DDP Describes Impact He Had On Top WWE NXT Star

On a recent installment of the DDP Snake Pit podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page looked back on his time working with some of the "kids" in WWE NXT. DDP gave them a lesson about how positive affirmations lead to success, which is something DDP, himself, strongly lives by.

"I'm doing this same talk at the end of a workout in NXT with 100 kids, all on a mat. This is about two and a half years ago, maybe a little more than that. I do this thing and I get to the end. I go, 'here's his affirmation. You tell me who this is. I am the greatest, I am the greatest of all time'. And everybody just said, 'Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali'. You kids didn't grow up with him but they know it. I go, 'how do you know that?' 'Maybe because he said it a billion times'. Like, a billion times, it's like ingrained — the greatest of all time. You think of Mohammad Ali, no matter what. He's been gone for years."

One person who clearly took the lesson to heart was Tommaso Ciampa. At the time of his story, Tommaso and Aleister Black (Malakai Black) were in the middle of a feud. Diamond Dallas Page believes that his lesson encouraged Ciampa to put on a fantastic match with Aleister that night.

"So after, you know, everybody comes up because I got done working out with everybody, and then everybody's coming up and shaking my hand. The last person is Tommaso Ciampa. He looks at me and he's got, he's a little glassy-eyed. And he looks at me and he says, 'You have no idea how much I needed to hear this today. 'And he gave me a huge hug.

"So, later that night, he's going against Aleister Black and they're going for NXT Championship. And back then, Tommaso had no music or anything. I guess he wanted it like that. I'm off to the side but I'm backstage, and right before he goes on, he looks over at me and he goes, 'affirmations,' and goes to the ring, and boy, did those guys tear it down. You know, a hell of a match. It's so important and I've watched Tommaso numerous times put that quote up {the repetition of affirmations leads to belief} and share that with people because it's so true."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit DDP Snake Pit with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.