Why DDP Didn't Learn To Read Until He Was 30
How to cheat tests and influence people.
He didn't become a wrestling megastar until the late-90s, but that wasn't the biggest breakthrough of DDP's 30s. Page recently told Lilian Garcia on the ex-WWE ring announcer's 'Chasing Glory' podcast that he couldn't actually read until he hit 30 years old.
DDP had grown up with ADD and dyslexia, which went undiagnosed at the time, and he struggled at school when others were breezing through early reading materials. Illiteracy was a major problem for the future World Champ in the '60s; schools weren't exactly sympathetic to his plight and Page was regularly sent to the principal's office because teachers thought he was acting out.
He wasn't - he just couldn't read and suffered headaches when he tried really hard to concentrate.
Page admitted on the pod that he cheated his way through schoolwork by getting friends to write reports for him, and he eventually graduated with "barely enough credits". On the bright side, he honed his people skills by charming others and talking himself out of trouble.
The guy is a walking, talking source of inspiration. He's a human billboard for motivational phrases like "You Can Do It".