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- [00:01]
Cody Rhodes
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Diamond Dallas Page
Now.
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Cody Rhodes
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Diamond Dallas Page
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Cody Rhodes
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Diamond Dallas Page
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- [01:41]
Cody Rhodes
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- [02:04]
Diamond Dallas Page
I'm addicted.
- [02:06]
Cody Rhodes
Start your free trial@shopify.com. Hello everybody. It's the American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes. Welcome to what do youo Want To Talk About a Fanatics and WWE Original Production and we've got libations here provided by our good friends at Wheatley American Vodka. Today's special guest today is someone who is family. A friend likes to often say uncle but I think more brothery. But I'll take uncle. One of the famous Dusty 5, which is a real deep cut. But my dad always said he only had five friends. He never either named more than five when he would do this or he'd name three. So I don't know, somewhere between three and eight. So we land on the Dusty five. One of the Dusty Five here, of course, wrestling royalty, he's a former European champion, a former WCW tag champion, a WWE tag team champion, and of course big gold itself, World Heavyweight Champion. He is also a Hall of Fame famer and someone whose final chapter, maybe not even final chapter, current chapter in sports, entertainment and wrestling has blown everyone away as he has taken wrestler after wrestler. Wayward souls broken, however they came to him and tried to bring them back to where they once were or bring them to where they're going. Just a beacon of positivity. And this intro has gone incredibly long because it's a special person. But ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to what do you want to talk about? DDP Diamond Dallas Page.
- [03:56]
Diamond Dallas Page
Wow, that was an amazing intro, bro.
- [04:00]
Cody Rhodes
Well, there's. Sometimes they're not there, sometimes there's two, sometimes there's too much there. I can't believe this is the first time you've been on here. You and I are extremely close. You are joining me live round here. Wheatley American Vodka. What do you got?
- [04:18]
Diamond Dallas Page
I've got a diamond cutter.
- [04:19]
Cody Rhodes
Wow, I love that Ingredients on the screen. I don't know what's in there, but it looks good. I have the Wheatley American Mule. Cheers to you.
- [04:27]
Diamond Dallas Page
Cheers to you.
- [04:28]
Cody Rhodes
Cheers to you. By the way, Amazing.
- [04:32]
Diamond Dallas Page
These are live rounds, by the way.
- [04:34]
Cody Rhodes
Yep, they are. Then no, no, no fake in it here. Where do we begin? Right. Where do we begin
- [04:45]
Diamond Dallas Page
before you were born?
- [04:47]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah. Well, I think one of my first memories, and I've said this before in different conversations about you or with you, but probably one of my first memories, which really encapsulates you and encapsulates the life I had growing up was Jefferson Township 4661JT walking down the steps, my childhood home in Marietta, Georgia. And smoke filled the living room. And it was cigar smoke. And I saw my dad in kind of his normal position on the couch. And then I saw you in the heat of the summer in May with a full fur coat on, the great almost major league baseball level outfielder Oakley shades that were all the craze at the time, the wild curly hair. And you were smoking a cigar. And what's funny to me is I asked no questions. It was just normal. That's whatever this conversation Looks like. Yeah, cigars. You don't see them that often in the living room, but they're having a good time. Do you remember what you were talking about that day? That's a wild question.
- [06:02]
Diamond Dallas Page
You know, it really like blew your dad's mind. I can remember me and Johnny Be Bad, AKA Mark Mero, had just like finished our run and he left for wwe.
- [06:23]
Cody Rhodes
Sure.
- [06:24]
Diamond Dallas Page
First contracted guy.
- [06:25]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah, I was gonna say big contract, right? The first guaranteed contract.
- [06:28]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah, it got him a lot of hate too.
- [06:30]
Cody Rhodes
Hey, but everyone's guarant, right?
- [06:33]
Diamond Dallas Page
I mean, he started it all. I never understood why they were mad, because a lot of guys were mad. But to me, I would be like, that means I could get guaranteed money. But again, they had the reasons, Whatever. And Mero is one of the Swedish human beings on the planet. And I got a segue to him. He was talking to kids and really made it like his mission to change as many lives as he could. But he. No money. There's no money. There's no money in schools. No money in schools. So he came to Atlanta and I had Steve go down with our crew and film him.
- [07:12]
Cody Rhodes
Yes.
- [07:13]
Diamond Dallas Page
And out of it came a video where he's talking about his mom and there's freaking all these 700, 800 teenagers and they're crying and he's hitting him right between the heart. That video would go on that month. He had 3,000 requests for bookings and he would go on that. He tracked that. Over a billion views on that. Pretty crazy. Of course, Steve's a storyteller.
- [07:50]
Cody Rhodes
Well, that's the thing you mentioned, Steve. And for context and people watching, what do you want to talk about? Steve is Steve Yu. He is your partner at DDPY and at Comeback Studios.
- [08:00]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yep.
- [08:01]
Cody Rhodes
Steve Yu is a storyteller.
- [08:03]
Diamond Dallas Page
Great storyteller.
- [08:05]
Cody Rhodes
He films, he edits, he runs an office, he teaches people to edit. He makes protein ice cream.
- [08:11]
Diamond Dallas Page
Unbelievable.
- [08:12]
Cody Rhodes
He does everything at Comeback Studios and probably never officially been able to put it all out there, but I've definitely talked about it before. My time away from WWE and my time starting anything on my own is heavily reliant on millions of dollars. And I am not exaggerating millions of dollars of production that was given to me for free by Steve Yu and yourself and your wonderful team there. And also to the point now where WWE knows and I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, WWE knows in a pinch, if they need me to do an interview, in a pinch, if they need me via Zoom, if they need me to film something, if they need a place, a studio, that's where they go. And I'm glad we've stayed tethered together. And obviously this. Not where I was intending to go.
- [09:21]
Diamond Dallas Page
We could just talk about it.
- [09:22]
Cody Rhodes
Not where I was intending to go, but I would say it's very important. And I've told you before, but maybe I haven't. Thank you. Your weapons and your tool belt. You're only as good as the people you have around you. And that you know how good WWE's production is to find anyone that has that same skill set or is getting to that skill set or just have that same attitude towards how do we make this good? How does my vision merge with his vision? How do we. And to do it in the time that has been spent on me there. Thank you very much.
- [09:59]
Diamond Dallas Page
You're welcome.
- [10:00]
Cody Rhodes
Nice to see you.
- [10:01]
Diamond Dallas Page
You are family. And Steve took you in right away. And of course, Nadia. And now we've even got Kimberly.
- [10:10]
Cody Rhodes
I know, right? I always swing by and say hello because she's in that back office now, but.
- [10:15]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah, she has. Yeah, she has her own office now. Yeah, she's excited about that. She had actually the front office now. Oh, yeah, yeah. She took over pages. Not my page, but page. We had three pages at one time. But not my wife.
- [10:28]
Cody Rhodes
It could be a problem.
- [10:29]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah, yeah. That's why her name became Meriwether. Yeah, that was our. Born of our bookkeepers. But now Kimberly has her own little hut.
- [10:39]
Cody Rhodes
So DDPY and Comeback Studios there. What's. I think I know the answer. But you were teaching DDPY and teaching elements of yoga. You were teaching out of the studio space itself. But the larger thing there is what's the mission statement? And I get the sense that you guys are a space in Smyrna, Georgia, that is all about helping people, you
- [11:08]
Diamond Dallas Page
know, giving people hope.
- [11:09]
Cody Rhodes
Right.
- [11:10]
Diamond Dallas Page
Because that's what that is. Especially after Covet, man. I mean, during COVID you know, it was so bad, people had lost hope, you know, and. And they have really low opinions of themselves overall. They don't believe in themselves. So what we try to do more than anything, and this is where, like right now, we just finished a. We're just starting. But you had to be signed up already for Beast Mode, which was something Steve created. And him and Nadia put it together that this is every day. You know, you're for 90 days here. And we're going to follow you, we're going to help you, we're going to push you, we're going to actually make you Accountable to you. And what's really the best part, there's five things I'm incredibly, incredibly proud of. One is my wife, Paige, and my girls, you know, of course. And they have to top the list. But then, of course, it's the three world Championships, it's the hall of Fame, it's the resurrection of Jake the Snake. But the other thing is that DDP yoga, this was not started by me. This was started by my buddy, Chris Gabriellano. I always say his name wrong, but Boston Bad Boy knows who I'm talking about. Yeah, he started it just so that these five people could stay accountable to each other. And now there's 78,000 people there and very active. So much so that on the app, I'll put out Fabulous Fridays where I just grab a story and a story once a week. So their stories are gone so fast, but they're so good that I gotta, like, share it. So it's either me and Steve or me and Nadia or Steve and Nadia. And we're giving that, you know, the self high five.
- [12:59]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [12:59]
Diamond Dallas Page
The pat on the back. Like, they come there looking for help. And if they just do the list like I tell them, and if you do the list in its entirety, you're going to become more confident because you're going to be succeeding your goals, but you're also going to start inspiring other people here and think about that. You come here looking for hope, and if you put the work in, you become the person who's inspiring other people. Yeah. What's better than that?
- [13:32]
Cody Rhodes
It's not so much. I don't mean it in an oppressing sense. I mean it just from. Do you know, maybe. I don't think I've ever asked you. You're well known as being the most positive. And our relationship, I've always thought is rather funny because I am very negative. I'm very pessimistic.
- [13:53]
Diamond Dallas Page
I taught you how to breathe, though, right?
- [13:55]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah, you did. No, that was a helpful thing. The thing you taught me was when you hear something you don't want to hear, which is likely what's going to happen. Just remember to breathe because reactionary, the fluid, I mean, everything. There was a science behind why you explained it. And it did put me in a place where. That's when you mentioned to me how to breathe in rooms where you're hearing something you don't want to hear, or you're hearing something that makes you angry, or you're hearing something that makes you ecstatic. One of the things that my character trait or A way I like to approach business is I do like to play dumb,
- [14:35]
Diamond Dallas Page
which you are not.
- [14:36]
Cody Rhodes
Right. But I like to be maybe last in the room to say that's a terrible idea or that's the best idea. What if we did this? And a lot of it actually stemmed from the breathing moment. Because what you do in that moment is you think of what you really want to say here and not a reactionary statement, but how do you really feel? It gives you that time. So again, it's leaned in. That advice you've given me, I've given now. And it fills me up in this kind of play dumb thing that I do a lot.
- [15:08]
Diamond Dallas Page
It's always better be breathing while you're playing dumb.
- [15:10]
Cody Rhodes
Playing dumb may not be the best way to describe it, but I think I've learned that more quiet you are in the room compared to some of the louder in the room. The louder in the room might not be the one you want to follow. Right. Maybe it's the one with the more thought out approach and looking at everyone looking at it from a different view. But that aside, let me share because
- [15:34]
Diamond Dallas Page
we're talking about breathing. So let me share this with you and this is what I know for a fact. When you're deep breathing and just think of three seconds and then out for three seconds. The magic number to me is five. When you're breathing in and out for five, it helps you deal with stress and anxiety because you're activating the hypothalamus which is connected to the pituitary gland in the brain that helps you deal with anxiety and stress during due to our physiological effect it has on our nervous system. That's right out of a medical journal that's on Google. Right. And then it goes on to say when you're deep breathing, you personally are sending neurohormones to inhibit the stress producing hormones which triggers a relaxation in the body. And next time you're feeling anxiety because you feel it, especially as a level you're at. I feel it. These guys all feel it. When it comes. I challenge you. Just. By the time you get the five breaths in and out, I guarantee you. Because literally sometimes it gets heavy on me, you know, like thinking just about all the things I'm trying to do at one time. Yeah, that. Go to breathing. Go to. Because you're not breathing. The only difference between fear and excitement is whether you're breathing or not. And just oh God, I'm not breathing. He's right. Take a breath. Breathe. And the anxiety will roll off you and that's just science.
- [17:23]
Cody Rhodes
When I was coming back to the WWE at WrestleMania 38, of course I had my doubts. I thought, is this really the right decision for me? What if I fail? What if it doesn't go how I planned? Choosing to make that leap of faith was clearly one of the best decisions I have ever made. If you're starting a business, you might feel the same. So much work goes into this thing that you're not entirely sure will work out. That's why it's helpful to have a partner like Shopify by your side. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names to brands Just getting started. What if people haven't heard about my brand? Shopify helps you find your customers with easy to run email and social media campaigns. And what if I get stuck? Shopify is always around to share advice with their award winning 24. 7 customer support. And did I mention that iconic purple Shop pay button that's used by millions of businesses around the world? It's why Shopify has the best converting checkout on the planet. It's time to turn those what ifs into with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com Kodi that's shopify.com Kodi there's nothing like the American Express Platinum card. Find out your welcome offer after you apply, which could be as high as 175,000 points. Learn more and find out your offer@americanexpress.com Explore Platinum terms apply Grainger knows When you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, filters ready to clog. H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24.
- [19:17]
Diamond Dallas Page
7 support.
- [19:18]
Cody Rhodes
Call 1-800-Grainger click granger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Yeah, that's the science. And obviously you're correct. And I'm even saying it, you're correct as in like it almost makes me angry that you're correct because again, our relationship is so funny. But where. I don't know if I've asked this. Where does it come from? The being positive? And here's I feel like. Because here's the thing, we're in the warehouse, right? The Warehouse is filled with things I love. I have a hard time not being in a good mood in the warehouse. It's surrounded by the lifeblood of what we do right now behind us. See, this is Machos on the mannequin. And this is. This is Scott's right over here.
- [20:08]
Diamond Dallas Page
Oh, boy. He would love that. He would love that.
- [20:11]
Cody Rhodes
So this room, this Macho and the boots. Dreams, boots. So here you are. And I'm fast forwarding, I'm moving past it. And we'll go back to, you know, because you come in the industry, you're starting at 35 years old, nightclub owner, you have these connections and all this. But get me all the way to Halloween Havoc. Get me all the way. Is it Halloween Havoc? It is with Macho Man. Or is it Great American Bash?
- [20:37]
Diamond Dallas Page
There's all three.
- [20:38]
Cody Rhodes
It's all three.
- [20:39]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah. Spring Stampede was the first one that night. Changed my life.
- [20:44]
Cody Rhodes
So that. Tell me that's the one, because I don't. This may not be the answer to me, but it feels like you at a point when you were in your career, ups and downs. Maybe more ups and downs than any wrestler had, Right? I'm another wrestler who's had some extreme ups and downs. She had a lot of ups and downs. You could see little pushes you could see. Well, I guess nothing you could see. Right? You could see it. And then here you are, you find yourself, and you're wrestling. It's macho. Take it away.
- [21:11]
Diamond Dallas Page
Well, it's got to start with that one jacket on the side, that vest.
- [21:17]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [21:17]
Diamond Dallas Page
Because Scott and Kev, if they. If Scott doesn't take. Remember, you gotta remember when the NWO was just Scott and Kev. They killed everyone.
- [21:27]
Cody Rhodes
Everybody.
- [21:28]
Diamond Dallas Page
Everybody.
- [21:28]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [21:29]
Diamond Dallas Page
Then Hulk comes in and it gets bigger and bigger, and they're still killing. No one's touched them.
- [21:35]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [21:36]
Diamond Dallas Page
So they're not using me. I beat Eddie Guerrero at Halloween HAVOC. Only in 96. Only because Eddie probably jumped 30ft in the air. And when he came down, your old rib, the white. If your ribs in between your ribs, it's white muscle, which means there's no blood. It hurts to breathe.
- [21:56]
Cody Rhodes
Right.
- [21:57]
Diamond Dallas Page
And he kept going. I never knew he was hurt. And I was going to do something to him. And he goes, diamond cutter. I. I go, no, Eddie, diamond cutter. I was like, okay, you'll see me step back. Kick out. I'm like this far from the ground. One, two, three. I got that huge win, but it didn't mean anything because it wasn't supposed to happen.
- [22:16]
Cody Rhodes
Right.
- [22:17]
Diamond Dallas Page
When I say didn't mean anything. I'm talking to the booking committee.
- [22:19]
Cody Rhodes
Sure. So I meant something to you, but
- [22:22]
Diamond Dallas Page
again, like, meant something to me big time. That Eddie would do that. Like, Eddie was such. He was one of the coolest some bitches, like, ever.
- [22:29]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [22:30]
Diamond Dallas Page
And so I come up with this idea, and I go to Kev with it, and I go, I have no right. As close as we are, I have no right to ask this of you, but it starts with you. I have this idea. We've been truly. Me and him and Scott have been together. Not when they were up here, but we still stayed in touch. We were brothers. And I said, kev, I wanna do a thing where you guys ask me. You and Scott asked me to be in the nwo. I go, oh, now you want me number six. Cause there's already been six guys in by that time. And I said, because I got the hottest finisher on the planet. How about no? And I go, and if I did something you guys wanted me to do in real life, and I got a hard on about it, and I'm not doing that, you'd go, dally, he'll get over it. Because that's what they would have done then. They wouldn't have yelled. They wouldn't have tried to talk me into it. He'll get over it. I go, then we do that again the second time, and the third time, you guys come out, I put the shirt on, I hug you. Scott goes to shake my hand. And when he goes to move back, I pull him in and hit him. Kev, you turn around and go, and I'll back. You come running at me, I'll back drop you over the top rope. He goes, I want to take the diamond cutter too. I go, that ain't gonna happen. I go, but I gotta ask Scott. He goes, wait a minute, wait a minute. He goes, go, tell Bischoff right now we need to make some baby faces. And you're the guy. And I said, I gotta ask Scott. Kev goes, you don't think he remembers? You don't think when his wife was pregnant and nobody would call him back, and you created that whole look for him. And Scott used to say, let me tell it, Dally. It would be the same thing, the toothpick, everything. We were leaving Waffle House, I grabbed a toothpick for me and him, and I went, oh, oh, great idea. When you get to the end, we'll both flick the toothpicks in the camera. And mine fell out of my mouth while I was talking.
- [24:53]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [24:54]
Diamond Dallas Page
No, but it Was made for the bad guy, right? He signed first time he ever did Bing. So he goes, you don't think he remembers that? Go tell Bishop. I said, I'm not telling Bishop. Yeah, bring in. I gotta go ask Scott. I go ask Scott. He goes, I love it. Go tell Bishop. I go, I ain't telling Bischoff anything. I said, oh, he's going to let me tell him. I want to drop the two hottest guys on the planet. So bring in what was great about that. And nobody had this, but we did. We'd shoot nitro and we'd come right back to the hotel bar and we'd all watch it and drinking and bringing eating. And that's when Kev told him, this is what we want to do. And out of that came March, and they. The booking committee. And I understand, did you have to
- [25:53]
Cody Rhodes
deal with an actual booking committee? At which point you did have to deal with a committee, right?
- [25:57]
Diamond Dallas Page
Oh, yeah. Bish was not the guy by himself at the time.
- [26:02]
Cody Rhodes
He had. He surrounded himself with a committee.
- [26:04]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah, well, they had it already.
- [26:05]
Cody Rhodes
Kevin Sullivan.
- [26:06]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yes.
- [26:07]
Cody Rhodes
Yes. You know, Dusty had floated in and out of there a few days.
- [26:10]
Diamond Dallas Page
Dusty was more of a consulare to Eric. Yeah. You know, and if your dad ever would have told me during the Goldberg. When me and Goldberg were about to face off at Halloween havoc two more years after that, if he'd ever told me that, he went up to Eric and he was like, e, you know, maybe this is Dee's night. And because Goldberg was going to be on Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide with the belt on Monday, it didn't happen. But, boy, I would have pitched the cock and dropped it back to him on Monday. But back over to Mach. So Mach gets involved. I have no idea that Macho was asked to work with me. Like, what a trip, man. And then it was based. I gotta back up four months earlier than this. I go, eric, we're having a couple drinks at the Longhorn. And I said, I got something I gotta tell you. He goes, what's the matter? What's the matter? I go, you know, Kimberly's been in Playboy satellite magazines and stuff. Well, they're coming out with celebrity nudes. And we're in it. What? You're in a bag. I go, back up. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not naked. I'm tying my boots while she's just about to pull on a dress. You know, I'm giving her a massage with a cigar freaking towel wrapped around me. And I'm Massaging her. And it was originally two page shoot. Yeah, they saw it, they loved it. They made it six pages. Well, they asked us to come back and reshoot it. He goes, you have a morality clause. You could. You could lose your job over this.
- [28:04]
Cody Rhodes
The morality clause is real.
- [28:07]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah, Turner.
- [28:08]
Cody Rhodes
They're in all contracts now, but very few people ever get brought up. Hey, the morality clause.
- [28:13]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah, well, there. There it was, Mike. And I said, hey, if I get fired, maybe Vince will use it. That becomes the angle they spray painted. And the only part of the angle is that Kimberly is exposed for being my wife.
- [28:36]
Cody Rhodes
Right.
- [28:37]
Diamond Dallas Page
So they spray paint the N and the W over the crack of her butt, and any nipple action. And so they can open up the magazine and bada boom. Then she comes out and she's got her dress on, and she's all spray painted and her hair's all up. So now we are in it. And, you know, every week, man, it's getting hotter and hotter, man. It was the go from the bottom of the middle of the card.
- [29:12]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [29:15]
Diamond Dallas Page
That's why the booking committee didn't do it on the third week or the fourth or the fifth or the sixth, or it was like the eighth or ninth week. And that's only because Kevin said, we're doing it tonight. I owed those cats so much. They changed my life. But we all did together.
- [29:36]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [29:37]
Diamond Dallas Page
You know, we all did together. We always helped each other. And we didn't forget and love you, bro, because it was so strong that he. He made it happen. And the crazy part, the. The night that I dropped them. I got to tell you a story, Reagan. The night that I dropped them, my time when the match and the angle went from 12 to 10 to 8 to 6 to 4 minutes. Now I'm tripping out. I'm not breathing. I've never. I haven't learned to really breathe well yet.
- [30:15]
Cody Rhodes
Right, right.
- [30:17]
Diamond Dallas Page
And I kept. Finally rolled up, and when Scott went into this routine, his Superman curl, I mean, you couldn't even talk to him like he was becoming frigging the bad guy. And Kev, good. I was, cap, Cap. They're screwing us all the time. I went off, and he goes, hey, what do you always tell me? Breathe? And he goes, it's live. What are they gonna do? Go to commercial? Yeah, you're right. He goes, tell that Jay Bron, we going home. So as soon as I get it, boom, boom, we're going home. Did a little thing about sabida boom. Hit him with a finish, and we did it. So those Guys made all that happen, which made Mach go, wow. So now this is my ADD all over the place. I'm going to get back to that is we're the night before the pay per view and we're at a point now we only have to touch as you know, when you get to that spot. But this night, Arn comes in and says, so what do you want to do, Mach? And every night I'm pretty much getting left laying or I escape with a couple of diamond cutters and get out.
- [31:35]
Cody Rhodes
Sure.
- [31:36]
Diamond Dallas Page
But mostly I'm dead. And I'm just figuring I'm dead. And Mach is putting on his boots and he looks up and he goes, I think I want to take the diamond cutter. And Arn looked at me and I looked at him and he went, well, I hope you know what this could do for your career diamond. And I'm thinking, there's no phones, you know, there's nobody filming this. There's no cameras.
- [32:04]
Cody Rhodes
You're documenting it here. Yeah, yeah, right.
- [32:06]
Diamond Dallas Page
But wow, wouldn't that be amazing? Because just like when world title. Sure, you don't believe it till you're walking down the aisle.
- [32:14]
Cody Rhodes
Yes.
- [32:15]
Diamond Dallas Page
And man, I went out there and he immediately I started doing that boom. And he laid everything out even more than me, but he changed it all. He just beat the shit out of me and I fought back and he beat me down and he fought back and he beat me down. And then I blew a little comeback. He stopped and he went gutter boom. And I could, I just laid there. He like, he took a shotgun shot. We laid there. I don't know how long it was, but it was a long time. Like, for sure he's gonna kick out. They're taking this long, you know, for the smart people out there.
- [32:55]
Cody Rhodes
I love that you're fully supposed to be in on the no. And you don't even as you're crawling over.
- [33:02]
Diamond Dallas Page
Right.
- [33:03]
Cody Rhodes
That's amazing.
- [33:04]
Diamond Dallas Page
Right? It's like I'm just, I just literally put low, lay my arm across him, and when it hits three and those people pop. It was so loud.
- [33:18]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [33:19]
Diamond Dallas Page
But it was like God put a cone of silence over the two of us. And I could hear him say, looking up at the, at the lights going, well, guess we know what we're doing for Spring Stampede. He was testing the world water.
- [33:37]
Cody Rhodes
Sure.
- [33:38]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah. Wow.
- [33:40]
Cody Rhodes
Savvy.
- [33:41]
Diamond Dallas Page
Wow.
- [33:41]
Cody Rhodes
Business savvy. What a pro. Also, as personally as you probably again, you, you, you had your, your relationship with Kevin and Scott and that's personal. But this is much just doing it on a professional level, this guy is the, you know the word. I don't like this word because it's so poorly used in wrestling, but this guy is getting over this is happening, right? I think we can do something here. And all wrestlers are looking to expand upon Is it one? Is it two? Do we do this three times? How much can we get of this? This is an incredible but then during that period of time with you macho the 1, 2, 3. Were you as positive as you are now? Or is it. Is it the highs and lows of your add?
- [34:22]
Diamond Dallas Page
Way to come back on the oh no, no, no.
- [34:27]
Cody Rhodes
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- [35:47]
Diamond Dallas Page
a third grade level at the age of 30. Yeah, and I'll just give a little clip note there. I ended up going to LA at one point, as you know, and I ended up a surfing accident. Both of us wiped out into each other. This guy's named Bill Forte. We become super friends out of it. And you're dyslexic too. You gotta go see Rose. She was at the ERAs Learning center in Culver City. She was 80 when she worked with him. She's now still there in 85. And I don't mean in 85, I mean at 85 years old she said I took home more homework than anyone ever because whatever she was doing with all these things was making me Be able to focus as opposed to, you know. So I started to get better and better and now I'm probably sixth grade level, but happy to have it. So the positive thing, this is not at all because it's me and him talking. First of all, I was very positive my whole life because I made shit happen. I set goals and I hit them. It gave me more confidence and I realized, you know, the glass can either be half full or half empty. Unfortunately, some people don't even have a glass. Mine was always half full. Yeah, but where it really pulled me out of it was watching your dad. Because I saw the behind scenes and I'm not going to name names, but guys who just stabbed him in the back and I had to breathe through that shit, man. And I would say to him, dusty, how do you stay so positive? Because this is such an. I know the only way I know how to say this thing. It's the greatest thing we've ever done and it's the worst shit we've ever been in. Yeah. And that's just the way it is. And never let him. Don't, don't ever sell it. D. Stay positive. You're going to make it happen. Your, your, your background was a man, you're a fire breathing dragon manager. You'll be the greatest manager of all time. But this shit, he said to me, yeah, you know, and I'd watch, I go, man, he is so good. And he did. And he had some dark times, as you know. And you know, he taught me a lot. But the biggest one. And I got to do this. I tell the story all the time, but it's. It's my favorite Dusty story. I am bitching up a storm in late 94. So, you know, I'm like 38 years old and I'm. This book committee's never gonna. They're never gonna see it in me. I'm like, I'm at the top of the bottom at this point and I'm just not going anywhere. No matter how hard I work, no matter what I do. And I am just bitching. And at some point I say, you know, dream. I know I'm never gonna be you or Rick or, or Hulk. I know I'm never gonna be the world champion. But these suddenly went. Got it. Enough. Never yelled at me before, ever. But that time he wanted to shut me up, he said, enough. What the. What did you just say? I feel kind of stupid, you know, like I'm not a dream. I know I'm never gonna be you or Rick. I Didn't even get Hulk out. He goes, no. What did you say after that? So, well, I'm never going to be the world champion. He said, then what the fuck are you doing it for? And I don't use that word. Can I use that word?
- [39:38]
Cody Rhodes
Oh, yeah.
- [39:39]
Diamond Dallas Page
That's what he said. He said, if you don't believe D, as hard as you work, as much time as you put in the business, if you don't believe, how the hell is anybody else going to believe? If you don't believe, you need to get the fuck out of our business right now. And he kept going. But I've already felt like that. And I was like, whoa, you are so right. And right next to my answering machine, for those of you who are that old, was a pad. I pulled the pad over and I wrote, I will be the world champion in five years or less. It was four years, four months and 14 days. The craziest part is I do a lot of cameos, right? And most of them are for people looking to be motivated. Matt explained it's not motivation, it's discipline and explain. But I get a lot of those, right? And this is my go to story, depending on what someone wrote me, because this is the most powerful story I have because it changed my life dramatically. And I realize that I said to him, I'm never going to be you or Rick or Hulk. Yet on April 11, 1999, six days after my 43rd birthday, I step in the ring with Rick and Hulk and the Stinger and I walk out the world champion. Yeah. And I didn't realize it to maybe the 15th or 50th time I told this story. I wish I had that cameo because you see it rush across my face like a great actor who doesn't have to say anything, but all you need to do is see what he's. You can see what he's thinking, discovering.
- [41:38]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah, right.
- [41:39]
Diamond Dallas Page
And so, man, it was your dad. He made me go to that next level of belief in myself. And staying positive, like that chokes me up. And I can see in your eyes, it chokes you up, too.
- [41:58]
Cody Rhodes
Well, that inner voice, there's something that. There's a video, it's out there. I send it to people every now and then. It's Gary Hart, of all people.
- [42:07]
Diamond Dallas Page
Manager Gary Hart.
- [42:08]
Cody Rhodes
Manager Gary Hart. And he's talking about Dusty. And this is. This video is so important to me. And people don't understand why when I send it to them, they can. I don't think they get why, because I usually send it as my way of letting them know that you're in that territory now. But he's talking about Crockett and how it was a wasteland when Dusty got there. And the next thing you know, guys went from driving, you know, Hondas with, you know, matching rims that weren't matching. They're lined up at the Mercedes. The next thing you know, they've traded in their duffels for Louis Vuittons. And then all that wealth and prosperity. And when it got bad, the same guy they blame for it being good, it's now his fault, right? And he specifically said the words no loyalty and Haman. That's the real reason I can never fully turn the corner on disliking Mr. Heyman, because he has the same story. So there's this bond over it, but it's also created in me. Maybe it is actually a little bit of the negativity, but it's created in me. It's why I try to document everything, because I'm not having. I'm not having any motherfucker rewrite my story, right? I don't want to hear about shit like, y' all weren't there, right? I was there. If you need me to be the scapegoat for your bullshit, go ahead. But, like, you won't do that to me the same way you did it to him, and he didn't have the luxury, right? One of the reasons I love this podcast, I tell people I don't, but one of the reasons I love it, because it's out there, right? I can put this out there. You heard it, you know, oh, it's a Cody lie and all that. Nobody in this information age. The receipts are out there. Does it fit your narrative? No. Is your favorite wrestler not involved? But I was probably. But it's why I am the way I am. And I'll take it even further. It's why Teal and I are so close, because have you ever seen Game of Thrones?
- [44:17]
Diamond Dallas Page
Of course.
- [44:17]
Cody Rhodes
So Arya Stark says the names, right? So I'm a lot more diplomatic about it. Teal's not, right.
- [44:25]
Diamond Dallas Page
She'll just cut your throat.
- [44:28]
Cody Rhodes
Teal. At the end of the day, it's hard when I'm like, hey, I talked to such and such. She's like, yeah, I remember what he did to dad, right?
- [44:33]
Diamond Dallas Page
Like, ooh, ooh. She's got, like, a steel grip memory.
- [44:38]
Cody Rhodes
But it balances each other out, right? Because that's not my job to carry his battles, right? If anything, it's my job when I come across Those people let me change the turf. How are you? You know, there's been plenty. I remember Honky Tonk man went on this whole shoot about Dusty. It's his opinion he's trying to be entertaining. It's not the end of the world. But when I met him, I made sure I was the nicest person to him. Because whatever that was, it's ending right now. He ain't working with you, and I'm not working with you either.
- [45:09]
Diamond Dallas Page
Right?
- [45:10]
Cody Rhodes
But I think I'm just kind of. It's uncovering it as you're talking about it. But he was like you in that nothing could shake him. And I don't know, it's because it was so much at one point, so much blame, so much this, so much that that finally becomes, you know what? You're going to be the best manager. You're going to be the world champion. Because he really did have that. And the same thing happens at Comeback Studios. People come to you with the most unreasonable shit, and they come to you. Sorry, there's a lot of cursing on this one.
- [45:44]
Diamond Dallas Page
I apologize.
- [45:45]
Cody Rhodes
But they come to you. People that maybe I don't even like, and that their story's rough and their climb back is going to be tough. But you always. You never let anyone go out of there thinking they can't do it. You never tell anyone, like, I don't think so, buddy. I don't think so. And I. That's just amazing. There ain't enough of that in wrestling. And Dusty was the same way. Somebody tell him the most ridiculous thing. Yeah, I think you can do it. Yeah. I remember there was a guy who was a janitor talking about becoming an astronaut. And I couldn't believe that when my dad was like, I don't know about. Like, is there a school? Like an astronaut school or a book there?
- [46:29]
Diamond Dallas Page
You guys are actually saying.
- [46:31]
Cody Rhodes
You guys are actually talking about this. Like, guys start smaller. Like, I don't want to knock this guy's. But I'd sit in a lot of those rooms or in the car when he'd be talking to people and thinking, like, that's just a skill. That's just like. Just. I don't know if maybe I never knew him when it was so bad and it's later in life, which is why Teal and I carry it forward, you know, like, maybe I didn't know him well enough to know what. What happened. But by the time I got to him, literally, you could do anything, like. And that's, you know, you're around and You're. You're a prime example. He didn't lie to you. You know, and that maybe that's the thing about positivity. You're not lying to anybody. Cause it's on you. You're not lying to anybody to tell them. I think you can do that. Because again, you had mentioned.
- [47:14]
Diamond Dallas Page
If they just do the work.
- [47:16]
Cody Rhodes
If you just do the work. Which is why we're all over the place here. There's gonna be a second half to this, I'm sure. But it's why when you sent me to Howard Fine. Howard Fine Acting Studio, which is so important. And every day that goes on, I realize how much I got out of just 12 months. His license.
- [47:34]
Diamond Dallas Page
But he. He loved you too. And bring you in. I know you did. And to bring you into the inner sanctum, like I. I'll just call him once in a while. Just go, what's up? H. You know, can I tell you.
- [47:49]
Cody Rhodes
Can I make a confession about Howard that he's. It's probably time for him to hear, you know, Barney, his corgi. Oh, I used to walk Barney around the. I know Barney. I don't think Barney. Barney's passed on, but I used to. I used to walk Barney around the studio. And I'm from Georgia. We're not picking up dog shit. You know what I'm saying? Like dogs just. It's. We're the South. That's not. No bags. That's not a thing. And I was. Now I'm in la, you know, where
- [48:16]
Diamond Dallas Page
it's a thing, right?
- [48:17]
Cody Rhodes
Where it's a thing. So I would do full blown Memphis wrestling. Barney would go to the bathroom, I'd look around, see if anyone was looking. If I saw someone looking, I'd take the bag, hold it high up, I'd sweep the ground, nothing in it. And then I'd go put it. I might as well have just done it. But I was like, I'm not. But I'd make a big wrestling pantomime.
- [48:39]
Diamond Dallas Page
Oh, my God.
- [48:39]
Cody Rhodes
Look, guys, I got it. Just in case. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do it.
- [48:43]
Diamond Dallas Page
But Baron Secluna, when he would go in for the. They grabbed the blood knuckles.
- [48:51]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah. Literally that you got to let him see. We were just talking to Jimmy Hart about it. He threw a chain at Jerry Lawler for him to get. And he threw it in a way that it hit. And it could have gone bad because he threw it straight. You're meant to do the.
- [49:03]
Diamond Dallas Page
Right.
- [49:03]
Cody Rhodes
The lob up. I used to do on when I was doing Ring of Honor and stuff. I used to try and turn it on its, turn it on its ear and I'd say, hey, Brandy, throw me the gimmick as loud as possible. So the ref would be like this and the guy would throw it in and the ref would, I saw it all. And as he went to get it, I'd kick the guy in the balls, right? So it was a little like, haha, turn it on its ear a little bit. Big news, WWE and sports fans. The world's number one sports fan festival, Fanatics Fest, is making its return to New York City. Fanatics is bringing you closer to the leagues, teams, superstars and athletes you love across four action packed days in July. Meet your favorite WWE Superstars, get your hands on exclusive merch and interact with the biggest names in sports. Tickets are on sale now and fans of the podcast can use code CODY10 at checkout for 10% discount. Head to fanaticsfest.com to get your tickets today. All your positivity, this is something that Steve Yu, who we've spoke about, we talk all the time offline about you and he's so positive and he likes this guy. And what do you think about this? He said one time to me, something, he said, you try so many things out health wise. Health wise that in the end it's beneficial. Because if 10 out of those health things, if eight of the 10 worked, you were off, you were. If two of them were nonsense, which I have to bring up a moment that I have never brought up to you about what I would call perhaps voodoo. Voodoo. Okay. You told me on my birthday that you were gonna take me to a special doctor. Cause you know that my body is not great, but I don't tell anyone. And you know, things are what they are. So you're going to take me to the special doctor. I think you're just going to take me to a chiropractor. And you would have been better off just taking me to a chiropractor because at least the noise happens. Oh, that was great. You took me to this guy, no names. And he was a chiropractor. And he did adjust me, but before he adjusted me, Dallas, he said, I think you've got an aversion to corn. And I thought, okay. And he goes, I think you do. So he grabbed my hand and he goes, squeeze my hand. I squeeze his hand. This is very important what I tell you next. He goes, all right. He takes a vial of corn.
- [51:25]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yep.
- [51:25]
Cody Rhodes
He holds it over my body.
- [51:27]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yep.
- [51:28]
Cody Rhodes
It's not Touching me. It's a vial. He holds it over my body. He goes, squeeze my hand again, Dallas. I squeeze his hand. And there was no difference. There wasn't a single difference. And he goes, yep, corn. And I was looking at you in the corner and you were just going. And I thought, I know so much of what he does is right. But this. Someone say something. And then he held it over my stomach. He goes, push your foot. Push it. Push your foot again. Push it. Same. Ah, it's the corn, dude. Like, it was. It was. I left and I immediately. I forget when I walked in the house who was there, but I said, I have to tell you, like that. Like, it was a. Like, I know it worked for you. I know it worked for you, and I appreciate you taking me on the ride. But it is. It is one of the moments where I thought that's just. I love him too much to let him know that that was a shaman. It wasn't real. It was like a mad. But it. Maybe it was. I don't know. But that. That aside, things that don't work, something that's clearly does work and not. You have the footage. And you've been so kind to never show anybody your Power Cuffs, right?
- [52:47]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah.
- [52:48]
Cody Rhodes
Okay, so you've got these cuffs, the Power Cuffs. They're amazing. Look up. Just look up any of DDP Socials and you'll see what the Power Cuffs do. You had me do a workout with them, and I did not have enough gas in the tank. I gave up midway through without giving up, without tapping or saying, I'm done. And you could tell I couldn't do anymore. I cut back and you just said, we're not going to use any of this. Which is a rare. You use everything.
- [53:15]
Diamond Dallas Page
Not if you don't look good.
- [53:16]
Cody Rhodes
But you, for me, were like, we're not going to use any of this. And I thought, well, I don't know what it was, but they do work. They do work. Yeah. I told you my inebriated power story. No, you're not. It's time. It's time. WrestleMania 39 is in LA, right? It's my first time in the main event of WrestleMania.
- [53:37]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yep.
- [53:38]
Cody Rhodes
I am so excited. It's so fi. This brand new unbelievable stadium. Maybe the greatest stadium in current out there. Just unbelievable place to see a game, to see a show. All these things. It's Roman Reigns, the greatest WWE main eventer as far as WrestleMania goes in history. It's myself. It's a whole story. It's true. Every piece of this Is true. Trying to win the title that Dusty didn't have. All that I mentioned earlier about the no loyalty, all that loaded up, man, I'm bringing that to this game. But I was really nervous about everything. I had said yes to every appearance. John cone and talent relations had taken me everywhere. But I really was scared. I was nervous, I was anxious. West coast show, so it's going. Come quick. So I needed to sleep. I needed to sleep. So I took something that would help me go to sleep. That's the best way to put it. It's pretty nebulous, but I took something that would help me go to sleep. And then I was just drifting off and I smelt burning. And I looked on the lamp above my sink on my bus, and I had put one of the power cuffs on the lamp and I burned through it. So it was like, not the end of the world. I was going to use them the next day to pump up, but I didn't know what to do. So I burned it and threw it away. Next year, the fire happened. So there's no fire, but I burned it. But the funny part was, the next day you told me you're like, you ready? Yeah, yeah, I'm ready. You know? And you're like, yeah, I feel good. Yeah. And then you go, you got your cuffs? And I just went, yeah, yeah, I got him, I got him. But it took me like three months to reveal I need new cuffs because of this situation. Before WrestleMania 39 and then WrestleMania 40. You completely sobered me up. Not in any sense, but you did something so funny that I'll never forget it. And it's. You're always part of. We do big WrestleMania, right? WrestleMania is what brings my family together. You know, one of the whys for why I want to be in a great spot on it and why I work as hard as I would like to work is because I want them to come in April and know that. That the road's name matters. So the family all comes. We do the big dinner, we do all that stuff. But you were texting me. It's kind of like the day of my wedding, and you texted me all these questions. And I'm thinking, there's someone else who can answer these questions, right? Like Brian somebody answer Dallas's questions, right? I want Dallas taken care of. He needs to be there, but I can't be. And then you come on the bus and I'm in my under trunks. I'm in my under trunks and you have your beautiful new wife there with you. So Already we know each other now on an intimate level. I'm in my under trunks, and I'm thinking, I gotta go inside. It's time to go to work. And you're just like, hey, you got any coffee? Yeah, yeah, I got coffee. This is not hard. Turn coffee machine on. So I go to turn the coffee machine on, and you said, what do you got in the fridge? What kind of milk you got? Like, any oat or almond or. What a healthy option? Do you. I don't know. I don't know. So the next thing you know, I'm like the barista for you. And I thought, like, I wouldn't have it any other way. I wouldn't have it any other way because Dustin also comes on that bus. And Dustin and I had a shorter interaction. But I feel like those are my favorite stories that come out of WrestleMania. Those are my favorite. My favorite moments. But, yeah, that one made me laugh because I think Brandi was like, hey, guys, I think he's got to go inside and get ready. And I'm just pouring creamer. Like, I don't know. Oh, man.
- [57:32]
Diamond Dallas Page
But not like, you're in the main event at WrestleMania, bro.
- [57:35]
Cody Rhodes
No, but it was. It was. It was. And we had done it back to back. And you. You also really hit to that WrestleMania 39. You. You asked me the question I didn't want to answer.
- [57:47]
Diamond Dallas Page
I remember.
- [57:47]
Cody Rhodes
I didn't want to answer it. I didn't want to answer it. You said, what happens if you lose?
- [57:52]
Diamond Dallas Page
No, I said, is it really matter if you. Does it really matter if you. If you do the job this time? Yeah, because the fans will want it so bad. And you go, what if we lose momentum? I go, what if you don't?
- [58:06]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah, but you're not wrong. But that's crazy gambling. You know what I mean? Like, you.
- [58:11]
Diamond Dallas Page
When you say, that paid off in spades.
- [58:14]
Cody Rhodes
Yes. But when you say stuff like, it's either gonna be the worst thing that ever happened to you or the best thing that ever happened to you. The problem is, you know what that means? You know, like, great, I'm gonna make this awful situation the best thing that ever happened to me.
- [58:30]
Diamond Dallas Page
I don't. That's what you do, though, dude.
- [58:32]
Cody Rhodes
I try.
- [58:33]
Diamond Dallas Page
I don't. No, that's what you do. And when you finally. You'll lose a little bit of that shit when you just say, no, that's what I do. Because that's what he did.
- [58:43]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [58:44]
Diamond Dallas Page
That's what he taught me to do.
- [58:45]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [58:45]
Diamond Dallas Page
And I'm just giving you Back third generation.
- [58:47]
Cody Rhodes
No, for sure. Here's something that I've adopted backstage. And the unreal cameras have. They've seen me say it enough that I feel like they now know what I mean. But we run into all these situations where it's WrestleMania this year, for example, our little title change in Germany, and let's pivot, let's make some different moves and all this, and, oh, there's a lot of momentum behind Drew. Do people love Drew as they should? He's awesome. I always tell people because people will say, I don't know if that's good for you or, you know, and I don't know if I mean it arrogantly. I think I just mean it from my own experience. But what I tell him is I can survive it. That's what I tell everyone. Michael Hayes has heard me say it a lot. Mr. Heyman's heard me say it a lot. I can survive it.
- [59:38]
Diamond Dallas Page
You know what I love?
- [59:38]
Cody Rhodes
I don't know if that's good or bad, but I felt like as a baby face, it's becoming a powerful trait. Like, great, all of this. This is a lot, guys, you know what? I can survive it.
- [59:52]
Diamond Dallas Page
You know what? I love that Cena said, just be you.
- [59:56]
Cody Rhodes
Oh, yeah.
- [59:57]
Diamond Dallas Page
In the ring, that was powerful. That's a powerful.
- [60:00]
Cody Rhodes
Told me in the ring.
- [60:01]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah. Powerful.
- [60:02]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [60:03]
Diamond Dallas Page
Statement, bro. That's what that is. That. That's. That's a guy who's been there. And. And I. I never understood when people didn't like Cena. Talk his ass off. Yeah, works great. Yeah, does whatever it takes. I mean, a lot of respect for that cat, man. When I saw him do friggin the ESPYs, I was like, this guy's different level. Yeah, he's different level.
- [60:35]
Cody Rhodes
Something he said to. When we came out for Mania, but also for SummerSlam, he was saying, don't worry about them. They'll be making noise all night. Don't worry about them. Which I didn't feel like I needed to hear it at the time, but then I did, you know, and that's what made it more special to me was has he ever had to tell anyone this? Because he's always been the one having to do that. Now he's telling someone, don't worry about them. Ooh, there's responsibility in that. There's power in that. I don't mind at all. One of my peers kind of took a shot at me the other day and was like, oh, is this because Seen as your mentor? And I thought, yeah, Yes, A is the Answer. But I'm not mad that you know that I'm not mad. That's. Oh, my. What a bad one to have. Right? Right. Oh, my. You know, the greatest of all time. 17 and continuing to have another chapter now.
- [61:41]
Diamond Dallas Page
And a hell of an actor.
- [61:43]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [61:43]
Diamond Dallas Page
Hell of an actor.
- [61:45]
Cody Rhodes
But here's the thought is another chapter. You are the king of the next chapter. And there's always something we could talk about. You talked about the resurrection of Jake the Snake. You talked about, if you look at what you did with Butterbean, if you look at what you did with people who aren't from our world, who aren't famous, and all you have to do is, again, follow all these socials and you'll see these positivity stories, these accountability stories and things of that nature. You've brought so many guys back. And why is it. Is it a sense of you owe it, you know? Or is it brotherhood? Or is it what's right?
- [62:31]
Diamond Dallas Page
Want to pay back? I gotta tell you about your dad, which didn't happen, but the way it happened was so dusty. He said, you know, I was. I was talking about it. It's in the beginning of me doing this, you know, And. And I really wanted to just help him feel better.
- [62:52]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [62:52]
Diamond Dallas Page
You know, and he said, well, if we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it right. We're gonna use the. You. We're gonna film it. We're gonna do the YouTube stuff.
- [63:00]
Cody Rhodes
The YouTube.
- [63:01]
Diamond Dallas Page
But. But he frigging went on a, like, rant of doing, like, I'm gonna do this. I wanna do it with you. You know, you got it. We're going to do it. And the next day, he called me back, Dennis, I couldn't take it. There was cheesecake in the refrigerator. And when I went downstairs, I ate the whole thing, not doing it. Click. And I just left it at that. For Jake, he was ready. And that's the only reason it happened. Scott became ready because he saw Jake ready.
- [63:37]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [63:38]
Diamond Dallas Page
And. But I wanted to call it the resurrection. Jake the Snake at Scott Hall. And he was like, you know, yeah, this is Jake's thing. And I'm. That I'm. I like drinking. I don't want to drink right now. I don't want to drink. I want. I like the way I'm feeling. I'm getting healthier.
- [63:57]
Cody Rhodes
But he wasn't ready yet.
- [63:59]
Diamond Dallas Page
He. He was never going to be ready.
- [64:01]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [64:01]
Diamond Dallas Page
So once I realized that, I said, okay, you got shows.
- [64:08]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [64:08]
Diamond Dallas Page
You can't show up drinking.
- [64:10]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [64:11]
Diamond Dallas Page
So we gotta trick you down. So you can't just stop drinking. You gotta taper off. And he taught me that. I didn't know. And so what he would do is he'd start tapering down before each time, you know, that he would go out, then he'd come home. He might not drink. He might. And I just couldn't believe how good he came back. Every time. Like he was the movie star. He may be like the best looking guy ever in our business. Great body. He had everything. Wit, quick wit. And he'd wait for. And then just slide that thing in it. Pop everybody. Yeah, man. He. I'm more. I'm more amazed and more excited when I. Every time I think about Jake that he's been 14 years sober. And Jake did not like the resurrection of Jake the Snake. He liked it. He loved it for what the journey was, but he didn't want to see it all. Who wants to see themselves in that condition?
- [65:24]
Cody Rhodes
I, I want to bring this up because I know we probably got a. We've probably got to wind up here with you. Definitely. Let's just. This is a, this, this team. We, we love doing this. Let's just do part two.
- [65:39]
Diamond Dallas Page
That sounds good.
- [65:40]
Cody Rhodes
Let's just get part two. We can do it close. We can do it at the factory or we can even do it right there in Steve Yu's house. Are you ready to hold WWE history in the palm of your hand? Topps is bringing you closer to the action than ever before. With WWE Topps now highlighting the biggest matches and milestones from WWE shows and ples throughout the year. Topps now is enhancing the fan experience by connecting collectors to the superstars and spectacles that ignite their passion. Featuring stunning event exclusive photography, each card is made for the moment. And for some lucky collectors, that moment could become the pull of a lifetime. Along with serial numbered parallels, some Top Snow releases offer a chance at rare short prints, Superstar autographs, and even pieces of the mat, gear or other items used during the featured match. So which moment will you collect with each card only available for a limited time, you won't want to wait to begin your top Snout journey. Be sure to subscribe WWE Topps now mailing list on topps.com and follow Topps on all social media platforms so you never miss a single moment you brought something up. I wanna, I, I did a contract recently. It's not anything major or life changing.
- [67:04]
Diamond Dallas Page
This is really good. After I'd say that our friends at
- [67:08]
Cody Rhodes
Wheatley are indeed our friends at Wheatley. I did this contract recently. And I put. In the end, I said, I just want to select a legend for the TVC portion.
- [67:20]
Diamond Dallas Page
You want to what?
- [67:20]
Cody Rhodes
I wanted to select the legend. I wanted to be able to put someone from the hall of Fame group or one of our legends. And I've come to realize my only answer for why is because it's the right thing to do. And I don't know why, but it's more than ever, maybe it's being here. Often I've been in Stanford more than ever, more than ever. It's got me to this. It's the right thing to do, and you lead the charge on. It's the right thing to do.
- [67:45]
Diamond Dallas Page
Right.
- [67:46]
Cody Rhodes
It's almost, you know, it's almost not worth exploring why. The fact that it's being done and the fact that it's been done. You know, Scott, Jake, Lex, hall of Fame, just an amazing situation. And the wrestling business. And I don't know if I can speak on behalf of the wrestling business, but probably someone who maybe thanks you. Those guys all thank you. The families all thank you. No doubt. But thank you. Because you've given time, you've given clarity, you've given final chapters, and you're just now in a chapter two. Before we go into the two games, I do just want to briefly, if I can ask about. Because we're okay. We're okay. I want to briefly ask about DDP European Tour.
- [68:29]
Diamond Dallas Page
Oh, yeah.
- [68:30]
Cody Rhodes
Yes. DDP European Tour.
- [68:32]
Diamond Dallas Page
My boy Sebastian. I don't know the name of his wrestling show, but I had such a great interview with him.
- [68:39]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [68:40]
Diamond Dallas Page
It made me want to go back to Germany, which I was just there for Christmas.
- [68:43]
Cody Rhodes
Sebastian, who works with this WWE Wise in Germany, actually, that's.
- [68:47]
Diamond Dallas Page
Does he?
- [68:47]
Cody Rhodes
Yes. Great.
- [68:48]
Diamond Dallas Page
Oh, I. I did. I did not know that.
- [68:51]
Cody Rhodes
Good guy.
- [68:51]
Diamond Dallas Page
But what. What a great guy. What a great. We had a great time on the interview. We have a. A meet and greet and Q and A. And the VIP dinner's already sold out and haven't really told anybody yet. And I'm doing that in Germany. And then I don't remember what the name of the club is. The gym where we're doing a DDPoga workshop on the 16th, so 15th and 16th. I'm actually coming in on the 14th. Paige is going to be climbing the Dolomites in Italy.
- [69:26]
Cody Rhodes
Wow.
- [69:27]
Diamond Dallas Page
And then flying in to meet me for the Q and A. And then the. The workshop we're going to do, and then we're going up into the Alps for a couple days so she can climb some more mountains. And then we're flying in. Are you familiar with Inside the Ropes?
- [69:43]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah, of course.
- [69:44]
Diamond Dallas Page
Kenny, right. I'm the first one he ever did. And I didn't know that. I knew I was one of the early ones, but I didn't realize I was the first. So we're gonna fly into Glasgow, and I'm going to do the 21st. I'm doing a Q and A and a meet and greet for Kenny. Then we're driving that night to Manchester for the 22nd, and we're gonna do a DD workshop in Manchester, the next night in London. Or I should say day. And when you're doing a workshop, it isn't like a workout. It's like you walk in, you put your mats down, and then you come right to me and Paige and freaking say, hello. Take some pictures. Then we get into. And when I do any kind of workshop, I'm doing inspiration meets perspiration.
- [70:31]
Cody Rhodes
I've seen them. You're getting more, no pun intended, bang for your buck than anybody in terms of you're giving them so much. We'll put it up there in all
- [70:40]
Diamond Dallas Page
the cities, and then we'll be in London for a Q and A there. And meet and greet Inside the Ropes,
- [70:47]
Cody Rhodes
Our friends at Wheatley have a very fun jingle. I'm gonna play this for you, and then I'm gonna ask you to replace a word.
- [70:54]
Diamond Dallas Page
A word?
- [70:55]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah. Why should Moscow always get the mule Vodka this good is an American jewel. Wheatley so good, I drink it neatly. If you could replace the word neatly with any word, what would it be?
- [71:14]
Diamond Dallas Page
Oh, my God.
- [71:17]
Cody Rhodes
I mean, it's right there. I got it.
- [71:19]
Diamond Dallas Page
It's right there. Say it again.
- [71:22]
Cody Rhodes
Well, no. Wheatley so good. I drink it neatly, and you're taken out neatly. What would DDP do? Right? Wheatley so good. I drink it completely. Yeah, completely works. But I also. I feel like you could go. And I saw someone shouted that one. And wheatley so good, I drink it bang. Oh, I would say, wheatley so good, I drink it. I can't repl. But for you, it's. I'm gonna go ahead and give you yours positively, because that is everything. I cannot shake you. You are the most positive human being. It's amazing. It's the best. And everyone who talks about you, you can't be shake. You just. It's.
- [72:05]
Diamond Dallas Page
Well, I can be shake. I can be shook.
- [72:07]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [72:08]
Diamond Dallas Page
I just breathe and it gets shaken out myself.
- [72:13]
Cody Rhodes
Wheatley American vodka. We like to consider ourselves the dream team. And I always ask everybody who's on their dream team. And sometimes easier to say hey, going into a war games match, four or five people. But really it can be whoever who is with you. You know we talked about in the beginning in the introduction, the Dusty Five that probably would have been his dream team. Who is on DDP's dream team? All errors, all eras.
- [72:37]
Diamond Dallas Page
Oh Dusty for one. Superstar Billy Graham.
- [72:42]
Cody Rhodes
Okay.
- [72:43]
Diamond Dallas Page
Handsome Jimmy Valiant.
- [72:45]
Cody Rhodes
Wow.
- [72:46]
Diamond Dallas Page
Do I get five?
- [72:47]
Cody Rhodes
You can go as many as you want man.
- [72:49]
Diamond Dallas Page
Yeah. Kevin Scott.
- [72:52]
Cody Rhodes
Yeah.
- [72:54]
Diamond Dallas Page
And you?
- [72:55]
Cody Rhodes
Oh man, we're not doing any jobs. Oh thanks D. And again we are going to do a second part to this so look forward to that. Wheatley American Vodka Ben Brown, the Archivist and WWE and fanatics. Thank you so much ladies and gentlemen. On what do you want to talk about Diamond Dallas Page GDP Bang. With the American Express Platinum card, you can access over $3,500 in annual value with benefits and eligible purchases across travel, entertainment and more. There's nothing like Platinum. Learn more@americanexpress.com Explore Platinum Enrollment Requirements monthly and other limits in terms of platform
- [73:35]
Diamond Dallas Page
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