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A complete fitness system that is free of running, jumping and lifting, DDP YOGA provides workouts that anyone can do, no matter their age, athletic background, or current level of health. The Resurrection Of Jake The Snake documentary -- as starring wrestlers Diamond Dallas Page, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Scott Hall -- was proof of how DDP YOGA changes lives, and how work ethic and commitment to changing one's mindset can help just about anyone get to where they want to be.
The roots of DDP YOGA -- or DDPY, for short -- go back to the late 1990s when Diamond Dallas Page was still an active full-time wrestler in need of some immediate physical therapy. The program itself has been commercially available for more than a decade, but finally hit the masses in recent years thanks to high-profile exposure from the likes of the New York Times and HBO's Real Sports.
Also helping the DDP YOGA cause were the endorsements of many wrestlers, including Chris Jericho, A.J. Styles, Goldust, Austin Aries, Sami Zayn, Zack Ryder, Mick Foley, Santino Marella, John Morrison, The Miz, William Regal, and Drew McIntyre. But there have been plenty of other high-profile people doing DDPY. Below and on the following pages are some of them.
#1 Cain Velasquez
A 2-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez is also known to be a life-long fan of both WWE and lucha libre. Notably, Velasquez gave Brock Lesnar one of his 3 UFC losses.
Velasquez was recently on-site for some training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, which included a DDPY session led by WWE Hall Of Famer Diamond Dallas Page himself. Said Velasquez of his time spent in Orlando: “My experience here has been amazing. I’m just looking forward to being here and learning as much as I can. I’ve been a fan of the sport since I was a little kid, and now I get to participate in it.”
Footage from a video published to WWE.com actually shows Velasquez in the midst of a DDPY workout. Rumor has it that other high-profile MMA athletes, including Ronda Rousey, Travis Browne and Shayna Baszler have also been down with the DDPY cause, although social media posts have not yet come out confirming this.
#2 Gabriel Iglesias
An American comedian, actor, writer, producer and voice actor, Gabriel Iglesias is known for saying that he is "not fat, I'm fluffy." However, after a diagnosis of Type II Diabetes and only 2 years left to live from his doctor, Iglesias has begun to get more serious about his health.
This led Iglesias not only to get into a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, but also to begin incorporating DDP YOGA. Iglesias' incorporation of DDPY into his everyday living was displayed on a 2014 appearance on the Conan talk show, as hosted by Conan O'Brien.
As seen within the Conan segment, Iglesias demonstrates the set of moves that lead into the Diamond Cutter. He also teaches O'Brien how the Plank position goes into what Page refers to as Downward Dog. While Iglesias maintains the handle @FluffyGuy on Twitter, he appears to continue to benefit from DDPY on a long-term basis.
#3 Nita Strauss
Best known these days as one of Alice Cooper's guitarists, Los Angeles native Nita Strauss was ranked at number one on Guitar World's list of "10 Female Guitar Players You Should Know." Prior to landing the gig with Cooper -- in which she had replaced Orianthi -- Strauss had been a member of Femme Fatale, a featured player with Jermaine Jackson and a part of the all-female tribute to Iron Maiden known as The Iron Maidens.
Strauss has been very visible within the wrestling world in recent months. She performed at the most recent Wrestlemania, playing as part of Shinsuke Nakamura's entrance. She has also appeared at events for California-based indie PCW, including last January's event at ILWU Memorial Hall in Wilmington, CA.
Notably, Strauss has also been vocal about doing DDP YOGA. Earlier this year, she posted about this on her Facebook account, noting: "I managed to get in a quick 45 minutes of DDP Yoga done in my hotel room during our two-hour break from rehearsal today!!" Going along with the DDPY philosophy, Strauss added: "Whether it’s music, fitness, or anything else- if something is important to you, you have to MAKE the time for it in your day. Now I just have to towel my sweaty hair off before heading back down to the stage to run the set."
#4 Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker first made a name for himself internationally as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist in the Grammy Award-winning band Hootie & The Blowfish. After Hootie went on hiatus, Rucker pursued a solo career. Rucker's first country-themed solo album, 2008's Learn To Live, would be the first of 6 top-selling, award-nomination full-length releases for Rucker.
It has never been a secret that Darius Rucker is a fan of old-school professional wrestling. He is notably a fan of Ric Flair and owns at least 1 of Flair's robes. As noted in a 2014 interview with Mike Mooneyham: "For me, the Mount Rushmore of greats would be Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino or Lou Thesz. You can do either one of them in that fourth spot. But I think Ric Flair is the greatest of all time. He’s the greatest I’ve ever seen ... on the mic and in the ring."
Rucker has also gone on the record as being a follower of DDP YOGA. Per a tweet of his in 2015: "Man I am hooked on this @DDPYoga. My man @RealDDP told it was great and I'm addicted." When I interviewed DDP earlier this year, he had mentioned that Rucker had used DDPY to lose weight in advance of a then-upcoming tour.
#5 Dixie Carter
While Diamond Dallas Page is primarily thought of as a WCW wrestler -- based on his multiple reigns as a world champion -- he did spend time in other promotions. Before reaching WCW he had started out as a manager in Verne Gagne's AWA, and after WCW closed in 2001, he wound up in WWE.
However, many people do not remember that DDP had a short post-WWE run in TNA. In turn, DDP has crossed paths former TNA chairwoman (and current minority shareholder of Anthem Sports and Entertainment) Dixie Carter.
Early into the mainstream popularity of DDPY, Carter had been urged to try the program by WWE Hall Of Famer Scott Hall and other industry friends. Carter ultimately ordered the DVDs and liked the results, although she had acknowledged that she was "still sore" a few days after trying it for the first day. Between the 2013 and 2015 tweets embedded below, DDP and Carter were spotted sitting together at a Bellator event in April 2014.
