DDP Talks Eric Bischoff's Reaction To Kimberly In Playboy, Randy Savage's Influence On His Career
As previously noted, WWE Hall Of Famer 'Diamond' Dallas Page was recently a guest on Talk Is Jericho. Among many other things, Page talked about his career-elevating feud with professional wrestling great 'Macho Man' Randy Savage. Specifically, Page talked about Savage wanting to work with him, how Page's ex-wife Kimberly's Playboy pictorial was used to set up the angle, and Savage deciding to put over Page.
According to Page, Savage is the one who wanted to work with 'DDP' and proposed a program with the two.
"No, dude, this had nothing to do with Eric [Bischoff] or myself. I could never say, 'can I work with Savage?' When Randy saw what was going on with the nWo thing, he's the one that went to Bischoff and said, 'I want to work with him.'" Page added, "[Savage] asked to do it."
During the podcast, Page recalled being prepared to leave WCW for WWE around the time of Kimberly and 'DDP' appearing in Playboy magazine. When Page told WCW executive Eric Bischoff about the Playboy appearance, Page was threatened with being fired from WCW; however, Page suggested that WWE's Vince McMahon might be interested.
"So [Kimberly] was in four different [Playboy] issues, right? They call her up and they say that they want to do a book called 'Celebrity Nudes' and since she was on TV with me coming to the ring, so they say they want her 'and your husband'. So I'm like, 'what do you mean me?' So she said, 'they want to do something where you're getting ready in the ring and I'm just about to pull up my dress, you're painting my toenails, fun shots like that.' It's supposed to be two pages."
Page continued, "so we're supposed to be in a two-page spread, and they see it and they want to shoot more. Now they'e got me in a towel, smoking a cigar, massaging her, and she's on all fours in like a cat lift position, but she [has] got nothing on, right? And so I have to tell Eric that this is going to come out. Now, at the time, again, I'm a midcard guy and I'm figuring, 'hey, I'm doing it! I'm doing it! I'm doing it!' And so, I tell him and he goes, 'are you crazy? You have' – what it is it when you sign – 'a moral clause in your contract! They could fire you!' I'm like, 'if they end up firing me, bro, maybe then Vince [McMahon] will do something with it.'"
Accordingly, WCW brass decided to use the Playboy appearance as the basis of feud between Page and Savage.
"So Randy asked to work with me and there's that magazine, so they used that as the angle for Randy exposes Kimberly being my wife, and not that it matters or anything, but that was just the angle they came up with," Page remembered. "So we shoot the angle. It's red-hot. It elevates me because I'm just coming off dropping the nWo, so it elevated me to a whole different level."
Apparently, WWE Hall Of Famer and former WCW agent Arn Anderson told Page that he was never going to break through to WCW's upper echelon of talent unless Sting, Lex Luger, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, or Savage would put him over. Sure enough, Savage agreed to do the favors in a dark match to see how Page coming out on top at the Spring Stampede pay-per-view would go over with the crowd.
"[Anderson] said, 'well 'Diamond', I hope you know what this could do for your career.' I'm like, 'uh, yeah.' But again, this isn't the pay-per-view. This is the dark [match], no cameras, and we went out there and Randy was testing the waters. He wanted to see what would happen. And so we had a hell of a match, eventually, we went home, and him kicking my ass, he went to slam me, and he went, 'Diamond Cutter.' And bang! And it was like a moment of silence and then an explosion! And then, I covered him. And when I got the three [count], those people went berserk and it was so loud. And [Jericho] know[s] what that feeling's like, but I could hear Randy. And he goes, 'well, I guess we know what we're going to do for Spring Stampede.'" Page added, "he was going to put me over with that finish."
Check out the podcast here or via the audio player below. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Talk Is Jericho