Diamond Dallas Page knows what it means to have a career-defining opportunity arrive after many people have already decided they know your ceiling. The WWE Hall of Famer built one of wrestling’s most memorable late-blooming success stories, and he sees meaningful similarities in LA Knight’s current position heading into WWE Money in the Bank.
Knight is set to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Title at the premium live event on Saturday, October 10, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The match places Knight opposite one of WWE’s defining stars of this era, a performer DDP compared to the biggest names the industry has ever produced.
While Page did not hide that Reigns enters the bout as an enormously difficult opponent to overcome, he made clear that he would love to see Knight finally break through and win WWE’s top prize. For DDP, a Knight victory would not merely be another title change. It could be the kind of victory that shifts the way fans, peers and the wider business view a wrestler.
“I would love to see that,” DDP said. “I would love to see that. Because LA and I – even though he started wrestling in his twenties, our careers took off in our forties. Do I believe that’s going to happen? I’m going to say yes, because I want it to be out in the universe for LA.”
For more background on this topic, read Titus O’Neil Signs With Stoked Sports & Entertainment.
DDP sees Roman Reigns as WWE’s modern franchise player
Reigns has occupied a rare place in WWE’s modern hierarchy. His presentation, championship stature and ability to anchor major events have made him one of the company’s central attractions. DDP’s comparison was not modest: he put Reigns in the company of Hulk Hogan, The Rock and John Cena as the wrestler positioned as the era’s defining star.
That is why Page believes a loss to Knight would carry so much potential value. Beating a dominant champion is one thing; beating a performer regarded as the company’s unquestioned centerpiece can instantly change the perception of the challenger. DDP argued that Reigns is secure enough in his standing that helping make Knight would not diminish him.
“Roman – Roman’s Hulk, Roman’s Rock, Roman’s Cena. He’s that guy,” Page said. “If he did put LA Knight over, it wouldn’t hurt him at all. As a matter of fact, he’d be Randy Savage-ing him, which is what Randy did for me when he reached out.”
The reference to Randy Savage is especially significant in the context of Page’s own career. DDP’s rise through WCW was not built on the conventional blueprint of a wrestler who becomes a major star early in his career. He began wrestling in his thirties and did not truly explode as a fan favorite until later, making his success an enduring example for performers whose biggest break comes after a longer road.
Knight’s path has also been defined by persistence. He has spent years building a recognizable identity, refining his promo style and generating audience reactions that have made him one of WWE’s most popular personalities. That momentum has repeatedly fueled calls for Knight to receive a sustained main-event run and a world championship opportunity.
At Money in the Bank, he has the opportunity DDP believes could move him from a highly popular star into an entirely different category.
The Randy Savage comparison carries personal weight for Page
Page pointed to a specific moment from 1997 to explain why he sees the Knight-Reigns match as more than a straightforward title challenge. On April 6 of that year, one day after DDP’s 41st birthday, he defeated Savage. It was a huge result for Page, whose career had reached a turning point as audiences increasingly embraced him.
In recalling that period, DDP stressed that few people would have predicted he would beat Savage. Savage, however, saw the value in making the moment matter and in backing a wrestler he believed had earned the audience’s support.
“You tell me, in 1997, April 6th, the day after my 41st birthday, that anybody thinks I’m going to beat Randy Savage. No one,” Page said. “But Randy did. Randy knew: ‘This guy has worked so hard. The people love him. I’m going to really make him blast off.’”
For DDP, the importance of that victory went beyond the result itself. Defeating Savage altered the scale of his connection with the public. It was validation that he belonged at the top level, and it provided the kind of momentum that a wrestler can carry into every subsequent major program.
Page said the crowd response and the way he was treated after that match felt different from what he had experienced previously, even comparing the impact of the Savage win to the feeling of becoming world champion.
“And I’ll tell you, when I beat Randy Savage, it was more dramatic than even being the world champion,” Page said. “People acted different to me – the fans, everybody. It was like I stepped into a different dimension. And that’s what Roman would be doing if LA Knight does go over.”
Why a win over Reigns would mean more than championship gold
World titles matter because they represent achievement, positioning and trust from a promotion. Yet wrestling history is full of championship wins that did not necessarily create a lasting elevation. DDP’s point is that the opponent, the timing and the audience investment can be just as important as the title itself.
A victory over Reigns would give Knight all of those elements at once. Reigns is not simply an established champion in Page’s framing; he is the standard-bearer of the present WWE landscape. Knight, meanwhile, arrives with a long-running connection to the fans and a career narrative that makes his climb easy to understand.
The late-career comparison is central to DDP’s support. Page and Knight are not identical stories, and their respective careers unfolded in different eras under very different circumstances. Still, Page recognizes the emotional force of a performer reaching his greatest level after years of work, reinvention and uncertainty.
That kind of story can make fans feel as though they have participated in the ascent. By the time a wrestler gets the breakthrough victory, the reaction is not only about the match outcome. It is also about every rejection, every detour and every period spent waiting for the opportunity to arrive.
Knight’s popularity has made him a particularly compelling challenger for Reigns. His confidence, crowd interaction and verbal presence have helped turn him into a fixture of major WWE programming. A World Heavyweight Title victory would answer the question of whether that popularity can be transformed into an official top-of-the-card reign.
Money in the Bank provides the setting for Knight’s defining opportunity
Money in the Bank has traditionally been one of WWE’s most consequential annual events, built around both championship matches and the unpredictable implications of the Money in the Bank contract. This year’s show has an added layer of significance with Knight receiving the chance to challenge Reigns directly for the World Heavyweight Title.
DDP’s comments reflect the stakes of that meeting. He is not presenting a Reigns loss as something that would weaken the champion’s legacy or standing. Instead, he sees the possibility of a top star using his stature to create another top-level act, much as Savage helped propel Page during his own rise.
That is a high bar, and it also illustrates the respect Page has for both men. Reigns’ stature is the reason the opportunity is so meaningful. Knight’s fan support and career journey are the reasons Page believes he is capable of capitalizing on it.
Whether Knight can leave New Orleans with the World Heavyweight Title remains to be seen. Reigns has long been one of the most imposing obstacles in WWE, and DDP acknowledged the magnitude of what Knight is trying to accomplish. But Page is choosing optimism, both as someone who identifies with Knight’s late-blooming career arc and as someone who understands how one properly timed victory can change a wrestler’s future.
WWE Money in the Bank takes place Saturday, October 10, from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event will stream live on the ESPN App in the United States and on Netflix internationally. For LA Knight, the night offers a shot at championship gold. In DDP’s view, it also offers the possibility of a transformational moment on the scale of the one that helped define his own career.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.