DDP
Diamond Dallas Page
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
By Diamond Dallas Page
Updated: 6/12/2
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Yo Cutters. What’s up?
As one door closes, another will open. Unfortunately, some of the rumors are
true. I have retired from the squared circle, but I have not retired from the
WWE. Most of you have read about my injury, which entails my neck (not my back
as some reported). My C3 and C4 vertebrae in my neck fused together on their
own. I have nerve damage on my right bicep and into my hand, which makes my
hand to go numb for periods longer than I care to remember. My C5, C6, and C7
vertebrae qualify to be surgically fused right now. Basically, one doctor said
I could return to the ring if I was constantly monitored, but I qualified for
the surgery. Another doctor said I should not return to the ring without the
surgery. Yet another doctor said, “You’ve had a hell of a run. Now
get the hell out of there.” The plain fact of the matter is that if I took
one shot the wrong way, I was faced with becoming a quadriplegic for the rest
of my life. Knowing all this, I was still rehabbing around the possibility that
I would return to the ring.
It was Vince McMahon and J.R. who made the final call that it would be too dangerous for me to return to the ring. I met with J.R. on Tuesday to discuss the situation. If I did have the operation, it would take about a year to rehab. I’d be coming back in my late 40s (47+) only to do more damage to my body. What kind of condition would I be in when I hit my 50s or 60s? I know they are right and I appreciate them thinking of my health in this situation.
I was thinking of talking J.R. into letting me continue until I heard from my attorney who told me that if I got back into the ring my insurance policy holder (Lloyd’s Of London) would terminate my policy. That was the wake-up call. I owe it to my family now to get out of the ring, but it is going to bum me out for awhile now that I know I had finally turned a corner in the WWE and was back on the way to being the Diamond Dallas Page that made people feel the BANG!
What will I do now? J.R. told me that I am part of the WWF family and that there were several places where my services would be needed. I thanked J.R. and let him know that I really needed to step back from the business for a little while. I don’t know how long it will be, but it is going to take a little time. In the meantime, I will do what I have always done and be a positive role for this company. I will speak with the Get Real program (a program that I truly believe in), attend fan functions, and appear at ticket on-sale events. This is just to keep me as part of the WWE family. Like I said, as one door closes, another one will open. My main focus at this point is to become the best motivational speaker I can be.
I want to thank all of my friends and fans who have hung in there with my character as it has run the gauntlet. My favorite time will always be when people called me the “People’s Champion”. That rang true because it was the support of the people that gave me the opportunity to enjoy a ride I never thought was possible. I believed that one day I would be a top guy, but I never thought I would wrestle with Karl Malone or be on the Tonight Show or be in movies…and I sure as hell never thought I would ever be a three-time World Champion…but I dreamt about it. Your support helped my dreams come true and I have never forgotten that, nor will I ever forget it. Just remember… you may have loved me, you may have hated me, but I will never forget you.
It’s been MY pleasure…
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P.S. – It ain’t over. You’ll be hearing from me…and that’s a good thing.