Alright, so you wanna know about this Mike DiBiase fella, huh? Okay, okay, I’ll tell ya what I know. It ain’t gonna be fancy, mind you, just plain talk, like we’re sittin’ on the porch sippin’ sweet tea.
First off, this Mike guy, he was a strong one, they called him “Iron Mike” DiBiase. Imagine that, strong as iron! He wasn’t always Mike DiBiase, though. Seems like he was born with a different name, somethin’ Wills, and his mama, she was a wrestler too, Helen somethin’ or other. But then this other wrestler fella, “Iron” Mike DiBiase, he took him in, made him his own.
Now, before he was punchin’ folks in the ring for money, Mike, he was a wrassler, the real kind, you know, on the mats. He was good, real good! Won some big championship for the Navy, heavyweight, they said. Then he went off to some college in Nebraska, wrestled there too. Big fella, played football too, tackle they called it. Knockin’ folks down, I reckon, that’s what tackles do.
But then, ’round 1956 or so, he figured he could make more money wrasslin’ for show. And that’s what he did. Became “Iron Mike” DiBiase, the pro. Folks say he was tough as nails, strong as an ox. He wrestled for a long time, maybe twenty years or so. Won a bunch of belts, championships, whatever you call ‘em. Must’ve been good at it, to last that long and win all them things.
- Strong as iron, they say
- Real wrassler first, then a show wrassler
- Navy champ, college wrassler, football player too
- Wrestled for like twenty years, won lots of stuff
Now, here’s the sad part. This Mike DiBiase, he didn’t get to enjoy his retirement, if he even had one. One day, in Texas, Lubbock I think it was, he was wrestlin’ this big fella, “Man Mountain Mike”. Can you imagine? Two Mikes! Anyway, after the match, somethin’ went wrong. Mike, our Mike, his heart just gave out. Right there in the ring, or right after, somethin’ like that. Another wrassler tried to help him, did that mouth-to-mouth thing, rode with him in the ambulance. But it wasn’t no good. Mike DiBiase, he died that day, July 2nd, 1969. Young, too young, I reckon.
Folks still talk about him though, ‘specially other wrasslers and their families. They remember him, remember how tough he was, how good he was. They talk about his life, his career, all the things he did. They got these things called podcasts now, they talk about him on there too. His son, Ted, I think, he talks about him sometimes. Keeps his memory alive, you know? It’s important to remember folks, especially the good ones, the strong ones, like “Iron Mike” DiBiase.
So, that’s the story, best as I can tell it. A strong fella, a wrassler, a champion. Lived a good life, a tough life, but a short one. Gone too soon, but not forgotten. That’s about all I got to say ’bout Mike DiBiase. Now, you want some more tea?
Tags: [Iron Mike DiBiase, Professional Wrestling, Wrestler, Ted DiBiase, Man Mountain Mike, Wrestling History, AAU Champion, University of Nebraska, Obituary]
