Wrestling superstar Ted DiBiase visits Kilkenny, lets mayor keep chain of office but not Million Dollar Belt
'He took a shine to the mayor's chain as he thought it would go well with his Million Dollar Belt so we almost had a scuffle over that, but thankfully he let me keep the chain,' jokes Mayor Andrew McGuinness
Pro Wrestling Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase, aka The Million Dollar Man, made a surprise visit to Kilkenny yesterday (Thursday) where he was treated to a whistlestop tour of the city by Mayor Andrew McGuinness.
Carrying the famous Million Dollar Belt, the WWE star visited Kilkenny Castle and the Smithwick's Experience before enjoying a night out in the Marble City along with his beautiful wife Melanie and his friend Alan Kehoe from Waterford.
He headlined multiple WWF cards, including WrestleMania IV and the first-ever SummerSlam in 1988. DiBiase is a member of several professional wrestling halls of fame: he was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame upon its inception in 1996, and headlined the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.
Speaking of the surprise visit, Mayor Andrew McGuinness said it was an honour to host Ted in Kilkenny: "It was quite surreal to spend time with him considering he would have entertained myself and people of my generation when we were children," he said.
"He was a huge star in the greatest era of wrestling but yet he is very humble, kind and a pleasure to be around. His wife Melanie is also a lovely person and they both loved Kilkenny and now they have great stories of our city to take home to America. Im sure they will come here again."
"Of course, being the Million Dollar Man, he took a shine to the Mayor's chain as he thought it would go well with his Million Dollar Belt so we almost had a scuffle over that, but thankfully he let me keep the chain," joked the Mayor.
"Any visit like this is great for Kilkenny and for spreading the positive message of how Kilkenny is a fantastic place to visit and to spend time in. We definitely left a good impression on him and he was kind enough to give everyone time and take photos with people he met in the Smithwick's Experience and Kilkenny Castle. The staff in both attractions were very kind to him and made sure he saw the best of Kilkenny."