Page Falkenberg (born April 5, 1956 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey) is an American professional wrestler under the name Diamond Dallas Page (or, DDP for short); the name on his current SAG and AFTRA cards is Dallas Page.

Early career

One Page's earliest wrestling appearences was at WrestleMania VI, where he drove the Honky Tonk Man and his band to the ring.

Page began as a manager, and then as a colour commentator before finally debuting as a professional wrestler.

Wrestling career

Page's career really took off in 1997. As part of the hot nWo storyline, Page began a feud with the nWo's Macho Man Randy Savage. On an episode of Monday Nitro, Savage, aided by fellow nWo memebrs Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, attacked DDP and sprayed "nWo" on his back. A few weeks later at WCW pay per view Uncensored , Savage and Miss Elizabeth revealed to the world that Page and Nitro Girl Kimberly, were in fact married. Savage then proceded to beat up Page, ensuring a future match between the two.

Page vs. the nWo

At Spring Stampede 1997, Page and Savage battled in a memorable match where Page emerged victorious, but it was the not the end of conflict between the two. A few months later at The Great American Bash, they squared off again in what was dubbed "Savage-Page II." This match was far more brutal than their first encounter, and ended with Savage defeating Page with help from (then) Tag Team Champion Scott Hall. Savage and Page would continue their rivalry from there on. Page even dressed up as masked wrestler La Parka and beat Savage. Around this time, Page also started fighting nWo leader Hollywood Hogan. Page and Savage battled for the last time at Halloween Havoc . Again, it was "weapons" match, and the two put on another excellent show. The match ended when Hogan, dressed as Sting, came out and hit Page with a baseball bat. Page won by DQ.

On an episode of Nitro after Halloween Havoc, Page fought Hogan, but was beaten down by the nWo.

The People's Champion

At StarrCade 1997, Page lifted the US Heavyweight Championship from Curt Hennig. This capped off what had been a great year for Page, he was voted WCW Magazine's "Wrestler of the Year," for 1997.

In 1998 Page took on the likes of Chris Benoit and Raven. Classic matches, such as the triple-threat US title match which took place at Uncensored 1998 and his walks through the crowd before and after matches solidified Page's reputation as the "People's Champion," a phrase that now bears more in common with The Rock.

Page tagged with Karl Malone during this time. The two tagged at Bash At The Beach 1998, where they faced Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Dennis Rodman. Later on, Page tagged with chat show host Jay Leno at Road Wild 1998, where they defeated Hogan and Eric Bischoff.

At Fall Brawl 1998, Page won the War Games, and got a World title shot against Goldberg at Halloween Havoc. Page did not get the belt, but his presence in the World title scene was now certified.

Page finally became World Champion in April 1999 at Spring Stampede when he defeated Sting, Hogan, and Ric Flair in a 4-way dance for the title. This match was ironic for Page, as it featured Randy Savage as the special-guest referee, and also saw Hogan eliminated early when Page seriously damaged Hogan's leg with a submission hold.

Page was finally champion, but his reign did not last long, as he lost it to Sting on an edition of Nitro the same month.

Second title reign

As 1999 drew on, Page changed his look, and turned heel. Along with Chris Kanyon and Bam Bam Bigelow , he formed the Triad, and won his second world title during this time.

In 2000, with WCW under new control, Page earned a shot at the vacant world title. He would get his shot at Spring Stampede, the same event where 1 year prior he won the title for the very first time. His opponent would be ex-nWo member, Jeff Jarrett. In a surprise twist, Page's wife Kimberly turned on Page and helped Jarret become the new world champion.

Page took some time off shortly after this, but returned in late 2000 as a full time wrestler.

WWE Career

2001 saw WCW being purchased by WWF owner Vince McMahon. Page was one of the few major WCW stars to sign with McMahon, but despite this, he ended up being part of what many fans considered to be bad angles, which led to him being voted WWF Magazine's "Most Misused Talent" of 2001. This could be no closer from the truth, as Page went from People's Champion to crazed stalker, to smiling man, in less than a year.

Page was originally brought in as the man revealed to be the stalker of Undertaker's wife. He was the first WCW wrestler brought in as a heel during the WCW Invasion storyline and eventually paved way for the entire WCW roster to turn heel as well. The angle with Undertaker did little except injure Page's credibility, being destroyed by the Undertaker in several in-ring encounters.

Page would eventually switch gimmicks and become a pseudo-motivational speaker, in what would come to be known as his "Positively Page" character. Based loosely on his motivational memoir of the same name published during his WCW days, the character involved Page constantly smiling and acting optimistic, with his trademark phrase "That's not a bad thing, that's a good thing."

In early 2002, Page became European Champion. At WrestleMania X8, he defeated Christian, a former follower of his positive "philosophy" and retained the title. Despite the moderate amount of success the character was met with, the new gimmick left a sour taste amongst longtime fans of his, who fondly remembered Page for his furious battles with the nWo and his Steve Austin-style character. Fans were not keen on Page's "Positively Page" character.

In 2002, at the age of 46, and with nagging injuries, including a neck injury, Page decided to retire. He later came back to TNA

Legacy

Diamond Dallas Page was one of the few WCW wrestlers to have made a name for himself in WCW, as the likes of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage had made their names in the WWF. Page was the first People's Champion, and reflected the type of character wrestling fans had come to adore during the nWo-WWF Attitude era.

Page's character felt real, and fans loved his brash, trash-talking attitude, which earned him the respect of many fans. Page's brief stay in the WWF/WWE has been seen by some as poorly managed. His WCW character was pushed aside in favour of angles which fans were never keen on.

Page was somewhat of a milestone for WCW, as he proved that WCW was capable of making its own stars, and capable of pushing them, although his first reign as world champion came at a time when the WCW was losing ground to the WWF.

Diamond Dallas Page recently returned to ring, working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Finishing maneuver/Trademark moves

• Diamond Cutter
• Diamond cutter symbol - a hand gesture made by using the thumbs and index fingers on both hands to form a diamond shape, then parting the two hands with one swift motion

Trademark quotes

• "BANG!"
• "That's not a bad thing, that's a good thing."

Championships

• 3-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
• 1-time WWE European Champion
• 1-time WWE World Tag Team Champion (with Kanyon)
• 3-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (twice with Kanyon/Bam Bam Bigelow and once with Kevin Nash).
• 1-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion.

External links

• Official Diamond Dallas Page web site