DDP explains why he changed his name

WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) says he changed his legal name from Page Joseph Falkinburg to Dallas Page for branding reasons.

A late starter to the wrestling business, DDP began training as an in-ring competitor in 1991 at the age of 35. He went on to become a three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion before having a short spell with WWE.

Speaking on the It’s My House Podcast, the 65-year-old discussed the importance of branding in pro wrestling and business in general. He also commented on his decision to legally change his name during his time in WCW.

“And all you have to do is look like how the Kardashians, you know, those chicks and that mother, they know branding to a science,” DDP said. “Vince McMahon knows branding, Tony Khan understands branding. They are a brand. It’s one of the reasons I changed my name from Page Joseph Falkinburg to Dallas Page 25 years ago. No one knows who Page Joseph Falkinburg is outside the Jersey Shore. Outside of that, but the world knows who Diamond Dallas Page is.”

DDP is not the only high-profile wrestler to undergo a name change in real life. The Ultimate Warrior famously changed his name from James Brian Hellwig to Warrior in 1993.

DDP on WCW’s branding idea

DDP also gave his opinion that Steve Austin and Vince McMahon’s WWE rivalry was bigger than WCW’s nWo storyline in the 1990s.

On the subject of branding, the wrestling legend said he once advised former WCW President Eric Bischoff to nix WCW’s new logo idea.

“Me and Bischoff were talking about it one night, and they were coming up with this new logo for WCW,” DDP said. “Like why are they spending all this money on this new logo? It looks stupid. What we should do is just become the nWo, and then WCW becomes the rebels, you know, because now we would become the corporation. So, no, bottom line is, you know, the branding is something that is very important, as an individual.”

Three years before his own WWE Hall of Fame induction, DDP inducted Jake Roberts into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014. Watch the video above to hear Roberts discuss the vital role that DDP has played in his life.