D-Von Dudley opens up about racism in wrestling.
Speaking with Good Karma Wrestling, WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley discussed the evolution of African American wrestlers in 2023 and shared his own experiences
“It’s grown a lot, believe it or not,” D-Von Dudley said. “I remember when I first broke into the business in 91, you have to understand that racism was still alive and well, just as I feel like racism is still alive and well today. I like to say what Malcom X used to say, ‘A lot of the Klansman turned in their white sheet for a suit.’ Walking around and doing what they’re doing. It’s still relevant in the wrestling business, it is but we have come a long way since then.
“It’s going to be hard to stop us from doing what we love to do. We watched this sport, we loved it, we want to be a part of it and we’re coming in there and we’re doing exactly not what we want to do in a disrespectful way but doing what we want to do to pay homage to those that have come before us that we have watched and idolized for so long. I’m just very proud.”
D-Von Dudley Reflects On Racism In Wrestling
D-Von Dudley continued by describing how there is still racism that is prominent in the wrestling world. He described how he dealt with it throughout his career.
“Again, you still have racism that is very very prominent in this business,” D-Von Dudley said. “If they give you enough rope to hang yourself and you hang yourself then there is nothing that you can do about it. You never heard about me being in any controversy, drugs or anything like that. I’ve kept my nose clean for 30 years in this business. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done things before cameras came about but never been in trouble with the law, never done anything. Never given them a reason to want to mess with me in any type of way.
“Whenever I disagreed with something within the business, I always had a plan B just in case I didn’t like plan A. I couldn’t just go to them and say, ‘Listen, I don’t want to do that, I’m not going to do that.’ I always said, ‘I don’t feel comfortable but here’s what I think we can do.’ Sometimes it worked and sometimes we didn’t. I went in there with a smile on my face and did it even if they told me that I couldn’t do what I wanted to do and that was fine.”
D-Von Dudley: A WWE Officer Member Told Me He Didn’t Like Me Because I’m Black
The WWE Hall of Famer then described how a WWE officer member told him that he didn’t like him because he was Black. D-Von stated that this happened on two occasions.
“I do understand that we have come a long way since when I broke into the business in 91,” D-Von Dudley said. “I remember coming into certain locker rooms and there were certain people that didn’t care if it got out how they were treating you. There was a prominent figure, in WWE, I should say that he was office, that basically told me that he didn’t like me because I was black. Two occasions he told me.
“Bubba was there on one of them and Bubba was there on the 2nd one along with Paul Heyman, Tommy Dreamer and Spike. To this day, I have no respect nor do I like this individual. I’m not going to go and put him on blast right now but I don’t care for him, so I just stay away from him.
I just know that, we have come a long way, I’m not going to sit here and cry over something that might have happened 10 years ago, I just move on and make the best of it. Look at my career, I have nothing to be sad about, I have nothing to have any remorse about it. Bubba and I have become the greatest tag team of our era.”
D-Von will reunite with Bubba Ray at IMPACT 1000. More information is available here.
The full interview can be seen below:
Thanks to Good Karma Wrestling (@GKW_Wrestling) for sharing the quotes in this article.
