On a recent edition of his “The ARN Show” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson discussed Diamond Dallas Page working in WCW as a manager, his gimmick, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On DDP’s early career as a manager: “Yeah, he had some good talent to manage, for sure. Diamond Stud was — you know, the one thing that we lacked in was, like when Vince got a hold of Scott Hall, he immediately turned him into a must-see character. We as WCW, as a company, didn’t have the know-how yet to build star characters. And that was the really big difference. Vince could build characters, and he made him a must-see. That was the one advantage that he really had. And you know, Page — you got to look at certain things. Page is, you know, he wore cowboy boots out there, and he was already probably 6’3, 6’4 maybe 6’6. You got to be careful that he wasn’t bigger than the guy he was managing. But he had that smarmy manager thing that you know, Diamond Dallas Page, he was a strip club guy. That was the character, managing the strip joints. So that was the first impression, not knowing that he would have become a wrestler after that.”
On DDP being committed: “Well, he made it work. You know, he hung in there, he worked hard. He had some good guys to work with who were willing to, you know, shine him up. And that’s what you have, that’s what you do in our business. You go out and, ‘If that’s the guy you’re gonna go with, I’ll make him look like a trillion bucks.”
On his thoughts on DDP’s work: “I got along with him fine. He was just different. He had his own style, you know. It was not something that I would say or do, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t about me. It was about him.”
On DDP’s early gimmick: “Probably could lose the cigar. I don’t know how that fit on an interest. And I don’t know, whatever else. You know, he had on the sunglasses in the wild outfit and the whole shooting match.”
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Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) is a well-known name in the world of professional wrestling. He had a successful career in WCW (World Championship Wrestling) as both a manager and a wrestler. In a recent episode of his podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson discussed DDP’s early career as a manager, his gimmick, and more.
According to Anderson, DDP had the opportunity to manage some talented wrestlers during his time in WCW. However, he believes that WCW lacked the ability to build star characters like Vince McMahon’s WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). Anderson pointed out that when Vince McMahon got a hold of Scott Hall (who was known as Diamond Stud in WCW), he immediately turned him into a must-see character. This was something that WCW struggled with.
Anderson also mentioned that DDP had a unique character as a manager. He described him as a “smarmy” manager with a background in managing strip joints. DDP’s first impression on the audience was that of a strip club guy. Little did they know that he would later become a wrestler himself.
Despite the challenges, DDP was committed to making it work. He worked hard and had the opportunity to work with talented wrestlers who were willing to make him look like a star. In the wrestling business, it is common for wrestlers to help elevate their opponents and make them look good in the ring.
Anderson had no issues working with DDP and acknowledged that he had his own style. While it may not have been something Anderson would say or do, he recognized that it wasn’t about him but about DDP and his character.
When discussing DDP’s early gimmick, Anderson suggested that he could have done without the cigar and some of the wild outfits. However, gimmicks are an essential part of professional wrestling, and sometimes they evolve over time.
Overall, DDP’s early career as a manager in WCW had its challenges, but he persevered and eventually became a successful wrestler in his own right. His commitment and hard work paid off, and he left a lasting impact on the wrestling industry.
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