Posted on: January 15th • By: Angela •
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Just in from Toronto and contemplating a workout and rest before a DVD signing of his movie The Marine 2 at a local music/movie shop, Ted DiBiase feels a cold may be coming on.
For this reason, he supplements the generously portioned cheeseburger he orders in a Philadelphia hotel restaurant with a big bowl of chicken noodle soup.
A few sips in, he decides it’s just what the doctor ordered. Automatic penicillin for a guy with a tough schedule and a plan to head out of Philly in a day, destined for Minnesota, where freezing weather will greet him for another DVD signing and an appearance grappling in Minneapolis on the nationally televised wrestling program Monday Night Raw.
DiBiase, 27, is a third-generation wrestler, so he’s aware of the grind all too well. “This schedule is actually more grueling,” says DiBiase between spoonfuls of the hearty elixir. “When I’m home I get to the gym every day for at least an hour. I used to train longer, but you don’t want to overdo it. If you do one hour of constant training, put the headphones on and get into the zone, that should be it.”
DiBiase is actually a Jr., the son of Ted DiBiase, the popular grappler nicknamed “The Million Dollar Man” during his ‘80s-‘90s stint with WWE, and grandson of Helen Hilde and “Iron” Mike DiBiase.
The topsy-turvy schedule to promote his first movie—an in-name-only sequel to fellow WWE star John Cena’s 2008 theatrical actioner—has also taken him to Chicago, and there are many other cities on the horizon. But it’s something DiBiase is totally into. You can tell by the enthusiasm in his voice that he digs the attention, as well as the movie business.
“The great thing about the movie is that it didn’t cost a lot of money, maybe $6 or $7 million,” says DiBiase. “The first one was allotted about $20 million, so they had a lot of room for explosions. This one, they did a really good job. The director (Roel Reine, who also helmed Steven Seagal’s Pistolwhipped) was amazing. He had this crane and they had these above (aerial) shots without a helicopter. He would swoop down and made it look like an expensive motion picture.
“I think we did a good job of telling a story and bringing it up to a climax instead of just simply action, action, action. There was character development in the beginning, and when the terrorists come in, it’s all action.”
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