In Defense of… 05.03.06: DDP (Part 1 of 3)

Posted by JP Prag on 05.03.2006

Oh, you are so about to feel the bang.

In Defense of…
By JP Prag

Issue #53

DDP (Part 1 of 3)

Intro

Hello everyone who is being quite a mischief maker, and welcome back to the second year of In Defense Of…! Well, we finished off our five crazy cases in a row and ended the year with my hardest defense ever: myself! Ok, so maybe it wasn't that hard because a lot of it had been building forever. S'all good.

Thanks for everyone who sent words of encouragement (or hatred), I appreciate it. For those of you who did not read last issue, let me just remind you that with 76.3% of the vote Hulk Hogan was found:

NOT GUILTY!

Although Cook still won't repent, I'd like to point out that almost immediately after the verdict Hogan Knows Best was renewed for a third season. Hmmmm… coincidence? My ego says not!

Now, perhaps this is your first time clicking on In Defense Of…? Maybe you didn't read about Hulk Hogan, the World Heavyweight Championship, Scott Steiner, the Ultimate Warrior, Vince McMahon in the Death of Owen Hart, Larry Zbyszko, Scott Hall, New Jack, the McMahon-Helmsley Era, Mike Awesome Leaving ECW, Sid Vicious, the Undertaker, the Sport of Professional Wrestling, Lex Luger, WCW Thunder, the Brand Extension, Goldberg, Vince not buying out WCW's contracts, Earl Hebner Screwing Bret Hart, Dusty Rhodes: Head Booker, The Finger Poke of Doom, Kevin Nash, the Elimination Chamber, or even Eric Bischoff. It might be that you think you need to be best friends and neighbors with the boss to get anywhere in the world today. Well, for those new to the concept, this article has a pretty simple premise:

Certain people, events, organizations, and storylines in wrestling history have gotten a bum wrap. Some writers have presented overtly critical comments and outright lies as fact, and others have followed suit. Well no more! "In Defense of…" has one reason: to bring the truth to the wrestling fan!

And that's what I intend to do.

Me? I'm the One and Only JP, and I'm at a pretty highly critical juncture in my young life where the decisions that I make in the next three weeks will affect me for the rest of my life. What? Oh yes, I do have a midnight deadline. Better stop thinking about that stuff…

Some dame walked into my office and said…

I can't believe I'm leading with this one, but the first person to e-mail me about DDP was Jack Scum Bang who… oh, you just have to read this one:

[T]he real reason I have mailed you is about the man who knows all about that white stuff you get in the corner of your mouth when you...BANG...JACK SCUM BANG!

What's your take on DDP? How does he fit in with the pedigree of world champions? Is Paige one of the great ones?

BANG

Uhhhh… some time later I heard from good ‘ol Bryan Jones who asked… a little differently:

Can you do a defense of Diamond Dallas Page? Everyone said he got where he was because he was Eric Bischoff's neighbor, but I was a fan of his. I think he was an average athlete who worked very hard and maximized his skills. I would appreciate it. Thanks!

Faye chimed in with some thoughts as well:

I'm very much looking forward to the DDP defense.

But of course, my man PeppeR just wanted you to know:

I prefer DDP.

And…

I can't wait to read DDP's.

Well wait no longer!

Why this?

DDP is an enigma in wrestling. He is one of few people who really came about in WCW during the hot nWo years. Goldberg and the Giant are really the only other people who can say they became legitimate main eventers in the golden years of WCW, though none of these men have found the same level of success elsewhere. Much like many people, DDP is not a person nor character that has staying power in today's WWE. There are many reasons for this that we will get to later on, but it does seem that—much like Sting, Ric Flair, and Dusty Rhodes before him—DDP was custom made for the NWA/JCP/WCW audience.

Unlike today's Chris Masters or Jay Lethal types, DDP did not go into wrestling in his teens. No, his career started later in life. The DDP story should be one of a man with a dream, a dream he came to at a much later point than most, yet was able to go beyond where anyone had dreamed. This fable of DDP should depict a man who overcame all odds to become a multi-time World Heavyweight Champion. All of these tales should speak of his in-ring skill, his ability on the mic, and his amazing charisma and connection with the audience. DDP should be one of the greatest hero stories in all wrestling, and we and our children and our children's children should know the legend of the man who went from nothing to everything, and that perhaps our dreams can come true, too.

This is not the DDP that is remembered, though.

DDP is seen as a man who never deserved his spot, a man who Eric Bischoff pushed down our throats because they were best friends, a man who perhaps engaged in wife swapping and other such events, and a man who was nothing in comparison to the deep pool of talent that was available in WCW during that day and age.

I am here to show how DDP really came about to be. I will dispel rumors, prove DDP's natural abilities, and let it be known that DDP has fans all over the world, myself included.

The Jersey Trilogy Prequel

For those who don't know New Jersey very well, you are lucky. I have driven through three-quarters of the states in this country, and no state has worse drivers than New Jersey. What? Oh yes, that has nothing to do with our topic at all!

On April 5, 1956, Page Joseph Falkinburg was born to the community of Point Pleasant, NJ. Page was a child with excess energy, energy that would eventually get him in trouble. From DDP's official website:

From an early age, Page was an energetic kid, who would barrel through his grandma's kitchen on his tricycle, swing from chandeliers at the babysitter's house, and cannonball neighborhood pool parties.

Page was big, lanky and athletic, and sports proved to be an outlet for his unbridled energy and saving grace for the grandmother who raised him. He played and excelled in both Pop Warner football, and youth hockey but he was captivated by the heroes of Saturday afternoon wrestling. He mimicked the moves and talked the talk of his favorite pro wrestlers on TV, and boasted to friends and relatives that someday, he would be the next Handsome Jimmy Valiant.

At age 12, Page was hit by a car darting through traffic on his way to school, and the doctor's consensus assumption was that he'd never play contact sports again. Determined to compete in athletics, he picked up a new sport and became a star basketball player in high school and later went on to play collegiate ball.

It seemed that even at the age of twelve, Page's career was destined for failure. Despite his love of sports and—especially—pro-wrestling, Page was supposed to be taken out of the game.

Let's look at another thing, too. Page was raised by his grandmother, meaning his parents could not be there for him. How can a boy with such energy possible get along with an older grandmother? How can he find an outlet and direction in life?

Want to know more? Page is also dyslexic and has ADD! He couldn't even finish reading a book cover-to-cover until he was 35!

Despite the natural setbacks he was given, and the unfortunate events that took his life, Page showed an early determination that many others would not have. He was hit by a car, yet turned that into a positive to get involved with baseball! How many people do you know could take a life-threatening injury and turn it into a major triumph. A young Ric Flair quickly comes to mind, a man who survived a plane crash to become a sixteen to eighty-seven time World Champion. Page had that type of dedication, that when he believed in something, he felt the need to go for it. It was always his self-motivation that drove him, as we'll see again and again.

By the late 1970's, Page was already getting involved in the Night Club business. He was starting to find some success in the Jersey shore, and had earned the nickname "Dallas". From Derek Burgan's review of DDP's shoot interview:

Page had already given himself the nickname "Dallas" and explained that diamond's are his birthstone.

Given that, and his fanaticism with Handsome Jimmy Valiant, Page thought he'd defy the odds and try to wrestle in 1979 as Handsome Dallas Page. He did not have any success and knew too little to get involved at that point. Also, the night club business was taking off, and his attention was needed elsewhere. From DDP's own site:

Page had established a successful and exciting career in the night club business, in several towns and states by the time he moved to Florida in the mid 80's. During that time as a master promoter and nightclub owner came the reawakening of his dream to become involved in the world of wrestling.

And Derek Burgan's review of DDP's shoot interview continued:

[Scott] Hudson asked Page how he got started in the wrestling business, and Page went way back to his days of running a nightclub named Norma Jean's. Page's life at the time was one of complete hedonism and debauchery, which he makes no apologizes for. One night while closing up the bar, Page saw the video for Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to have Fun." That gives you an idea of how long ago this took place as MTV was still actually airing non-hip hop music videos back then. Anyway, Page saw Captain Lou Albano in the video and felt that it should have been Page himself as part of the Rock n' Wrestling Connection.

You see, Page was the Rock n' Wrestling connection. He was a club promoter/owner who loved wrestling. As far as he was concerned, the connection would be perfect! But he did not have delusions of huge grandeur. The shoot continues:

Page talked to the guys in his circle of friends at the club and thought that he'll try out to be a manager. Page felt that the girls in wrestling weren't that good looking and that he had access to a slew of "hot bitches," which would help his case as they would be his "Diamond Dolls." Page also noted that Jimmy Hart had the "Hart Foundation," so Page would have his own group called "the Diamond Exchange."

Remember, Page had already tried to be a wrestler and knew the physicality it would take. But also remember this: Page did not need wrestling. At this point in history he was already making excellent money in the club industry and would have been just fine for years to come. But he felt a calling and wanted to make an impact in the industry. And in order to break in, sometimes it takes the right connection. From the shoot:

A local TV station did a small piece on Page because at the time he was semi-famous as the person who would host the club's wet t-shirt contests and other events of that nature. "Some one has to do it" said Page with a smirk. The TV spot was noticed by a local radio personality named "Smitty," who wanted Page on his show to joing, of all people, Captain Lou Albano. Smitty ended up knowing Rob Russen in Verne Gagne's AWA and told Page to send Russen a tape. Page ended up making a video with him and all his friends and sent it to Russen.

And the review continued:

Page got a call back from Russen telling Page to bring his friends up for a try out, with the catch they had to pay their own way. Page admitted to Russen that many of the guys had no idea how to wrestle and Russen came back with the "don't call us, we'll call you" reply. That's never a good sign. A short while later, Paul Heyman (yes, that Paul Heyman) left the AWA and the company needed a new manager. Greg Gagne called up Page and told him to fly himself up, bring his own clothes and they would give him a try out. Page flew up to Minnesota and brought a girl with him, who turned out to be nervous as hell. She'd be even more nervous if she had listened to the guys from Extreme Summit tell their ‘rat stories. Page met Greg Gagne while wearing cowboy boots, which caused Gagne to remark that Page was the biggest manager he had ever seen. So of course Page was put with the much smaller Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond as the tag team Bad Company. This mistake has been repeated throughout the last decade, including bringing up Matt Morgan and immediately putting him in a group with guys like Big Show and Nathan Jones to make sure not a single fan has any idea of how big Morgan really is. Page ended up working 15 months for the AWA, but since they only did one TV taping a month it ended up to only 14 days total.

So you can see that Page's first break was no break at all. He had to use his own funds and bring his own "Diamond Dolls" to the ring with him, and 15 months of work equated to 14 television appearances. Obviously this did not translate into him getting much notoriety, fame, or money. As you might imagine, such decisions much actually burn through one's savings rather quickly. But Page felt that the sacrifices were worth it. He wanted to make it in the industry as a manager, and this was the way to go.

But while he was in AWA, Page met a man that would mean a lot to him in the future, but not as much as you think. Back to the shoot:

Page then went back to how he met Bischoff in the AWA. Page was talking to Pat Tanaka when he was rudely interrupted by Bischoff. Page said, "listen asshole, we're taking" and Bischoff's reply was "so?" The two men had a pull apart in the hotel bar. Later at the elevators, Page ran into Bischoff again except this time there was AWA management around. Bischoff buried Page to the office. At 8 a.m. the next morning, Page woke up with a hang over and was still pissed off. Bischoff showed up at his room and looked like shit as well. Bischoff said, "I understand I was a real asshole last night." Bischoff said there were two ways they could settle it. The first was to shake Bischoff's hand and accept his apology. The second was to let Page hit Bischoff in the face. Bischoff earned Page's respect and the two became friends.

Let's put this straight right now: Page and Bischoff were not neighbors and friends before WCW. They weren't even really friends in AWA or WCW at the beginning either. At that, Page was just a manager when he was in AWA and at the beginning of WCW. It was in 1992 when the two bought houses from Dusty Rhode's wife (who I guess was a real estate agent) that ended up being next door to each other. They did not know it until they both moved in, and it was after that point that they developed a friendship. Still, that friendship did not equate to a push to the top, as you'll see later.

Still not quite feeling the bang

Anyway, with his AWA career over, Page needed something to do and to continue to earn a living (or lose less money as quickly as he was). He ended up finding his way to Florida and wrestling for FCW/PWF. Again with the shoot:

When the NWA became WCW, they wanted Dusty Rhodes to turn heel and Big Dust packed his bags and went back to Florida. Mike Graham called up Page again and wanted Page to cut a promo on the phone to Rhodes. Page cut the promo and, at first, Dusty didn't reply. Rhodes finally asked "was that a recording kid?" Page went down to Pro Wrestling Florida and met Dusty, Gordon Solie and Steve Keirn among others. It's a sad state of affairs when I know Keirn solely from his absurd run in the WWE as "Skinner" than anything else. Rhodes' loved Page's energy and told Page he was "gonna make you the Jesse Venture of the ‘90s." Page had never done color commentary before, but The Dean of Announcing, Gordon Solie, walked him through it.

Page worked for PWF for two and a half years and went from making 50 dollars a night to 150 dollars, while also being able to pick Dusty Rhodes' brain once a week while developing a friendship with Big Dust. Page learned that "the fake stuff hurts like hell" when he took his first bumps in the ring while training with Steve Keirn. While in Florida, Page met Scott Hall, who at the time had blonde hair and looked exactly like Magnum T.A. When PWF folded, Rhodes went to the WWE and Page a tryout as an announcer. Not surprisingly, the WWE wanted Page to change everything about himself. First Page tried out for a color commentary spot, then tried out for play-by-play. The late Alfred Hayes was impressed with Page's play-by-play and Page credited everything he knew to Gordon Solie. The WWE had zero interest in Page, and WCW ended up calling Page in just to "force" Paul Heyman to sign his contract by making Heyman think they had a replacement already lined up.

So much to cover!

(1) Page tried a whole new direction with announcing and learned from some of the best there ever was.

(2) Page still was making next to nothing through the rest of the 80's to just try to live out his dream.

(3) Page began to take bumps in the ring and started to get a re-taste for wrestling that he had in his twenties.

(4) After the end of the PWF, Page tried out to be an announcer in then WWF. You might remember that this is THE SAME role that Eric Bischoff tried out for. So again, they were not friends at this point, but were in direct competition with each other.

(5) He had enough recognition to be used as a political tool, but not enough recognition that he could secure a job.

Things were tough, and Page took a one-time shot at driving his pink Cadillac out at WrestleMania XI, bringing the Honkey Tonk Man and Greg Valentine to the ring. Vince McMahon just wanted to rent the car, but Page demanded that he go with it, so he ended up driving it to the ring. And that would be his last appearance in the WWF/E for over a decade.

And then there was another "W"

But due to knowing Dusty and many of the NWA mainstrays, Page was able to get a shot in WCW. Remember, this was 1991 and Eric Bischoff was a nobody in the wrestling industry and had nothing to do with anything Page got. As it was, they were fighting for a lot of the same resources (when Bischoff later joined the company). From the shoot:

Page went back to the clubs for several months until Dusty Rhodes left the WWE and returned to Atlanta. By this time Page was engage to Kimberly and she was going to school at Northwestern. Kimberly wanted Page to move to Chicago, but Rhodes' implied that if Page moved to Atlanta he would have a job with WCW. Page convinced Kimberly to spend a weekend with him in Atlanta and in a funny story, Page's high end car that he wanted to impress Kimberly with, broke down, forcing Page to drive around in a U-Haul all weekend. Dusty's deal with Page was 350 dollars a shot, with no guaranteed dates. Page was put as a manager with the Fabulous Freebirds and immediately bonded with Michael P.S. Hayes. There were some great stories with Hayes, as Page said Hayes would, among other things, blow smoke right into Jerry Jarrett's face knowing that Jarrett hated second hand smoke.

Scott Hall called up Page, as Hall was desperate for work, and reminded Page of the "Diamond Studd" gimmick that both men created while in Florida. Page called up Magnum T.A. to pitch the idea. Magnum said Dusty Rhodes wasn't interested. Page said they would change Hall's look (and added this story is fleshed out more in Page's Positively Page book.) Page told Hall to dye his hair "like Elvis blue-black." Hall agreed. Page saw a George Michael video and told Hall to copy the close-beard gimmick, although Page didn't know at the time it was a "gay thing." After a lot of coercion, Hall agreed. Magnum got Hall a tryout and when Page and Hall walked into WCW's Center Stage they quickly ran into Dusty Rhodes. Big Dust took one look at Hall and said, "he's in" while giving Hall a squash match on TV that very day. Hall was freaked out that nobody recognized him, but used that his advantage when pulling a great rib on Tommy "Wildfire" Rich.

It wasn't long before Hall injured himself and was separated from Page. Magnum T.A. also broke the news to Page that his managing duties were no longer needed because the office felt Page was overshadowing the wrestlers. Magnum told Page he should have been a wrestler. That night Page convinced himself to give it a shot because at the time he was just a fourth string announcer with Eric Bischoff.

Actually, how they became announcers together is an interesting story. Page's shoot said:

Dusty Rhodes told the booking committee that Jim Herd was bringing in Eric Bischoff to replace Lance Russell. Rhodes told Page, who was Russell's partner, "If you like ‘em (Bischoff), help him out. If he's an asshole, bury him. I don't care." When Bischoff heard he would be trying out with Page he figured he was screwed, and at the time Bischoff desperately needed a job as his wife had become pregnant. Bischoff showed up with a different look than his AWA days (the jet black hair, which is now gone) and he and Page quickly did a taping. Page realized that Bischoff didn't know many of the wrestling moves, so Page stopped the taping and explained all of the calls to Bischoff. This was quite a shock to Bischoff, who had to ask Page if he remembered Bischoff from the AWA. Bischoff eventually got the play-by-play job and Page said when Bischoff came back he "knew all the moves."

So it was actually Page who helped Bischoff get his break in WCW and secure his position in the company, not the other way around. Bischoff might not have ever gotten a chance to develop in WCW if not for Page's help. Interesting how people want to only remember what happened in 1997-1999 and not what happened in 1991-1993. There is a whole other level of history that greatly goes ignored.

Anyway, Page started to mull over becoming a professional wrestler and headed to the Power Plant.

I'm a ‘rassler!

In the Power Plant, Page started to transform into Diamond Dallas Page under the tutelage of Jody Hamilton. Although Jake "the Snake" Roberts is often credited as Page's trainer, it was really Jody Hamilton that taught him most of the wrestling that he knows. At the time, the Plant was a fairly empty place. Wrestlers did not come there to practice and it was not the breeding ground for future wrestlers that it would become later. So Page had some pretty exclusive training sessions and got to learn quickly. It was not like he had not previously been in the ring or taken bumps or learned the moves, but he had never put it together in match.

The major hitch? Page was 35 years old! In context, Mick Foley retired from active wrestling when he was 35!!! To say Page was taking the road less traveled would be an understatement. Plenty of wrestlers had retired and become managers and/or announcers, but how many announcers or managers became wrestlers? Trish Stratus comes to mind, but that was ten years later.

Page gets a lot of criticism for being an old man in wrestling. Yet how many people can ever claim they reached the pinnacle of their sport in their later years in life? Perhaps if the Boogeyman goes on to be World Champion he'll be able to surpass the bar DDP has set, but that will be hard. After all, DDP did become a three time… three time… three time WCW Champion.

But as you can imagine, being 35 did not help Page's position in WCW. Most people saw him as a perennial jobber who had a year or two at most in the industry. He began teaming with Scott Hall (as the Diamond Stud). That lasted until Hall was injured and would be on the shelf for the rest of his WCW contract. That injury, though, became a blessing for Page as he was able to take over all of Hall's dates. Without that, Page would have had no bookings at all and absolutely no career.

As the months moved on through 1991 and into 1992, Page began to team with Kevin Nash (as Vinnie Vegas). Yes, the old Diamond Connection was paying off for DDP (he had managed both Hall and Nash in the past) and things seemed to be going pretty decent. PWI even named him Rookie of the Year in 1992.

Of course, he then tour his rotator cuff and Bill Watts fired him from WCW.

Well, that was working out for a while.

For many people, being 35, injured, and fired would be a major setback, but not DDP.

He would not give up, he would make his dream come true.

And that dream would be brought into focus as DDP and wife Kimberley brought a new roommate into their house:

Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

RECESS!

Do you know what the fun part of doing a case for guy whose wrestling career began when he was 35? There is a whole damn lot to cover before that point!

DDP had an amazing and incredible life before his true wrestling boom began, and it is important to understand his sacrifice and work effort. There seems to some underlying idea that DDP came out of nowhere in 1995/1996 and then somehow got an undeserved main event push in 1998/1999. Neither could be further from the truth. We have spent Part 1 showing how the former could not be true, so you can imagine that Part 2 is about showing how DDP deserved his huge push and his title reigns.

When we return it's DDP and WCW's rise to dominance! One topic that will last an issue!

So tune in next week for our self-high-five edition of In Defense of… DDP (Part 2 of 3)!!

Be sure to check out Hidden Highlights in the meantime! Don't forget to send JT and I your Hidden Highlights for RAW, SmackDown!, Heat, Velocity, iMPACT, or any other show you saw this week (that includes house shows and indy events, you know)!

Also, check back to the main page on Friday when I present THE GREAT POSITIVITY DEBATE II: THE REVENGE!!!

Andy Clark takes on Bayani Domingo. Neither are getting plugs now because both of them have not pimped the column yet. I think I'm going to add a category where you can vote me the winner!

Until then, the defense rests!




Know a particular person, event, organization, storyline, etc… in wrestling history that needs a defense? E-mail the One and Only JP at [e-mail], and I'll be glad to hear your case.