WWE Legend Ted DiBiase Discusses His Ideal Final Opponent In A 'Perfect World'

Not all wrestlers go out on their own terms. In fact, most don't. Wrestlers are either pinned by Father Time, passed over by the industry itself, or forced out by injury. Unfortunately, "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, a fixture on WWE programming in the late '80s/early '90s, falls into the last category, hanging up the boots in late '93 after a serious neck injury. On "Everybody's Got a Pod," DiBiase was asked who his ideal final opponent would've been if he could've ended things his way.

"In a perfect world, there's two names that come to mind," DiBiase said. "One of those is Jake Roberts. And the other would be Bret Hart. And I'm talking about two guys, like myself, who grew up in the business." DiBiase did have a memorable feud with Roberts, culminating in a match at WrestleMania VI in Toronto, which he won by countout. The match is probably best known for Roberts' "wallowing in the muck of avarice" promo that preceded it, widely considered among his best. DiBiase also tangled with Hart on a few occasions, usually at house shows, but notably during the 1990 Survivor Series match that saw the debut of The Undertaker. 

After a bit of contemplating, however, DiBiase added a third name to his short list of hypothetical last opponents: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. "Ric Flair was exceptional in the ring. And you can't take that away from him," DiBiase said. DiBiase's last match of a physical nature was at SummerSlam 1993, where he lost to Razor Ramon. But he also "bought" a battle royal victory on "WWE Raw" in 2007, and had a very brief run with the 24/7 Championship in 2019, winning and losing it on July 22's "Raw."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Everybody's Got a Pod" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.