After a five-year hiatus, WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page is making his return to the WWE 2K video game series, and it coincides with the rise of someone who is near and dear to him in WWE champion and WWE 2K24 cover athlete Cody Rhodes.

On Nov. 13, DDP will be available as a playable character as part of the WCW Pack, which is the fifth and final announced DLC Pack for WWE 2K24.

Along with Page, several other legendary wrestlers who made an impact in WCW will be accessible via the WCW Pack, including Lex Luger, The Great Muta, "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig and The Iron Sheik.

In an interview with Bleacher Report, Page acknowledged his excitement over once again being part of the WWE 2K series, and discussed what led to his removal from and eventual return to the fold:

"Absolutely, and when I'm not in it, it pisses me off. I got taken out of that game because I helped some guy, I can't remember his name. He would go on to become this really big star. Oh, he's on the cover of 2K24! I helped Cody when he left there. ... He has everything to do with what's happening in professional wrestling at this time. Now that he's back and he's on top of the world and he's on the cover of the game, 2K24, his dad [Dusty Rhodes] came in, he hadn't been in a game in four years, and Diamond Dallas Page is back where he belongs, back with the WWE family."

Amid his frustration over not being able to shake the Stardust character, Rhodes left WWE in 2016 and bet on himself by working for numerous companies all over the world. That led to his substantial hand in the creation of AEW, which helped him reach new levels of stardom and ultimately led him back to WWE in 2022.

Page discussed his role in Rhodes' success outside of WWE and where the journey has taken both them in the eight years since his WWE departure:

"I'm proud to be working with them again. I never wanted to go anywhere the first time, but I had to help the kid whose father helped me. Without Dusty Rhodes there is no Diamond Dallas Page. I had to help that young man who was on his own vision quest. He didn't ask for my help, I just came to him and said, 'Hey, let us start filming you. Let's start doing stuff. Costs you nothing. Let us just start documenting your journey here.' And where did it end up? Right back in the WWE, bigger than ever, on the cover of 2K24. You can't make this stuff up."

Ever since Rhodes resurfaced in WWE as the surprise opponent for Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38, he has been presented as one of the faces of the company, winning two Royal Rumbles and headlining a pair of WrestleManias.

It all led up to him beating Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40 earlier this year and ending his historic run as world champion after over 1,300 days.

DDP mentioned the pride he has in what Cody has accomplished, especially because of the road he has taken to get there:

"There's nothing that he doesn't do the right way, and that is an example for all these kids. You couldn't pay him to turn heel right now. For all the money in the world it wouldn't be worth it because he's leading the example [for his daughter] Libby and if they decide to have more kids. He's leading an incredible example. He's the first pure-bred babyface we've had in forever, and over humongously all over the world. So yeah, really proud of him if you can't tell."

The respect and love between DDP and Rhodes is clearly mutual based on a recent video The American Nightmare did for WWE 2K in anticipation of Page's addition to the video game:

Page alluded to the video and divulged that he and Cody have strengthened their relationship after a period of time where they were not in contact with each other:

"I gotta breathe on that one, gotta breathe. He just did a thing about me going in the game, he did a little video, and at some point he said, 'I don't wanna get emotional,' when it comes to talking about DDP because it can happen easily. And the same way with me. It's very emotional. There was a point where me and him didn't talk to each other for a while and it really bothered me and him, but we got back together and stronger than ever. I'm so proud of him, everything that he's done."

DDP's relationship with the Rhodes family dates back decades to when he was in WCW and benefited from the mentorship of Dusty Rhodes, who was the biggest star in NWA along with Ric Flair before becoming the head of the booking committee in NWA and WCW.

Page called Dusty "a brain" and "a visionary" in addition to his excellence as a showman, and he credited Dusty with taking him to the next level, saying:

"I never have the run I had if he's still booking through it all. They put him out to pasture, WCW. What I mean by that is they paid him to stay home because they didn't want him to go to WWE, so I got to talk to him all the time. We were already super tight, but as we went on this journey, I could call him."

DDP recalled a conversation he and Dusty had in which Page lamented the idea that he would never be world champion. Rhodes scolded him and told him to get out of the business if he didn't think he could be world champion, which inspired Page to set a goal.

On a notepad, DDP wrote that he would become world champion within five years, and four years, four months and 14 years later, he won a four corners match against Flair, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan and Sting with "Macho Man" Randy Savage as the special guest referee to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship for the first time at Spring Stampede 1999.

Even before winning the world title, Page was a massive part of WCW's success in the mid-to-late 1990s along with Sting, the nWo and several others.

DDP was one of the most over babyfaces in all of professional wrestling during the Monday Night War when WCW Nitro was consistently beating WWE Raw, and there was a period of time when it appeared WWE might be in danger of going out of business.

Despite that, WWE rebounded and ultimately won the war, and now it is consistently paying homage to WCW legends like Page, which is something he admitted that he never could have imagined in the thick of the Monday Night War:

"At the time, no, I would never have believed that. I don't have the time as much to get out and do the autograph sessions, but I just did one in Rhode Island last weekend and it was slammed. The ages were from little kids to people who were my age in their 60's that were coming and just wanting to thank me for what I've done post-wrestling [DDP Yoga], but also for my wrestling career. ... These kids who are coming up to us, never saw us wrestle live, but maybe with their dad or their grandpa or their grandma, they watch. Because of WWE, they have all of the footage pretty much. ... All of the main federations that came up, they got 'em all. And the No. 1 thing that they highlight, the Monday Night Wars, Nitro against Raw."

Last month, Page and several other WCW legends were recognized and celebrated as special guests at the WWE Bad Blood premium live event in Atlanta, which was the former headquarters of WCW.

After attending the show, DDP praised WWE on social media and announced that he had signed a new legends contract with the company:

Page commended WWE for the current regime's treatment of legends, pointing to head of creative Triple H and president Nick Khan as those who have spearheaded it:

"I'm excited to be here all the way around. It's not just the game, it's the whole thing. How you're treated there at a pay-per-view—and I've been to many over the last few years—it's gotten better and better. And now, it's just a whole different respect level for the legends because of Triple H. You gotta put it all back to the guy whose face is on it, him and Nick Khan, it's really important to them that these guys are appreciated. And that's all I think anybody wants."

The expansive legends roster in WWE 2K24 is just another example of WWE honoring the past, and the WCW Pack does precisely that with several Hall of Famers in DDP, Muta, Hennig and Sheik, as well as a legend in Luger who Page hopes will be inducted in 2025.

Likewise, Page has a great appreciation for the present stars of wrestling such as Rhodes, and those who download the WWE 2K24 WCW Pack will have the ability to play out dream matches involving DDP, Cody and many others.

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