Iconic finishers can be an important part of what makes a pro wrestler memorable, and sometimes it’s the defining element that gets the wrester over with an audience. As the man who popularized the move that would eventually be synonymous with Randy Orton as the RKO, Diamond Dallas Page’s Diamond Cutter was set apart on the roster, and to many fans, a huge contributor to his popularity in WCW. However, as stated on “83 Weeks,” Eric Bischoff shared his belief that it was something else.
“I know, for Page, that finish, in his mind, is what made him; I disagree,” Bischoff said. He went on to praise the finisher, stating that there was plenty of spectacle behind it. “It’s not what got him over. What got him over was when he became Page Falkinburg; when he allowed himself to go out and be authentic.”
Bischoff argued that Page was at his best when he started moving away from his larger-than-life gimmick, noting that at the height of his popularity, he was simply being himself and nothing more while his prior gimmicks were not memorable.
“Once he started losing all that, then he started getting over, and I think because he was getting over, the Diamond Cutter became more effective as a finish,” he further explained. “So it probably feels like the Diamond Cutter was responsible; it was really Page shifting out of the ‘I want to be someone else’s gimmick’ phase, and finally allowing himself to become authentic, because that’s what the audience connected with.”
Before Page, John Laurinaitis used the move in his career, and Orton has stated that it was from Laurinaitis that he borrowed the move and made it his own.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “83 Weeks,” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
[ad_1
