DDP retires from wrestling.

[Space Pirate Roberts]

WHAT? That sucks. WHAT? DDP should stay in the business, WHAT? if not as a wrestler then at least as a manager, WHAT? I mean his 'inspirational speaker' angle with Christian was great, WHAT?

[Ashod]

Originally posted by Korly


YOU sir, are a jackass.

Why thank you. Okay, in all seriousness, I probably came off as a cold-hearted jerk when I said that I didn't care that DDP retired, but it was how I truly felt. He was a pretty average worker (though he could be carried to good matches with the right people), his mic skills weren't that great, and he was basically pushed down everyones throats in WCW because he was Bischoff's neighbour and buddy.

The guy was SO full of himself that it wasn't even funny. I think reality slapped DDP straight in the face when he came to WWE and they treated him like a joke.

People can call me a Jackass or an Idiot, and it doesn't matter much to me, because it's just my opinion on the guy.

[unit003]

very sad indeed. I used to like watching him wrestle back in WCW when he was at his peak and taking on Goldberg, Sting, The Giant, Rick Flair etc etc. Those were the good'ol days. The situation with WWF on the other hand, I never liked how they pushed the "top" star into the spotlight and hogged all the showtime just to sell the show. Unless you were somebody that'll -sell- the ratings, you'd never get any time on air, unless you were either smackdown, or if they needed filler for a certain time-frame. I would've liked going on with a list of problems thanks to Vince removing any form of competition, but that's not what this thread is about.

God speed DDP. Thanks for making the show great while it was on.

[Korly]

DDP was really about as "positive" (no pun intended) as anyone in the sports entertainment industry. He did more charity stuff than just about all the other superstars combined. His "Bang it out for books" charity is still going strong, and he's been speaking to young people at prisons a lot lately. If you haven't read his book, I highly reccomend it.

And, Ashod, you weren't called a jackass for "not liking DDP". It was for belittleing(sp) what is a major event for many fans, and obviously, for Page himself. One of those "if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing" moments. And hell, if you have something negative to say, that's fine too, but just a simple "who cares" doesn't exactly promote discussion, it just makes you look like you are just trying to up your post count or something.

[Kidnemo]

That sucks to seem him go, but after reading about his back injury I surely can't blame him.

I actually thought his little "it's not a bad thing, its a good thing" promos on WWE were pretty funny.

BANG!

[Nick]

I first saw him when he managed Badd Company in the AWA. I got out of wrestling, and when I peeked in again, I was surprised to find out he was a top wrestler.

I never liked him until his inspirational-speaker angle, and I won't miss him, but I agree that Ashod was trolling in this thread. Keep "who cares" posts off these boards.

[Ragnarok the Red]

Its a major shame that he had to go out the way he did, having been buried and destroyed by the WWF/E's writers, the retarded gimmick he was stuck with, and that absurd stalker feud he was in last year with Taker where not only was he forced to job to Taker time in and time out, but Taker's freaking brutal-looking wife!

I bet if he'd known he was gonna be that badly mistreated by the Fed he would've retired when WCW went belly up. Its a damn shame really...if anyone deserved one last decent run it was DDP

[Korly]

Well, here's the official word from DDP himself, and the UDC mailing list...



STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
By Diamond Dallas Page

- Visit the Official DDP Website at http://www.ddpbang.com

What's Up?

As one door closes, another will open. Unfortunately, some of the
rumors are true. I have retired from the squared circle, but I have
not retired from the WWE. Most of you have read about my injury,
which entails my neck (not my back as some reported). My C3 and C4
vertebrae in my neck fused together on their own. I have nerve
damage on my right bicep and into my hand, which makes my hand to go
numb for periods longer than I care to remember. My C5, C6, and C7
vertebrae qualify to be surgically fused right now. Basically, one
doctor said I could return to the ring if I was constantly monitored,
but I qualified for the surgery. Another doctor said I should not
return to the ring without the surgery. Yet another doctor
said, "You've had a hell of a run. Now get the hell out of there."
The plain fact of the matter is that if I took one shot the wrong
way, I was faced with becoming a quadriplegic for the rest of my
life. Knowing all this, I was still rehabbing around the possibility
that I would return to the ring.

It was Vince McMahon and J.R. who made the final call that it would
be too dangerous for me to return to the ring. I met with J.R. on
Tuesday to discuss the situation. If I did have the operation, it
would take about a year to rehab. I'd be coming back in my late 40s
(47+) only to do more damage to my body. What kind of condition
would I be in when I hit my 50s or 60s? I know they are right and I
appreciate them thinking of my health in this situation.

I was thinking of talking J.R. into letting me continue until I heard
from my attorney who told me that if I got back into the ring my
insurance policy holder (Lloyd's Of London) would terminate my
policy. That was the wake-up call. I owe it to my family now to get
out of the ring, but it is going to bum me out for awhile now that I
know I had finally turned a corner in the WWE and was back on the way
to being the Diamond Dallas Page that made people feel the BANG!

What will I do now? J.R. told me that I am part of the WWF family
and that there were several places where my services would be
needed. I thanked J.R. and let him know that I really needed to step
back from the business for a little while. I don't know how long it
will be, but it is going to take a little time. In the meantime, I
will do what I have always done and be a positive role for this
company. I will speak with the Get Real program (a program that I
truly believe in), attend fan functions, and appear at ticket on-sale
events. This is just to keep me as part of the WWE family. Like I
said, as one door closes, another one will open. My main focus at
this point is to become the best motivational speaker I can be.

I want to thank all of my friends and fans who have hung in there
with my character as it has run the gauntlet. My favorite time will
always be when people called me the "People's Champion". That rang
true because it was the support of the people that gave me the
opportunity to enjoy a ride I never thought was possible. I believed
that one day I would be a top guy, but I never thought I would
wrestle with Karl Malone or be on the Tonight Show or be in movies…
and I sure as hell never thought I would ever be a three-time World
Champion…but I dreamt about it. Your support helped my dreams come
true and I have never forgotten that, nor will I ever forget it.
Just remember… you may have loved me, you may have hated me, but I
will never forget you.

It's been MY pleasure…

Page

P.S. – It ain't over. You'll be hearing from me…and that's a good
thing.

[Kidnemo]

Every time I have seen DDP speak outside of rassiling, he has seemed like a totally cool guy.

Reading that just reinforces the fact.

[Jay]

He went through a lot to get where he is. To think that a guy with so many reading and writing problems as he had in his childhood was able to write a book is really inspiring. He is living proof that no matter what kind of crap you have going on in your life, you can always overcome it.