DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE BIO

Starting his career as a manager in the American Wrestling Association in the late '80s, Diamond Dallas Page made his first WWE appearance in 1990 when he drove The Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine to the ring in his pink Cadillac at WrestleMania VI. This would be DDP's last appearance with WWE for over a decade, however, as he was a manager of World Tag Team Champions in the AWA (Badd Company) and then WCW (The Fabulous Freebird). Quickly, the talented talker built a larger stable known as The Diamond Mine, which included The Diamond Dolls and The Diamond Studd (Scott Hall). That same year, at the unthinkable age of 35, Page began to compete in the ring, experiencing little success at first. In 1994, Page left managing completely behind and began wrestling full time. With a newfound focus, the New Jersey-native started to chalk up victories thanks to his Diamond Cutter finishing maneuver and won the WCW Television Championship from Renegade at Fall Brawl in 1995. Page's talent and popularity continued to grow, hitting its peak in 1997 when he stood up to the despised New World Order, a villainous faction led by "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash that was looking to take down WCW. Now one of the most beloved figures in WCW, DDP battled the NWO week in and week out to big ratings and packed houses. By 1998, WCW's Monday Nitro was among the most-watched shows on cable and Page was one of its biggest stars. This newfound celebrity gave DDP the opportunity to compete in some unique, high-profile matches, including teaming with NBA legend Karl Malone and talk show host Jay Leno on separate occasions. Page's success in WCW included winning the the World Television Championship, two United States Championships, three World Heavyweight Championships and four World Tag Team Championships. Page continued to be a major player in WCW up until the company was purchased by Mr. McMahon in 2001. That same year, DDP debuted in WWE and attempted to make an immediate impact by setting his sights on The Undertaker. While his determination can be appreciated, the former WCW Champion's plan to take out The Deadman did not go well, as he was defeated by The Demon from Death Valley on multiple occasions. The following year, Page changed his tune and adopted the persona of a motivational speaker. With the catchphrase, "That's not a bad thing, that's a good thing," DDP's irritatingly positive attitude drew the ire of the WWE Universe. It also drew him some success, as he defeated Christian for the European Championship in 2002. Later that year, DDP retired from full-time competition. This wouldn't be the last that the WWE Universe saw of DPP. On July 2, 2012, Page made an appearance on Raw, where he hit a Diamond Cutter on Heath Slater. He also appeared at Raw 1000, accompanied by other WWE Legends during Slater's match with Lita. On January 6, 2014, Page again appeared on Raw along with a number of other legends as part of the show's "Old School" theme. On April 5, 2014, an emotional Page inducted his wrestling mentor, Jake "The Snake" Roberts into the WWE Hall of Fame. As a result of using yoga to rehabilitate what he thought was a career-ending 1998 back injury in WCW, Page started developing DDP YOGA in 2005. On February 21, 2014, Page appeared on the ABC television series Shark Tank where he declined to sell a 5% share in DDP YOGA for $200,000. He had hoped to use the money to develop a mobile app. The investors believed the company's 2013 profits of $800,000 would decline in future years. Page later said he sold more than $1 million worth of product in the first six days after his appearance and used the revenues to build the DDP YOGA Performance Center in Smyrna, Georgia and develop the DDP NOW mobile app. Always one to keep people guessing, Diamond Dallas Page made a surprise return in the 2015 Royal Rumble Match to the delight of the WWE Universe. DDP proved he could still compete with a "BANG!" by executing a number of Diamond Cutters before being eliminated. One year later, at WrestleMania 32, the master of the Diamond Cutter showed up to take part in another over-the-top-rope melee: the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. In 2017, DDP is capping off an incredible career by receving sports-entertainment's ultimate honor - induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.