Who had/has the best rich man gimmick in wrestling?

[CM Steel]

In the history of pro wrestling we've seen many wrestlers with the epic "I'm rich" gimmick for over the last couple of decades. We've seen many come & go. But my question is, who did better with it from over the years and who will you remember the most from it?

1. Tully Blanchard- Former four horsemen member, and a former NWA U.S. champion.

2. Ted Dibiase- The "Million Dollar Man" while in the WWF/E. But before then while wrestling in Mid-South Wrestling. He was the head of the Rat Pack faction in the 80's.

3. John Bradshaw Layfield- In real-life makes his profit from the wall street stock market, so the gimmick fit him well. And he is one of the few "rich guy" wrestlers to win a world title.

4. Alberto Del Rio- Received a big push upon his debut in the WWE. And a living legend in Mexico in CMLL.


So all around. Who had/has the best rich man gimmick in wrestling?

 

[poppycock]

Ted Dibiase is my pick. Would Flair fit into this bracket at all..or perhaps not he was just outlandish.

Anyway although he never won the title like JBL I associate the rich man with with Ted more than anybody else. I think he played it really well and he should have become one of the best heel Champs in WWE history.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Ted DiBiase had the best rich man gimmick in wrestling. He wasn't called "the million dollar man" for nothing. Ted is my pick here because of how he was able to buy anyone out in order to get exactly what he wanted and claimed "everyone has a price". JBL was also a good rich man gimmick, and probably the second best. He pales in comparison to DiBiase though. So do Del Rio and many other wealthy gimmicks over the years.

 

[Psyclone]

is this thread even neccesary??? Seriously... I mean, when someone thinks of the "rich wrestler" they think of ted dibiase... It's not even close... I mean there's a small part of me that anytime i get a paycheck, or someone hands me money, I hear Ted's laugh "BWAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHA."

there is no other "money man" than the million dollar man...

 

[Davi323]

The phrase isn't "everybody's got a price, for JBL..." is it?

The answer is obviously DiBiase. How could it not be? The WWF invested a lot into the character. He rolled around in limos, was shown in mansions, was billed as being from the Dutch Antilles (no relation to Wedge) stuffed money down wrestlers throats, tricked kids into doing stunts for money, bought his own gold belt and attempted to buy the WWF title. It wasn't just that he was a rich character, the WWF did everything they could to make you despise him for it. He wasn't a wrestler who happened to be rich, his character was a rich guy who happened to be a wrestler. That character made DiBiase one of the top 5 heels in the history of wrestling, in my opinion.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The phrase isn't "everybody's got a price, for JBL..." is it?

The answer is obviously DiBiase. How could it not be? The WWF invested a lot into the character. He rolled around in limos, was shown in mansions, was billed as being from the Dutch Antilles (no relation to Wedge) stuffed money down wrestlers throats, tricked kids into doing stunts for money, bought his own gold belt and attempted to buy the WWF title. It wasn't just that he was a rich character, the WWF did everything they could to make you despise him for it. He wasn't a wrestler who happened to be rich, his character was a rich guy who happened to be a wrestler. That character made DiBiase one of the top 5 heels in the history of wrestling, in my opinion.

Perfectly put, the Million Dollar Man used his wealth to try and get what he wanted. Even the ring name "Million Dollar Man" signifies wealth and money. Ted DiBiase played this role better than anyone else, and that is why the character was such a success. There is even footage of a teenage Rob Van Dam kissing Ted's foot in the ring for money, when he was picked out of the crowd at a show.

DiBiase tried to buy the world title, and then ended up just using his wealth to create his own, the Million Dollar Title, and come on...how arrogant is that?! Everyone is jealous of the rich guy who flaunts it, but doing something like that is one of the reasons why DiBiase was such a great heel.

Vince created the Million Dollar gimmick to show how he saw himself, that is what he would have used as his gimmick had he been a real wrestler, but he wasn't so DiBiase was given it. And it worked perfectly.

The laugh, the look, the catchphrase, the ring music, the million dollar belt, the main servant (Virgil) and the attempts to buy off his opponents and the title....DiBiase will alway be the best at the "Rich Guy" role

 

[IrishCanadian25]

is this thread even neccesary??? Seriously... I mean, when someone thinks of the "rich wrestler" they think of ted dibiase... It's not even close... I mean there's a small part of me that anytime i get a paycheck, or someone hands me money, I hear Ted's laugh "BWAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHA."

there is no other "money man" than the million dollar man...

On this list, yes, Ted is the best, but if you replace "Tully Blanchard" with "The Four Horsemen," then I'm voting for the Horsemen.

For starters, the Horsemen were the stylish rich guys before DiBiase was the Million Dollar Man. Furthermore, for the Horsemen, it was more than an in-ring gimmick, it was a true lifestyle.

Perhaps this thread makes you think of DiBiase's catch phrase "everybody's got a price for the Million Dollar Man," but it makes me think of Ric Flair screaming "My shoes cost more than your house!"

Also, Horsemen fans used to come to the area dressed in suits. Arn and Tully even commented on it- "look at our fans. They come dressed in suits to show respect to the 4 Horsemen. Look at Dusty Rhodes' fans - 'nuff said."

The Horsemen were rich, flamboyant, and better than everyone else. DiBiase was over the top - the Horsemen were believable.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Would Flair fit into this bracket at all..

Sort of. We could envision him as a rich person in the ring, because in real life he owed a million dollars.


But, my choice is DiBiase, Sr. Of the four guys mentioned, he was the only one who actually walked out to the ring carrying cash. He was so delightfully bitchy, blatantly lording his money over everyone else. With the others, their wealth was alluded to, but only Ted openly displayed his, including $$$ signs on the jacket he wore.

Everyone has a price.

 

[King Patrick Star]

Tully Blanchard, JBL, and Alberto Del Rio were / are great and can pull of the “Rich Guy” role pretty good. However, they just didn’t use it the way the Million Dollar Man played it. There are so many reasons why I think Ted DiBiase was the “Richest”.

His name was the Million Dollar Man.
His theme song’s lyrics start with “Money Money Money Money Money”.
He stuffed money down Wrestlers mouths after his victories.
He bought the WWE Title.
He formed a Tag Team with Andre the Giant named Mega Bucks.
He created the Million Dollar Title.
He formed a Tag Team with I.R.S. named Money Inc.
He formed a Stable named the Million Dollar Corporation.
His son was the last Million Dollar Champion and he is “Priceless”.

The other 3 were “Rich”, but they didn’t incorporated into their characters like Ted.

 

[wrestlingfan]

This is hard to say. The Four Horsemen could be considered the rich man gimmick but at the same time they just happened to have a glamorous lifestyle, it wasn't their core gimmick. Even Vinnie Mac's "Mr. McMahon" character could be considered a rich man gimmick but he's more of a corporate tyrant.

It's a tossup between Ted DiBiase and JBL. Ted DiBiase wins this. JBL innovated the gimmick but at the same time JBL's gimmicks had other personas added to it such as the Conservative business man, and the wrestling god, and the wealthy American. Ted DiBiase stayed true to just being a rich man.