Eighty-three weeks. From June 1996 to April 1998, WCW, the company that put WWE in the runner-up column, dominated television ratings with their edgy, widely appreciated, different-strokes-for-different-folks style of wrestling, spotlighting many familiar and rising stars who are now legends and Hall of Famers. Among those who contributed to the impressive ratings was former three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page, who never imagined the good times would end so abruptly in March 2001 when WWE bought out WCW. Fortunately, he was offered a position with his former rival's company. In an interview on The Undertaker's "Six Feet Under" podcast, Page recalls his initial creative meeting and how he kept his composure despite the pitch being below his expectations from his past career in WCW.
"So, I'm here, Shane [McMahon's] there, Vince is here, Kim's there, and we talk a little bit, and then we get into what we want to do," Page stated. "[They said] 'We want you to be the stalker to 'Taker...' If someone in WCW...just came in there, or if I was keeping my mindset into WWE that I was already using...if he would have said we want you to stalk Undertaker's wife, I'd look at him, I'd look at her, I look at him and say, 'Are you looking at my wife?'"
Entering the meeting, Page was hopeful about pitching a storyline where he would face off against "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment," The Rock, to determine who the actual "People's Champion" was during his debut. Over time, what that creative meeting taught Page, which he concluded in this segment of the interview, is that, thanks to Vince's sometimes nonsensical ideas, he learned not to be afraid to get up and walk away from the table, despite the fear that may come from turning down the former big boss. That advice, which Vince openly shared to Page, impacted his career in all the best ways possible.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
