the weak link but move forward a couple of years and Cody has pretty much ensured that he has a future.

If I was Ted, I would leave and try to evolve on my own terms in the same way Ken Anderson has. It could be the making of him and there will always be the chance of an opening in the future while Ted Sr is around.

 

[PEP3]

The problem doesn't seem to be specific to Ted DiBiase, Jr. What appears to be holding him back most is the combination of poor health -- tough breaks, literally, it seems -- and lack of consistent direction from creative.

In the post-LEGACY era, DiBiase looked to be a break out star. He worked a program against Orton, and he came out smelling like a strong contender with a bright future. Then he was derailed by injuries. Then when he returned, he got sidetracked with yet another injury. By the time he healed, creative had moved past him in terms of who they were seeking to develop, so he was bumped to the bottom of the waiting list

DiBiase has not only the pedigree to be a champion, he also has the skills and in-ring talent. When he finally heals, I think what will determine whether he resumes where he could have been at this point in his career is creative. If he's given a strong storyline upon his return, fans will soon accept him as a top contender. If he returns with a whimper instead of a bang... Well, he's better off leaving and trying his hand elsewhere.

DiBiase is still young and malleable enough to develop into an incredible talent, if given the opportunity. I would be more than supportive of seeing him pop up in Ohio Valley Wrestling and, eventually, make his way into TNA's roster. While I'm sure many would bitch and whine, calling him another "WWE reject," I just see him as a young man looking for his niche within the industry.

There's plenty of time for him to develop into a star. Whether or not that happens in the WWE or elsewhere, of course, is yet to be seen.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

When he learns to stop sucking?

Seriously, a good look, a good "pedigree", and knowing how to do moves doesn't get you anywhere. In the ring he looks like a guy thinking about his next spot. No emotion, no character, no in ring story, nothing. May as well be watching gymnastics.

It's weird the logic of a lot of you guys. "push this guy so he'll get over". If that were the case, it'd be a hell of a lot easier to get guys over huh? The WWE would probably push everybody then because more over=more money. That's not the case. They give you an opportunity, if you get over, good job, if not, it's someone else's turn. Dibiase has had LOTS of chances, and he's failed.

 

[DeathClutch]

He's one of them guys that you know he has potential but for whatever reason he doesn't seem to be able to stand out, thou it doesn’t help when he wins a few and then jobs a few. WWE have given him the Million $ Championship, Maryse and two storylines that are polar opposites, one being one wealthy son of a bitch and showing it and the other the happy go lucky babyface.

Personally if he wants to win championships he needs to revamp himself so what I'd suggest is when he returns continue to do the happy go lucky persona, join up with someone like Santino who's extremely over, have them go for the tag titles a couple of times maybe on RAW (get the win in a non-title match) and get a shot on PPV, Ted's big break and have Santino lose for the team and basically have Ted turn heel on him and if Santino is still the US Champ have Ted basically take the belt off him and continue on with his fresh singles role.

And if WWE wanted to push him all the way they could reprise the role of the young rich punk who hires JBL as his personal banker who helped him make Billions so now he's something his father never was the Billion $ Man. The possibilities are endless they could literally could have Ted try and fail to get the WWE/World titles and have him try and buy the belts when he can’t have him bring in his own Billion $ Championship, sure it’s rehashing his father’s old storylines but this could work for him if WWE go all the way. I don’t care what anyone says the Million $ Championship looks fucking sweet and I’d bet sells well in the merchandise, so imagine if they brought a new fresher belt out, WWE is about making money, and kids love the spinner that’s how we haven’t had a new WWE belt in years so it’s not a far stretch for WWE to bring in a new belt if it looks good and would sell well

 

[kokoBawesome]

Never. I'm sorry but his time to shine came and went when he was affiliated with Orton. Unless the WWE brings back tag teams hes done for. Look at the incredibly deep roster thats not getting any love or respect (we know the list already). Than we have chris hero waiting in the wings to debut, antonio cesario already looks better than 80% of the roster, and we have big guys like brodus clay, Khali, and lord tensai that are going to take up valuable tv time. I can easily see him being cut within a year... especially if the rosters merge.

 

[Mantis]

If it hasn't happened by now, then there little chance that he'll ever shine. The only reason DiBiase has any chance at all is because of the last name. But with top guys like Cena, Orton, etc still young in wrestling years; and the influx of FCW talent; I'm betting that he gets lost in the shuffle.

 

[DX Mols]

In a word: Never. This guy just doesn't have it. I fully expected Teddy to be the "HBK" of Legacy and Cody to be the "Jannetty" but boy was I wrong. Cody's one of my favorite heels right now and Ted just plain stinks.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I'm gonna go ahead and agree with PEP3. You see, Cody Rhodes has done well with himself in the past year or so but if we're being completely fair, it's not because he's "sooooo talented!!!!!" *drool* but more so because he's been given a strong unfaltering push by creative. Think of all the times he gave speeches with very little crowd reaction, or the fact that he was getting more of a mock-welcoming response when people rushed to wear the paper bags he'd hand out. I love the way they've stayed on stride with Cody but it's not like I find any of his mic or in-ring work spectacular. However I'd consider it "good" and consistent. Ted Debiase is in the "good" category too.

If Ted would have been forcefully pushed down our throats in the Fortunate Son gimmick by rewarding him with a lengthy run of the Intercontinental title, we'd be having this discussion about Cody's past 2 gimmicks being failures instead of Ted's.

 

[WunNightStan619]

I know this much. No wun was higher on Ted Jr than i was during his priceless days, and his legacy days for that matter. At this point, he's gonna have to do something really really crazy or really really big in order for me to even care about him anymore. I quite honestly dont see it happening, especially with Brock Lesnar being a focal point right now. Who knows, maybe ill be pleasantly surprised...but like i said, it would really take a lot for him to make himself relevant again. Im talking total re-invention of character

 

[Mantis]

If Ted would have been forcefully pushed down our throats in the Fortunate Son gimmick by rewarding him with a lengthy run of the Intercontinental title, we'd be having this discussion about Cody's past 2 gimmicks being failures instead of Ted's.

I'm not sure I agree, but I get what you're saying. The irony is that after Legacy, Ted was seen as the stronger one show he was put on the A-show (Raw). Since Raw is the flagship show, it always has the more competition and major angle. 2010 was no exception; as Raw received both Edge and Jericho in the draft (Smackdown's Wrestlemania Title Match that year); and there was Cena/Orton/Nexus etc. This made it much more difficult for DiBiase to get noticed.

On the other hand, Cody Rhodes, who was the the lesser Legacy member, was sent to Smackdown. Smackdown has a lot less going on, so it was a lot easier for him to get noticed. As a result, we now have Cody Rhodes as the IC Champ and DiBiase in wrestling purgatory.

 

[SD619]

When he gets interesting.

Ted Dibiase is one of the most boring guys on the roster. He is a third generation superstar with a decent look who smiles a lot, but that is about all that is to him. His ring work is decent though but not good enough to be a big-time player. He lacks charisma and is really boring as a face.

I don't see much potential in him, atleast not with his current gimmick.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Ted DiBiase is a good wrestler. He has a good look. He has a good little angle with the DiBiase Posse. Too bad he is as interesting as a spoon cause if he was interesting, he'd be a big name by now.

WWE misused him after Legacy. He came in with high expectations attached, he'd done tours of Japan, he'd a good spell in Florida and once he came to the main roster he was instantly made a WWE Tag Team Champion. There was a lot of hype built around his debut match, on who his partner would be, he'd some fanfare from the outset. Too bad they attempted to essentially turn him into his father, because that was never going to work. They attached Maryse to him, which was a good idea because it gave another reason to boo him, considering he'd bagged the hottest woman in the WWE. Once again, too bad the angle was played out mostly on NXT.

Now he has this DiBiase Posse routine, and it's working. It was a good idea, he is promoting himself, promoting the WWE, interacting with the fans, getting a buzz around him; ESPN wrote an article up on him, they don't write up many wrestling related articles. His injury could be a blessing in disguise, when he returns he should be pushed, WWE need a couple more good face characters, they just need to work on him a bit and stop giving him stupid angles with Hunico.

For me, they should have pulled the trigger and handed him the IC Championship, allowing the feud with Cody to continue with Cody eventually winning it back, It'd have set Cody back a bit who at the time was getting an astronomical push and built Ted up a bit more. But alas, they didn't, I still have hopes for DiBiase to rise in the future, he just needs to become someone people want to see.

 

[TheHitman316]

When Teddy gets over his injury and finally feels comfortable with himself on the mic....I liked the guy when he first came out. But something about his character bores me. I don't think he would be "futured" but I do believe he will be a "Matt Striker" kinda on air personality for the WWE network..Maybe covering past feuds and being the host of his own show....IDK

 

[jbwphoto1]

I sometimes wonder if Teddy really wants to be a wrestler. I was reading a book that came out I think back in the late 90s by some guys who were reporters/journalists in wrestling, but the book was filled with quotes of wrestlers and referees responding to questions they asked. There was one section that asked the wrestlers what if they child/children wanted to be professional wrestlers. The Million Dollar Man responded, "Over my dead body!"

I find this very interesting considering all three of his sons became professional wrestlers. Two with WWE contracts and the other within NWA. But one by one, they have been plagued with injuries. Two are already out of the sport leaving just Ted Jr. It makes me wonder if the sons wanted to be pro wrestlers or not. Maybe Ted Sr, knowing more about his sons' physical makeup than we do and out of his concern for his children, knew they would never make it to Wrestlemania main events like he did. It also makes me wonder if Teddy Jr. isn't doing just a little bit of Jerome Bettis' act and is telling us he's more hurt than he really is. Maybe he's just waiting out a WWE contract until it expires and can then just say he bowed out due to multiple injuries and surgeries.

Don't get me wrong. I am a fan. I was so excited years ago to see photos on Getty Images website of the DiBiase boys being trained by none other than Harley Race. I loved the gimmicks of Legacy and Million Dollar Man 2.0 with Maryse. Even though I don't know if I would participate fully or not, I kind of even like the DiBiase Posse bit. Teddy Jr has had more than enough opportunities to show what he has and start making a name on his own. I'm just afraid he doesn't want to.

 

[kdk5680]

Codyvs Ted was one of my fav PPV matches from a couple months back(dont remember specifically which one). They told good story, both had good moves and I thought it would, and still could be, the start of a long on again off again feud. If Ted gets healthy and stays healthy, the best bet for him would be an anti-millionairs son gimmick. Have his father strip him of all his money while embracing Cody, leading to a renewed feud between the two, then just as Ted wins it back, he turns it down. Instant respect amongst fans and a reversal in parts of the fathers(Ted sr being rich while Dusty was the poor man). I think it would work and help propel both further

 

[kdk5680]

More then likely, Ted sr just knew what kind of lifestyle they would have, and didnt want that for his boys.

 

[cyhh2002]

Ted Dibiase Jr. has recently fell on hard times with injuries to his wrist and now his ankle. Dibiase is a good in-ring talent with a great wrestling pedigree from the Dibiase family. Upon his WWE debut Ted Jr. looked like a big deal from the gate (or ramp). He's had his share in the lime light with Cody Rhodes & mentor Randy Orton in Legacy. And made only one appearance at a Wrestlemania against the decayed Legacy. And then went on to fill his father's shoe's as the NEW Million Dollar Man of this wrestling era as "Priceless" Ted Dibiase. But that gimmick didn't work out.

After awhile as Cody Rhodes's Virgil on Smackdown for a few months, he went solo to start his "Dibiase Posse" stint as a happy babyface. And then his injuries came into play. Since Ted Dibiase's debut in the WWE to now both Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes has had much success post-Legacy.

But when will it be Ted Dibiase's time to shine as a next generation superstar?

Well I hate to say this, but my gut feeling tells me that with the WWE's annual "Spring Cleaning" looming on the horizon, I would not be surprised to see DiBiase getting "future endeavored."

And if you think his last name will spare him from the chopping block, just ask the likes of Sim Snuka, David Hart Smith, and Chavo Guerrero.

But yes, DiBiase in my opinion was overshadowed by Rhodes whose interaction with the audience as well as his unpredictability has been DiBiase very expendable in my opinion.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

honestly i think he was ever gonna do anything after legacy it was gonna be when maryse was his manager and he was carrying around the million dollar title i think he was at his best during that time and could have been a top midcarder in wwe with maryse as his vallet and them being a power couple but it never really happened i think when the spring cleaning rolls around this year he sadly joins that list

 

[BreezyDaProtege]

I have no idea why people act as if Ted D Jr. is that much of a great wrestler that he deserves to be in the spot light. Obviously he is bland and I'm surprised most you marks didnt see that in the Legacy days. I always thought Cody was the better of the two and had the brighter future. And really wished Manu and Snuka were in Legacy during that time. Sorry Ted isnt going no where as far as getting a push. Put him in a tag team or something and please no more Ted Debiase Jr. Threads....mine as well make one for JTG

 

[GI Cake]

When Ted DiBaise can learn how to be entertaining and draw money, then he will have a shot at pulling out of the undercard. Injuries and such can hurt someone like Ted trying to break out of jobber status, but you can only blame your gimp wrist and ankle for so long until people realize that you have no where the same amount of charisma that Rhodes or Orton have. Ted in the ring is actually a very good wrestler, I enjoy his matches as a wrestling fan but after that, their is nothing to him that makes want to like him. He has a bland look, no gimmick, and the fact he will always be compared to his former tag team partner who has soared miles ahead of him doesn't help him either.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I'm gonna go ahead and agree with PEP3. You see, Cody Rhodes has done well with himself in the past year or so but if we're being completely fair, it's not because he's "sooooo talented!!!!!" *drool* but more so because he's been given a strong unfaltering push by creative. Think of all the times he gave speeches with very little crowd reaction, or the fact that he was getting more of a mock-welcoming response when people rushed to wear the paper bags he'd hand out. I love the way they've stayed on stride with Cody but it's not like I find any of his mic or in-ring work spectacular. However I'd consider it "good" and consistent. Ted Debiase is in the "good" category too.

If Ted would have been forcefully pushed down our throats in the Fortunate Son gimmick by rewarding him with a lengthy run of the Intercontinental title, we'd be having this discussion about Cody's past 2 gimmicks being failures instead of Ted's.

That's a crock of shit. Rhodes has gotten an "unfaltered push" because he keeps getting over. WWE doesn't keep pushing a guy who isn't getting a reaction.

Rhodes is a LOT more talented than Dibiase. Rhodes can cut a promo, Rhodes can carry a character (he's done a great job at 3 pretty different characters so far). Rhodes looks like his character in the ring. Rhodes tells a story in the ring.

Ted does NONE of that. He doesn't have any charisma, doesn't emote. There is literally nothing different between Ted and if you get some other good looking athlete with a last name in the ring. That's why Ted isn't over.

I REALLY get sick of the "well the push got him over" bullshit. That makes no sense. if a guy sucks, he's not going to stay over. Santino has stayed over, why? Because his gimmick has been so awesome? What was especially great about Rhodes' push? He was given a belt that he rarely defended. Awesome push, man, anyone could have gotten over with that.....except they dont'.

You don't seem to understand pro wrestling. The important part is making people believe in your character. It's even on WWE's corporate site under careers for being a pro wrestler. They say something along the lines of "we are looking for people who can bring their characters to life". Ted doesn't do that. I don't give a shit if he has a 6 pack, a known last name, and a pretty face. Having all that but no ability to emote or tell an in ring story doesn't get you anywhere, just as Morrison.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There's only so much that having a legendary father can do for you as a pro wrestler and, unfortunately for DiBiase, he reached the limits of what his last name can do for him a long time ago. Personally, I don't see anything particularly special about DiBiase. He's a nice looking, tanned young guy with a good build. That describes damn near every other male wrestler on the WWE roster.

DiBiase is alright in the ring but, from what I've seen, he's nothing special and the guy has zero charisma. There are lots of guys on the WWE roster right now that are far better than DiBiase and several wrestlers very close to being brought up from FCW that all sound to have far more promise than DiBiase.

While I'm not wild about how some of them are being used right now, like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, The Miz & several others have established themselves as just being flat out more interesting and with more to offer. Guys like Ryback, Antonio Cesaro, Titus O'Neil, Darren Young & Damien Sandow are guys that generating a lot of buzz already while Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose are also creating lots of buzz and they haven't even been on WWE television yet.

The window for DiBiase's chance to truly shine may very well have closed as there's just a lot of guys that are much more interesting currently in the mix or on their way to being in the mix.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

That's a crock of shit. Rhodes has gotten an "unfaltered push" because he keeps getting over. WWE doesn't keep pushing a guy who isn't getting a reaction.

Rhodes is a LOT more talented than Dibiase. Rhodes can cut a promo, Rhodes can carry a character (he's done a great job at 3 pretty different characters so far). Rhodes looks like his character in the ring. Rhodes tells a story in the ring.

Ted does NONE of that. He doesn't have any charisma, doesn't emote. There is literally nothing different between Ted and if you get some other good looking athlete with a last name in the ring. That's why Ted isn't over.

I REALLY get sick of the "well the push got him over" bullshit. That makes no sense. if a guy sucks, he's not going to stay over. Santino has stayed over, why? Because his gimmick has been so awesome? What was especially great about Rhodes' push? He was given a belt that he rarely defended. Awesome push, man, anyone could have gotten over with that.....except they dont'.

You don't seem to understand pro wrestling. The important part is making people believe in your character. It's even on WWE's corporate site under careers for being a pro wrestler. They say something along the lines of "we are looking for people who can bring their characters to life". Ted doesn't do that. I don't give a shit if he has a 6 pack, a known last name, and a pretty face. Having all that but no ability to emote or tell an in ring story doesn't get you anywhere, just as Morrison.

You really need to find a way to give your opinion without attacking someone else's. Just because you see things differently doesn't mean that I don't "understand pro wrestling". But from what I've seen, you're often unable to be civil in a response without coming across as a douche.

You claim that Cody keeps getting over but if we're going by crowd response and not forum jockies, there's been far more members of the audience quiet when he delivers speeches or promos than say a Mark Henry when he was on his WHC run. I like Cody Rhodes and if you really paid attention to my post (which you quoted -_- ), you'd see that I even went as far as to say that he is "good and consistent". So I definitely see him as someone who's entertaining but I'm not going to put the blinders on and say that he's been so individually successful in getting himself to this point when there's been countless times when he didn't get a response from the crowd at all yet continued to get a push.

I don't even see why you're disagreeing with anything when it's not like i said anything wrong. Cody Rhodes isn't great. He's good. Maybe you're just bored and need someone to debate with. My idea that creative was the main force in deciding that Rhodes should keep the belt (in order to see if he'd catch on or grow into something a bit better) over Rhodes' "amazing" talent being the reason behind it, is still my opinion.