Did Ted Dibiase Follow Zack Ryder's Lead?

[slice_of_life]

Zack Ryder was heading towards the unemployment line until taking matters into his own hands with his youtube show. Ted Dibiase was hardly getting any air time on Smackdown, until he started the Dibiase Posse tailgates.

Did Dibiase learn from Ryder?

He wresltes weekly on Smackdown weekly and comes out to good pop.

And regardless of what caused his increased air time, is the WWE setting him up for a run at the IC title in a Rhode feud? I for one, think that would be awesome.

 

[Theo Mays]

There is no doubt in my mind that Dibiase followed Zack Ryder's ways and could you blame him? Look what it did for Zack Ryder? The guy is buddy-buddy with Cena and Punk, two of the biggest stars in the company. He is vastly over and one of the highest selling merchandise guys in the company. It would be silly to sit back and not do what Ryder did. At least Dibiase didn't flat out go the same route as Ryder. Dibiase's Posse is a clever idea as it allows Ted to actually meet the fans and get himself over as so.

I for one like Teddy. Everyone saw potential in him while he was in Legacy and felt he was a future main eventer (I was more a fan of Cody, but that is for another day). Then he sort of fell out of favor not just with the fans but what seems to be those backstage. He wasn't doing much after Legacy and the E's attempt at making him his father failed. This is a nice fresh start for Dibiase and I hope it leads to some midcard success. However I don't see a feud with Cody on the horizon. They did that and Cody came out on top and Cody is approaching the main event (give or take a year). Cody is above Dibiase right now and I think it is likely Dibiase chases the title once Cody drops it. Though it would be a nice rub for Ted to win it over someone much higher in the pecking order than him.

 

[pharrison0scorpion]

You can't blame Dibiase for following Ryder, although I am glad he didn't do exactly the same with an internet show. I'm not going to lie though. Although Dibiase's idea looks good on the surface, (he gets to know his fans personally rather than people following Zack Ryder via his internet show but not really knowing him), Zack's idea may be better as Dibiase gets to know some of his fans, but not everyone will go to see Dibiase before a show, whereas it's a lot easier to check out Ryder's show on YouTube. Still, I hope it works for him, he is deserving of some air time.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Ted followed Ryder's lead, but was smart enough to go about it a different way. Starting the Dibiase's Posse saved his career. It was going absolutely nowhere but now the fans have a reason to root for him because he cares about them enough to do the tailgates for them. He didn't like where his career was going so much like Ryder he went out and did something about it. Smart choice, Ted! Great job. I think it was a fantastic idea. An Intercontinental Championship feud may be coming for him and I would like to see the Rhodes feud restarted with Ted getting a stronger face push this time. They could very well be setting that up and Ted would be the perfect guy to drop the belt to, especially given the history he has with Cody.

 

[cmedge]

Not really if anything Zack Ryder copied Ted DiBiase. It even says so on Wikipedia Ted DiBiase had a youtube channel and had a few funny videos before Zack did.

But DiBiase's videos weren't consistent like TLIS but still and DiBiase's idea is different he's actually meeting his fans.

 

[Davi323]

Both Ryder and DiBiase get it. You don't sit back and wait for your opportunities to be given to you, you SEIZE them. You force management to notice you, to pay attention.

Vince McMahon does make wrestlers superstars. He never has, he never will.

All he does is provide an opportunity for them to make themselves. Whether they take their opportunity and make the most of it or not is all on them. A lot of the disgruntled wrestlers don't understand that simple concept, because they are the products of a gimme gimme society where they expect everything to be handed to them without having to work for it, without having to earn anything. They expect to be main eventers regardless of how hard they work, of how much time they put in, of how much effort they put in to make a name for themselves. They expect to be given everything, rather than work for it. When they don't get it, they whine and complain, rather than give the WWE management a reason to elevate them, they bitch.

If this means DiBiase is finally showing some initiative, well done. It's about time. I know I am in a minority here, but I think DiBiase has what it takes to be a major star, he just needs to develop the right attitude. Sounds like he might finally be on that path.

 

[XXJJ]

Yes, he is following in Ryder footsteps. He's trying a non traditional way of building a fanbase. But to his credit he is not copying Ryder, he came up with his own original idea.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's pretty obvious, I think, that Zack Ryder's success has been an influence on DiBiase. As others have pointed out, DiBiase showed good sense by not going the exact same route as Ryder. What Ryder did and continues to do COULD, just COULD, be looked back on years from now as being the most innovative way to get a young wrestler over in a very long time. The internet is such a huge part of the world now and whether you're a fan of Ryder or not, Ryder has gotten himself over by using the internet. He's worked very hard to get where he's at, so I have to respect him for that.

DiBiase is going about things a little different, not quite as in your face as Ryder has been, but he's still successfully getting himself over by using the net and interacting with fans. DiBiase now gets a pretty decent reaction, he's actually showing some personality inside the ring and he's actually become at least slightly relevant. DiBiase's always been solid inside the ring but he just came off as generic as could be: a well built, nice looking, athletic young man with a tan. That describes probably 75% of wrestlers we see on television each week whether it's WWE, TNA or ROH. He's still got some work ahead of him and the WWE doesn't seem to be pushing him down our throats, which is a good thing. I think if they just let it simmer and build up over time as what happened with Ryder, there's a better chance of success in the long run.

 

[Scofield]

I say Props to Ted Di Biase for ressurecting his career, because to be perfectly honest it was going nowhere before this. Ryder revolutionized his career by Social Media aka Twitter. Di Biase's is a slightly different approach with the Di Biase Party Posse at Live Events, kind reminds me of a oldschool way to get yourself over. This whole Di Biase posse could boad well for Ted especially if somewhere down the line he decides to turn on the "Posse".

You could even start doing small segments on Smackdown showcasing these Di Biase party posse, then when someday they decided to turn him heel once again...have them plant someone in one of these parties and have Ted absolutely maul that person thus turning him heel once again....once he has re-established himself safe enough to go the heel route again.

 

[Suibon]

What is this - T_d D_B__s_, interesting? And in the same sentence, with the 'interesting' not preceded by 'not'?

Well, if this ain't just an illusion, and T_d did take some pointers from Zack Ryder on how to get over, well and good for him - that, at least, shows that he does want to get over. Now, next step: getting a reaction. He can smile, grimace, do whatever he wants, but for as long as the crowd doesn't care, if he doesn't get rid of his inborn inability to make the crowd care about him, then this apparent burst of initiative will amount to nothing.

 

[JBK2008]

When Legacy split, I remember jumping on this site and posting in a forum about how Ted was going to be a future star and that Cody was waiting for his pink slip. MAN WAS I WRONG!!! It sucked because Ted looked like he could carry his own and the BOOM it was all gone so fast.

Ted followed Ryder without a doubt but the DiBiase Posse is GREAT and I mean great! He's got air time again, he's getting a pop and he puts on nice matches. I can't describe the excitement I have for this push and I only hope it gets better from here on out for him and the other mid card and lower card guys should take notice from here on out!

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

If you mean "create a character people care about, a relevant modern charcter, and pull it off at all times when he's walking, talking, and wrestling" then no, he hasn't really followed his lead completely, but he's getting there.

I feel like I've posted this before. but I think that DiBiase could pull off like a Tim Tebow. Reaching out to people, being a good guy, maybe throw some more Jesus in there, etc. I think he could pull it off because that's who he seems to really be.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Both Ryder and DiBiase get it. You don't sit back and wait for your opportunities to be given to you, you SEIZE them. You force management to notice you, to pay attention.

Good point, but I'm still surprised WWE management allowed it. In the past, this was the company that hired a wrestler from another organization and didn't even acknowledge they had a wrestling past. Most of those guys weren't permitted to work in the ring name under which they achieved fame somewhere else. For instance, Johnny B. Badd had to change his stage name to his real name (Marc Mero) in order to compete in WWE. After all, he was popular in that "Little Richard" guise. Still, that just wasn't the way WWE handled things.

Further, WWE never even referred to the fame new hires achieved elsewhere. If it didn't happen in WWE......it didn't happen at all.

Now, we've got mid-card guys thrusting us into a new era. When Zack Ryder first started doing an end run around WWE management to make his own fame, I thought the company was going to fire him, I really did. Then, when they kept him aboard, I figured they'd let him hang around backstage but never see ring time except for battle royals........ Wrong again!

Somehow, in some way, an employee was allowed to essentially dictate policy to Vince McMahon. Do we realize how truly amazing this is?

Okay, so now, Ted DiBiase (The Million Dollar Boy) is doing it. If it works, who might we see trying it next? Drew McIntyre? Trent Barretta? Hornswoggle?

Or will Vince McMahon pull the plug on people trying to do it on their own?

Stay tuned.

 

[Davi323]

I don't know. I am thinking that Vince probably wanted to see what they did with it first. Vince is one of the people who claims that all he does is offer an opportunity to wrestlers...if he actually believes that, then he would have seen what Ryder and now DiBiase are doing as showing initiative, and would commend them for their creativity...provided they don't do anything that embarrasses the WWE. If they were embarrassing the WWE with this stuff, they would have both been terminated. I think right now, Vince is in a "lets see where this goes" kind of mood.

However...it's not the wrestlers dictating anything to Vince McMahon. It would be the fans of those two that would do it...If the fans don't believe in what Ryder and DiBiase do, they don't get pushed, whether they showed initiative or not. Ryder and DiBiase don't have to convince Vince McMahon. They have to convince you. They have to convince me, they have to convince all of the people who purchase tickets to WWE events, buy WWE T-Shirts, etc. If they can convince the fans, it will be the fans that convince Vince McMahon.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Good point, but I'm still surprised WWE management allowed it. In the past, this was the company that hired a wrestler from another organization and didn't even acknowledge they had a wrestling past. Most of those guys weren't permitted to work in the ring name under which they achieved fame somewhere else. For instance, Johnny B. Badd had to change his stage name to his real name (Marc Mero) in order to compete in WWE. After all, he was popular in that "Little Richard" guise. Still, that just wasn't the way WWE handled things.

Further, WWE never even referred to the fame new hires achieved elsewhere. If it didn't happen in WWE......it didn't happen at all.

Now, we've got mid-card guys thrusting us into a new era. When Zack Ryder first started doing an end run around WWE management to make his own fame, I thought the company was going to fire him, I really did. Then, when they kept him aboard, I figured they'd let him hang around backstage but never see ring time except for battle royals........ Wrong again!

Somehow, in some way, an employee was allowed to essentially dictate policy to Vince McMahon. Do we realize how truly amazing this is?

Okay, so now, Ted DiBiase (The Million Dollar Boy) is doing it. If it works, who might we see trying it next? Drew McIntyre? Trent Barretta? Hornswoggle?

Or will Vince McMahon pull the plug on people trying to do it on their own?

Stay tuned.

Vince has always wanted guys to do essentially what these two are doing. It's not that Vince had something against creativity or "not pushing an idea he didn't come up with" or some other IWC conspiracy bullshit people come up with. It's simply business. He wants to be able to make money. It makes sense that mero changed his name.

Vince and the WWE "sell opportunity". You hear JR talk about it all the time. You are given an opportunity, and you do it. If they put you in polka dots, you fuckin get those polka dots over, if they put you in a gold latex suit and have you act maybe gay, maybe not, you get that shit over. Ted is just trying to make the most of his opportunity which is what he's supposed to be doing.

As said above me, it's not anyone dictating anything except the fans. Austin was probably doing stuff that Vince was unsure about, but the fans loved it. It worked. If something is over and will make money, Vince is all for it because he's smart and he sees wrestlers as products, which is what they are in "the business".

 

[thelegacywillremain1]

if i was ted i would turn on the fans that would boost his career to another level reform something with cody that would be great i see it happening

 

[#heel]

Sorry guys but he is not getting him selves noticed the right way..he needs to turn heel again and join with Cody, it is the only way he will ever become relevant again..

 

[MizMark11]

It's funny. Back in the Legacy days, I was with everyone who thought Ted would break out instead of Cody. Over the past few years, I've started to care less and less about Ted, until recently. I find it kind of cool when I see videos of him tailgating with fans and what not. It makes you feel like Ted cares about the fans, which I'm sure he does. I'm starting to like Ted more and more every time he wrestles on SD. He's become more watchable. I know when I first heard about the Dibiase Posse, I thought it was some kind of made up thing, until they started showing footage from it.

So yes, I do feel like Ted is pulling a Ryder, but at least he's doing it differently and well(unlike Tyler Reks). Hopefully this continues and he gets himself a nice IC title feud with Cody Rhodes.