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Post by Tyfo on Aug 8, 2009 23:23:46 GMT -5
The day is June 18th, 2001. In the early stages of the invasion angle, WCW wrestlers are slowly filtering their way onto WWF TV. But none got an intro like this. Just listen to the reaction when he unmasks and wonder why it ended up like it did. Because it still baffles me.
Of course this was followed up by the Undertaker beating the shit out of Page time and time again. Hell, even Taker's wife got the duke over DDP. By years end, he would be a smiley, motivational speaking midcarder. But this video shows that he could have easily been WAY more with just any effort at all.
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Post by Lair of the Shadow MaDaBa on Aug 8, 2009 23:29:17 GMT -5
They could have made it so that it was a way to get Taker out of his game so that the WWF's defenses would be lowered, allowing WCW to come in and attack at full force.
One idea.
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Post by MGH on Aug 8, 2009 23:29:19 GMT -5
My goodness, listen to that reaction. Honestly, I don't know the entire story behind this. Was there some heat on him? Did he piss someone off? Or was he just another casualty of Vince and his ego driven destruction of a storyline that could have carried him and his company for 18-24 months?
Page went from THAT reaction, to getting his ass kicked at King of the Ring, then by Taker's wife, then crushed in the cage at Summerslam, to a SMILING GIMMICK. He wasn't the most talented guy in the world, but he was more than capable and knew what he was doing. Unless something major happened behind the scenes involving him, he just flat out got the shaft, and WWE cost themselves some money.
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Post by The Tank on Aug 8, 2009 23:30:38 GMT -5
Because Vince was trying to prove that WCW stars sucked in comparison to WWF stars.
The only reason Booker T every succeeded in WWE was because he gritted his teeth and stuck around through several years of crap before he hit the main event. And his main event run was so short, The Great Khali main evented longer than he did.
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Post by Lionheart on Aug 8, 2009 23:32:37 GMT -5
"Taker, you idiot. Austin's already famous."
Hey everybody, remember back before Undertaker was smurfing Michelle McCool?
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Post by Jimmy on Aug 8, 2009 23:33:00 GMT -5
"That DDP, he doesn't know how to work WWF style. And he hasn't paid his dues yet."
^ I imagine something like that happening backstage.
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Post by Hanz Moleman on Aug 8, 2009 23:38:35 GMT -5
This is actually the last episode of wrestling I watched till I picked it back up like 3 years ago. Despite how excited I was, I just didn't turn in the next week.
EDIT: I also just want to add that I believe that DDP was the biggest miss by WWE ever. Now I'm sure there are plenty of arguments against me, but he just knew how to tell a story in the ring, his diamond cutter came out of nowhere, and he has SO SOO SOOOOO MUCH charisma.
EDIT #2: I'm actually slightly mad thinking about how DDP ended up being treated. Curse you InVasion angle!!!!!
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Post by Allie Kitsune on Aug 8, 2009 23:40:58 GMT -5
Was there some heat on him? Did he piss someone off? Or was he just another casualty of Vince and his ego driven destruction of a storyline that could have carried him and his company for 18-24 months? All of the above. DDP was one of Bischoff's closest friends, and someone that Vince saw as a complete and total ass kisser. The whole thing where Kurt Angle and Austin would argue over who got to hug Vince McMahon was supposed to be one massive shot at/rib on DDP.
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Post by Dub H on Aug 8, 2009 23:45:19 GMT -5
Because...
Vince:If its not from WWF/E ,its not good!
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Post by HMARK Center on Aug 9, 2009 0:01:16 GMT -5
Said it in another thread: what they did to DDP was really one of the bigger indignities in recent history in the wrestling business.
Like DDP or not, the guy worked his way up to a main event spot, and while he may have palled around with the boss to do it, the guy got to the top, and elevated his game in the process. He didn't get a nice spot and rest on it, the guy clearly worked his ass off to become a better worker and a convincing champion. That does say something, he WANTED to be better, and he busted it to do that.
Then he's brought into what should've been the hottest angle in history, as one of the bar-none biggest stars of WCW, and is immediately fed to the lions, to the point that he basically HAD to retire, aside of a few appearances here and there around the wrestling world.
The fact that Page wasn't even ON the WCW/ECW team at the final match is a testament to how God awful the Invasion truly was. I know I had taken that time as a moment to try and get back into watching wrestling, but it took all of two or three weeks for me to see what was happening, and realize it wasn't worth the time.
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Post by Krimzon on Aug 9, 2009 0:29:30 GMT -5
This topic raises a damn good question. How the hell do you mess this up? That place erupted when they saw it was DDP. Some people were still booing, but they were being overshadowed by the collective mark-out of a few thousand people. The man was insanely over, had an equally over finisher, had charisma, and could work. To top it off, he started his WWE career against one of it's most over wrestlers ever. 2 + 2 should've = 4, but it didn't. Who cares if he kisses ass? The man was good for business. In no way, shape, or form should this storyline have failed. The fact that it did boggles the mind. This could've been a WM-calibur feud.
If you were from WCW, somehow you already had 2 strikes and a fastball is on it's way. People that were over were just shot down. Booker T had the best career out of the Invasion-era WCW guys in WWE, but even he was often booked as a B-level Main Eventer that wasn't as good as the WWE Main Event guys. Hell, it took RVD 5 more years before he got to the "B-Level" Main Event spot. The WCW/ECW guys never stood a fair chance in the WWE.
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Post by Lionheart on Aug 9, 2009 0:35:38 GMT -5
The sad truth is, they didn't mess it up, from their perspective. They accomplished exactly what they wanted to accomplish: burying WCW.
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Post by El Kabongs Revenge on Aug 9, 2009 0:38:56 GMT -5
My god, the ovation that he got there was friggin amazing. I remember seeing this when it was on, but I forgot how big the ovation was. Unbelievable.
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Post by Brick Killed a Guy on Aug 9, 2009 0:51:30 GMT -5
This shows that Vince values loyalty over money. Had he really cared about making money, he would have told Holly and others to f*** off and elevated guys like DDP an Booker a lot better.
I'm just guessing Holly was one of the longtime WWF/E guys worried about losing their jobs to the new WCW/ECW talent coming in.
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Post by i.Sarita.com on Aug 9, 2009 0:53:05 GMT -5
Why would you stalk this: When you've got this at home: Thats what I never understood...
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Post by Dub H on Aug 9, 2009 0:54:09 GMT -5
I think he was too much over for a WCW guy
Vince plan was to make it look like WWF wrestlers were much better than the ECW and WCW ones
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Post by Rorschach on Aug 9, 2009 1:26:42 GMT -5
JEEEMINY CROW listen to that ovation....that's absolutely astonishing! I like to repeat a question that Dread Central asked in regards to Paul WS Anderson's rape of the DEATH RACE remake:
"How do you f*** up oatmeal?"
Honestly, it's one of the easiest things in the world to make, and somehow, though the WWE had all the ingredients necessary to make a bowl of restaurant quality oats that would make Wilford Brimley slap his momma....and they f***ed it up in this case.
This feud should have been third from the main at WM that year....and though I don't argue with Taker going over in the end, Page should have come off of this as a legit main eventer and contender for the Heavyweight Title. Hell, done right, you could have spun a story after this where Page has a face turn and decides that he's going to hang it up, but he wants one last run with the World Title first. Paint him sort of like the aging prizefighter who believes he has one last run in him, even when no one else thinks so. Could have been a real ROCKY like moment, and maybe, just maybe, had they pulled the trigger and let him win it, a Savage/Elizabeth like moment as Page celebrates with Kimberly in the ring. An ICONIC moment.
*sigh*
But what do I know......
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Post by Bubble Lead on Aug 9, 2009 1:37:16 GMT -5
I don't really care if DDP kissed Bischoff's ass or not. He was over with the crowd.
Thus, it doesn't mean anything.
I'm not sure why DDP was buried so much in WWE. I haven't read much about it or explored it. However, I can tell you that as a fan I saw him up there with Austin and the Rock and he was being treated like a midcarder.
It would be like if Rock showed up in WCW, got buried by Kevin Nash and then spent the rest of his time jobbing to Disco Inferno and Chuck Palumbo while holding the TV Title once.
In short, it made zero sense.
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Post by Bubble Lead on Aug 9, 2009 1:43:18 GMT -5
To add to this, I think it's pretty funny that when you watch WWE interviews or specials regarding WCW they will point to Bret Hart's WCW run as an example of how WCW misused talent or couldn't book superstars.
When you look at Bret's career in WCW, was he mismanaged? Yes, grievously. He was still treated with more respect and had a better run than DDP though (and most other WCW guys in WWE to be honest).
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Post by Krimzon on Aug 9, 2009 1:44:47 GMT -5
You know, after thinking about it, I'm glad Sting never went to the WWE, especially during the Invasion. I shudder to think what they would've done with him. If they can take one of WCW's biggest faces in DDP and turn him into a smiling baffoon, I don't really want to think about what they could've had Sting do.
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