DDP spoke with Kevin Kellam for Wrestlezone at Starrcast; you can read a few transcribed highlights and listen to the full interview below:
(Transcription credit to Bill Pritchard for Wrestlezone.com)
I know my career. I was just with Sgt Slaughter at the airport; we did a signing together about a month ago. He was so kind and gracious to me, talking about my career. He told me my career was one of favorite Hall Of Fame careers. Hearing that from Sgt. Slaughter, who was one of the most unbelievable big men of all time. I worship that guy, still today. He’s amazing, but to hear him say that.
I knew I had a Hall Of Fame career. Did I know I was going to get in at some point? I really felt at some point, I just didn’t know when. And when I got that call from Triple H—back when he was Terra Ryzing, Paul Levesque—we’d be down at the [WCW] Power Plant every day. If we weren’t on the road, we were there. He was there when Johnny Ace gave me his version of the Ace Crusher—which I turned into the Diamond Cutter—he never did out of nowhere finishes. He saw me do it, then he started doing that, but we helped each other. He very graciously gave it to me, and then I turned it into something else, and then he took it and took it somewhere else.
To be able to thank him, and Steven Regal for teaching me the cravate, Jake Roberts and Dusty Rhodes and Dusty’s wife, Cody’s mom [Michelle]. Without Dusty Rhodes there’s no Diamond Dallas Page. So this is like a family thing. Dusty always said he had five friends; some guys would bounce on and off the list, but he would always say ‘D, BANG! You are always on that list.’ When he passed, Cody called me and he told me that. I’d already heard it, but coming from Cody, it meant so much more, because it was him telling his son before he goes.
Cody—he loves being associated with his Dad, but he wants to make his own way, which he has done. But this is a very special thing for him, with the NWA match and the whole deal. Nick [Aldis] is an amazing talent; I’m looking for this to be an amazing show from A to Z.
