5 fast-living characters immortalized in pro-wrestling

‘The Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase

A young RVD gets his first taste (literally) of in-ring action as he gets ready to kiss The Million Dollar Man’s foot

Few characters over the years have been able to pull off the ‘rich man’ gimmick like the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase in the 80s. Although JBL and later on Alberto Del Rio undoubtedly had their respective claims to fame, Ted DiBiase was a trail-blazer in that he evoked massive heat from the audience the likes of which JBL and Alberto Del Rio could never hope to emulate.

From the diabolical treatment of his valet Virgil, to that timeless basketball segment with the boy from the crowd, The Million Dollar Man was such a complete heel that knew how to rub the audience in the most caustic way possible. Under the pretext of money, he coaxed (planted) members of the audience to partake in menial or degrading tasks like kissing his foot or descending to all fours and barking like a dog.

He generated so much heat from the audience after the infamous basketball segment that he even admittedly mulled the necessity of an armoured car to escort him safely from the arena. As many of his opponents, whose mouths he ritually stuffed in condescension with a wad of cash, would tell you though – everybody had a price, for the Million Dollar Man!

The Rock

Hollywood Rock was a heel who was so entertaining that people cheered him on

Few people on this planet supplant Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as a box-office draw in the entertainment industry, but this superstardom that envelops him today has its roots dating back to his exploits in the middle of the squared circle.

The larger-than-life character that is The Rock was forged amidst the fires of failure that his initial gimmick, The Blue Chipper, endured. Fed up of the “Die Rocky Die!” chants that were fans were serenading him with despite being a babyface, ‘The Rock’ persona was borne as much out of necessity as it was of frustration.

He transformed from a smiling babyface, swathed in over-enthusiasm, into one of the most haughty and self-important Superstars who addressed himself in third person, a practice used by monarchs and royalty of old, in case you were wondering.

Regardless of being a babyface or a heel however, The Rock was electric on the microphone and his promo-cutting skills serve as the yardstick to be eclipsed in the WWE even until the present day.

Ric Flair

Wooooo! Look at that robe!

‘To be the man, you gotta beat the man! Wooooooo!’

‘Styling-Profiling, Limousine Riding, Jet flying, Kiss stealing son-of-a-gun!”

The above listed catchphrases that we remember Ric Flair reel off in his promos, defined the flamboyant persona that he adopted in the ring. Back in the day however, the WWE preserved Kayfabe outside of the ring as well and Vince McMahon was known to have funded Superstars like Ric Flair and The Million Dollar Man in order to maintain appearances.

Ric Flair was known for notoriously over-living his gimmick though, with his engagement in the pro-wrestling travesty that was the Plane Ride From Hell underscoring the liberties he took in allowing his in-ring persona filter into reality. Amidst the intoxication-fuelled ruckus that was unfolding around him 30,000 feet in the air, Flair was reportedly strutting around in his trademark style, flaunting his nether regions while draped in little else but a robe.

Life in the fast-lane, anyone?