What made DDP great? (DDP appreciation thread)

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

With his DDP yoga making it pretty big and him being back in the dirt sheet limelight a little bit, I started watching a lot of his matches. (PS. since starting ddp yoga and going "caveman", Chris Jericho looks the best he's EVER looked at 40).

The man's work is downright impressive. He went from manager, to jobber, to lower mid card, to upper mid card to main event. He is the epitome of "student of the game". His career as a wrestler only started at 35, and really, that probably benefited him because he had the maturity for a level head.

I remember at 10 years old being disgruntled because Bret Hart my childhood hero went to WCW and was kind of just there and also was just another nWo jabroni pretty quickly. However, there was something about DDP that really clicked with me, moreso than the rest. He really channeled who he was into his character and he was so damned polished by '97-'98. The diamond cutter could come from anywhere, and the fluidity of his matches was something special. He would often be involved in what felt like "epic" matches, with greats like Guerrero and Benoit, and getting the best match out of Goldberg anyone ever had.

For me, watching him now in his prime as a worker, he had a very realistic looking style. It was hard hitting. hard nosed and "workman like". Essentially he was able to wrestle as his personality, the same as the Rock. He also legitimately would watch tape of his matches so he could keep getting better.

I think the best match I've seen him had was with Sting in 1999 on Nitro. It showed how far he had come, and he himself even said, Michael Hayes called him (while working with the WWF) and congratulated him on the performance. The match is a spectacle, and a real dog fight. There is this "special" feeling to the match, it is legit red hot from beginning to end. This special feel lacks in 99% of wrestling today and is why I love watching his old work.

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Post why you loved (or hated) DDP and some favourite (or not some favourite) moments. IMO a great and under rated performer of the late 90s.

[Swiss Ultimate]

DDP had fucking great energy was fun on the mic and fun in the ring. Loved the fuck out of DDP. Remember being way into ECW during that time and DDP being the only thing I liked off WCW for a while.

Would love to hang out with that dude.

[Triple Naitch]

DDP is one of my all time favorites. Charisma out the ass. I marked out every time he busted out the Diamond Cutter from nowhere.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Yeah his energy was immense. All his matches had this sense of urgency to them. So intense on the reg.

[whiteyford]

His three way feud over the US title with Benoit and Raven is still some of my favourite stuff from all of WCW

[Rammsteinmad]

I remember marking out like fucking crazy when DDP won the title at Spring Stampede, and then mad hating him when he turned heel shortly after. Was such a mark. :roll:

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

that just shows how good he was though.

[Mercury Bullet]

He could play heel or face, there wasn't any one thing he was spectacular at but he was versatile and good at everything. His ring work was good, mic work was good, etc. The guy just knew how to work and had great energy.

[DLVH84]

He is one of the very few wrestlers that debuted late in life (he started wrestling at 35 after 3 years managing and commentating) and became one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. Great work ethic, always wanted to learn, earned his way up the right way (starting from the very bottom on up).

[CSL]

the Diamond Cutter

[CSL]

don't think he'd have been half as over without it, the out of nowhere schtick was "a stroke of genius"

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

This is true. However, that was all him. He got the diamond cutter over.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Savage vs Page at Spring Stampede '97 was pretty badass. The place went buckshit when he hit the diamond cutter. Made him a major player. Page is ever thankful to the Macho Man.

[Rollermacka]

DDP just had "it" to me. He wasn't the tallest or the biggest, but he was one of those few guys who was just as good on the mic as he was in the ring (and I mean that in a good way) Plus, him hitting the Diamond Cutter from anywhere at anytime is still awesome to me even to this day. He's one of the few wrestlers talented enough to get a good match out of Goldberg in WCW


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[MoFo]

Never cared about him apart from that stalker stuff, thought that was pretty fucking brilliant tbh, especially 'the reveal' when he came out on the bike.

[Dukelorange]

You want to know how over he was? On WCW NWO Revenge, this dude had 3 VERSIONS OF THE DIAMOND CUTTER IN THE DANG GAME...


And I marked out on each one....

[Nicky Fives]

the "it factor" for sure...... he didn't have the best body, nor was he the best talker, nor was he the best in the ring, but he had "it"......

[DaveBrawl]

Loved DDP. Like Newstead, I started watching WCW when Bret signed on, but as he started appearing less frequently DDP became the big reason I stuck with WCW for the rest of the ride. He was just fun to watch and could keep you interested in whatever he was doing.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Yeah everything DDP was involved with seemed like a big deal... and it wasn't because the booking team particularly had his back. It was because he was so damned good and gave his all to make his feuds work, so the viewer was totally invested and involved.

He also had that Jake the Snake like quality where it didn't matter if he won or lost. He always maintained credibility.

[Tom Guycott]

He could play heel or face, there wasn't any one thing he was spectacular at but he was versatile and good at everything. His ring work was good, mic work was good, etc. The guy just knew how to work and had great energy.

the "it factor" for sure...... he didn't have the best body, nor was he the best talker, nor was he the best in the ring, but he had "it"......

Three other things he had going for him:

1) His age. As much as everyone talks about it being "a young man's game", DDP got a VERY late start to his wrestling career. Aided in both his "underdog" and his "everyman" status.

2) His gimmick in and of itself was more or less just "a guy living the dream". Even his ring attire looked like something he'd just be hanging out at the bar in. He had a persona that was easy to work with as a face or a heel. While face, he personified the "everyman" without it being a played up idea of the "everyman" like Austin was. When heel, he wasn't over the top, just some douchebag that's relatable to anyone who knows a douchebag, which is everyone.. Hell, the whole Jersey Triad thing was just "We're three guys from New Jersey & that makes us cool... so fuck you!" years before anything resembling Jersey Shore was on TV. In a business that's pretty much about being a god among men, he was more of a demi-god. He was attainable. If DDP walked into your job, it would be less "OMFG!! IT'S DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE!! OH SHIT!! WHAT SHOULD I SAY?!?!" and more "Oh, hey, it's DDP! What's up, bro? Wanna grab a beer?" That was the kind of appeal he had across the board. Pure magic.

3) The perpetual taped ribs. I'm serious, he not only made that a thing like other people tape their wrists, but it also played into the "underdog" deal his age did. Taped abs = injury, and he was always "in danger of severe, career threatening injury" just by rocking the taped ribs.

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/658/157/ddp_display_image.jpg?1295722268
And also, yes, the muthafuckin' Diamond Cutter.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Yeah the taped ribs really did work as well. As he got better, he kept learning how to add little gimmicks to make himself better. Nothing over the top though. When he started he was so over the top. Apparently Savage had a convo with him about psychology and was like "tone it down a bit" and he did, and from there we got about a million different diamond cutters and great feuds.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Oh and also, for those who said he didn't have the best body. If you watch his progression, by about mid-late '98 all the way to the end of his career, and obviously still now since he is a fitness guru he was pretty shredded. Before that not so much. I mean he was in decent shape, but just before his first world title run, he was pretty diesel. Just showed how much work he was putting in.

[BigCrippyZ]

Pretty much what everyone else here has already said. Loved DDP. He was always one of my favorite guys consistently in WCW over the years.

Always loved the Diamond Cutter, especially the unpredictable ones.

The taped ribs were awesome. They were just something different that he added to his character/storylines, AND he pulled them off SO well. He always made them seem legit and not forced or gimmicky, not too mention they made him look like a tough badass.

Thinking about DDP is reminding me of how I would sign and bring him into WWE from WCW back in my Extreme Warfare/Promotion Wars playing days. Always gave him a World title run in WWE too at some point in the game.

Sadly, I felt like he wasn't used correctly in WWE in reality. I always felt like he deserved and was good enough for at least one World title run with the #1 company. Definitely had the "it" factor, and the talent and overness of a solid main eventer, both as a face or heel.

[Tom Guycott]

His build was another thing. He wasn't a freakishly muscular monster, but he wasn't scrawny or flabby either. Another part of looking like the afore mentioned "everyman" was the fact that he DIDN'T look like he was chistled out of marble. He was put together like a guy who went to the gym regularly without "living there" and/or cycling 'roids and hormones. He didn't "look the shit" by wrestling standards, but still didn't look out of place against guys like Goldberg and Steiner.

Again, believability. People who go to the gym and work out by and large look less like HHH and more like DDP.

[James Steele]

He is one of the very few wrestlers that debuted late in life (he started wrestling at 35 after 3 years managing and commentating) and became one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. Great work ethic, always wanted to learn, earned his way up the right way (starting from the very bottom on up).


Oh shut the fuck up, you twat.

[Tom Guycott]

He is one of the very few wrestlers that debuted late in life (he started wrestling at 35 after 3 years managing and commentating) and became one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. Great work ethic, always wanted to learn, earned his way up the right way (starting from the very bottom on up).

Oh shut the fuck up, you twat.

PEACEKEEPING GESTURE!

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[Ol Dirty Dastard]

DDP hearts HHH.

Also, seriously, watch the DDP vs Sting match I posted. Can't believe it was JUST on a Nitro. In 1999 it's crazy how polished Page was. That is one of the most physical as well as crisp matches I've seen. You can also tell he learnt some #heeltactics from @BretHart.

[James Steele]

I posted about DDP awhile back, but I was a huge DDP mark back in the day and still am. He should have beaten Goldberg at Halloween Havoc 98, but WCW didn't pull the trigger until Spring Stampede 99 and failed to take advantage of how over DDP was. WCW only used DDP has 2nd fiddle to a celebrity in a tag match against Hogan or as a slimeball heel once he won the title.

[Rammsteinmad]

Yeah, from what I can remember, none of his title reigns were really that good.

[Corporate CockSnogger]

I've got a DDP talking action figure somewhere.

[redoneja]

DDP hearts HHH.

Also, seriously, watch the DDP vs Sting match I posted. Can't believe it was JUST on a Nitro. In 1999 it's crazy how polished Page was. That is one of the most physical as well as crisp matches I've seen. You can also tell he learnt some #heeltactics from @BretHart.

Agreed, it was a hell of a match. Forgot how hot the crowds could be for a Nitro at this point in time, even though WWF had taken the lead in the ratings and WCW had just suffered the effects of the Goldberg vs nWo storyline being botched due to everyone getting injured.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Yeah he tells the story of his match with Goldberg and Dusty wanted him to go over Bill, because DDP was THE GUY at the time. However Bischoff didn't see it that way, and in all fairness, Goldberg was a phenomenon so it didn't come to fruition. I think a babyface title run when Page was red hot would have been INSANE.

However, he was a guy who didn't need a belt to be over, ala Jake Roberts and Roddy Piper. Just being DDP was good enough.

[James Steele]

Even better would have been to have him lose to Goldberg, and DDP vows to win World War III and he will beat Goldberg at the grandest event in wrestling...STARRCADE! They do Goldberg/DDP II at Starrcade 98 and DDP ends the streak and wins the world title at Starrcade.

[James Steele]

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[James Steele]

I think an argument could be made that DDP was at this time was the hottest thing in wrestling barring Steve Austin and Goldberg. WCW didn't have a fucking clue what to do with Goldberg after The Streak, so they missed an opportunity to take DDP to the next level.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

His upcoming action figure doesn't have taped ribs? It also doesn't even look like him. #areyouseriousbro?

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[RiX1024]

Always been a fan of DDP, the thing that made him great was the fact the fans believed in him and loved his Self High Five theme.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Even better would have been to have him lose to Goldberg, and DDP vows to win World War III and he will beat Goldberg at the grandest event in wrestling...STARRCADE! They do Goldberg/DDP II at Starrcade 98 and DDP ends the streak and wins the world title at Starrcade.

and maybe...maybe...maybe... that would have been the time to turn him heel. Probably not, but imagine he won the title via viciously cheating (with no help, just being a dick)

Tho I think a babyface run probably would have been a better idea.

[Sepholio]

It's the smile. He somehow developed mind control that made anyone who looks at him smile for more than a split second fall in love with him. Seriously.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Didn't DDP have an edited version Schools out as a theme song before getting Smells like teen spirit?

[Emperor Smeat]

I liked how the Diamond Cutter became an unpredictable move with how it could be pulled off from almost any spot or even during a counter/reverse. The pop he got from the crowd when he reversed Goldberg's Jackhammer into the cutter was amazing.

His character also managed to gradually evolve from the smug rich guy similar to the Million Dollar Man into a guy who lost everything and then into a humble person who the crowd could relate to.

Biggest misuse WCW did was not taking advantage of his popularity a lot sooner while the WWE didn't even bother having a feud with the Rock to see who got to be the real "People's Champion."

[ReallyCool]

DDP was good cuz he had the diamond cutta and he would hit it outta nowhere and win tmatches. too bad he did'nt win Goldber tho

[DLVH84]

Didn't DDP have an edited version Schools out as a theme song before getting Smells like teen spirit?

Yes, he used it between 1991 and 1996 (including his tag team with Kevin Nash), until losing a loser leaves WCW match to The Booty Man at Uncensored. He would use the Self High Five theme after he was reinstated that May before Slamboree.