What led to Virgil’s broken relationship with Ted Dibiase?

Virgil, also known as Michael Jones, was one of WWE’s top names in the ’90s. The wrestling community was shocked when Jones’ official Instagram account posted the news of his passing at the age of 61 due to an undisclosed disease.

Virgil was first introduced as Ted DiBiase’s bodyguard and debuted as his henchman on the main roster. Whenever both wrestlers, DiBiase and Jones, paired together, they used to set the fans on high alert. Although the relationship between ‘The Million Dollar Man’ and ‘Soul Train Jones’ seemed simple, behind the scenes, it was complicated.

Why did Virgil and Ted Dibiase’s relationship sour?

WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase’s gimmick is based on how rich he is; he even went as far as to invent the Million Dollar Championship. As a wealthy character, he also needed someone to protect him 24/7, and that’s how Virgil’s character was introduced. The iconic duo stayed together, until one day Jones snapped at his employer.

As time went on Dibiase grew more vocally abusive toward Virgil and later at a stage he decided to stand up for himself. Both men after a lot of altercations decided to face each other at WrestleMania 7, where Virgil defeated his former employer by a count out. After that, they went on to clash at SummerSlam for the Million Dollar Championship and this time too Virgil went on to defeat Dibiase.

Their clash ultimately went on to benefit both wrestlers. Michael went on to get recognition for defeating Ted and ‘The Million Dollar Man’ Dibiase went on to transition his persona into a better version of himself to finally earn the Tag Team Championship.

Virgil called out Ted Dibiase while in battle with cancer

The 90s era saw legendary moments in WWE, and one such moment was Virgil and Ted DiBiase creating one of the best storylines in WWE history. Although both men separated after a while, Virgil still expected to stay in contact with Ted. However, after the DiBiase family was sued for fund embezzlement, Michael lashed out at Ted on Twitter.

He said, “I’m sitting here hurting hustling my ass off and this guy doesn’t even bother fucking call me asking me how I am. I try to do my best and get laughed at all these years later yet I am the one who has to do my best to make a buck to help with my problems. What a life.”

After Virgil suffered two massive strokes and was diagnosed with dementia as well as stage 2 colon cancer, he urged fans to help him financially as he was unable to get treatment without the money.

In the post, he said, “All I ask for is a little bit of help as the one thing I could do is being taken away from me.” This implied that Ted Dibiase might have gone through a lavish life but Virgil was still suffering to make ends meet.

What do you think about Virgil and Ted Dibiase’s relationship? Let us know your thoughts on it in the comment section below!