I’ll never forget the night Jake “The Snake” Roberts stood on stage at the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame induction. The once fallen legend, fresh off an impassioned speech, stepped away from the podium and warmly embraced the man he credited moments earlier with saving his life: Diamond Dallas Page. “I wanted Jake to see that there was light at the end of the tunnel,” Page told ESPN in 2014, reflecting on the road to recovery he had helped pave for Roberts (ESPN, 2014).
That hug wasn’t just about Jake’s redemption — it was about DDP’s quiet, unwavering commitment to giving broken people another chance. For Roberts, for Scott Hall, for Lex Luger, and for countless others, Diamond Dallas Page wasn’t just a Hall of Famer — he was a lifeline.
Page’s journey is one of the most improbable in wrestling history: a man who started wrestling at 35, reached world champion status in his 40s, and then reinvented himself after a near career-ending back injury to become a motivational coach and creator of DDP Yoga. His story — marked by persistence, selflessness, and healing — is the embodiment of the WWE Warrior Award’s mission.
From Nightclubs to Nitro
Page didn’t enter the wrestling world the conventional way. After working as a nightclub manager in Florida, he entered wrestling as a manager in the AWA and WCW before deciding, at 35, to train as a wrestler himself. “Life never makes anything easy,” Page once told WWE.com in a 2017 profile. “I started wrestling at 35. Everyone thought I was nuts” (WWE.com, 2017).
Critics scoffed at him. Even his friend Lex Luger advised him not to pursue it. But Page pushed on, training at WCW’s Power Plant and eventually earning the nickname “the hardest working man in pro wrestling.” He was often the oldest guy in the room but also the most committed. “Until I was on the road 260 days a year-plus, I was still going to that Power Plant,” Page said. “For five years I went there, because that’s how long it took me to get to the top” (WWE Network, 2015).
His breakthrough came in 1997 during a live episode of Monday Nitro when he turned down an invitation to join the nWo and instead delivered a Diamond Cutter to Scott Hall. “The roof exploded,” Page told the WWE Network years later. “That was the beginning of my ride, and it just got hotter and hotter” (WWE Network, 2015).
Page’s perseverance paid off. He became a three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, two-time U.S. Champion, four-time WCW Tag Team Champion, and Television Champion. At age 43, he pinned Ric Flair, Sting, and Hulk Hogan in a single match to win his first world title. Not bad for a guy who didn’t even start wrestling until his mid-30s.
Back Injury and the Birth of DDP Yoga
In 1998, Page suffered a devastating back injury. “Three doctors told me my wrestling career was over,” Page said in a 2014 interview with Men’s Journal (Men’s Journal, 2014).
Desperate to heal, Page turned to yoga — something he had mocked in the past. But when he started combining yoga with rehab and calisthenics, his pain diminished and his strength returned. Within months, he was back in the ring. That recovery became the foundation for what would eventually be known as DDP Yoga.
“I needed to make it my own,” Page told Sports Illustrated. “I took yoga, added rehab moves, resistance techniques, and created a workout that could be done by anyone, even people who couldn’t get out of bed” (Sports Illustrated, 2017).
His first success story outside the ring wasn’t a wrestler but Arthur Boorman, a disabled veteran who had been told he would never walk unassisted again. After following DDP Yoga for months, Arthur lost over 100 pounds and began walking, running, and ultimately reclaiming his life. “When I saw Arthur’s transformation, I knew this was bigger than me,” Page told The Huffington Post (HuffPost, 2015).
Rebuilding Legends: Jake Roberts and Scott Hall
Page’s greatest work came not in the ring, but at home. In 2012, he invited Jake Roberts to live with him at his house in Georgia. Roberts was over 300 pounds, deep in addiction, and estranged from his family.
With DDP Yoga, a clean diet, and daily accountability, Roberts turned his life around. “When I’d screw up, he’d sit me down, we’d have a talk and we’d work through it,” Roberts said in an interview with The Ringer. “A year and a half he gave me, and he never complained. That blows me away” (The Ringer, 2015).
Page gave Roberts a goal: the WWE Hall of Fame. “Imagine you’re at the Hall of Fame,” Page told him. “You should have been inducted 10 years ago, but they’re not going to induct you – not where your head’s at, not where your life’s at” (ESPN, 2014).
A year later, Page brought Scott Hall into the fold. Hall, suffering from alcoholism and unable to walk, got sober and fit again. In 2014, both Roberts and Hall were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, standing tall thanks to DDP’s belief in them. “Neither one of those guys would ever have gotten into the Hall of Fame if God didn’t put me on this path,” Page told Wrestling Inc in 2022 (Wrestling Inc, 2022).
Hall’s son Cody later said DDP gave his family “an extra decade” with Scott before his passing in 2022. Those extra years included reconciliations, fan interactions, and moments of healing. Page, who was a pallbearer at Hall’s funeral, carried more than just the weight of a casket — he carried a brotherhood.
The Lex Luger Project
In 2022, Page began working closely with Lex Luger, who had been partially paralyzed after a spinal injury in 2007. Inspired by DDP’s work with Roberts and Hall, Luger agreed to start chair-based DDPY sessions.
“He can stand, but it’s for moments – that’s a huge deal,” Page told Busted Open Radio. “It’s shaky, but it’s pretty amazing” (Busted Open Radio, 2024). He’s now guiding Luger with the goal of one day walking onto a Hall of Fame stage. Page later added, “There’s so much nerve damage, but if it’s possible, Lex is gonna do it” (Busted Open Radio, 2024).
Beyond the Legends
What makes DDP’s story even more inspiring is that his outreach goes far beyond wrestling. Veterans, cancer survivors, and people battling obesity have credited DDP Yoga with changing — and in some cases saving — their lives.
Chris Jericho, after suffering a herniated disc in 2012, said DDPY “saved his career,” allowing him to avoid surgery and return to the ring stronger than ever (Jericho on Talk is Jericho, 2016). AJ Styles, Mick Foley, and even actors have joined the list of converts.
Page likes to say, “Never underestimate the power you give someone by believing in them,” a quote from his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech in 2017 (WWE Hall of Fame Speech, 2017).
Why DDP Deserves the Warrior Award
The Warrior Award honors those with unwavering strength, perseverance, and compassion. Eric Bischoff summed it up best: “Page’s program has touched the lives of numerous everyday individuals in profound ways,” he said on the 83 Weeks podcast (83 Weeks, 2023).
Diamond Dallas Page embodies everything that award stands for. He didn’t just survive the wrestling industry — he thrived, and then reached back to pull others out of the darkness. He saved lives.
DDP’s story is one of triumph over doubt, resilience in the face of physical pain, and the courage to help others rewrite their own endings. Wrestling may have given Page his platform, but it’s what he did with that platform that makes him a Warrior.
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