DDP Talks Meeting Jake Roberts At His Bar, His New Book, Mick Foley's Contribution
WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page was a guest on a recent episode of our WINCLY podcast. During his interview with Wrestling Inc. managing editor Nick Hausman, Page discussed his new book Positively Unstoppable. Page said he intended for the book to be a short read that can help the readers bring positive change to their lives.
"There's a reason why I wrote it like that, because I wanted it to be a quick read that people could get and really consume and possibly not just change their life, but help mold their life," he said.
Page received an assist from a fellow WWE Hall of Famer, as the book features a very candid and entertaining forward written by Mick Foley. With their longtime friendship and the fact the Page has helped Foley work through some personal issues, Page said there was no better choice to pen the forward.
"He's one of the best writers going," Page said. "I think the forward is an amazing part of the book because when Mick tells a story of a ghost that comes 25 years back in time to tell him he's gonna write a forward 25 years from then for a WWE Hall of Famer, the perspective he put on that forward is so funny and is so Mick, but it's endearing and heart-warming as well. And Mick's one the guys that I've helped, so I wanted that to be one of the people that wrote it. When I thought of the forward, I really didn't think about anyone else but Mick."
A major theme throughout Page's book is the power of positive thinking. Hausman asked Page what he believes is the hardest thing about convincing people to eliminate negative thoughts and feelings. Page explained that the difficulty lies in the attitudes people bring when trying to face their hardships, because he believes hardships can help mold you for the better if you embrace them.
"I think a lot of people want to see that, but the first thing they start to tell themselves is how hard it is. Once you start to change the meaning of the word and understand, it's the 'hard' that makes it great," Page said. "If you were given everything since you were a little kid, and you grew up with that silver spoon in your mouth, and your parents never taught you work ethic, you would take everything for granted... My point is, is that anything that comes easy, nobody respects."
Page was also asked about his longtime friendship with Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who he met while he was a bartender before he broke into the pro wrestling business. Page didn't have any crazy stories, but he found it funny that he was the one who helped Roberts get sober after their first meeting was centered around alcohol.
"Not so much crazy, just partying, drinking," he said. "But it's funny that me and Jake meet each other in my bar and the first thing that I say to him is, 'What are we drinking,' and years later, decades later, I'm the one that got him to stop drinking."
Reflecting on that time, Page said he firmly believes everything happens for a reason and serving Roberts and other wrestlers drinks created a greater purpose for him. He said he was able to come up with the Diamond Dallas Page character just by being around and interacting with the wrestlers, and he's thankful that he was in the right place at the right time.
"I tried to wrestle when I was 22 and it didn't work out for me. And then having the boys come in and out of my club, because none of those guys were gonna pay for drinks, it just got my brain focused around that," he said. "I was just telling my buddy this story about how I came up with Diamond Dallas Page and the Diamond Exchange and the Diamond Dolls. I came up with it and I just couldn't get it out of my brain, and those guys were in and around my club at the time."
The full audio from DDP's exclusive interview can be heard in the WINCLY podcast episode below. In it he also discusses the launch of AEW, David Arquette's return to pro wrestling and more: