Diamond Dallas Page instantly became one of WWE’s biggest what-ifs upon his arrival in the company in 2001.
A three-time WCW World Champion, Page was one of WCW’s biggest stars and most valuable assets throughout the 1990s. When WWE eventually absorbed its rival promotion, the pro-wrestling community eagerly awaited the crossover scenarios that were seemingly set to ensue, including the appearance of “DDP” on WWE television. However, even 24 years after the infamous WCW invasion angle and merging of the rosters, Page believes he may have dug his own WWE grave by hugging Vince McMahon.
“People thought, ‘Oh God, he thinks because he hugged Vince, he did start doing it.’ No, He did,” Page said of the then-WWE chairman and the infamous storyline McMahon attached to Page upon his arrival.
“I would love to ask him [if that was really the reason], because I have never gotten a real conversation past the beginning with Vince. I don’t really know Vince. But when I got [to WWE for my introduction to McMahon], it took so long to get there because of the traffic and everything, for me and [then-wife] Kim it took so long to get there that I was like three hours late, two hours or something like that. And when I walk in, Vince, of course, sticks out his hand. I go, ‘I’m not shaking your hand, bro. I’ve waited my whole life to meet you. I’m hugging you.’ First thing. And how many hugs did he do after that?”
Page, 69, infamously made his WWE debut with a reveal unlike any other. Rather than blindsiding a wrestler with a surprise attack, the WCW fan-favorite became part of an ongoing story that involved The Undertaker.
Unfortunately for Page, in the storyline, he played the role of a stalker of Undertaker’s then-wife, Sara. Page said McMahon pitched the angle with Page’s own wife standing in the very same room.
Outside of a stint with the European Championship, Page’s WWE run effectively ended where it started, and his optimism in its success was limited.
“If I was in WCW, if they told me that bulls*** angle, I’d go, ‘F*** you,'” Page said. “Seriously? I’m going to be stalking somebody else’s wife? If I would have thought that was actually [it] I didn’t realize, because there was no reason for me to think that they were going to not even give me an opportunity.
“[The Undertaker told me since then] that I’ve had some fans who are really pissed off at me because they think I was trying to ruin your career. And we had such an amazing moment up to then, and I could see Mark Callaway just going, ‘Don’t they realize, I’m not the booker. This is not me, this is not me.’ And I just reach across his arm and I put my hand on him and I said, ‘Take, we’re good, bro.'”
Just one year after his arrival in the company, Page left WWE after retiring from a neck injury, only to make a brief comeback under the TNA banner from 2004-05.
Ultimately, Page said he turned his poor experience in WWE into a life lesson. He’s managed to flourish in life after wrestling, becoming a fitness guru of sorts with his famed DDP Yoga. So had things not played out how they did between him and McMahon’s WWE, Page isn’t certain where he’d be today.
“Would I have loved to have a real run with [The Undertaker] later? I would have loved that,” Page said. Would have loved to have had a real round with ‘People’s Champ’ [The Rock] vs. ‘People’s Champ’? Absolutely. But the thing that it taught me was you can’t be afraid to walk away from the table when you have something that you know they want. What I should have done, when [McMahon] said [the angle], I should have just done my inner voice, which would have laughed out loud and said, ‘Vince, are you looking at my wife? Seriously?’ And of all people, I’m going to go after ‘Taker’s wife? Like, no!
“I can’t tell you how many deals I almost went in on [after that] and then didn’t do it [because of what I learned]. I left $487,000 on the table from WCW. [WWE] weren’t going to let you in [after the merger] unless you took a 50% [pay cut], and you had to wait. And it was just a play. But I had also a lawsuit with them on gimmicks like that they never were paying us for. And so I had to let go of that and they gave me 70% of my money. So I left $487,000 on that table, man. It was a lesson, I won’t make the [same] mistake again. I’m doing fine now.”