• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Bios

Mike DiBiase

Nickname: Iron

Height: 6' 0"

Weight: 230 lbs.

From: Omaha, NE

Birthday: Dec 24th

Pro Debut: April 4, 1950

Aliases: Miguel Lopez, The Black Raider

Feds Worked For: TSW, NWA-West, AWA, NWA, All Star Wrestling (NE/SD), Big Bear Promotions (Canada), Big Time Wrestling (Canada), Capitol Wrestling Corporation, Central States Wrestling (IA/KS/MO), Championship Wrestling from Florida (FL), Championship Wrestling USA (OR), Fred Kohler Enterprises (IL), Gulas Wrestling Enterprises (TN), Gulf Athletic Club (TX), International Wrestling (Canada), Japan Wrestling Association (Japan), Kola Kwariani Booking Office (NY), Lucien Gregoire Promotions (Canada), M & M Promotions (NM/TX), Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (NC/SC), Mike London Sports (AZ/CO/NM), Minnesota Boxing & Wrestling Club (MN), NWA Arizona (AZ), NWA Hollywood (CA), NWA Los Angeles (CA), P. L. Pinkie George Promotions (IA), San Francisco (CA), Southwest Sports (TX), St. Louis Wrestling Club (MO), Wrestling Promotions, Inc. (AZ), World Wrestling Association (CA)

Finisher: Top Rope Kneedrop

Career Highlights: -ASW Nebraska Champion
-AWA Midwest Champion (3x)
-AWA Midwest Tag Team Champion (2x; 1 each w/ Bob Orton and The Avenger)
-NWA (Amarillo) International Tag Team Champion (w/ Danny Plechas)
-NWA (Amarillo) North American Champion (10x)
-NWA (Amarillo) North American Tag Team Champion (4x; 2 each w/ Danny Plechas and Fritz Von Erich, 1 w/ Dr. X)
-NWA Central States Champion (2x)
-NWA (Chicago/Indianapolis) World Tag Team Champion (w/ Danny Plechas)
-NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Champion
-NWA (Florida) Southern Champion
-NWA Pacific Northwest Champion
-NWA Rocky Mountain Champion (3x)
-NWA Rocky Mountain Tag Team Champion (2x; 1 each w/ Fred Blassie and Juan Garcia)
-NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
-NWA Texas Tag Team Champion (2x; both w/ Danny Plechas)
-NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion
-TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
-WP Arizona Champion (3x)
-WP Western States Tag Team Champion (w/ Ken Lucas)
-WWA Champion (2x)
-WWA Americas Champion
-WWA Tag Team Champion (2x; 1 each w/ Karl Kox and Karl Gotch)

Affiliates: Danny Plechas, Bob Orton, Dr. X, Fritz Von Erich, Juan Garcia, Karl Kox, Karl Gotch, The Avenger, Fred Blassie, Ken Lucas, Karl Gotch, Jack Cain, Bill Savage

Notable Feuds: John Tolos, Henry Pilusso, Bob Hamby, Stan Pulaski, Danny Miller, Bob Boyer, Mike Clancy, Dory Funk, Sr., Dory Funk, Jr., Terry Funk, Ricky Romero, Danny Plechas, Sonny Myers, José Lothario, Joe Dusek, Emil Dusek, Bob Geigel, Don Curtis, Doug Gilbert, Nick Bockwinkel, Alex Pérez, Reggie Parks, Nick Kozak, Duke Keomuka, Bob Ellis, Victor Rivera, Eddie Graham, Pedro Morales, Wahoo McDaniel, Jim Wright, Pepper Gómez, Tokyo Joe, Haystacks Calhoun

Other Facts: -Not to be confused with his grandson Michael DiBiase, who also used the first name Mike
-Husband of pro wrestler Helen Hilde
-Stepfather of pro wrestler Ted DiBiase, Sr. He later fully adopted Ted.
-Grandfather of pro wrestlers Michael DiBiase, Ted DiBiase, Jr. & pro wrestler/referee Brett DiBiase.
-While stationed in Norman, OK during a stint in the U. S. Navy, he won back-to-back Oklahoma AAU wrestling championships
-National collegiate wrestling champion at the University of Nebraska.
-While at the University of Nebraska, he was a 4 year letterman in wrestling and a 3 year letterman in football
-Earned the nickname "Iron Mike" while in college when he battled back from a potentially career ending knee injury.
-On March 15, 1963: Archie Moore (Boxing All-Time KO King with 134 KO's and an overall record of 186-24-10-134 KOs) defeated Mike DiBiase via TKO in Round 3. This match was Moore's last boxing match and by all accounts and DiBiase's also. The fight was also a huge disappointment by promoter standards, it was thought with the hate wrestling fans in Phoenix, Arizona had for wrestler DiBiase and with the fame Moore had gained as a light-heavyweight champion from 1953-1956 that this would draw a sellout. When the time came only 800 people showed up to watch. The fight was a rather short one only lasting three rounds. The first round saw Archie bust open DiBiase's eye with a left hook . The match wasn't much, DiBiase tried to turn it into a wrestling match until the ref stopped the one sided assault in the third round. The winner was Archie Moore by TKO.
-On July 29, 1965, he faced Dory Funk, Sr. in the very first Texas Death Match ever held. The match lasted 4 1/2 hours and had to be stopped because of the town's curfew before a clear winner could be determined.
-Competed under a mask as The Black Raider until he was unmasked by Bob Geigel, Dory Funk, Jr., and Terry Funk on April 4, 1966
-Trained The Assassin (Jody Hamilton), Eddie Sullivan, and Gorgeous George, Jr. for pro wrestling
-Passed passed away on July 2, 1969 due to a heart attack after a match against Man-Mountain Mike in Amarillo, TX. The death was not due to the match, he had a huge cholesterol build-up.
-Posthumously inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006
-Posthumously inducted into the International Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006. His induction was done by his son Ted DiBiase.
-Posthumously inducted into the Nebraska Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2019