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June 21 is International Yoga Day, so what better way to celebrate than to look back on some of today's wrestlers who've used yoga to elongate their careers? Over the past decade, we've seen many wrestlers and other athletes praise yoga for helping with back and neck issues, among other things.
It's not just a workout, but a way of life, and many have seen the benefits of what yoga can offer. Today we'll be taking a look at five wrestlers that saved their careers with yoga. We'll be starting things off with one of the current WWE RAW Tag Team Champions.
#5 AJ Styles needed yoga before joining WWE in 2016
The Phenomenal One has been a major star in WWE since day one. From debuting at the Royal Rumble to all the various championships he's acquired in five years, AJ Styles has definitely lived up to the hype.
Prior to coming to WWE, though, Styles had picked up quite a lot of back damage throughout his career. In November of 2015, Styles was forced to miss some time in NJPW and Ring of Honor due to the severity of his back injury. At that point, he'd heard about the wonders of yoga, specifically DDP Yoga. Chris Jericho, Christopher Daniels, and more had told him about how incredible the program was, and he decided to give it a shot.
Styles said in a video with Diamond Dallas Page that in eight weeks he was feeling like his old self again.
#4 Tommaso Ciampa owed his NXT Title run to DDP Yoga
The Psycho Killer of NXT has seen the benefits of yoga. Tommaso Ciampa's had a long history of serious injuries, but he has been able to work himself back to the top of his game over and over again thanks to his determination and work ethic.
Ciampa credited DDP Yoga with getting his career back on track after two shoulder surgeries and an ACL repair, which led him to capture the WWE NXT Championship back in 2018. Ciampa spoke about the importance of, not only DDP Yoga but also the power of positive affirmation and what DDP did for him before his title bout with Aleister Black.
Page brought Ciampa in after he was forced to relinquish the title and was vital to his recovery. Along with all the other routines the former NXT Champion abides by on a daily basis, Ciampa continues to use DDP Yoga and the lessons learned from Diamond Dallas Page.
#3 WWE Champion Drew McIntyre is in better shape because of yoga
Drew McIntyre has had two runs in WWE. In his initial stint, McIntyre was in his twenties. But after returning to WWE and taking on yoga, the Scottish Psychopath believes that he's in much better shape now than he's ever been.
"During my last run in WWE I was in my early to mid-twenties...now with the DDPY program, I feel good before the match," said McIntyre. "I'm not limping around like before. I'm walking around like I should be, like a normal person. I would do a significant warm up before every match which includes a little DDPY. Then I can start the match as I want to start it."
McIntyre stated that he was used to heading into a match limping. At the time of the recording of the video above, McIntyre believed he was in the greatest shape of his career. Two years later, and we can see that he's improved, and it's clear that a lot of that is thanks to yoga.
#2 Chris Jericho started yoga in 2012
Yoga, specifically DDP Yoga, was vital in aiding Chris Jericho back in 2012 following a ruptured disk he'd earned from Dancing With The Stars in 2011. WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels was the one who recommended DDP's program to him, and Jericho stated that it's the best workout he'd ever had in his career.
In an interview with Men's Journal in 2012, Jericho stated the following:
"All I know is that DDP Yoga works for me. It's the best training I've had in my life and it's funny how I've been wrestling 10 years longer than CM Punk, but he's the one who's always walking around with more ice on him than an eskimo in February. I'm pain-free."
If it's good enough for the inaugural AEW World Champion, it's worth giving a shot, right? Jericho's even made DDP Yoga a major part of his yearly cruise.
#1 Diamond Dallas Page discovers yoga after rupturing a disk in 1998
When you think of yoga and professional wrestling, one name comes to mind: Diamond Dallas Page. DDP has revolutionized yoga with his own plan, originally called Yoga for Regular Guys before rebranding to DDP Yoga.
DDP found out about the benefits of the workout when he ruptured his L4/L5 disks in 1998. His then-wife Kimberly Page turned him on to the craze, and the rest is history. Not only did DDP revitalize his career, but he's also spent the past two-plus decades encouraging others to do the same. Wrestlers, football players, and other professional athletes swear by DDP's system, but it's not just the workouts that keep them going.
DDP is about positivity, both mentally and physically, and has helped many through their struggles, most notably Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Scott Hall. However, one of IMPACT Wrestling's recent stars, W. Morrissey (FKA Big Cass) also credited DDP with helping him get to the right mentality. A few years ago Morrissey was in the worst shape of his career and was also careening down a bad path dealing with his anxiety and depression.
In an interview with Inside The Ropes, Morrissey revealed that Page helped him with one of the most difficult aspects of mental health, namely opening up. It's the first step in a long process, and thanks to DDP, Morrissey was able to regain control of his life.
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