Diamond Dallas Page vs. Macho Man Randy Savage (Feb 1997 – Oct 1997)

Background

Diamond Dallas Page had spent the early 1990s as a WCW manager, running a stable called The Diamond Mine and helping build Scott Hall's Diamond Studd act, before deciding to become a full-time wrestler himself.[1] As a 35-year-old rookie, his chances "seemed slim."[5] The Diamond Cutter and a run with the WCW Television Championship gave him a foothold, and by the start of 1997 he was a popular act without yet being one of the promotion's top names.[1]

What set him apart that winter was saying no to the nWo. On the January 13, 1997 Nitro in the New Orleans Superdome, Eric Bischoff and Ted DiBiase spent Page's match on commentary claiming he had joined the group. Afterward Hall and Kevin Nash handed him an nWo shirt. Page put it on, dropped Hall with the Diamond Cutter, knocked Nash over the top rope, and celebrated in the crowd.[2][3]

Randy Savage made his choice the opposite way. At SuperBrawl VII on February 23 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, Savage and Sting both appeared during Hulk Hogan's title defense against Roddy Piper. Sting went backstage; Savage came to ringside, put a foreign object in Hogan's hand for the win, and then dropped three flying elbows on Piper while Hogan held him down.[4]

Savage arrived in the nWo with Miss Elizabeth at his side. They had married in December 1984 and divorced in 1992, and she had returned to manage him in WCW in the mid-1990s.[7] According to Page, Savage also controlled his own booking, the same way Hogan did.[6]

Page had his own wife in his corner. Kimberly had married him in 1991 and worked as his valet, but WCW had never told its audience she was his wife.[1][3] That summer she also launched the Nitro Girls, introducing the dance troupe on the July 14 Nitro, the night after Bash at the Beach.[2]

Build-up

Savage made it personal the night after SuperBrawl. On the February 24 Nitro in Sacramento, with the Outsiders providing the distraction, Savage jumped Page, spray-painted "nWo" on his back, and dropped the flying elbow on him.[8][3] Over the following weeks Page promised that Savage would "snap into the Diamond Cutter," and the nWo answered by pretending they couldn't remember his name.[8]

The angle that defined the feud came at Uncensored on March 16 in North Charleston. Gene Okerlund was interviewing Page in the arena about Savage ignoring him when Savage and Elizabeth appeared near the commentary table. Savage said he had seen Page's wife, Kimberly, in Playboy's "Nude Celebrities" issue, and Elizabeth held up Kimberly's centerfold with "nWo" written across it.[9]

Kimberly then came out with "nWo" spray-painted across her dress. Savage jumped Page from behind and sprayed his back, and when Kimberly covered her husband's body, Savage sprayed her again while Elizabeth told her the nWo loved her photo spread.[9]

That was the first time WCW acknowledged on air that Page and Kimberly were married.[3] Page later summed up the change: "It got really personal, really fast."[13] Savage went on to wrestle in the Uncensored main event as part of the nWo's four-man team.[10]

The first match came three weeks later at Spring Stampede on April 6 in Tupelo, Mississippi, a No Disqualification main event. Page won with the Diamond Cutter at 15:38, the biggest win of his career to that point, one day after his 41st birthday.[12][3] Afterward Savage grabbed Kimberly by the hair, Bischoff told him not to hurt her, and Savage knocked his own boss to the mat and walked out.[11]

The next night's Nitro in Huntsville closed with Page, an ice pack on his shoulder, calling himself an anomaly, something that wasn't supposed to happen, and challenging Savage to fight right then. Savage came out on crutches and Hogan stepped in to fight on his behalf. Sting then dropped from the rafters into the aisle, threw Page a baseball bat, and stood beside him staring down the nWo to end the show.[2]

Through April, Savage worked the feud from the crowd. On the April 14 Nitro in Philadelphia he told Page to stop his wife from fantasizing about Savage and calling him, and Page ran into the stands after him. A week later in Saginaw he cut another promo on Page and Kimberly from the crowd, and this time Page refused to chase him and dared him to come to the ring instead.[2] When Page attacked the injured Savage with a crutch, Hogan answered by hitting Page with another one.[13]

At Slamboree on May 18 in Charlotte, Savage cut an in-ring promo on Page until Page came out of the crowd carrying the crutch Savage had bent over him. He told Savage he had to leave because he had a previous engagement: washing Hulk Hogan's car and kissing his ass. Page laid out Savage, Buff Bagwell, Bischoff, and Vincent with the crutch before Scott Norton went after his taped ribs and the Giant made the save.[14]

June turned the rematch into a spectacle. On the June 2 Nitro in Dayton, Savage attacked J.J. Dillon after Dillon told him he had lost respect for him and accused him of hiding behind Elizabeth.

The following week in Boston, Dillon fined Savage $50,000 and ruled that his Great American Bash match with Page would be unsanctioned, with falls counting anywhere in the building. That same night Page kicked in the window of Savage's car, and Elizabeth hit him with the door so the car could drive away.[2]

The Great American Bash on June 15 in Moline went 16:56 and spilled all over the arena.[16][17] At one point Page broke a dinner plate over Savage's head near a fan picnic area.[13] Page hit the Diamond Cutter, but Scott Hall ran in with the Outsider's Edge, and Savage finished him with the flying elbow.[15][13]

On the July 7 Nitro in Memphis, the luchador La Parka came out to face Savage and pinned him with the Diamond Cutter in 3:10. Then he took off the mask, and it was Page.[2] Page has called it a "defining moment" in the rivalry.[13]

Page picked Curt Hennig, making his WCW debut, as his mystery partner for Bash at the Beach on July 13 against Savage and Hall. Late in the match Page accidentally held down the top rope and Hennig tumbled out and hurt his back.

Hennig clubbed Page from behind on the floor and walked to the aisle, leaving Page alone. Hall's Outsider's Edge and Savage's elbow finished it at 9:35.[18] The next night Hennig knocked Page out with a foreign object during another Savage attack, called him "the biggest mark in the industry," and left with Ric Flair.[2]

The feud moved into tag matches with Lex Luger as Page's partner. At Clash of the Champions XXXV in Nashville on August 21, Page accidentally dropped Luger with the Diamond Cutter and Hall pinned him.[19] At Fall Brawl on September 14, Luger and Page won when Larry Zbyszko left the broadcast booth and made a fast count on Luger's rollup of Hall.[20]

On the September 15 Nitro, Page challenged Savage to a final match at Halloween Havoc, and Savage accepted: "It would be an honor."[2] On October 6 in Minneapolis, Page hit Savage with the Diamond Cutter on the concrete, and Savage was carried out on a stretcher. A week later Savage came out in a neck brace while Hogan promised the nWo would get revenge.[2]

Sting was the other name hanging over the card. On the October 20 Nitro in Biloxi, six days before Havoc, Page and Roddy Piper came out dressed as Sting and were beaten down by the nWo until the real Sting appeared and made the save.[2]

The Matches

The first singles match set the terms for everything after it. At Spring Stampede, the fight spilled outside and both men used weapons.[13] Savage knocked out referee Marc Curtis, and the nWo's Nick Patrick came out to take over. Patrick, who had been working as the nWo's referee, made the three count for Page's Diamond Cutter at 15:38.[11][12][2]

Kevin Nash grabbed Patrick afterward and powerbombed him for it, and Bischoff, Ted DiBiase, Syxx, Vincent, and Scott Norton filled the ring.[11] The show drew 8,356 fans and a 0.58 buyrate.[12]

Halloween Havoc on October 26, 1997 drew 12,457 to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, paying $297,508.[23] Savage and Page closed out their series in a Las Vegas Sudden Death match: no pinfalls, and the only way to lose was to stay down for a ten count.[21] Page came in with injured ribs.[21]

The fight went straight into the crowd and onto the Halloween Havoc graveyard set. Savage threw Page through the tombstones and slammed him on them. Page hit Savage over the head with a metal plaque.[24]

Elizabeth sat in Savage's corner and got involved. She choked Page with a microphone cable and scratched at his eyes until Kimberly yanked her by the hair all the way to the dressing room, about 12 minutes into the match.[24][21]

The finish came from outside the ring. A man in a Sting costume walked to ringside and hit Page in his injured ribs with a baseball bat, and Page couldn't beat referee Nick Patrick's ten count.[21]

The man was Hollywood Hogan in disguise.[24][13] Savage won at 18:07.[22][23] Afterward Savage shoved Patrick and the trainer aside to stomp Page, and even attacked him again as he was being strapped onto a stretcher.[21]

The disguise fed straight into the main event. Three matches into the broadcast, Hogan and Bischoff had claimed that WCW had failed to give the champion a "safe working environment" and that Hogan wouldn't wrestle Roddy Piper in the cage unless Sting was kept away.[24] Piper beat Hogan with a sleeper in 13:37 to close the show.[23] Havoc drew a 1.1 buyrate, almost double the 0.60 for the Great American Bash in June.[23][16]

The Wrestling Observer rated the match three and a quarter stars, the same rating it gave their Spring Stampede match. The Great American Bash match got three and three quarters, the best-rated of the three.[22][12][17]

Savage won two of their three singles pay-per-view matches, both with help from the nWo. Page's one win, in Tupelo, was the clean one.[12][15][21]

Aftermath

After Havoc, Page moved on to Curt Hennig, now in the nWo and holding the United States title. At Starrcade on December 28, 1997 in Washington, D.C., he pinned Hennig with the Diamond Cutter to win the U.S. Championship.[25]

Savage stayed at the top of the card, and a year after Tupelo the two men's paths ran through the same show again. At Spring Stampede on April 19, 1998 in Denver, Page lost the U.S. title to Raven in a Raven's Rules match, beaten with the DDT after a man in a WCW crew shirt hit him with a stop sign.[11]

In that night's main event, Savage pinned Sting for the WCW World Championship when Kevin Nash powerbombed Sting and put Savage on top of him. Elizabeth, in Savage's corner, was helped to the back after taking an accidental Stinger Splash. Hogan then came out and said the belt was his.[11]

The two crossed paths once more a year later. At Spring Stampede on April 11, 1999 in Tacoma, Savage returned after a ten-month absence as the guest referee for a four-way match. Late in the match Savage dropped the flying elbow on Flair, and Page pinned Flair with the Diamond Cutter to win his first WCW World Championship.[11] Page went on to win the title twice more before WWE bought WCW in 2001.[5]

Readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated voted Savage vs. Page the 1997 Feud of the Year with 23,220 votes, ahead of Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart. Page also finished as third runner-up for both Most Popular Wrestler and Wrestler of the Year.[26]

Behind the Scenes

The feud turned on a decision made in a locker room before a sold-out house show in Florence, South Carolina, on the Friday before Spring Stampede. Page has told the story many times. Arn Anderson asked Savage what he wanted for the finish that night, and Savage, lacing his boots, said: "I think I wanna take the Diamond-Cutter tonight."[6][28]

Page has given Anderson's reaction two ways. In one telling it was "Diamond…you realize what an honor this is?"[6] In another, on his DDP Snake Pit podcast, it was "Well, Diamond, I hope you know what this could do for your career."[27]

Page says the house-show crowd didn't know what to do at first. "There was a moment of silence because I don't think they could believe it, and then it really blew up."[28] Savage, lying in the ring afterward, told him: "We got our finish for Spring Stampede."[6] Page has framed it as a choice Savage didn't have to make, since Savage controlled his own finishes the way Hogan did.[6]

The matches weren't gentle. Page has said he "pissed blood for 13 out of 16 weeks" during the stretch when Savage was dropping elbows on him, which worried his doctor.[29]

At the Great American Bash, the elbow landed on his face. "I'm out. I'm walking backstage," Page recalled. He stopped and asked Kimberly, "Did I just wrestle?"[29]

He went to the hospital with a concussion. By his account, Savage's apology the next day was brief: "Mmm, sorry brother."[29]

Around Thanksgiving, after fielding his own thank-you calls from wrestlers he had helped, Page called Savage and left a message: "Without you, I'm not sitting in this spot in life right now."[6] Two weeks later Savage pulled him aside and said he had played the voicemail for his father. His father told him, "I never even HEARD of anyone getting a message like this from one of the boys."[6] Savage told Page, "It meant everything to me," and hugged him.[6]

Kimberly has described Savage as "larger than life" and "always eccentric." She has said he "helped bring Dallas to a level of fame that neither one of us probably ever would have expected," and that Page credits him with "putting a rocket on his ass."[30]

The personal material in the angle was real. Page and Kimberly had been married since 1991, and the Uncensored segment was the first time WCW acknowledged it on air.[1][13] The Playboy photos Elizabeth held up were real too.[9]

Elizabeth, delivering the lines, was Savage's own ex-wife; their marriage had ended in 1992.[7] Page and Kimberly later split too, divorcing in 2005.[1]

Legacy

When WWE announced his Hall of Fame induction in 2017, it said he "skyrocketed into stardom through his rivalry with the nWo and one of its top members, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, taking part in a thrilling series of matches throughout 1997."[5] Page has put it more simply: "That rivalry made me."[13]

Page has been less fond of the ending. He has called Halloween Havoc "my least favorite match of the series," saying the fans wanted a decisive finish rather than a count-out.[13]

The trilogy also shows up in Savage's own story. His 2015 Hall of Fame announcement listed Page, "in an intense trilogy," among his WCW opponents.[32] Hogan inducted him the night before WrestleMania 31 in San Jose.[32]

Savage never got to hear his own induction. He died on May 20, 2011, at 58, when the Jeep he was driving crossed a median in Pinellas County, Florida, and hit a tree.

His brother said he had suffered a heart attack at the wheel. His wife, Lynn, was a passenger and suffered minor injuries.[31] Elizabeth had died in 2003 at 42.[7]

Page built DDP Yoga from the exercises that kept him in the ring, and he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.[5] Eric Bischoff, who had been knocked down by Savage at the end of Spring Stampede, inducted him. Randy Savage was among the names Page thanked in his speech.[33][11]

See Also

Sources & Further Listening

1. Diamond Dallas Page — Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Dallas_Page
2. WCW Monday Nitro, 1997 results — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-monday-nitro-1997/
3. "Taking the Diamond Cutter: Revisiting DDP vs. Randy Savage at Spring Stampede 1997" — Last Word on Sports. https://lastwordonsports.com/prowrestling/2020/04/06/taking-the-diamond-cutter-revisiting-ddp-vs-randy-savage-at-spring-stampede-1997/
4. WCW SuperBrawl results (SuperBrawl VII, Feb 23, 1997) — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-superbrawl-results/
5. "Diamond Dallas Page to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017" — WWE.com. https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-hall-of-fame/wwe-hall-of-fame-2017/article/diamond-dallas-page-wwe-hall-of-fame-class-2017
6. "Heartwarming Story Behind Randy Savage and DDP Feud" (transcript of DDP's own video account) — Pro Wrestling Stories. https://prowrestlingstories.com/pro-wrestling-stories/ddp-randy-savage/
7. "'Macho Man' Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth: Inside Their Real-Life Relationship" — Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/athletes/macho-man-randy-savage-miss-elizabeth-relationship
8. "Reliving A Feud #26: Randy Savage vs. Diamond Dallas Page in WCW '97" — Wrestling Recaps. https://wrestlingrecaps.com/2015/01/13/reliving-a-feud-26-randy-savage-vs-diamond-dallas-page-in-wcw-97/
9. WCW Uncensored results (Uncensored 1997, Mar 16, 1997) — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-uncensored-results/
10. WCW Uncensored 1997 — Cagematch. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=1629
11. WCW Spring Stampede results (1997, 1998, 1999) — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-spring-stampede-results/
12. WCW Spring Stampede 1997 (card, attendance, Wrestling Observer rating) — Cagematch. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=1630
13. "Classic Rivalries: Diamond Dallas Page vs. 'Macho Man' Randy Savage" (with DDP interview quotes) — WWE.com. https://www.wwe.com/classics/classic-rivalries-macho-man
14. WCW Slamboree results (Slamboree 1997, May 18, 1997) — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-slamboree-results/
15. WCW Great American Bash results (1997) — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-great-american-bash-results/
16. The Great American Bash 1997 results, attendance and buyrate — Pro Wrestling History. http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wcw/gabash.html
17. WCW The Great American Bash 1997 (card, Wrestling Observer rating) — Cagematch. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=1632
18. WCW Bash at the Beach results (1997) — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-bash-at-the-beach-results/
19. WCW Clash of the Champions results (Clash XXXV, Aug 21, 1997) — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-clash-of-the-champions-results/
20. WCW Fall Brawl results (1997) — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-fall-brawl-results/
21. WCW Halloween Havoc results (1997) — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-halloween-havoc-results/
22. WCW Halloween Havoc 1997 (card, Wrestling Observer rating) — Cagematch. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=1636
23. Halloween Havoc 1997 results, attendance, gate and buyrate — Pro Wrestling History. http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wcw/havoc.html
24. John Powell, "Hogan pays the Piper" (Halloween Havoc report, Oct 27, 1997) — Slam! Wrestling. https://slamwrestling.net/report/hogan-pays-the-piper-2/
25. WCW Starrcade results (Starrcade 1997, Dec 28, 1997) — The History of WWE. https://thehistoryofwwe.com/wcw-starrcade-results/
26. "A Look Back At: The 1997 PWI Awards" (Pro Wrestling Illustrated reader vote results) — Wrestling Recaps. https://wrestlingrecaps.com/2016/02/17/a-look-back-at-the-1997-pwi-awards/
27. "Randy Savage Changed Diamond Dallas Page's Career Forever With A Simple Decision" (DDP Snake Pit podcast) — Wrestling Inc. https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1035039/randy-savage-changed-diamond-dallas-pages-career-forever-with-a-simple-decision/
28. "Flashback Audio: DDP Talks Randy Savage Putting Him Over" (2012 DDP interview) — Wrestling Inc. https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2014/11/flashback-audio-ddp-talks-randy-savage-putting-him-over-585096/
29. "Diamond Dallas Page Recalls Confrontation With Randy Savage After He Was Knocked Out With An Elbow" (DDP interview) — Fightful. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/diamond-dallas-page-recalls-confrontation-randy-savage-after-he-was-knocked-out-elbow/
30. "Kimberly Page Discusses Randy Savage's Impact On DDP's Career" (The Hannibal TV interview) — Yahoo Entertainment. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/kimberly-page-discusses-randy-savage-150000100.html
31. "Report: 'Macho Man' Savage Dies In Car Accident" — CBS News Chicago. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/report-macho-man-savage-dies-in-car-accident/
32. "The cream rises to the top: 'Macho Man' Randy Savage to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame" — WWE.com. https://www.wwe.com/classics/wwe-hall-of-fame/macho-man-randy-savage-inductee-2015
33. "Diamond Dallas Page cuts his way to WWE's greatest honor" (2017 Hall of Fame induction) — WWE.com. https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-hall-of-fame/wwe-hall-of-fame-2017/article/diamond-dallas-page

Further Listening

• DDP Snake Pit — Diamond Dallas Page and Jake Roberts on the Savage feud and the Spring Stampede finish
• What Happened When — Episode 64: Spring Stampede 1997, with Tony Schiavone and Conrad Thompson
• 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff — Episode 80: Halloween Havoc '97
• Kimberly Page on The Hannibal TV, discussing Randy Savage and the 1997 angle built around her marriage