Ted DiBiase talks about his first Survivor Series fight and how far WWE went for his 'Million Dollar Man' gimmick

"Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase has opened up about his first Survivor Series fight in 1989, which saw the former team up with Zeus and the Powers of Pain for a match against Hulk Hogan, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Demolition. According to the Hall of Famer, the match, which was packed with a lot of star power, saw him do everything he could for his team.

During an interview with Sports Illustrated, the former wrestler said he did not remember all of his fights, but his first Survivor Series fight was sketched in his memory.

"When you wrestle as often as we did, you don't remember every match, but I do remember that. I am not taking anything away from the other guys in the match, but I knew Zeus was there for his look. He was a monster, and Warlord and Barbarian were good, but I also knew that, in the truest sense of the word, I was going to have to carry the match for my team. I did that a lot," he said.

DiBiase said that he loved "tagging with Andre" but for this match he had to do all the works as the latter was out due to some physical issues.

"When I tagged with Andre, and I loved tagging with Andre, but Andre started having some physical issues, so I did all the bouncing around in the ring, and I did it joyfully," said DiBiase.

The 62-year-old also revealed as to how far the WWE went to sell his "Million Dollar Man" gimmick.

"He [Vince McMahon] flew my wife and I first class to New York, and he laid out the whole idea behind the 'Million Dollar Man.' He said that the one thing everybody hates is the man who, by virtue of his wealth, thinks he can buy anyone or anything. Then Vince said, 'In order to make the public believe you're really rich, we're going to fly you first class, you'll have limousine service every day, and every time the public sees you, they'll see the appearance of wealth," DiBiase said.

"He even went so far to give me 'lash cash.' I'd pick my spots and go into a restaurant, announce myself, and tell everyone it was their lucky day because the 'Million Dollar Man' had arrived. Virgil would pick up everyone's check, I'd slap down the hundred bills, and the WWE office would replenish me after I gave them the receipt." he added.