Diamond Dallas Page On How Larry Hagman Inspired Him, Eva Marie Talks Career Goals

When given the opportunity to interview Diamond Dallas Page, the question is not if you are going to come away with a story to write. The guy is one of the best talkers in the history of professional wrestling, and odds are that you are going to wind up with a lot more to print than you have space for.

While speaking with DDP a week or so ago, he told me a story about the actor Larry Hagman, and how Hagman inspired his accessibility as a public figure. Here’s that story, as made exclusive to Still Real To Us:

“I’ll tell you where I got it from, Larry Hagman, who I loved in I Dream Of Jeannie as a kid. Of course everyone loved J.R. [Ewing from Dallas]. Me and my brother were having a cocktail one afternoon after we done working out back to our twenties or early 30s. Then he walked in, J.R. Ewing, with a guy that looked like Nick Nolte and two beautiful chicks. I sent them over a round of freshly-squeezed screwdrivers. I didn’t want to bother him.”

Afterwards he walked over to my table, he says, “I wanna thank you for doing that.” I said, “Man I’m a big fan.” He said, “Really? What do you do?” That was my first weekend being Diamond Dallas Page in the AWA. I was out in Vegas and went to see my brother in L.A. I’d said that I just got into professional wrestling and was a manager. He asked, “What’s your name?” I told him Diamond Dallas Page and he said, “That’s funny.” I said I run a nightclub and he asked, “Do you watch my show?” I said yeah and he said “You’re a damn liar.” I said, “Really? I’m a liar? Why is that?” (laughs) He said, “My show’s on at 10 o’clock on Friday nights.” I said, “Yeah, I run the club. I live three minutes from there. Last week, this is what happened.” He popped and he goes, “You do watch the show.” And I go, “No, I love the show and I love you, man. Would you mind signing this dollar bill?”

He said sure, grabbed the bill and, “Normally I make someone do something for my signature.” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “Well, you already bought me a drink, you bought my whole crew a drink”…But I make them tell me a joke, sing me a song, or tell me what their favorite poem is. I said, “Why do you do that?” He said because then it becomes worth something.

More of the interview with DDP can be read here.

I also had the opportunity to speak with Eva Marie — now acting under the name Natalie Eva Marie — whose movie Inconceivable comes out on June 30th; the film also stars Nicolas Cage, Faye Dunaway and Gina Gershon. The former Total Divas star opened up about career goals, hobbies, and her favorite restaurant in New York. With more movies in the pipeline, it is safe to assume that her post-WWE career is off to a great start.

The Q&A with Eva Marie can be read here.

While I have your attention, any wrestling podcasts that I should be checking out? I am very open to recommendations — feel free to e-mail me your picks directly via my author page on Still Real To Us.