POSITIVELY PAGE BOOK REVIEWS

Mr. Tito's PHAT Book Review

After a long week of trying to find time to read with school going on, I have finally finished the second wrestling biography that I've read. Hell, I would stay up from 11 till 3 am reading this on school nights, and be tired as hell the next day in class. However, the nature of this book made it all worth it. The book I'm talking about is Positively Page, which is the biography of Diamond Dallas Page. Coming into this book, I've always felt that Page was a great wrestler considering I used to watch him on ESPN as a manager in the late 80s. Also, from reading Mick Foley's book, he had some interesting tales about DDP which I thought could be better explained in DDP's book, therefore, I wanted this one to be the next to review. Here is my review:

Positively Page

First off, let me comment on the Authors of this very book. There are two main ones for this book, and they are of course DDP and Larry "Smokey" Genta, who was a friend DDP met in the bar business. Those two, combined, made the book a great read. It seemed like DDP was talking to me when I read his lines, and that Smokey was narrating the whole story during the parts he wrote. Also throughout the book, there are great contributions from DDP's friends, family, or other people DDP has been involved with throughout his career. All of this meshed really well, and it flowed good. Very easy to read.

Now the story starts from the beginning of the Falkingburg family. It goes from DDP's grandparents, to his parents, to his life from start to finish. Throughout the book, I kept admiring on how tough it was for Page at the beginning of his life. His high school years were very entertaining to read, especially how he became a decent basketball player by working hard.

It then shifts into his Bar career, where he worked hard to get any Nightclub "over" in a city. His bouts in Ft. Myers to establish the Nightclub audiences were a trip to read. He did a lot of amazing things back then, and I was impressed with each accomplishment he made in the Bar business.

After a few years at dominating the Nightclub scene, he ended up in wrestling as a "tall" manager. It discussed his days in AWA, which I remember seeing. He was fun to watch back then, but it's too bad that the AWA couldn't hold up to make his exposure on ESPN better. His climb to WCW was neat to read about, as he was mainly used as a "4th string announcer" in those days. After being a manager/announcer for a while, he then decided to become a wrestler. Oh my, the respect gained for what he went through at this point really went up for me.

Page busted his ass to get to the point that he is at today, and it came with ridicule from the other wrestlers or critics on the way up. No matter how bad it was, he kept positive and kept working towards the top of the ladder. Just that part alone gives me a lot of respect for DDP, and I take back anything I criticized about him in my Phat Daily Columns. I was only seeing one side of the story and not through the man himself.

The thing that really shocked me was how he helped many wrestlers that you see on the tube today. That was shocking to read about how he helped certain wrestlers get to WCW. Hell, he even helped out a bigtime entertainer in music during his days working the Bar scene. That was simply amazing how he would go out of his way and help others.

One thing I really enjoyed in this book was the truth of everything. He pulled no punches and told everything in his life. He went through a good 40 years in just 442 pages, and it was all well documented. To tell you the truth, when I started reading when I found free time, I couldn't put the book down. I'd sometimes think I would only read for 2 hours, but end up reading for 4! When books do that to you, then you know it's a great book.

Last Word: GOOD GAWD, I loved this book! I enjoyed every page that I read in this book, and afterwards, I wanted to read more about him!! DDP has went through a very tough life, and I admire him for the way he handled it. This book gets an easy

A+

in my Book Review Gradebook, as I recommend it to not only all wrestling fans, but to anyone. This book shows nothing but pure class, and it's close to the best book I've ever read. The other best book being Mick Foley's Have a Nice day, and it's a toss up between the two.

Special thanks to DDP, Smokey, and especially RichinKC. Go to DDPbang.com to purchase this great book!

Freakboy's Big A$$ Column
by Freakboy of scoopswrestling.com
February 25th

I thought the cover was lame (Rich in K.C. and I will be fighting over that at Break the Barrier 2000) and they spelled Al's name wrong (I-S-A-A-C-S). Other then that...

So far we've seen books by Mick Foley and The Rock. Positively Page is by far the best of the three.

The biography of DDP was told in three parts. One part was DDP telling his story in his own words, from the bars of Asbury Park, to his battle with illiteracy (a battle he's won), to the world title. Then there were quotes and testimonials from all the people in Page's life. Family, wrestlers (WCW and WWF guys), MTV Producers, Jon Bon Jovi...everyone had something to say about Page. Then you had the paragraphs written by Smokey that tied it all together.

There were two things I really enjoyed about this book. One was that it showed exactly what busting your @$$ will get you. I wouldn't say that DDP had a rough life. He had the bars, the girls, and the popularity...stuff most of us only dream of. Only he worked his @$$ off at everything he did. DDP's work ethic is unparalleled. Page never gives up. His work ethic is what made him a successful bar/nightclub owner, made contacts with MTV, and pushed him to the top of professional wrestling. Through that work ethic he always seems to be able to turn negatives into positives. If things didn't work out the way he wanted, he always managed to turn it into something better. At the end of the book he half-heartedly said that he's coming after Tony Robbins next for the Motovational Championship of the World. After reading this book, if I were Tony Robbins I'd take up basketweaving or something.

The other was that while I was reading this, DDP reminded me a lot of Satchel Page. I'll admit that my knowledge of Satchel Page doesn't extend past HBO's Soul of the Game, but he was another person who never gave up and fought against all odds to make in from the Negro Leagues to the Majors. Satchel Page was also someone with whom age didn't matter. When people asked his age he would reply as old as I have to be. At age 42, he became the oldest Rookie of the Year in the history of Major League Baseball. Nothing got him down, not even the racial segregation of the time. As I was reading the book, I started to see DDP as the Satchel Page of pro wrestling.

Apparently DDP thinks the same thing because he drew a comparison between the two of them on page 319:-)

As for wrestling? It's all there, from managing Badd Company in the old AWA to becoming a two time (two time, two time) WCW World Champ.

His first meeting with Shawn Michaels
His cameo at WrestleMania VI
Adventures on the road with The Freebirds, Steve Austin, and Mick Foley
Everything he learned from Jake Roberts
An ENTIRE CHAPTER on his feud with Randy Savage
Wrestling w/ Karl Malone and Jay Leno

Unfortunately the book doesn't have promoting juggernauts like the WWF and Harper Collins behind it, so not as many people will be turned on to it like they were to Mick Foley and The Rock. It's a shame because people will miss out on an amazing life journey. Then again, if DDP promotes it with the same drive and energy that he's done his entire life, I expect it to be at the top of the New York Times list in a week or so. Buy the book. Trust me.

Notes From Bob
by Bob Ryder of 1wrestling.com
February 7th

I just got my hands on an early advance copy of Positively Page, DDP's new book, and it's one of those books you don't want to put down once you start reading it.

A copy of a Student Evaluation summary from one of DDP's elementary school teachers describes Page perfectly. "Page is full of enthusiasm. However, he does not follow directions and does not work independently. If the teacher does not have him under constant scrutiny he misbehaves. Page acts as though he is the exception to every rule."

That pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the book. His elementary school teacher hit the nail on the head when she said Page is full of enthusiasm. I don't know that I've ever met a more enthusiastic person in my life. It sounds like even at an early age Page was marching to his own drummer, and was setting himself apart from the rest of the class.

I've read the other books published in recent years by people like Ted Dibiase, Arn Anderson, Mick Foley, and The Rock...and this one is the best.

Wrestling fans will love the behind the scenes stories, and this book has more quotes and comments from other wrestlers than all the other books combined. I had heard a lot of the stories from Page over the years, but I still enjoyed reading them in this book. The "cookie" story, as told by Mick Foley, is hilarious. Fans who are aware of the friendship between Page and Eric Bischoff will be fascinated at the account of their first meeting. Anyone who reads the section of the book about the "Cobra" will never let Jake Roberts anywhere near their house.

Several episodes in the book tell you about the kind of man Diamond Dallas Page is in real life. Page's first fan, a youngster who managed to find the phone number to the club Page was running, turned out to be a longtime friend who attended his wedding. A call to a leukemia stricken child turned into a relationship with the child and his family that lasted throughout the child's struggle with the disease. When a con-man posed as Page in a Florida town (buying a nightclub and an expensive car with hot checks), Page went to the town after the guy was arrested to sign autographs and meet the people who had been conned. A Delta Airlines employee Page had met by chance at an airport ended up being his guest at the NBA All-Star Game.

You learn a lot in the book about Page's obsession with becoming the best wrestler he could possibly be. You learn about his courtship of Kimberly. You hear about life on the road, injuries, days at the Power Plant, and more.

Internet fans will be interested in hearing how DDP and Kim got hooked on the internet, and how shocked they were to get a huge bill at the end of their first month online. It really is a fantastic book, and it's one that all wrestling fans can enjoy. I highly recommend it.