10 Things We Learned From DDP On Stone Cold’s Broken Skull Podcast

5. Eric Bischoff Polished DDP

Stone Cold DDP
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Anyone who loved the 'People's Champion' era of DDP in WCW should give Eric Bischoff a big ol' thank you - he was the one responsible for 'trimming the fat' from Page's original gimmick and turning him into a more realistic character. That's something DDP hated in the mid-1990s.

Bisch told him to start losing the gimmicks he was wearing every night. The bling, the fur coats, the cigar and the sunglasses had to go as far as Eric was concerned. One evening, he laid it out to his pal: "Lose the gimmicks. Be yourself!".

DDP realises that was the right call. It made him more relatable to fans, and he said shedding all the extra bullsh*t was when he stopped "playing wrestler" and actually started to come into his own as a performer. He suddenly had no 80s-style nonsense to hide behind, and had to get serious about improving match-to-match.

Thanks, uncle Eric.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.