WWE Hall of Famer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase recently appeared on an episode of his “Everybody’s Got a Pod” podcast, where he discussed a number of topics, including his earliest memory of seeing drug usage in wrestling.
DiBiase said, “It’s hard for me to remember. I mean back then, the only time I think that — if I saw anything, it was usually pot. My attitude was, you know, as long as they could do that and still get in the ring and do what they’ve got to do? Okay. And if it helps them in some way? Okay, that’s their business and I’m not going to get in it. But when they would offer to me, I’d say, ‘Thanks, but no, thanks.’”
On his generation of wrestling being the first to be dependent on cocaine and pharmaceuticals:
“I couldn’t really say for certain. But I do know that I would take — they call them bennies, but I guess it’s the same. Whatever, it was like the truck drivers would take a benny, they call it a benny, to stay awake on the road, the long trips. And I just could not do pot. I mean, all pot did was make me null and void, and hungry. It was like, you know, put me in the corner. But cocaine, on the other hand, was very much a stimulant. And I liked it. But again, I think consciously, because I recognize my mother is an alcoholic. And I just promised himself I was never going to go there.”
“And so you know, irregardless of what it was. You know, I guess, pot was just — if I were going to take a couple hits off a joint, it would probably be right before I went to bed and go to sleep. Coke, on the other hand, was a stimulant, and I liked it. But again, it was kind of like, I used it when I needed it. I didn’t just sit up all night and do cocaine because it was there. You know what I’m saying? But I was always, I guess, addiction fear. I didn’t want to become my mother. I hate to say that. But my mother, God bless her, was an alcoholic? She was only 56 years old when she died.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
