Per Sportskeeda , WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) was a guest on the latest episode of the Talk is Jericho podcast, where he discussed his behind-the-scenes rivalry with Ric Flair .
The real-life animosity between the legends stemmed from their days working together in WCW. Despite their long-term grudge, DDP revealed that he wanted to make amends with “The Nature Boy” after watching his first retirement celebration in 2008.
According to DDP, they bumped into each other at a convention at a later date and buried the hatchet with one conversation.
“We walk off to the side and I say, ‘You know, Naitch, I know over the years that me and you have had a little heat together.’ He’s like, ‘Oh, Diamond, don’t worry about that.’ I’m like, ‘Naitch, I’m not worried about it. Bro, I wanna fix it.’”
DDP told Flair that he wasn’t even sure why they were at odds with each other, suggesting that their beef was petty in the first place and not worth continuing in their retirement years.
“I said, ‘I don’t know what happened, I know that I’ve said some sh*t, you’ve said some sh*t.’ I go, ‘The last thing I wanna do is be in this spot.’ I said, ‘I love The Nature Boy, man, and I would love to just start all over again.’”
DDP went on to say that he offered Flair a handshake after their conversation. The 16-time world champion instead accepted it, then pulled him in for a hug and kiss on the forehead.
As documented by Fightful , DDP discussed the matter back in 2017, revealing that their backstage feud had been “on and off” throughout the years. Following their exchange at the autograph convention, they went for a ride on a private jet and went out to dinner for DDP’s birthday.
However, despite their problems with each other, DDP also credited Flair for helping his career. He even thanked his former foe in his own Hall of Fame speech.
According to DDP, the legend was instrumental in him winning his first World Championship in 1999. Flair held the title at the time, and he was more than willing to put his opponent over.
This was also a period in history where WCW was populated with lots of wrestlers who supposedly had a big ego. Flair, Hulk Hogan and other performers were known for doing being unwilling to give up their spots, so Flair doing the favor for DDP meant a lot to the veteran at the time.
Flair is still riding high in the industry. As The Inquisitr recently documented, he’s currently involved in a storyline romance with Lacey Evans on WWE television.
