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View Full Version : DDP Talks About Backstage Interaction With The Rock, Idea He Had For His WWE Debut



Kemo
12-12-2015, 06:23 PM
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Diamond Dallas Page recently spoke with Chris Featherstone for the Pancakes And Powerslams Show about his thoughts on The Rock, an idea for a “People’s Champion” angle and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On his idea for an angle with The Rock since they both had the “People’s Champion” moniker:

“First of all: I am the biggest Rock fan on the planet,” DDP said. “I love that he is the biggest star in the world right now, because he’s one of us. I met him in either 1999 or 2000. [He and Big Show] were wrestling in Canada, and we had a pay per view in Canada the night earlier. I went to the show, which nobody ever did. No one ever goes to the other guy’s show in WCW or [WWE], unless you were looking for a job. I wasn’t looking for a job. I just signed a multi-million dollar deal, so I wasn’t going anywhere. After the show, me and were getting ready to leave the building and he goes, ‘Do you want to meet The Rock?’ I said, ‘Sure. I’d love to.’ So we walked in the locker room and The Rock was there. We had a great talk. [He is] very humble. Rock has the ability to make you feel like you’re the only person in the room.

“I was quite a step or two over him, at that time, but Jake told me to keep an eye out on him, because is gonna be a huge star in our business; and that was when he was booked as Rocky Maivia in 1996. He said that this gimmick that he has right now is lame, but at some point he is going to break away from this and become a huge star. So I told Rock that story, and I said I’ve really been watching your career, and I love what’s happening with it, especially now. We shook hands, and as we were walking out, almost halfway down the hallway I hear, ‘Hey Diamond.’ Big Show gets out of my way, and I see him in the far corner of that locker room. He says to me – and I can see he’s rolling in the character – ‘Ya know, there’s only one People’s Champion.’ Big Show just about blew his guts out, he laughed so hard. I just stared at him. And I bet you I didn’t say anything for 15 seconds. And I said, ‘You know, Rock? You’re right. And you, my friend? Well, you’re looking at him!’ [Big] Show went, ‘Oh my God, you stuffed him! Nobody stuffs him!'”

[B]On how that exchange inspired him to propose an idea for his WWE debut to his then-wife Kimberly Page:

“I woke her up and made her listen to me talk about how I was going to debut in the [WWE]. This isn’t now, but I am going to work a WrestleMania. I am going to end my career in the WWE. That’s just the way it is. I’ve never seen it any other way. I said here’s what’s gonna happen: they’re gonna cut all the lights in the building, and everybody is going to be for sure that it’s [Chris] Jericho. But it’s gonna go 15, 20, 30 seconds, no one says anything, people are grumbling. Jim Ross is saying ‘Hold on! Don’t change the channel. We’ve got some technical difficulties!’ And then, for the first time ever in a [WWE] arena, you hear my voice. Blacked out building. ‘Who’s the real “People’s Champion”‘? Spotlight hits me. ‘You’re lookin’ at him.’ Throw up the diamond cutter. Bang. I would have got boos, I would have got cheers out the building. Rock’s gonna be hurt, he’s gonna be out, so he can’t answer my challenge. But that’s how it’s gonna be. I’ll go to the ring, I’ll cut this promo on him and go on a rant until he gets there. Then we’ll start our promos. They’ll be unbelievable!”

muzi
12-13-2015, 10:14 PM
DDP was really underused in WWE...could have made some more entertaining stuff there

Will
12-13-2015, 11:06 PM
Ddp was overused because he was erics boy. He's one of the jobbers responsible for wcws death.

muzi
12-20-2015, 08:11 PM
Ddp was overused because he was erics boy. He's one of the jobbers responsible for wcws death.

He had the size, he could talk and he was over wtih the fans..what more does one need? I don't mean he should have been in the main events constantly but he was far more entertaining and not one-dimensional as Goldberg, e.g.

Will
12-21-2015, 03:47 AM
He didn't really have the size or talent on the mic and he only got over with the fans at the end when wcw dying. He's one of the guys I blame for wcws death because when he was main eventing that's when people were turning off.

A Blissful Ass
12-21-2015, 08:43 AM
He didn't really have the size or talent on the mic and he only got over with the fans at the end when wcw dying. He's one of the guys I blame for wcws death because when he was main eventing that's when people were turning off.
Nope you can blame All the big money contracts,Russo & that guy that should never of been WCW Champ or world Vhamp in the first place Jeff Jarrett DDP was one of the guys that made WCW what it was.

Will
12-21-2015, 05:04 PM
All those big money contracts are what made WCW #1. I agree though that Russo sucks without supervision and JJ should have never been champ, neither should have Steiner, neither should booker t and neither should DDP.

muzi
12-21-2015, 08:55 PM
All those big money contracts are what made WCW #1. I agree though that Russo sucks without supervision and JJ should have never been champ, neither should have Steiner, neither should booker t and neither should DDP.

Who should have been champ then? Hogan more than he already were? Kevin Nash? Buff Bagwell? Fact was, that WCW did indeed bring some amazing talent and huge over guys out..Sting, Vader, Booker T, Steve Austin, Brain Pillman

A Blissful Ass
12-22-2015, 02:39 PM
Who should have been champ then? Hogan more than he already were? Kevin Nash? Buff Bagwell? Fact was, that WCW did indeed bring some amazing talent and huge over guys out..Sting, Vader, Booker T, Steve Austin, Brain Pillman
Spot on.


All those big money contracts are what made WCW #1. I agree though that Russo sucks without supervision and JJ should have never been champ, neither should have Steiner, neither should booker t and neither should DDP.
I Agree with Steiner but Booker and DDP paid there dues & where pretty good champs

Kemo
12-22-2015, 04:03 PM
Spot on.


I Agree with Steiner but Booker and DDP paid there dues & where pretty good champs

Matt is right. Even though I wasn't the biggest DDP mark, the dude paid his dues WAY before he signed a WCW contract. I liked his mic work. And he was the People's Champ long before Rocky was.

And the downfall of WCW was not just giant contracts, it was the bullshit in those contracts....signing and putting guys over like David Arquette for ratings. It was also the merger of AOL-Time Warner. They did not want a "wrasslin" TV show on their networks.

If you guys are going to blame people for the fall of WCW, use these guys:
Bill Busch, Vince Russo, Eric Bischoff, and Jamie Kellner (the one who cancelled the shows)

Will
12-23-2015, 06:21 PM
Who should have been champ then? Hogan more than he already were? Kevin Nash? Buff Bagwell? Fact was, that WCW did indeed bring some amazing talent and huge over guys out..Sting, Vader, Booker T, Steve Austin, Brain Pillman

I dont believe there was anyone to put the belt on. It was time for wcw to die.None of those guys were over huge in WCW except sting. Vader was a good heel to counter sting, but not over huge on his own, Austin didn't start getting over until ecw, I don't care how many titles Booker t claims he was never above mid card over, Pillman was a great little guy and I would trade Ambrose for him any day but, except for a little rub from Austin in WWe, he was never over.

Will
12-23-2015, 06:25 PM
I Agree with Steiner but Booker and DDP paid there dues & where pretty good champs

I actually started watching Booker in GWF in 91 so I saw almost his entire career, and he was one of the best tag team wrestlers ever, but he wasn't a main event level talent and the fact is that if DDP hadn't got in with Uncle Eric than he never would have left the midcard. If some one puts in a decade working the scene, then sure we can agree they've paid dues to earn a spot there, but that doesn't mean they've earned a world title run. The world champion leads the company and with those guys in the main event the company died, so no none of them were pretty good champs.