Early Life
DiBiase is the biological son of wrestler Helen Nevins and Ted Wills, an entertainer and singer. Ted is the adopted son of wrestler "Iron" Mike DiBiase who was Italian. Ted DiBiase is of mostly German and English ancestry. His adoptive father died of a heart attack in the ring when Ted was just 15. Seven-time NWA world champion Harley Race rushed to the ring and performed CPR but was unable to save Mike DiBiase's life. In response, his mother suffered from depression and alcoholism, so Ted was moved to Willcox, Arizona to live with his grandparents. He attended Creighton Preparatory high school and attended West Texas State University on a football scholarship. While there he became a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. However due to an injury in his senior year, he later dropped out of college to begin a career in professional wrestling.
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