DDP's Final Nitro Promo Showed His "Inspirational" Future

On the final edition of Monday Nitro on March 26, 2001, many people, in my opinion, forgot about a promo that took place before the infamous montage of all former WCW World Heavyweight Champions with the legendary Diamond Dallas Page.

The three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion was last seen eight days prior at Greed, losing in a main event classic against World Champion “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner. 

DDP was written off, subsequently to return at the May 6 Big Bang pay-per-view, which would have been the first live event fully owned by Fusient Media Ventures.

As we all know, the Big Bang did not happen, Fusient did not buy WCW, and the World Wrestling Federation swooped in, buying 24 contracts, a boatload of assets and trademarks, and the incredibly valuable tape library.

Although Page was not one of the contracts picked up, it was highly speculated at the time that his contract would be bought out by AOL Time Warner and ultimately end up in the WWF.

Yet, with everything so fresh and unsure, DDP showed up to the Boardwalk Beach Resorts in Panama City Beach, FL, and cut a farewell promo to the WCW audience.

In seventy-eight seconds, Page touched upon how he was the person no one thought would make it, first quoting the Grateful Dead with “What a long, strange trip it's been.” He then began thanking the fans for allowing him to be DDP and getting him to the heights he reached. DDP finally answered his own question on if the journey was over, stating “I don’t think so,” and pointing his fist at the camera, ending it with a “BANG”.

Fifteen year old me thought it was just a positive “goodbye” message to the fans, but Bryan Alvarez, co-host of Wrestling Observer Live on Eyada.com, had a bit more of a beat on this than I did the following day.

https://youtu.be/2VWLT5ev394?si=1NNck_beTt3vAiVq&t=827 

“If you watched his promo from last night, he was doing the whole inspirational deal, and he wants to go into that - the touring and the inspirational speaking like that - so I don’t think that wrestling is on his high list of priorities if he’s not going to be one of the top guys.”

With the exception of the “high list of priorities” line, Alvarez was spot on about DDP’s future in wrestling, and life.

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Initially, as many die-hard fans know, Diamond Dallas Page made his WWF debut as the “stalker” of the Undertaker’s then-wife Sara on the June 18, 2001 Raw. He stated that he knew by doing that, the “American Badass” would “make him famous”. Combine the fact that he was recognized as a member of the WCW roster, this was war.

Sadly, from the eyes of many, DDP never got a fair shake during the rivalry. After getting destroyed and losing the WWF Tag Team Championships (alongside Kanyon) at SummerSlam 2001 against Undertaker and Kane inside of a steel cage, Page was off television for a month, healing and rehabbing.

On the September 24, 2001 Raw, DDP returned, a changed man and ready to inspire.