WWE News: Diamond Dallas Page Will Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017
Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017 during WrestleMania 33 weekend. The ceremony will take place on Friday, March 31 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
This news of DDP’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame was first reported by Rolling Stone before WWE.com covered it.
DDP won several championships in WCW including the WCW World Heavyweight Championship three times. Once WWE purchased WCW in 2001, DDP came to WWE and won both the European Championship and was one half of the WWF Tag Team Champions with Chris Kanyon.
WWE.com made it a point to note that DDP is not only being inducted due to his in-ring accomplishments, but because of his accomplishments outside the ring too. For that, WWE had this to say:
“Yet for all his accomplishments inside the ring, DDP is also a Hall of Fame human being. After stepping away from the squared circle, he dedicated his life toward helping people take control of theirs. He developed DDP Yoga, a fitness program based around the exercises that helped him stay in the ring game for so long. Page also used DDP Yoga to pay back two of his friends and mentors – WWE Hall of Famers Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Razor Ramon – by having the two legends move into his home and work toward getting back into shape.
“It is for his accomplishments in and out of the ring that Diamond Dallas Page is more than deserving of induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.”
Rolling Stone interviewed DDP about this news. DDP had the following to say about getting to induct Jake Roberts and Scott Hall into the WWE Hall of Fame and how honored he feels to be recognized for his accomplishments.
“Yeah, I’ll tell you what: When I inducted Jake, and Scott went in the same night, it was my 58th birthday, so it was like a crazy birthday present for me. And I felt at some point I would get my due, not just in the ring but outside the ring. I don’t wish for something to happen right now. I wish and I manifest and work toward things happening when they’re supposed to. And it couldn’t have happened at a better time as far as everything that’s happening in my career, in my life. When I came into WWE after Monday Night Wars, it wasn’t my greatest time in the business… but they kept bringing me back. God has blessed me on a lot of levels. Have I worked for it? Absolutely. But it still takes that blessing. I’m super-humbled to be with Kurt [Angle] and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express.”
DDP talked about how he’s feeling emotionally as we approach the announcement of his induction on tonight’s Raw.
“Still choked up. You can hear it in my voice. I don’t know if you watch Stranger Things, but in that third episode, you got a chill through your whole body. It wasn’t goose bumps. You couldn’t control that. Bottom line is, work ethic equals dreams, and I am walking proof that that’s a fact. They had you give them an inscription for inside your ring. I wrote, “Work ethic = dreams!”
DDP said the following when asked where this induction ranks in terms of major career moments.
“It surpasses everything. I remember Dusty Rhodes saying to me, “In our business, the things that are really real are your first world title and the Hall of Fame.” I would love for him to be here. I get choked up just thinking about it.”
The Rolling Stone article has a lot of great quotes from DDP and he even talks about how he feels WCW’s legacy is legitimized through the WWE Hall of Fame. You can read this Rolling Stone article in its entirety right here.
Congratulations Diamond Dallas Page!
Picture used above is courtesy of WWE.com.