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Diamond Dallas Page has appeared sporadically in AEW over the last few months. Last week, he even made an appearance on AEW Dynamite where he helped Cody fight off The Inner Circle.
During an interview with Wrestling Inc's WINCLY podcast, DDP said that he's not an employee of AEW and still wants to work with WWE.
Why does DDP not want to sign an AEW contract?
DDP is now a yoga instructor, with his fitness program DDP Yoga taking off over ever since he retired from pro wrestling. In the meantime, he has appeared with Cody Rhodes on AEW PPVs and TV over the last few months.
DDP has been vocal about the fact that he has known Cody Rhodes since he was 12 years old and that Cody's father Dusty Rhodes was one of the reasons why he became a big star. That seems to be the only motivation for him to appear on AEW programs.
"I don't have a contract. I'm not employed by AEW as I'm doing this for Cody. Without Dusty Rhodes, there's no Diamond Dallas Page. I don't have everything I've been able to accomplish and a lot of it had to do with The Dream giving me the opportunity," said Page.
"We (Cody and Page) just talk about the business as we have since he was 12 years old," he added.
DDP also said he wants to continue to work with WWE as they have been good to him for the last 7-8 years. He has worked with several wrestlers from many promotions including WWE, and he is clear about where he prefers working.
"The reason why I won't take a contract with AEW is because I still wanna work with WWE. My fitness and wellness plan is really important to me and Tommaso, Gargano, Lacey Evans, Shayna – I know I've helped them with my program. I want to help the boys in the girls in AEW and WWE like I have been doing for years. So I didn't really wanna take any kind of a contract with that," he said.
DDP also mentioned that he wasn't sure why he wasn't invited for the Raw Legends show, but that he was still grateful for WWE being good to him all these years. He also put over his DDPY program, saying any wrestler from any promotion is welcome to work with him.
What's next?
DDP's point of view makes perfect sense. He has a thriving business where he works with several athletes and wrestlers, and there is no need to rock the boat. His commitment to the Rhodes family also seems set to continue, which would go a long way towards endearing him to the fans.
