DDP's original debut idea

[PHX]

Diamond Dallas Page recently took part in an interview with The Fight Club Chicago radio show. Here is an excerpt from the interview where Page talks about his only regret in wrestling was his idea for his WWE debut involving The Rock that he never pushed for, and instead took the stalker angle angle with The Undertaker.

"I figured out how I'm gonna go show up in the WWF when I finally go there," said Page, regarding the proposed angle. "[WWE is] gonna turn off all the lights and everybody's gonna think it's gonna be Jericho. But it's gonna go 10 seconds, 20 seconds, still no lights. JR goes, 'hold on we got a problem here, just hang with us.' Then you hear my voice for the first time in a WWF arena, [saying] 'whose the real people's champion?' The spotlight hits me and I go, 'Your lookin at him.'

"The place pops, yells, boos, cheers, whatever. I do the diamond cutter sign, boom! Big explosion. I go to the ring and I start busting The Rock's chops. He can be hurt, maybe he's doing a movie or something. The Rock wasn't in a movie spot at that point, but that's where my head was going. I was literally seeing my destiny. If I would have stayed the course. When I got there to do the stalker thing, Vince [McMahon] and Shane [McMahon] really wanted me to do that. I didn't want to do that, but I agreed to that. But, I gave them this idea that I just gave you, not as this is what I want to do, because this is why I can deliver the goods, [but] because it's gonna be awesome. [I should have said] If you don't want to do this, fine I'm outta here. But I didn't do that. And that was my first goal that I ever really, totally had the whole manifestation. The whole thing right there and I dropped the ball."

That would have been a hell of a lot better than what he ended up doing and could have made for a great feud. Jericho's debut was amazing but he kind of got his thunder stolen by Rock so would have been better for him to have done it against someone else anyways.

 

[SAIYANS]

He would have been laughed out the building challenging Rock. No one took him serious as a threat to Taker or Kane, same for Booker. Time Warner really fucked the invasion by keeping the real main eventers under contract

 

[PHX]

He wasn't taken seriously in that situation because the situation was too silly to take seriously. I mean if Chris Jericho who was pretty much a jobber in WCW can get a huge reaction showing up in WWE I'm sure DDP would have did fine.

 

[SAIYANS]

Yeah but WCW was so weak in 2000 and 2001 star and story wise. Their only credible guy was Steiner IMO as they really found a way to fuck up Goldberg, Jarrett, Hogan, Nash, Sting, and others in months. It was horrible to watch what Russo did them all.

 

[Vivido]

The place would of erupted if DDP had tried this, although I have a feeling Rocky would of just ripped him apart. Plus even if this had worked it probably would of resulted in DDP using the People Champ tag, dunno how Rock would of taken that. Although I guess they would of just done what Jericho and Punk are currently doing with best in the world thing.

Sounds a hell of alot better than making him look like a crazy man stalking Takers wife.

 

[SAIYANS]

Looking back, WWE should have just went with Linda's idea from day 1. Let WCW take over SD, let WWF keep Raw and Heat. So many careers could have been saved as could credibility without that half assed Alliance which needed WWF names as headliners because Warner had the stars locked up still

 

[Troy]

Anything would have been better than the stalker angle. I highly doubt that DDP would have received a reaction even close to what Jericho got, Jericho was more well known plus at the time Jericho moved the Monday Night Wars were still going and so wrestling was hotter. In the end Rock would have burried him on the mic and he still wouldn't have been pushed as a maineventer.

 

[Vivido]

How was Jericho more known than DDP? DDP was one of WCWs top faces, Jericho was stuck in the cruiserweight division, sure Jericho was better, but he wasn't in the ME like DDP was.

 

[Troy]

WCW in 1999 was a massive company that was going toe to toe with WWF and WCW switching over to WWF was a massive deal. Most fans at that time knew both companies and so would have know about Jericho. WCW in 2001 was nothing and a lot fewer people followed it, most of the people at WWF shows at that time would have followed just WWF after WCW went completely downhill. DDP moved across at a time when WCW stars showing up on WWF television didn't mean anywhere near as much as it did back in 1999. In 2001 a name like Sting, Flair or Goldberg coming across would have been huge and got a massive reaction, DDP wasn't close to that level. If DDP moved in 1999 maybe it would have been a different story but in 2001 it didn't mean as much.

 

[Vivido]

Hmm good point, but if it had being DDP in Jerichos place at that time people would of known who Page was over Jericho.

Both great performers.

 

[Troy]

I agree, if the roles were switched people would have known DDP more since he was around the mainevent in WCW at that time. They are both great performers but Jericho simply moved at the right time.

 

[Darth Shizzel]

I don't think it would have made a difference look at how Vince has treated almost every WCW and ECW star when they came in

Scott Steiner was Triple H's bitch and then went into a feud with Test, got turned into a jobber and being a whipping boy for Stone Cold and Goldberg.

Booker T first arrived he was Stone Cold's bitch then he was Rock's bitch and then he was Triple H's bitch though that was more Triple H then Vince's fault and never became world champion again until 2006 and it was a weak title reign as well full of DQ's and count out victories.

Goldberg started off well with the Rock and then struggled against Triple H of all people who not too long ago was getting tossed around by Kane and needed Evolutions help but no Goldberg was struggling to put him away.

RVD this guy fucked himself more so then WWE fucked him.

Tazz forced to lose the ECW title to Triple H.

Rhino could've been one of the best monster heels or faces in the company billed as the last ECW champion he had the skills and intensity to be an uppermidcarder but ended up being a jobber.


However there are several stars that did a lot of time in WCW that did very well for themselves

Eddie Guerro
Chris Benoit
Chris Jericho
Rey Mysterio
Big Show
Stone Cold Steve Austin

 

[Vivido]

Meh Booker got a pretty decent run and tbh Goldberg was pretty much done by the time he came over and Steiners never being that great, I wouldn't of ever pushed him any futher than the midcard in WWE if I was booking.

 

[Troy]

However there are several stars that did a lot of time in WCW that did very well for themselves

Eddie Guerro
Chris Benoit
Chris Jericho
Rey Mysterio
Big Show
Stone Cold Steve Austin

You are making my point for me. Anyone that moved from WCW/ECW to WWE in 2001 when WWE bought those companies was buried. Vince had everything and so he didn't care if he wasted their top talent. Every person you listed moved before the Invasion other than Mysterio. Stone Cold moved many years earlier and the other five moved in 99 during the height of the Monday Night Wars. Rey Mysterio is a different case because he waited a full year, once the Invasion storyline was over, before joining WWE. All these guys moved to WWE at opportune times, anyone that moved across simply because WCW closed was buried.

 

[John McHenry]

What I love about this is that he says blantantly that he wanted to copy Jericho. Why what makes him think that would work we saw Jericho do it why would we want to see him do it?