Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), is an American fitness instructor, actor, and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often shortened to DDP). In the course of his wrestling career Page has wrestled for mainstream wrestling promotions World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Page first broke into the wrestling business in 1979, in which he wrestled three matches. He retired after a knee injury but he returned to wrestling as a manager in the American Wrestling Association in 1988, where he worked for nine months. He served as a manager with WCW starting in 1991 but became a wrestler late in that same year. Over a decade in WCW, Page became a three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion, four-time WCW World Tag Team Champion and one-time WCW World Television Champion. He is the fourth WCW Triple Crown Champion, and the only United States Heavyweight Champion to defend the title in a pay-per-view main event, defeating Bret Hart at the 1998 World War 3.
After WCW was sold in 2001, Page signed with the WWF where he made his pay-per-view debut in the main event of July's Invasion show, and went on to become a one-time WWF European Champion and one-time WWF World Tag Team Champion. Due to a series of injuries, he allowed his contract with the company to expire in 2002. He worked for TNA from 2004 to 2005, challenging for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of Destination X 2005. On March 31, 2017, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Eric Bischoff. He is considered "one of the finest WCW legends in history."
Since 2012, Page has run a mail order and online fitness video business called DDP Yoga, based on yoga and dynamic self-resistance.
Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., the eldest of three children, was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, the son of Sylvia (née Seigel) and Page Falkinburg Sr. He was raised by his father during his early years after his parents divorced. He stated that he is of German, Irish, and Dutch origin. Falkinburg/Falkenburg is also the name of multiple German villages and at least three German castles. The name "Dallas" came from his love of the Dallas Cowboys.
His brother Rory and sister Sally were raised by their maternal grandmother. Falkinburg lived with his father from age three to eight. His father took him, at eight years old, to live with his grandmother, who raised him. Falkinburg admitted in his autobiography he is dyslexic. He had many challenges hit him throughout his childhood and educational years.
He attended St. Joseph's High School (now Donovan Catholic High School) in Toms River, New Jersey, for his freshman and second years, spending his first season on the JV basketball team and making the varsity squad as a sophomore. He transferred to Point Pleasant Borough High School in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, where he was a star basketball player with the Panthers. He attended Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina briefly before leaving school to work full-time.
In 1979, Page wrestled in three matches. He retired after a knee injury.
American Wrestling Association (1988)
Page ran a nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida called Norma Jeans (known for its pink Cadillac) while he was working as a wrestling manager in the American Wrestling Association (AWA). He started managing in 1988, where he handled Badd Company (Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka), a team he led to the AWA World Tag Team Championship on March 19. Badd Company was often accompanied by female valets known as the "Diamond Dolls" (Tonya, Jennifer and Torri). During his time in the AWA, Page also managed Colonel DeBeers, Curt Hennig and Madusa Miceli as the leader of the Diamond Exchange stable. He worked for the AWA at 12 dates over a period of nine months, where they filmed all the television shows in one day.
Professional Wrestling Federation (1989–1991)
Page also worked as a color commentator in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), soon renamed Professional Wrestling Federation (PWF), where he worked alongside Gordon Solie, before finally debuting as a professional wrestler. Page's first pro match occurred in May 1989 against Dick Slater.
In 1990, Page received a tryout with the WWF as an announcer, but wasn't offered a job. At WrestleMania VI, he drove Rhythm and Blues (The Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine) to the ring in his pink Cadillac. At this time, he was virtually unknown in the World Wrestling Federation. When FCW went out of business, Page was still involved in the club business until Dusty Rhodes returned to World Championship Wrestling. Rhodes started booking and brought him in on a small contract in early 1991.
World Championship Wrestling/WCW (1991–2001)
Page made his way to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in January 1991, becoming the manager of The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Michael P.S. Hayes). He made his debut on the February 3, 1991 edition of The Main Event, where Paul E. Dangerously introduced Page to the audience in an interview on the show's wrestling news segment The Danger Zone. Page managed the Freebirds to a shot at the NWA World Tag Team Championship where they defeated Doom (Butch Reed and Ron Simmons) on February 24. Before that match took place, Page unveiled the stable's new road manager, Big Daddy Dink, formerly known as Oliver Humperdink, who interfered in the match. During this match, Page introduced the Diamond Dolls. In April 1991 he added Scott Hall to the stable under the name of Diamond Studd. Page also worked as a color commentator for WCW with Eric Bischoff. With rumors that the WCW wanted to take the Diamond Studd away from Page, he decided to take the advice of Magnum T. A. and begin to wrestle himself. He headed to the WCW Power Plant where Buddy Lee Parker, The Assassin, and Dusty Rhodes trained the 35-year-old rookie. The advice was fruitful, as on the August 31, 1991 episode it was announced by commentators that the Studd and Page had indeed parted ways.
Dallas Page would make his debut as a wrestler on August 22, 1991, at a house show in Jacksonville, FL, losing to Tom Zenk in 90 seconds. As he continued his training, Page became a commentator for WCW programming. He also resumed managing Scott Hall; however, he would not return to the ring until November 25, 1991, when he teamed with The Diamond Studd to defeat Chris Sullivan and Brian Lee on WCW World Championship Wrestling (the future WCW Saturday Night). At the same taping, but in a match that aired on the December 21 WCW Pro, Studd and Page would gain their first significant victory when they defeated PN News and Johnny B. Badd. On the house show circuit, Page and Studd suffered their first defeat when they fell to the WCW Patriots in Baltimore, Maryland on November 27. On the December 21 edition of "World Championship Wrestling", Dallas accomplished his first single victory, defeating Johnny Rich. Later that month he faced former clients Michael Hayes and Jim Garvin in house show matches, losing each encounter.
He made his wrestling pay-per-view debut at the 1991 Starrcade on December 29, teaming with Mike Graham in a losing effort to Jushin Thunder Liger and Bill Kazmaier. In regards to this period, he stated:
"Bischoff gave me the job as I was a good example of work ethic, passion and someone that cares about the business. Since they wouldn't really book me, I went down to the WCW Power Plant every day I wasn't working. That's how you adapt to adversity. Even when I started to make it, I still kept going back. Until I was on the road 260 days a year-plus, I was still going to that Power Plant. For five years I went there, because that's how long it took me to get to the top."