【The Erotic Adventures of Zorro】

When pro wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page is The Erotic Adventures of Zorroinducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31, fans will fondly recall his antics and exploits inside the ring. The "Diamond Cutter," his signature takedown move, is particularly timeless.

But those who've lost track of "DDP" since his heyday in the late '90s are in for a surprise. DDP the pro wrestler has been replaced by an unexpected alter ego: DDP the amped-up yoga guru.

That's right. Page has traded pile-drivers for positive affirmations.

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It's not just yoga, though, Page will be sure to remind you. It's "DDPYoga," which the former wrestler describes over the phone in his gravelly, ultra-enthusiastic voice as "a kickass cardiovascular program that will dramatically increase your flexibility by breaking up scar tissue and eliminating your pain."

We understand if you're skeptical, but DDP Yoga has built a following -- and one success story even spawned a viral video you'll probably recognize. (More on that below.)

Some access Page's workouts through the app he launched last year. Others get DVDs in the mail. Still others take classes in person at his Atlanta-area facility. Some followers swear by his methods, while others seem to struggle to wrap their mind around the fact that it's Diamond Dallas Page, former wrestling star, leading them through poses.

The University of Virginia football team used DDP Yoga during off-season workouts last summer. Frank Wintrich, the team's performance director, told ESPN the program helped players with movement and injury prevention. But when Page himself surprised the Virginia players during a team meeting last August, the Cavaliers' priceless reaction harkened back to his days in the ring.

The video below is "lit," as the youths say.

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From the wrestling ring to the yoga mat. That's quite a transition, right?

But Page has always followed an unconventional path.

Trading bodyslams for the yoga mat

DDP in 1999. Credit: REX/Shutterstock

Page became a real-life pro wrestler later than most, when he was already in his 30s. But his bravado and charisma were magnetic in the bombastic world of pro wrestling, so after first working as a manager for other wrestlers, the pull of the ring proved too strong.

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Propelled by a behemoth physique, flowing blond hair and a signature diamond hand gesture, Page ascended to the highest echelon of pro wrestling popularity back in the late 90s, when the scripted sport enjoyed a surge in fandom. Back then, at the height of his rah-rah superstardom, Page says "I was that guy who wouldn't be caught deaddoing yoga."

But after blowing his back out in his 40s, the macho wrestling superstar reconsidered.

"As you can imagine, depression set in. I knew if I didn't turn this emotional gravity around, then I'd be fucked," Page, who's now 60, says today. "Out of necessity -- that's how yoga gets into my life."

Page found that yoga helped his back heal, and helped him exercise without overtaxing his body. He studied poses, added some traditional workout moves, threw in a few of his signature diamond hand-signs and -- boom! DDP Yoga was born.

Today he's slimmer and his blond mane is cropped much shorter than most fans will remember. But it's still easy to picture Page in the ring when listening to him discuss his more recent venture. Here he is, for example, breaking down the segmentation of users who prefer the DDP Yoga app and users who prefer following workouts by DVD.

"I still sell a shitloadof DVDs," Page explains. "Most people who are 35 or 40 are like, 'Fuck the app, I just want the DVDs.' Then when you get someone under30, they're like, 'Fuck it, I want the app.'"

Just like they teach you in business school.

A 2015 documentary called The Resurrection of Jake the Snakefocuses in part on how Page and DDP Yoga helped a former wrestling legend named Jake "the Snake" Roberts turn around his post-retirement life. But Page is just as proud of his more everyday followers.

DDP Yoga's devotees

Erica Buteau, a mom from New Hampshire, first heard of DDP Yoga when Page appeared on the TV show Shark Tankin 2014. A video (embedded above) featured on Shark Tank,which was later shared widely online, told the story of Arthur Boorman, a disabled military veteran who changed his life and physical condition for the better with help from DDP Yoga.

Buteau was inspired. She ordered a DVD. It sat untouched for weeks. Then she stepped onto a scale -- she hadn't weighed herself in months -- and saw 326 pounds staring back at her. Buteau cried. But she started using DDP Yoga that same day, eventually coupling the program with long walks, hikes and a low-carb diet. Three years later, she's lost 180 pounds.

Page in 2005. Credit: Picture Perfect/REX/Shutterstock

"There's this constant feeling of pressure with fitness videos, where you're being pushed through it with a feeling of, 'Come on, if you can't do this then you're not good enough,'" Buteau says. "With DDP Yoga, that's not the case. You have this gruff voice pushing you, but gently."

That's the same voice pro wrestling fans will recall with affection when Page is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday. But he has a message for anyone surprised by this new path.

"Diamond Dallas Page is the new Jack LaLanne, meets Tony Robbins, meets Richard Simmons," the onetime body-slamming superstar says with his gravelly laugh.

Meanwhile, Buteau, the mom from New Hampshire, credits Page for helping her get in shape. She also has a secret, though.

"Don't tell him," she says. "But I used to be an Ultimate Warrior fan."

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