In an interview with Maven in early 2025, WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley said the following about facing racism in the WWF:
“I encountered my own racism during my time in WWE – and I hate to say it, but I did. It came from certain people in the office who were higher up. It was never Vince (McMahon), never John Laurinaitis, and never Michael Hayes. But there were individuals during the Attitude Era who told me directly that they didn’t like me because I was Black.
They told me to my face – more than once. One of them said to Bubba, ‘You’re a good guy, I like you a lot. But D-Von? I don’t know… he’s Black.’ I remember balling up my fist, and Bubba saw it and grabbed me before I did something I’d regret. We had just come into WWE – this was around 1999, at the opening of the WWE restaurant – and I knew if I hit that person, my career would be over. I calmed down, but I was furious.
There was another incident not long after. I was sitting in catering with Bubba, Tommy Dreamer, Spike Dudley, and Paul Heyman. This same individual walked in, said hello to everyone – Paul, Dreamer, Spike, Bubba – but completely ignored me. Paul immediately called him out, saying, ‘What, you don’t see D-Von sitting here? You don’t like him because he’s Black?’ And the person actually said, ‘You’re damn right, I don’t like him because he’s Black.’
From that point on, I made sure that person never forgot what they’d said. If he came up and tried to be friendly, I’d confront him right there. When he said hello, I’d ask, ‘Why are you saying hi to me now? You don’t like me, remember?’ His face would go pale every time, and he’d deny it, pretending it never happened. But I always reminded him – every single time.
Every time this person would approach me I would pretty much bring that up to him. Never let him forget. Even to this day and I feel sorry for him to a degree, but I think God got him before I did.”
D-Von Dudley has now officially confirmed that Jim Ross was the WWF executive who made racist remarks toward him during the Attitude Era.
During an interview on the Duke Loves Rasslin podcast, D-Von identified Ross as the person involved, saying that while the comments deeply hurt him at the time, he has since chosen to forgive and move on.
He emphasized that Vince McMahon, Michael Hayes, and John Laurinaitis were not involved in any way – in fact, he credited all three with helping him grow both as a performer and later as a WWE producer.
D-Von described McMahon as instrumental in making him a star, Hayes as a mentor during his producer tenure, and Laurinaitis as someone who always looked out for him backstage.
Reflecting on that time, D-Von said the comments from Ross were painful and disappointing, especially coming from someone in a position of authority in the late 1990s. However, he made it clear he no longer holds resentment.
He acknowledged Ross’ recent health issues and said he prays for his recovery, explaining that while he hasn’t received an apology, he has made peace with the past.
Despite the racism he faced, D-Von’s career flourished. Alongside Bubba Ray, The Dudley Boyz became one of the most decorated tag teams in wrestling history, winning championships across WWF/E, ECW, TNA, and NJPW before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
The duo officially retired from in-ring competition at TNA Bound For Glory 2025, following a Tables Match loss to The Hardy Boyz for the TNA and WWE NXT Tag Team Titles.
Also Read: D-Von Dudley Says Hulk Hogan Apologized To Him, Calls Out People Who Buried Hogan
