DiBiase Family

Professional wrestling is full of families whose names resonate through ages, and The DiBiase family is one of those. Like the Anoa'i Family, Hearts, Rhodes, and McMahon, the DiBiase family has made significant contributions to the world of WWE, leaving a lasting impact that inspires fans today.

It all began with Iron ‘Mike’ DiBiase. He contributed a lot to not only the family but the sport itself. He blazed the trail that set the stage for the future generation of DiBiase. Iron Mike started it was his son Ted DiBiase who set the bar very high. Despite mostly being a spokesperson, Ted DiBiase became one of the most famous guys in all of pro wrestling. His legacy was then carried by his son Ted DiBiase Jr.

The DiBiase Family

Iron Mike DiBiase

Iron ‘Mike’ DiBiase (real name - Michael DiBiase) was born on December 24, 1923, in New York City, USA. He was the first DiBiase to try professional wrestling and is thus, the patriarch of the iconic wrestling family. His late teenage and early adulthood were spent during the time of War, and thus he was a member of the US Navy in the 1940s.

Following the war, in 1946, he represented the US Navy in Amateur Wrestling and was the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Champion. He also wrestled at the University of Nebraska the next year before making his debut in professional wrestling in 1950. Besides wrestling, Mike also tried out a few times in professional boxing. Popularly, he lost a boxing match to Archie Moore in 1963 via knockout. This was Moore’s 132nd and last victory via knockout and eventually his best professional boxing match ever.

DiBiase, unfortunately, passed away on July 2, 1969, in Lubbock, Texas as a result of a heart attack. He had just completed a match against Man Mountain Mike. Harley Race performed CPR on DiBiase and drove him to the Hospital, but he could not be saved.

Helen Hild

Helen Hild (real name - Gladys Helen Nevins) was born on February 26, 1926, in Nebraska, United States. She was an American model and professional wrestler. During her time, it was not very common for a female to try out a career in professional wrestling and thus, she played a crucial role in popularizing the sport for females and encouraged more girls to join this as a career.

She wrestled in around three decades from the 1940s to the 1960s. Hild had numerous matches against The Fabulous Moolah. In 1954, she gave birth to a boy she named Theodore Marvin. Hild later married Iron Mike DiBiase, who adopted the boy. The boy would then go on to be called Ted DiBiase.

Ted DiBiase

Ted DiBiase (Theodore Marvin DiBiase) was born on January 18, 1954, in Nebraska to Helen Hild. Following her marriage with Iron Mike DiBiase, he was brought into the DiBiase family. Following in his parent’s footsteps, DiBiase sought to make a career in professional wrestling, and the rest is history.

When he was 15, his father died of a heart attack and his mother resorted to alcoholism and eventually depression. His grandparents in Arizona then took care of DiBiase. He made his pro-wrestling debut in 1974 in Mid-South Wrestling. He wrestled four years in the promotion before signing to the DiBiase family’s next destination - the WWF.

Within days of his arrival, DiBiase was awarded the new WWF North American Championship becoming the first champion. He left WWE and worked in the rest of America and Japan for about eight years before returning in 1987, this time for a long period. A few months later, he introduced the beautiful Million Dollar Championship and founded teams such as Money Inc. and The Mega Bucks. He also introduced The Undertaker to the world in 1990.

DiBiase spent about a decade in WWE before joining its rival WCW in 1996. Following the company’s closure, Ted DiBiase returned to WWE in 2004 and has been associated with the company since then.

Ted DiBiase Jr.

Theodore Marvin DiBiase Jr., popularly known as Ted DiBiase Jr., was born on November 8, 1982, in Louisana, United States. DiBiase was raised in Mississippi. Before professional wrestling, DiBiase was interested in American football and was his school team’s quarterback. However, he soon joined in his father Ted DiBiase’s footsteps and sought a career in professional wrestling.

He trained alongside his brother Mike DiBiase in Texas and then Harley Race Professional Wrestling Academy in 2006. He joined Pro Wrestling Noah in 2007 and eventually WWE later that year. DiBiase made his debut in FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling). In 2008, DiBiase was called up to WWE's main roster where he was a member of The Legacy, also consisting of Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton, the sons of Dusty Rhodes and Bob Orton respectively.

The group continued until 2010, following which DiBiase resorted to solo wrestling and was awarded The Million Dollar Championship by his father. His friendship with Orton had already ended in 2010 and so did his bond with Cody Rhodes in 2011. The two feuded that year before DiBiase started fighting in multi-men matches and eventually leaving WWE in 2013.

In 2012, he started his own organization named the Ted DiBiase Foundation. It is a not-for-profit organization aimed at youth leadership and community causes. He held an executive position at CollegeGarageSale.Com and is the Vice President of One Life business development.

Mike DiBiase

Michael Wills Foreman DiBiase II or simply Mike DiBiase was born in Mississippi, USA on September 10, 1977. He is the oldest grandson of Iron Mike DiBiase and Helen Hild, and the oldest son of Ted DiBiase. Just like his brother Ted, he started training under Chris YoungBlood in 2006 and became the first-ever PWF West Texas Wrestling Legend Heritage Champion.

He then went on to train under WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race, who was also a great friend of his grandfather Iron DiBiase. Mike DiBiase did not have a very long career in professional wrestling as he retired from the sport in 2010. Before his retirement, he had won the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship and NWA North American Championship.

Brett DiBiase

Brett DiBiase was born on March 16, 1988, in Mississippi, United States. He is the youngest son of Ted DiBiase. He followed the steps of his grandparents, father, and older brothers and made his professional wrestling debut in 2008. At 20, he was wrestling for WWE’s Florida Championship Wrestling. While there, he fought against the likes of Sheamus, Wade Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, and Shawn Spears, all trying to make a career for themselves.

He made a few appearances on RAW and SummerSlam in 2009 before returning to FCW and forming a tag team with Joe Henning aka Curtis Axel. They also won the FCW World Tag Team Championship. His career took a halt due to an injury in his knee and by 2011, he started training to be a referee but eventually left pro wrestling due to his injury.

The DiBiase Family Championships & Accomplishments in WWE & Beyond