In 1997, Diamond Dallas Page mysteriously went from being a greasy jobber to one of the biggest stars in wrestling. Some, including WCW mainstay Ric Flair, believe that Page unfairly leveraged his personal relationship with Eric Bischoff to get himself opportunities. After all, the two lived next door to one another in real life, and who knows what sort of shady dealings went down at neighborhood cookouts. While its inarguably true that Page was both friends with the boss and one of the very few stars created in WCWs boom period, implicit in this theory is the accusation that the former unfairly influenced the latter. Personal relationships aside, DDP improved his ring work exponentially between 1996 and 1998, developing a real and undeniable connection with WCWs fanbase. He also began to show signs of promotional savvy to rival Vince McMahon, personally devising such angles as the Karl Malone/Dennis Rodman feud and his own rivalry with Randy Savage building upon his wifes Playboy appearance. So Page was a friend of Bischoffs, yes, but he was also a hard worker, tireless self-promoter and a great draw, and deserved all the success he enjoyed.
