Diamond Dallas Page
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| Dallas Page | |
|---|---|
| File:DDP.jpg | |
| Born | April 5, 1956 Point Pleasant, New Jersey |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Handsome Dallas Page Diamond Dallas Page |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) |
| Billed weight | 232 lb (115 kg) |
| Billed from | The Jersey Shore |
| Trained by | Jake Roberts WCW Power Plant |
| Debut | 1979 |
| Retired | May 2005 |
Page Joseph Falkinburg (born April 5, 1956) is an American former professional wrestler and occasional actor, better known by his stage name, Dallas Page (the name on his current SAG and AFTRA cards).
The name "Dallas" is derived from his love of the Dallas Cowboys.
Page achieved a degree of fame throughout the 1990s and early 2000s as a professional wrestler, competing under the ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often abbreviated to "DDP"). The addition of the word "Diamond" was inspired by Page's admiration of the rhythm of the name of wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie. In the course of his wrestling career, which spanned two decades, Page wrestled for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, and held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on three occasions.
Wrestling career
Early Years
Page's first wrestling appearance was in Canada in 1979 as Handsome Dallas Page. He wrestled but gave it up shortly thereafter. His next notable appearance was not until WrestleMania VI, where he drove the Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine to the ring in a pink Cadillac.
Page served as a manager in 1987 in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), where he managed the tag team of Badd Company, who were often accompanied by a pair of female valets known as the "Diamond Dolls". Page also worked as a color commentator in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) before finally debuting as a professional wrestler.
World Championship Wrestling 1991-2001
Page came to World Championship Wrestling in 1991 as manager of Diamond Studd and the tag team of the Fabulous Freebirds. Later in the year, he debuted as a wrestler, almost always losing in his matches. He made his wrestling PPV debut at Starrcade, teaming with Mike Graham in a losing effort to Jushin Liger and Bill Kazmaier. The following year, Page teamed with Vinnie Vegas as the "Vegas Connection".
Page returned to WCW TV in 1994, with his wife, the Diamond Doll Kimberly, and he got a bodyguard, Maxx Muscle. He had open arm wrestling challenges to win Kimberly but Maxx always helped him win or arm wrestled for him. He had a long feud with Dave Sullivan because Dave gave Kimberly gifts. At Fall Brawl 1995,Page won his first championship when he defeated Renegade for the WCW TV Title. In the build-up to his first title defense at the Halloween Havoc PPV, there was growing dissension between Page and Kimberley.Johnny B. Badd would defeat Page for the TV Title, and again at the World War 3 PPV on November 26, 1995, winning Kimberley's freedom from DDP.
On May 19, 1996 Page participated in the Lord of the Ring Tournament (Battle Bowl) at Slamboree. The winner was to be the number one contender for the World Title which at that time was held by the Giant. Page was victorious when he defeated the Barbarian with two Diamond Cutters. However he never received the title shot that he earned that night. Page was feuding with Eddie Guerrero when the nWo was formed. Since Nash & Hall were both former partners, they began assisting him in his matches in the tournement being held for the vacant US Title.
Seeing that their help was not being appreciated, Hall and Nash turned up the heat on Page by attacking him during the tournament finals, therefore handing the belt to Guerrero. After demonstrating benefits of nWo, they asked him to join. He responded with Diamond Cutters to them, starting a face turn and a feud with the nWo.
Page's career really took off in 1997. As part of the hot nWo storyline, Page began a feud with the nWo's "Macho Man" Randy Savage. On an episode of WCW Monday Nitro, Savage, aided by fellow nWo members Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, attacked DDP and sprayed "nWo" on his back. A few weeks later at the WCW pay-per-view Uncensored, Savage and Miss Elizabeth revealed to the world that Page and Nitro Girl Kimberly, were in fact married. Savage then proceeded to beat up Page, ensuring a future match between the two.
At the 1997 Spring Stampede, Page and Savage battled in a memorable match where Page emerged victorious, but it was the not the end of conflict between the two. A few months later at The Great American Bash, they squared off again in an anything goes,lights out match what was dubbed "Savage-Page II." This match was far more brutal than their first encounter, and ended with Savage defeating Page with help from (then) Tag Team Champion Scott Hall. Savage and Page would continue their rivalry from there on. Page even dressed up as masked wrestler La Parka and beat Savage. Around this time, Page also started fighting nWo leader, Hulk Hogan. Page and Savage battled for the last time at Halloween Havoc. The match was billed as a Las Vegas Sudden Death Match, where anything goes and the only way to win was to beat your opponent so brutally, he could not get to his feet by a count of ten. Again, the two put on another excellent show. The match ended when Hogan, dressed as Sting, came out and hit Page with a baseball bat in his already "injured" mid-section, resulting in Savage picking up the win.
On an episode of Nitro after Halloween Havoc, Page fought Hogan, but was beaten down by the nWo.
At StarrCade 1997, Page lifted the WCW US Heavyweight Championship from Curt Hennig. This capped off what had been a great year for Page, he was voted WCW Magazine's "Wrestler of the Year," for 1997.
In 1998 Page took on the likes of Chris Benoit and Raven. Classic matches, such as the triple-threat US title match which took place at Uncensored 1998 and his walks through the crowd before and after matches solidified Page's reputation as the "People's Champion," a nickname he shared with The Rock, although DDP was a face in WCW and was the willing People's Champion- the Rock was a heel in the WWF, and called himself the People's Champion in order to disparage the crowd. It is unclear which wrestler was first referred to as the People's Champion, although the Rock undoubtedly ran further with the title, referring to almost everything as "The People's..." (Referring to the entrance ramp as "The People's ramp" and having the signature move, "The People's Elbow")
Page tagged with Karl Malone during this time. The two tagged at Bash At The Beach in 1998, where they faced Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman. Later on, Page tagged with late night talk show host Jay Leno at Road Wild in 1998, where they defeated Hogan and Eric Bischoff.
At Fall Brawl 1998, Page won the War Games, and got a World title shot against Goldberg at Halloween Havoc. Page did not get the belt; but his presence in the World title scene was now certified.
Page finally became World Champion in April, 1999, at Spring Stampede when he defeated Sting, Hogan, and Ric Flair in a 4-way dance for the title. This match was ironic for Page, as it featured Randy Savage as the special-guest referee, and also saw Hogan eliminated early when Page seriously damaged Hogan's leg with a submission hold.
Page was finally champion, and being champion changed him. Shortly after gaining the title, Page wrestled Goldberg for his championship. Page turned heel during the match, using everything at his disposal to try and beat down Goldberg (the match eventually ended in a no contest). Throughout the rest of his reign as champion, Page resorted to lowbrow tactics to keep his championship.
Within the first month of his reign, Page was defeated for the world championship by Sting on Nitro, but regained it from him during a four way match the same night (thanks to a match set up by a returning Kevin Nash, who challenged Sting, Goldberg, and Page for the title). Page was defeated by Nash at Slamboree that year, and fell out of the world title picture shortly thereafter.
As 1999 drew on, Page changed his look, and along with Chris Kanyon and Bam Bam Bigelow, he formed the Jersey Triad. The Jersey Triad held the WCW World tag team titles at one point and invoked the Freebird Rule, stating any combination of the three members could defend the titles. The group got its name from all three members being from New Jersey.
In 2000, with WCW under new control, Page earned a shot at the vacant world title. He would get his shot at Spring Stampede, the same event where 1 year prior he won the title for the very first time. His opponent would be ex-nWo member, Jeff Jarrett. In a surprise twist, Page's wife Kimberly turned on Page and helped Jarrett become the new world champion.
Page would get the better of Jarrett on an episode of Nitro in May, but, in a tag team match against Jarret and Eric Bischoff in which the belt could change hands, Page would lose the title to his very own tag partner, movie star David Arquette, Page and Jarrett met Arquette in a rematch at the Slamboree PPV in the first triple cage match, but Arquette, who had vowed to stay out of the match and support DDP and help him regain the title, betrayed Page, allowing Jarret to regain the gold once more.
Page took some time off shortly after this, but returned in late 2000 as a full time wrestler. Page lost in a real life fist fight backstage with Scott Steiner, after Steiner did a shoot on Page moments earlier on Nitro. DDP hid behind the curtain and sucker punched Steiner as he entered the backstage area. Steiner then attacked DDP and eventually got the better of him.
World Wrestling Federation 2001-2002
2001 saw WCW being purchased by WWF owner Vince McMahon. Page was one of the few major WCW stars to sign with McMahon, but despite this, he ended up being part of what many fans considered to be bad storylines, which led to him being voted WWF Magazine's "Most Misused Talent" of 2001. This could be no closer to the truth, as Page went from People's Champion to crazed stalker, to the smiling man, in less than a year. He became known for his catchphrase 'It's me, it's me, it's DDP', during this time.
Page was originally brought in as the man revealed to be the stalker of Undertaker's wife, Sara. He was the first WCW wrestler brought in as a heel during the Invasion storyline and eventually paved way for the entire WCW roster to turn heel as well. The storyline with Undertaker did little except injure Page's credibility, being destroyed by the Undertaker in several in-ring encounters.
Page would eventually switch gimmicks and become a pseudo-motivational speaker, in what would come to be known as his "Positively Page" character. The name came from the title of his autobiography that was published during his WCW days. The character involved Page constantly smiling and acting optimistic, with his trademark phrase "That's not a bad thing...that's a good thing."
In early 2002, Page became the oldest European Champion in WWE history. At WrestleMania X8, he defeated Christian, a former follower of his positive "philosophy" and retained the title. Despite the moderate amount of success the character was met with, the new gimmick left a sour taste amongst longtime fans of his, who fondly remembered Page for his furious battles with the nWo and his style character. Fans were not keen on Page's "Positively Page" character.
In 2002, at the age of 46, and with nagging injuries, including a neck injury caused in a match with Bob Holly, he was let go. After telling management he could get surgery and return to in-ring action, they declined and let his contract run out.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling 2004-2005
On April 1, 2004 Diamond Dallas Page announced his return to the ring. After working for several independent promotions, he debuted with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on November 12, 2004, feuding with Raven and Erik Watts.
Page received an NWA World Heavyweight Championship title shot on March 13, 2005 at TNA Destination X 2005 but was defeated by reigning champion Jeff Jarrett. He remained with the company until May, 2005, at which point he left TNA over the booking of a tag match involving Page, and what the finish of the match would be. Page was booked to lose clean to Monty Brown during a tag match and Page initially refused to do so. Eventually, Page agreed to do the clean job but only if he were allowed to use his Diamond Cutter move on his opponents and on two wrestlers would run in during the match. This is what happened, but it led to a lot of bad feeling towards Page over his extreme reluctance to do a clean job and help elevate Brown, and this led to Page leaving the company.
Legacy
Diamond Dallas Page was one of the few WCW wrestlers to have made a name for himself in WCW, as the likes of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage had made their names in the WWF. Supporters say Page is proof that WCW was capable of building its own stars. Critics say Page's push had less to do with his talent than with his close friendship with Eric Bischoff. As well, Page, who only began his wrestling career in his mid-thirties, proved that older people could start a pro wrestling career and even become good at it.
Wrestling facts
Finishing and signature moves
- Diamond Cutter (Cutter)
- Diamond Bomb (Sitout powerbomb)
- Trip to the Diamond Mine / DDPancake (Piledriver hold falling into a facebuster)
- Discus clothesline
Nicknames
- "Handsome" Dallas Page
- "Positively" Page
- "Diamond" Dallas Page
- DDP
- King of Badda Bing
Managers
Championships and accomplishments
- PWI ranked him # 65 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.
- PWI Most Improved Wrestler Award (1995)
- PWI Feud of the Year Award, versus Randy Savage (1997)
- PWI Most Hated Wrestler Award (1999)
- 3-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
- 2-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion.
- 1-time WCW World Television Champion
- 4-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (1-time with Chris Kanyon, 1-time with Bam Bam Bigelow, 2-time with Kevin Nash)
- 1996 WCW Battlebowl winner
- 1999 WCW MTV Tournament winner
- 1995 WCW Lord of the Ring winner
- WCW Triple Crown Championship
- WCW Grand Slam Champion
- 1-time WWF European Champion
- 1-time WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Kanyon)
- Other Titles
- 1-time SWF Heavyweight Champion
- 1996 Most Improved Wrestler
Acting career
Ready to Rumble
Role: Himself
Plot: In the movie, he wins the WCW Championship from fictional wrestler Jimmy King (acted by Oliver Platt
Status: Released
Jack's Law
Role: Spider Benson
Plot: Jack Santos is a retired undercover vice cop whose world is suddenly torn apart by the murder of his wife and daughter. After serving a prison term for a crime he did not commit, Jack returns to the streets with a vengeance against crime, and takes to vigilantism.
Status: Post-Production
Hood of Horror
Role: Jersey
Status: Post-Production
Nice Guys
Role: "Sleezy Guy"
Plot: Hollywood hopeful Tom Murphy and his posse of pals conspire to get into the big leagues. Pinning their hopes of industry success on Tom's famous girlfriend starring in their first feature, falls to pieces when she dumps him. Tom and his pals learn of another possibility and devise a plan to steal a fenced case of government issued marijuana, return it to the FBI and use the reward money to finance their movie. Little do they know a scorned girlfriend and her deaf mute brother have other plans.
Status: In production
Bald
Role: Huge Bruce
Status: Post-Production
Splinter
Role: Detective Styles
Plot: On the mean streets of LA, two gangsters - - Dreamer (Almeida) and Dusty (Noel G.) - - unite over the mysterious murder of their brother. Dreamer, with the bullet that killed his brother still lodged in his skull, is desperately seeking revenge when he crosses paths with Detective Gramm (Atis), a confident rookie cop partnered with corrupt veteran Cunningham (Sizemore).
Status: Post-Production
The Devil's Rejects
Role: Billy Ray Snapper
Plot: Sequel to 'House of 1000 Corpses' is set some months later with the Texas State Police making a full-scale attack against the murderous Firefly family residence for the 1,000+ murders and disappearances of the past several years. But three of the family members escape, including Otis, Baby Firefly and Baby's father Captain Spaulding. The evil trio go on a road trip, leaving dozens of mangled bodies in their wake.
Status: Released
Trademarks
Page is commonly associated with 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 copyrighted it. In December 2005, Page filed a lawsuit against rapper Jay-Z, who, he claimed, had "illegally adopted his trademark hand gesture." Page accused Jay-Z of trademark and copyright infringement, and sought a prohibitive injunction and monetary damages.
Trivia
In his autobiography, Have a Nice Day, Mick Foley details an incident that occurred while he and Steve Austin were travelling with Page. Irritated by Page's constantly upbeat attitude, the two determined to make Page lose his composure. After a number of attempts, the two found success by placing ground cookies on Page's hotel room bed, and when Page got into bed, hilarity ensued.
His Diamond Cutter finisher is so well known that the generic name for a three-quarter facelock bulldog has become "Cutter."
DDP credits Bobby "The Brain" Heenan for coming up with the name, "Diamond Cutter".
Following the tradition of WCW using generic recuts of popular rock songs, DDP entered arenas to a theme similar to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana.
Page admitted in his autobiography that he is dyslexic, and that he didn't learn to read and write until relatively late in his life. Page noted that by the time he had written his autobiography, he had only ever read one book, because even after learning to read so late due to his dyslexia, he had such difficulty doing so.
Has an appearance in the music video to the song "Rising" by Stuck Mojo.
He was married to his former valet Kimberly Page, but they were divorced sometime in 2005.
His trademark colours are pink, blue and purple.
Constantly referred to by the Internet Wrestling Community as Leatherface. Then WCW commentator Mark Madden used the terminology as well on his website, which drew him a 1-week suspension from the company [1].
Books
- Genta, Larry and Page, Diamond Dallas (2000) Positively Page, ISBN 0-9679922-0-6
- Aaron, Craig and Page, Diamond Dallas (2005) Yoga for Regular Guys: The Best Damn Workout on the Planet, ISBN 1-59474-079-8
References
- Diamond Dallas Page at ObsessedWithWrestling.com
- Diamond Dallas sues Jay-Z over "Diamond Cutter" hand sign
- DDP Interview 2/8/06
External links
- 1956 births
- American professional wrestlers
- American film actors
- American television actors
- American Wrestling Association alumni
- Hollywood Squares panelists
- Living people
- People from New Jersey
- Professional wrestling managers and valets
- Professional wrestling announcers
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling alumni
- World Championship Wrestling alumni