Diamond Dallas Page Says Randy Orton Didn’t Steal the Diamond Cutter—He Reinvented It

Diamond Dallas Page doesn’t see the RKO as theft—he sees it as evolution.

During a recent conversation with Going Ringside, the WWE Hall of Famer addressed long-standing chatter about Randy Orton “stealing” his iconic Diamond Cutter finisher and turned the narrative on its head.

DDP explained that he wanted Orton to use the move and actually gave his blessing directly, even though Orton didn’t remember the call at the time.

“The conversation originally started with me calling him and telling him I wanted him to use it. And I understand now why Randy didn’t remember — he was just getting out of shoulder surgery the day I called him. He was out of it, on drugs and stuff.”

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When they met again later, DDP reminded Orton of that conversation.

“I went up to him and said, ‘Randy, don’t you remember when I called you?’ And he goes, ‘Oh Diamond, man, I was having shoulder surgery. I was out. If you say it happened, I believe you.’”

Instead of feeling bitter, DDP praised Orton’s ability to modernize the move and give it new life.

“People say, ‘What do you think about Randy stealing the Diamond Cutter?’ What are you talking about, man? First of all, he reinvented it. He did it in ways I could never do it.”

That level of respect runs deep—so much so that another ring legend gave DDP one of the biggest compliments of his life. During his peak WCW run, Jake “The Snake” Roberts reached out unexpectedly to recognize how far DDP had taken his own legendary move, the DDT.

“Jake called me out of nowhere and said, ‘Congratulations.’ I said, ‘Jake, for what?’ And he said, ‘For reinventing the DDT.’”

For DDP, that phone call wasn’t just validation—it was a sign that he had made a lasting impact on wrestling’s storytelling through action. It’s not about who used what move first. It’s about how it’s done—and how it makes fans react.