Interview Recap - DDP

Posted in Interview Recaps by Jack at 01:26, Jan 21 2006

By Hunter Shull

When DDP joins Jack and The OIB on this edition of In Your
Head, he has just gotten off the phone with a producer who
wants to do some sort of infomercial for DDP?s book, "Yoga
for Regular Guys" (YRG). DDP will believe it when he sees
it, however. Living in Hollywood had taught him that
everything he hears is
"positive BS" until it becomes reality, meaning that it?s
BS, but it?s always positive. That is one of the reasons
Page wrote the book. It was something he could control. For more information visit www.diamonddallaspage.com

DDP then gets into a discussion with the hosts about their
training regimen, saying that most people in the gym don?t
know what they?re doing. DDP states that while riding an
exercise bike or running on a treadmill only keeps your
heart rate up, YRG does much more, increasing flexibility,
energy, and longevity. Page doesn?t lift weights anymore,
except when he works on his knees, he only does YRG. Page
says that his back feels great these days, and right now he
is the strongest he has ever been, except for the times when
he was "gassed to the gills".

This leads into a discussion of the WWE?s new drug testing
policy. Page thinks it?s absolutely legit, and that Vince
will be very strict about it. Page thinks it?s bullshit
that wrestling is singled out, because 70% of the athletes
in every sport are on steroids. This is the fans? fault,
according to Page, because they want to see "freaks", who
run faster and jump higher, and also demand that their
favorites always be there to perform, even if they are in
pain.

Page will wrestle in May, just to show that he still can.
This will take place in Orlando, although not for TNA,
because he wants it to be low profile. He would like to work
with Randy Orton someday though. Before Randy started doing
the RKO, Page called him and told him to start using the
Diamond Cutter. Randy told him he couldn?t do it, but DDP
insisted. DDP puts Randy over as a "really good guy", and
believes that he will get over when he becomes the real
Randy Orton as a babyface. According to DDP, the reason his
own career took off was because Page Falkinburg stopped
trying to be DDP, and DDP became Page Falkinburg.

DDP summarizes his time in the WWF. It was a treat working
with Christian. What bothered him was that he had to earn
his stripes all over again in the WWF. DDP thinks that after
Wrestlemania 18 he would?ve been in the main event picture
eventually but Vince asked him to retire because of his
neck. Vince wanted him to be a commentator, but DDP had
different plans, and quit. DDP points out that he has more
flexibility in his neck now than ever.

When DDP first started wrestling in WCW, he was already
famous because he owned nightclubs, and had to become very
humble when he entered the world of wrestling. DDP says that
a lot of the guys were rough on him in the ring, and notes
Ron Simmons in particular as being very good to him, but
beating the hell out of him when he screwed up a move.
Page?s ambition was never to be the world champion. He
wanted to be in what he calls the ?Rick Rude Spot?,
where the crowd never knows if he is going to win or not.
One day in 1995, Page was talking to Dusty Rhodes on the
phone, and he told Dusty that he didn?t want to be World
Champion. Dusty replied, ?Then why are you doing it??
After he hung up the phone, Page wrote down that one day he
would indeed be champion of the world.

Page relates his memories of the AWA. He says that he got
the job in the AWA because Paul E. went to the NWA and the
AWA no longer had anybody who could talk. He enjoyed working
with Ray Stevens. He tells the story of how the Samoan Swat
Team beat up a local jobber team all the way into the locker
room after a match because the jobbers no sold the finish
and celebrated after the match. His favorite memory of
Superclash 3 was Kerry Von Erich getting his boot pulled
off.

DDP tells the story of how he got his job with Florida
Championship Wrestling, including his first meeting with
Dusty. After that meeting Mike Graham called him and asked
him to do a promo over the phone for Dusty, and even though
DDP had strep throat, he did such a good job on the promo
that Dusty thought it was a recording. DDP didn?t know a
thing about wrestling when he became a commentator, but
learned a great deal by working with Gordon Solie. After
Jesse Ventura left the WWF, DDP got a tryout, and impressed
Lord Al Hayes with his play-by-play ability.

DDP then discusses the Jay-Z lawsuit. DDP has a lot of
respect for Jay-Z and didn?t want to sue him, but rather
to have worked out a licensing agreement with him. He
thought it was cool that Jay-Z was a fan of his and was
doing the diamond cutter sign, but when he saw LeBron James
do the symbol at a basketball game, he was told that James
was doing it for Jay-Z. DDP says that he has the hand signal
trademarked, which means that it can only be identified with
him. When Jay-Z told Page "That?s MY sign", that is what
Page had a problem with. Page also says that Jay-Z?s
lawyer treated him like a jabroni.

Page lists all of the movies he has been involved in during
the past year, including "Jack?s Law", and Snoop Dogg?s
"Hoods of Horror" which was a lot of fun.

Steve Austin is not Page?s roommate anymore. One of the
hosts says that they should?ve made a reality show out of
that. Page replies jokingly that Austin?s life is too
scary to be made into a reality show.

All of this and much more were discussed in this hour-long
interview, including DDP?s thoughts on Raven, and a lot
more info on his book, "Yoga for Regular Guys". The
interview is available for download at
www.inyourheadonline.com and www.audiowrestling.com.