15 WWE Gimmick Changes That IMMEDIATELY Backfired
6. DDP Goes From ‘People’s Champ’ To Stalker
Diamond Dallas Page was one of WCW’s most popular stars right up until the promotion's demise, but he'd always wanted to make a splash in the WWF. With that in mind, Page reportedly agreed to a lowball buyout on his AOL/Time Warner contract so he could become part of the fed's invasion storyline in 2001. He'd come to regret that decision once he saw what Vince McMahon had in store for him.
McMahon dreamt up a lame-brained stalker gimmick for DDP. Various vignettes showed somebody following The Undertaker’s then-wife Sara at home and on the road as a creepy voice box voiceover narrated each scene. Finally, Page revealed himself on the 18 June 2001, and he encouraged ‘Taker to “make [him] famous”. Yes, even though he was already famous and had been a top name in pro wrestling circles since 1997-ish.
If anybody needed a classic example of everything wrong with the invasion, they need look no further than the '01 King Of The Ring pay-per-view. There, Undertaker battered DDP in an unofficial match/brawl that lasted approx 5 minutes and did Page zero favours. He looked out of his depth, and his new stalker character was already rudderless.
Side note: Many fans laughed off the stalker thing, 'cause DDP was married to Kimberly Page at the time. Even ignoring real-life and suspending disbelief for wrestling characters doing "sports entertainment" things was difficult. Why was Page, who had never shown any creepy tendencies before in WCW, magically now a weirdo stalker? It made no sense.
His pop was mighty on the 18 June, but DDP's face was one of instant creative dissatisfaction.