Diamond Dallas Page | |
|---|---|
 Page in 2016 | |
| Born | Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr. (1956-04-05)April 5, 1956 (age 69)[1] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1979 (wrestler) 1988–1991 (wrestling manager) 1989–2020 (wrestler) 1999–present (actor) 2012–present (fitness instructor) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Website | diamonddallaspage |
| Ring name | Diamond Dallas Page (DDP)[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 248 lb (112 kg)}[2] |
| Billed from | The Jersey Shore[2] |
| Trained by | Jake Roberts[1] WCW Power Plant[1] |
| Debut | 1979 |
| Retired | January 15, 2020[3] |
Dallas Page (bornPage Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), is an American fitness instructor, actor, and retiredprofessional wrestler. He is currently signed toWWE under a Legends contract, under the ring nameDiamond Dallas Page (often shortened toDDP). In the course of his wrestling career Page has wrestled for mainstream wrestling promotionsWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW),[1] the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, nowWWE),[1]Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), andAll Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Page first broke into the wrestling business in 1979, in which he wrestled three matches. He retired after a knee injury but he returned to wrestling as a manager in theAmerican Wrestling Association[1] in 1988, where he worked for nine months before signing with WCW in 1991. There, he continued as a manager until late 1991, when he became a wrestler.[1] Over a decade in WCW, Page became a three-timeWCW World Heavyweight Champion,[1] two-timeWCW United States Heavyweight Champion,[1] four-timeWCW World Tag Team Champion[1] and one-timeWCW World Television Champion. He is the fourthWCW Triple Crown Champion,[1] and the only United States Heavyweight Champion to defend the title in apay-per-view main event, defeatingBret Hart at the1998 World War 3.
After WCW was sold in 2001, Page signed with the WWF where he made his pay-per-view debut in the main event of July'sInvasion show, and went on to become a one-timeWWF European Champion and one-timeWWF World Tag Team Champion. Due to a series of injuries, he allowed his contract with the company to expire in 2002.[1] He worked for TNA from 2004 to 2005, challenging for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship in the main event ofDestination X 2005. On March 31, 2017, he was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame byEric Bischoff. He is considered "one of the finest WCW legends in history."[4]
Since 2012, Page has run a mail order and online fitness video business called DDP Yoga, based onyoga anddynamic self-resistance.
Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., the eldest of three children, was born inPoint Pleasant, New Jersey, the son of Sylvia (née Seigel) and Page Falkinburg Sr.[5][6] He was raised by his father during his early years after his parents divorced. He stated that he is of German, Irish, and Dutch origin. Falkinburg/Falkenburg is also the name of multiple German villages and at least three German castles. The name "Dallas" came from his love of theDallas Cowboys.[7]
His brother Rory and sister Sally were raised by their maternal grandmother.[7] Falkinburg lived with his father from age three to eight. His father took him, at eight years old, to live with his grandmother, who raised him. Falkinburg admitted in his autobiography he isdyslexic.[5] He had many challenges hit him throughout his childhood and educational years.[7]
He attended St. Joseph's High School (nowDonovan Catholic High School) inToms River, New Jersey, for his freshman and second years, spending his first season on the JV basketball team and making the varsity squad as a sophomore.[8] He transferred toPoint Pleasant Borough High School inPoint Pleasant, New Jersey, where he was a star basketball player with the Panthers.[6] He attendedCoastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina briefly before leaving school to work full-time.[citation needed]
In 1979, Page wrestled in three matches. He retired after a knee injury.[9][10]
Page ran anightclub inFort Myers, Florida called Norma Jeans (known for its pink Cadillac) while he was working as a wrestling manager in theAmerican Wrestling Association (AWA).[citation needed] He started managing in 1988, where he handledBadd Company (Paul Diamond andPat Tanaka), a team he led to theAWA World Tag Team Championship on March 19.[11] Badd Company was often accompanied by female valets known as the "Diamond Dolls" (Tonya, Jennifer and Torri). During his time in the AWA, Page also managedColonel DeBeers,[12]Curt Hennig andMadusa Miceli as the leader of theDiamond Exchange stable.[1] He worked for the AWA at 12 dates over a period of nine months, where they filmed all the television shows in one day.
Page also worked as a color commentator inFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW), soon renamed Professional Wrestling Federation (PWF), where he worked alongsideGordon Solie, before finally debuting as a professional wrestler. Page's first pro match occurred in May 1989 against Dick Slater.
In 1990, Page received a tryout with theWWF as an announcer, but wasn't offered a job.[13] AtWrestleMania VI, he droveRhythm and Blues (The Honky Tonk Man andGreg Valentine) to the ring in his pinkCadillac.[1] At this time, he was virtually unknown in theWorld Wrestling Federation.[14] When FCW went out of business, Page was still involved in the club business untilDusty Rhodes returned toWorld Championship Wrestling. Rhodes started booking and brought him in on a small contract in early 1991.[1]
Page made his way toWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) in January 1991, becoming the manager ofThe Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin andMichael P.S. Hayes).[1][15] He made his debut on the February 3, 1991 edition ofThe Main Event, wherePaul E. Dangerously introduced Page to the audience in an interview on the show's wrestling news segmentThe Danger Zone. Page managed the Freebirds to a shot at theNWA World Tag Team Championship where they defeatedDoom (Butch Reed andRon Simmons) on February 24. Before that match took place, Page unveiled the stable's new road manager, Big Daddy Dink, formerly known asOliver Humperdink, who interfered in the match. During this match, Page introduced theDiamond Dolls. In April 1991 he addedScott Hall to the stable under the name of Diamond Studd.[1] Page also worked as acolor commentator for WCW withEric Bischoff.[1] With rumors that the WCW wanted to take the Diamond Studd away from Page,[13] he decided to take the advice ofMagnum T. A. and begin to wrestle himself. He headed to theWCW Power Plant whereBuddy Lee Parker,The Assassin, andDusty Rhodes trained the 35-year-old rookie. The advice was fruitful, as on the August 31, 1991 episode it was announced by commentators that the Studd and Page had indeed parted ways.
Dallas Page would make his debut as a wrestler on August 22, 1991, at a house show inJacksonville, FL, losing toTom Zenk in 90 seconds.[16] As he continued his training, Page became a commentator for WCW programming. He also resumed managing Scott Hall; however, he would not return to the ring until November 25, 1991, when he teamed with The Diamond Studd to defeat Chris Sullivan andBrian Lee on WCW World Championship Wrestling (the futureWCW Saturday Night). At the same taping, but in a match that aired on the December 21WCW Pro, Studd and Page would gain their first significant victory when they defeatedPN News andJohnny B. Badd. On the house show circuit, Page and Studd suffered their first defeat when they fell to the WCW Patriots inBaltimore, Maryland on November 27.[17] On the December 21 edition of "World Championship Wrestling", Dallas accomplished his first single victory, defeatingJohnny Rich. Later that month he faced former clientsMichael Hayes andJim Garvin in house show matches, losing each encounter.[18]
He made his wrestling pay-per-view debut at the1991 Starrcade on December 29, teaming withMike Graham in a losing effort toJushin Thunder Liger andBill Kazmaier.[1] In regards to this period, he stated:"Bischoff gave me the job as I was a good example of work ethic, passion and someone that cares about the business. Since they wouldn't really book me, I went down to theWCW Power Plant every day I wasn't working. That's how you adapt to adversity. Even when I started to make it, I still kept going back. Until I was on the road 260 days a year-plus, I was still going to that Power Plant. For five years I went there, because that's how long it took me to get to the top."[19]
Page opened 1992 with a house show victory overBrad Anderson inAtlanta, Georgia, making his wrestling debut atThe Omni. This would be his only victory for some time, as the former manager began to wrestle full-time but quickly found himself relegated to the "jobber" list. Page would make his debut atClash of the Champions, losing toPN News at Clash of the Champions XVIII. He would also lose matches toRon Simmons,The Steiner Brothers,Barry Windham &Dustin Rhodes,Van Hammer, The Freebirds,Nikita Koloff and Tom Zenk. On February 29, 1992, he was defeated byBig Josh in the openingdark match at theSuperBrawl II PPV.
In April 1992 he began teaming with Richard Morton (Ricky Morton) following the dissolution ofThe York Foundation. The duo faced Ron Simmons &The Junkyard Dog, The Steiner Brothers and The Freebirds on the house show circuit but were unsuccessful. On the April 25, 1992 episode of WCW Worldwide it was announced that WCW President Kip Frey had banned Page from any non-wrestling appearances in WCW, and ultimately eliminated his wrestling license. Meanwhile, on April 30, 1992, he garnered his first significant singles victory of his nascent career when he pinnedMarcus Alexander Bagwell at a house show inWest Palm Beach, Florida.[20]
World Championship Wrestling announced a tournament to crown theNWA World Tag Team Champions on May 2, 1992; Dallas Page proceeded to crash the event and brought bags of letters of support for overturning his ban. Kip Frey relented, and Page had his TV time and wrestling license reinstated. He teamed withThomas Rich to defeatFirebreaker Chip andBob Cook in the dark match ofWrestleWar '92 on May 17, 1992. On the June 13, 1992 edition of WCW Saturday Night, he facedWCW World Heavyweight ChampionSting in a non-title matchup and was defeated. On June 20, he teamed withTracy Smothers and Richard Morton in a losing effort to The Junkyard Dog, Tom Zenk, and Big Josh in the dark match ofBeach Blast 92.
Page continued to wrestle and gradually brought other wrestlers into his stable,The Diamond Mine, such asScotty Flamingo (the future Raven) andVinnie Vegas (Kevin Nash).[21][22] The relationships between DDP, Flamingo, and Vegas were used in manyangles over the following months. Page went in the corner of Scotty Flamingo, atClash of the Champions XXI on November 18, 1992, when Flamingo foughtJohnny B. Badd in aworkedboxing match. Flamingo won this bout with a little help from Page who filled Flamingo's glove with water. The following year, after Studd and Flamingo left the stable, Page teamed with Vinnie Vegas as theVegas Connection.[21] The team was disbanded shortly after its debut when Pagetore a rotator cuff in a match againstTex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce toward the end of 1992 and was later cut from the company by new WCW presidentBill Watts, while Nash left WCW for theWorld Wrestling Federation.[13][15][23]
Page, determined to continue improving his character and in-ring skills, sought the help ofJake Roberts who advised him on the psychological aspects of the business.[15] After his injury had healed and following a tour of Germany for World Wrestling Superstars in the summer of 1993,[24] Page was re-hired by World Championship Wrestling. He made his return on the December 19, 1993 edition ofThe Main Event, losing toScott D'Amore via countout. He closed the year by defeating "Jungle"Jim Steele at a house show in Kennesaw, GA[25][23]
Page had returned with his wifeKimberly[15] as the Diamond Doll, and an on-screenbodyguard,[15]Max Muscle. He held openarm wrestling challenges to win Kimberly, but Max always helped him win or arm wrestled for him. He was also involved in an angle where he was said to have amassed $13 million through victories in arm wrestling competitions, then lost it. In summer 1995, he feuded withDave Sullivan because Sullivan gave Kimberly gifts (and largely because Page was defeated by Sullivan in one of the arm wrestling contests, which earned him a date with Kimberly).[1] AtFall Brawl, Page won his first championship when he defeatedRenegade for theWCW World Television Championship.[1] In the build-up to his first title defense atHalloween Havoc, there was growing dissension between Page and Kimberly.Johnny B. Badd defeated Page for the TV title and again atWorld War 3 on November 26, winning Kimberly's freedom from DDP.[1] AtUncensored on March 24, 1996The Booty Man with Kimberly as The Booty Babe defeated Diamond Dallas Page in aLoser Leaves Town match.[1]
Page returned on the May 18, 1996 episode ofWCW Saturday Night as a tweener, defeatingBilly Kidman. On May 19, Page participated in the Lord of the Ring Tournament (Battle Bowl) atSlamboree. Page was victorious when he defeatedThe Barbarian with two Diamond Cutters. The winner was to be the number one contender for theWCW World Heavyweight Championship, which at that time was held byThe Giant.[1] He would never receive that title shot. Page was feuding withEddie Guerrero when theNew World Order (nWo) was formed. The nWo courted Page for a short period of time leading up to them askin him to join. He responded by giving HallDiamond Cutter on an episode of Monday Nitro. This began afaceturn and a feud with the nWo.[1] Soon after, Page began a feud with recent nWo recruit"Macho Man" Randy Savage.[1] On an episode ofNitro, Savage, aided byScott Hall andKevin Nash, attacked Page and spray-painted "nWo" on his back. A few weeks later atUncensored, Savage andMiss Elizabeth "broke" (aworked shoot) by revealing to the world that Page andKimberly were, in fact, married. Savage then proceeded to beat up Page, ensuring a future match between the two. AtSpring Stampede, in Page's first pay-per-view main event, he and Savage battled in a match where Page emerged victorious, but it was not the end of conflict between the two.[1] A few months later atThe Great American Bash, they squared off again in an anything goes, lights out match. The match ended with Savage defeating Page with help from (then) Tag Team Champion Scott Hall.[1] AtBash at the Beach, Scott Hall and Randy Savage defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Curt Hennig. Curt Hennig, who Diamond Dallas Page had recruited personally to join WCW and team with him, turned on DDP during the match.[1] Hennig defeated Diamond Dallas Page in a grudge match atRoad Wild.[1] AtFall Brawl, Page teamed with Lex Luger to defeat Scott Hall and Randy Savage in aNo Disqualification match.[1] Page even dressed up as masked wrestlerLa Parka and beat Savage on the July 7 edition of Monday Nitro. Around this time, Page also started fighting nWo leader,Hollywood Hogan. Page and Savage battled for the last time atHalloween Havoc. The match was billed as aLas Vegassudden-death match, where Savage pinned Page after Hogan, dressed asSting, came out and hit Page with a baseball bat in his already "injured" midsection, resulting in Savage picking up the win.[1] On an episode ofNitro shortly after Halloween Havoc, Page fought Hogan, but was again beaten down by the nWo.
AtStarrcade, Page won theUnited States Heavyweight Championship fromCurt Hennig.[1] The following year atUncensored, Page defended the title in aTriple Threat,Falls Count Anywhere contest againstChris Benoit andRaven, putting Raven through a table with a Diamond Cutter to retain the belt. Page later lost the title to Raven atSpring Stampede.[1] Later in the year, Page tagged withKarl Malone against Hulk Hogan andDennis Rodman atBash at the Beach, losing due to interference.[1] Page tagged withlate night talk show hostJay Leno atRoad Wild, where they defeated Hogan andEric Bischoff.[1]
Page, along with Raven and the Flock, were featured in the music video for the songRising by the bandStuck Mojo. At Fall Brawl, Page won theWarGames main event, and got a World title shot against the undefeatedGoldberg atHalloween Havoc. Page did not win the match,[1] but the match was votedWCW Magazine's "Match of the Year" 1998. Halloween Havoc ran slightly longer than expected resulting in a number of cable companies blacking out the end of the Hogan versusWarrior match and all of the DDP versus Goldberg contest. WCW decided to air the Goldberg versus DDP title bout in its entirety on the October 26 episode ofNitro, which proved immensely popular in the ratings and resulted in a ratings win forNitro overRaw – the last winNitro ever had. Despite this setback in the World title picture, Page rebounded this same following night of Halloween Havoc, on the October 26 episode ofNitro, with a win overBret Hart to capture the United States Heavyweight Title. The two headlined the following month'sWorld War 3, in a title match which Page won.[26] Page lost the title to Hart on the November 30 episode ofNitro in aNo Disqualification match, when he was assaulted by The Giant.[27]
Page became WCW World Heavyweight Champion in April 1999, atSpring Stampede when he defeated Sting, Hogan, andRic Flair for the title in aFour Way Dance with"Macho Man" Randy Savage asSpecial Guest Referee. Page pinned Flair after giving Flair the Diamond Cutter.[1] Around this time some fans were starting to boo Page at various WCW events, so shortly after Spring Stampede a decision was made to turn Page heel for the first time in three years. The turn played out slowly at first, with Page undergoing a change in attitude. Then, on April 19, Page defended his title against Goldberg, where he cemented the turn by first knocking Goldberg out with brass knuckles and then propping his leg up against the ring stairs and repeatedly smashing it with a steel chair, all while taunting the fans with repeated utterances of "boo me now". Page only stopped whenKevin Nash, an ally of Hogan's who was angry at Page for (kayfabe) injuring Hogan's knee during the match at Spring Stampede, came back from injury and chased him away.
On April 26, 1999, Page lost and regained his title in the span of two hours. Sting challenged him to defend his title in the first hour of that night'sNitro and defeated him to regain the title he had lost a year earlier. This ended Page's reign at 15 days, but he gained an opportunity to get the title back ninety minutes later. Nash came to the ring and made a challenge for a four-way match for the title, and the just-dethroned Page joined defending champion Sting and Goldberg in the match. Page regained the WCW World Heavyweight Championship by using aforeign object to hit Nash and take the win and regain the title without actually defeating the reigning champion.[1] Nash became the number one contender shortly after and vowed to get revenge on Page for his friend Hogan, culminating in a match atSlamboree in May. Page originally retained the WCW World Heavyweight Championship after Savage interfered and hit Nash, but the match was ordered to continue byEric Bischoff and Nash pinned Page to win the title after a powerbomb.[1] Page dropped out of the title picture shortly thereafter.
Shortly after Slamboree, Page entered into an alliance with fellow New JerseyanBam Bam Bigelow and won theWCW World Tag Team Championship from then championsPerry Saturn and Raven on May 31, thanks toChris Kanyon turning heel on former ally Raven and costing the team the championships. Page, Bigelow, and Kanyon became known as theJersey Triad and through their alliance with WCW "President for Life" Ric Flair took advantage of theFreebird Rule in their subsequent matches (meaning any combination of the three could defend the championship). The Triad held the titles until June 10, when Saturn andChris Benoit (now stablemates inThe Revolution) took the title from them. They regained the belts atThe Great American Bash three days later, and lost them toHarlem Heat atRoad Wild in August.[1] Later that night, Chris Benoit defeated Diamond Dallas Page to retain the United States title.[1] The group broke up shortly thereafter and Page began feuding with Hogan again, joiningSid Vicious andRick Steiner in a team effort to take on Hogan, Sting, and Goldberg. Soon after that feud ended Page turned into a hero again and feuded with both Kanyon and Bigelow before the year ended.
In 2000, with WCW under new management, Page earned a shot at the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship atSpring Stampede againstJeff Jarrett. In a surprise twist, Page's wife, Kimberly, turned on Page and helped Jarrett become the new WCW World Heavyweight Champion.[1] Page got the better of Jarrett on the April 24 episode ofNitro, where he defeated Jarrett in asteel cage match to become WCW World Heavyweight Champion for the third time, then lost the title to his tag partner, actorDavid Arquette, three days later onThunder; the rules stated that whoever got the pin would win the title, and Arquette pinned Jarrett's partner, Eric Bischoff. Page attempted to win the title back at Slamboree later that month in atriple cage match against Arquette and Jarrett, but lost after Arquette hit him with a guitar. Page then entered a feud withMike Awesome, who defeated him in an Ambulance Match atThe Great American Bash after Kanyon turned on Page.[1]
Page took some time off shortly after this, but returned in late 2000 as a full-time wrestler. After Page came back he formed a tag team with Kevin Nash calledThe Insiders, and the team won the WCW World Tag Team Championship on November 26 atMayhem by defeatingPerfect Event (Shawn Stasiak andChuck Palumbo).[1] The team was temporarily stripped of the titles but won them back atStarrcade defeating Stasiak and Palumbo again. Page and Nash lost the titles to Palumbo andSean O'Haire atSin in January and broke up shortly thereafter. After his tag team run Page briefly feuded with the returningKanyon, which saw Kanyon defeat Page atSuperBrawl Revenge, and Page defeating Kanyon the following night on Nitro, ending their feud. Page then moved into the World Championship picture again by facingScott Steiner. Their feud hit a climax at WCW'sfinal PPV Greed, saw Page's final match in WCW as he passed out in Steiner's finisher,The Steiner Recliner, after refusing to tap out.[28]
When WCW was purchased byWWF ownerVince McMahon in 2001, Page was one of the few major WCW stars (along withBooker T andBuff Bagwell) who accepted buyouts of theirAOL Time Warner contracts in order to immediately sign with McMahon. He debuted in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on the June 18, 2001, episode ofRaw when he unveiled himself as the stalker ofThe Undertaker's wife, Sara.[29] Page revealed he didn't care about Sara; he only did it to make an impact and wanted to take on the "biggest dog in the yard".[29] AtKing of the Ring, he fought The Undertaker in an unsanctioned brawl that was never announced as an official match.[30] On the July 5 episode ofSmackDown!, Page competed against WCW Champion Booker T, but failed to win the title after a distraction from the Undertaker.[31] On the July 9 episode ofRaw, WCW ownerShane McMahon and ECW ownerPaul Heyman joined to createThe Alliance, with former WCW and ECW alumni joining forces in an attempt to take control of the WWF.[32] At theInvasion pay-per-view, Page formed part of Team Alliance alongside Booker T,Rhyno andThe Dudley Boyz, defeating Team WWF, after Team WWF memberStone Cold Steve Austin turned on his team members mid-match.[33]
Page andChris Kanyon reunited on the August 6 episode ofRaw when Kanyon helped Page attack The Undertaker backstage.[34] Three days later on the August 9 taping ofSmackDown!, Page and Kanyon defeated theAPA to win theWWF Tag Team Championship.[35]
His feud with the Undertaker culminated when Undertaker andKane defeated Page and Kanyon atSummerSlam on August 19, 2001, in aSteel cage match for the WWF Tag Team Championship. During the match, Page was injured, keeping him out of action until late October 2001.[36] While Page was injured, he developed a newgimmick in which he became a motivational speaker. The character involved Page constantly smiling and acting optimistic, with his trademark phrase "That's not a bad thing... that's... a good thing".
His return televised match was on November 3 atRebellion losing toBig Show.[37] After the Alliance lost atSurvivor Series, Page, along with the rest of the Alliance members,kayfabe lost their jobs.[38]
Page eventually returned as aface and won his job back by defeatingBig Boss Man on the January 17, 2002, episode ofSmackDown!.[39] Page competed in theRoyal Rumble match at thetitular event on January 20 but did not win.[40]
Page became theWWF European Champion on the January 31, 2002, episode ofSmackDown!, when he defeatedChristian, a former follower of his positive "philosophy."[41] AtWrestleMania X8, Page successfully retained in a rematch against Christian.[42] He lost the title toWilliam Regal on an episode ofSmackDown! that aired March 21.[43] On March 25, Page was drafted to theSmackDown! brand as part of the2002 WWF draft lottery.[44]
On the April 18 episode ofSmackDown!, he sustained a serious neck injury during a match withHardcore Holly, after botching a superplex.[45] After receiving opinions from multiple doctors, Page announced his retirement in June 2002.[46] He left the promotion soon after.
In 2004, Page made his in-ring return by wrestling for severalindependent promotions.[46] His first match was on April 21, 2004, teaming withSatoshi Kojima as they lost to former WCW starSting andThe Great Muta for HCW Battle Hawaii.
He signed withTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He debuted for the company on the November 12 taping ofImpact!, where he attackedRaven, beginning a feud between the two.[47] AtTurning Point on December 5, DDP defeated Raven.[48]and atFinal Resolution in January 2005, Page competed in a three-way elimination match to determine the number one contender for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship also involvingMonty Brown and Kevin Nash, which was won by Brown.[49] Page and Brown subsequently formed a tag team. The following month atAgainst All Odds, Page and Brown defeatedTeam Canada (Bobby Roode andEric Young).[50] Page received an NWA World Heavyweight Championship title shot on March 13 atDestination X, but was defeated by reigning championJeff Jarrett when Brown turned heel and hit Page with the Pounce.[51] AtLockdown, Page teamed withB.G. James and Waltman to defeat Jeff Jarrett, Monty Brown and The Outlaw in aLethal Lockdown match.[52] AtHard Justice on May 15, Page andRon Killings faced Monty Brown and The Outlaw where they were defeated in what was Page's final match in TNA.[53] Page left TNA shortly thereafter in order to pursue an acting career.[46]
After TNA, Page returned to the independent circuit. He lost toLarry Zbyszko atWrestleReunion. DDP hadBruno Sammartino in his corner during the match. Then Page defeatedBuff Bagwell on December 9, 2005, at GLCW Blizzard Brawl. In 2006, Page defeated his formerJersey Triad partnerChris Kanyon twice before retiring once again.
On August 9, 2009, Diamond Dallas Page made a special appearance forJuggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) at theirBloodymania III event, aligning himself with thejWo. He hit his trademarkDiamond Cutter finisher onTrent Acid.[54]
DDP returned to wrestling on January 2, 2010, teaming withAir Paris to defeat Bobby Hayes and Alexander the Great at PICW event. On October 15, 2011, DDP teamed withKevin Nash as they defeatedThe Rock 'n' Roll Express at AWE Night Of The Legends.
In late 2010, Page agreed to work on a DVD for WWE, titledThe Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro, after being approached on the project due to his ties to WCW. Page hosted the DVD, which was released on June 7, 2011. On the June 27 episode ofRaw, Page made an appearance promoting this DVD with Booker T.[55]
In 2012, Page appeared onWWE Classics on Demand inLegends of Wrestling Roundtable: Renegades along withJim Ross,Michael P.S. Hayes,Roddy Piper, andGene Okerlund. Page also appeared alongside Kevin Nash and X-Pac at theWWE Hall of Fame ceremony on March 31, 2012. On July 2, 2012, Page made an appearance onRaw, where he hit a Diamond Cutter onHeath Slater. He also appeared atRaw 1000, accompanied by other WWE Legends, during Slater's match withLita.[56]
On the January 6, 2014, episode ofRaw, Page, along with a number of other legends, appeared on the show as part of its "Old School" theme. On April 5, Page inducted his wrestling mentor and noted DDP Yoga practitionerJake Roberts into theWWE Hall of Fame.[57]
On January 25, 2015, atRoyal Rumble, Page was a surprise entrant in the Rumble match, entering at number 14 and hitting his finishing move, the Diamond Cutter, onStardust,Bray Wyatt andFandango from the top rope, before being eliminated byRusev.[58] AtWrestleMania 32, Page competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but was eliminated byKonnor.[59]
OnMarch 31, 2017, Page was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in Orlando, Florida.[60]
On October 6, 2024, Page announced via hisTwitter that he had signed with WWE under a legend contract after his appearance in the crowds at theBad Blood PPV event.[61] DuringWrestleMania weekend in April 2025, Dallas inducted long-time friendLex Luger into theWWE Hall of Fame.
AtAll In on September 1, 2018, Page accompaniedCody Rhodes in his match againstNWA Worlds Heavyweight ChampionNick Aldis.[62]
On May 25, 2019, during their inaugural pay-per-viewDouble or Nothing, Page escortedBrandi Rhodes away from the ring after she refused to leave the match betweenCody Rhodes andDustin Rhodes after match refereeEarl Hebnerejected her from the match.[63] On the October 23, 2019, episode ofAEW Dynamite, Page returned to TNT programming for the first timein over 18 years, and helped Cody attackChris Jericho and his stableThe Inner Circle. On November 27, 2019, Page returned toDynamite to present MJF with the first everDynamite Diamond Ring as a prize for defeatingAdam Page.[64][65] On January 15, 2020, atBash at the Beach, Page had his last match, teaming withDustin Rhodes andQ. T. Marshall to take onMJF andThe Butcher and The Blade in a losing effort.
Page developed ayoga fitness program initially calledYoga for Regular Guys Workout (YRG), after discovering the health benefits of yoga through his then-wife Kimberly while he recovered from ruptures to his L4/L5 discs in 1998.[66] His favorite kind of yoga (according to his "Yoga for Regular Guys" book published in 2005) is "Power Yoga", an American-style version of "Ashtanga Style" yoga. Page worked withchiropractor Dr. Craig Aaron,[67] and developed theYoga for Regular Guys Workout.[1]
Page developed the book into a series of workout videos titled DDP Yoga (formerly YRG). DDP Yoga was featured in a video about Arthur Boorman in May 2012.[68] The story was picked up by the mainstream media,[69][70][71] includingGood Morning America.[72] The video describes the journey of Arthur Boorman, a disabled veteran who was told by doctors he would never walk again. After spending fifteen years on crutches,[73] Boorman followed Page's yoga plan for ten months and documented his progress on home video. He lost 140 pounds and regained the strength and flexibility to walk and run without his crutches, back braces or leg braces.[74]
On February 21, 2014, Page appeared on theABC seriesShark Tank, where he was seeking $200,000 for a 5% share in the DDP Yoga company. He declined to sell a 50% share for that same amount toKevin O'Leary. Page had hoped to use the money to develop amobile app. The other investors were impressed by Boorman's improvement but believed the home exercise market was too competitive and also predicted net profits ($800,000 in the previous year) would fall.[75][unreliable source] Page later said he sold more than $1 million worth of products in the first six days after his appearance.[76]
In 2015, he was a main subject in the documentaryThe Resurrection of Jake the Snake, which chronicled Page helping Jake Roberts through rehabilitation.
In 2016, Page was featured on theNine Legends Expansion Pack to talk about his friendBill Goldberg.[77]
Page currently hosts a radio show titledDDP Radio.[78] Since January 4, 2022, Page has taken part in a podcast with Jake Roberts andConrad Thompson titledDDP Snakepit.[79] As of February 2025, Page has been documenting his efforts in helping fellow former-professional wrestling legend Lex Luger overcome an unfortunate spinal infarction that left Luger with a pinched nerve in his neck and paralysis. There was a period after this injury where Luger managed to walk very short distances, showing improvement, but by October 2021, Luger was reliant on a wheelchair for mobility, again. By February 2025, Page had successfully brought Luger back to his feet and has helped him be more capable of standing and walking short distances on his own, again, and has stated Luger is making great strides in his progress.[80]
Page has been depicted in severallicensed wrestling video games.
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | WCW vs. nWo: World Tour | Video game debut |
| 1997 | Virtual Pro Wrestling 64 | |
| 1997 | WCW Nitro | |
| 1998 | WCW/nWo Revenge | |
| 1999 | WCW/nWo Thunder | |
| 1999 | WCW Mayhem | |
| 2000 | WCW Backstage Assault | |
| 2002 | WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth | |
| 2004 | Showdown: Legends of Wrestling | |
| 2012 | WWE '13 | Asdownloadable content |
| 2014 | WWE SuperCard | Mobile game |
| 2014 | WWE 2K15 | As downloadable content |
| 2015 | WWE 2K16 | |
| 2016 | WWE 2K17 | |
| 2017 | WWE: Champions | Mobile game |
| 2017 | WWE Tap Mania | Mobile game |
| 2017 | WWE 2K18 | |
| 2018 | WWE 2K19 | |
| 2023 | WrestleQuest | |
| 2024 | WWE 2K24 | As downloadable content |
| 2025 | WWE 2K25 |
Page is commonly associated with the "Self High Five" as well as the "Diamond Cutter" symbol, a hand gesture made by joining the thumbs and index fingers on each hand to form a diamond shape, then parting the two hands in one swift motion. He created the symbol in 1996 and later trademarked it. In December 2005, Page filed a lawsuit against rapperJay-Z, who, he claimed, had "illegally adopted his trademark hand gesture". Page accused Jay-Z of trademark infringement and sought a prohibitiveinjunction and monetary damages.[81][82] It resulted in Page dropping the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount of money. On August 31, 2010, Page filed a lawsuit against the musical duo3OH!3 for infringement of his trademarked "Diamond Cutter" hand gesture.[83][84][85]
Page's WCW entrance music, "Self High-Five", intentionally contained similarities to the 1991Nirvana song "Smells Like Teen Spirit", as composer Jimmy Hart and Page felt it exemplified the "sound of the '90s".[86] According to Page, Nirvana drummerDave Grohl in turn claimed that "WCW owes [Nirvana] money", but before any further actions or lawsuits took place, the track was altered to "sound like it was it, but wasn't".[86]
Page released his autobiography,Positively Page: The Diamond Dallas Page Journey, on February 1, 2000.[87]
In 2003, he had his name legally changed to Dallas Page.[88]
On December 1, 1991, Page marriedKimberly Page. On July 3, 2004, they announced their amicable separation, before divorcing in 2005.[89]
In 2015, Page married Brenda Nair. They separated in 2019. The divorce was finalized in 2020.[90]
In 2021, Page married Payge McMahon.[91]
Page has two daughters, Brittany Page (born 1987) and Kimberly Page (born 1994),[92] and two stepdaughters, (Alexandra)Lexy Nair (born 1996) and Rachel Nair (born 2001). Lexy currently works withAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a backstage interviewer.[93]
On January 15, 2019, Rodale Books released Page's second book,Positively Unstoppable: The Art of Owning It. The book includes a foreword byMick Foley.[94]
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