WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley has opened up about his experiences with racism and inequality in the wrestling business, revealing how fear, discrimination, and unequal treatment shaped parts of his career, even at the height of his success. In an interview on his YouTube channel, D-Von sat down with longtime tag team partner Bubba Ray Dudley (Bully Ray) and Tough Enough Season 1 winner Maven Huffman for a discussion about their time together in the industry.
During the conversation, Maven asked who the “leader” of The Dudley Boyz was – a question that led D-Von to reflect on his mindset during their run. While he credited Bubba as the more outspoken of the two, D-Von admitted he often stayed quiet out of fear for his job and family.
He explained that early in his career, starting in the early 1990s, the wrestling business still carried deeply ingrained racist attitudes from older generations. Many promoters, he said, operated under a belief that Black wrestlers should “stay in their place.” D-Von recalled feeling that speaking up could cost him his livelihood.
“I was scared because I had a family. Didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes,” he said, describing how he had to balance protecting his career with standing up for himself.
When asked if he encountered racism while teaming with Bubba, D-Von said that ECW, where the team got its start, was free from such issues. But things changed after they joined WWF in 1999.
He recalled being subjected to racist treatment from certain top officials, though he chose not to name anyone directly. Using a southern accent to hint at one particular encounter, D-Von described being told outright that they didn’t like him because of the color of his skin.
“When a person comes up to you and tells you that they don’t like you because of the color of your skin, and you’re sitting there going, ‘Wow, really? We’re in 1999, 2000, and you’re still coming to me and saying crap like this?’ There were certain people in that organization at that time who felt that I should not have said anything, people who had the power to basically bury me if need be, just because I might have stood up for what I felt was right,” D-Von said.
The remark prompted Maven to say, “Go Sooners,” referencing the University of Oklahoma – a clear nod to Jim Ross, whose association with Oklahoma and past executive role in WWE made the reference hard to miss.
D-Von emphasized that the comments were shocking, especially coming from someone in a position of authority during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He added that those same individuals had the power to “bury” his career if he pushed back or spoke out.
Bubba Ray confirmed that he witnessed the incident firsthand and that he had to step in to prevent things from escalating.
Later in the interview, the two recalled another moment of frustration after their legendary TLC match at SummerSlam 2000 with The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian – a bout still regarded as one of WWE’s greatest tag team matches.
After the event, all six men met with then-executive Jim Ross to discuss their pay. Bubba told Ross directly that the amount they were given “felt like we got kicked right in the nuts.” The World Wrestling Federation eventually increased their payout, but D-Von noted that their house show paychecks became noticeably smaller afterward, suggesting the company took back the extra money in the weeks that followed.
“They might have given us more money up front after that, but they sure as hell got it back,” D-Von said.
During a previous interview with Maven, D-Von told the story in more detail:
“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.”
Despite the hardships, D-Von and Bubba went on to become one of the most successful tag teams in wrestling history – capturing championships across WWF/E, ECW, TNA, and NJPW, and eventually earning a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.
The two men retired from in-ring competition at TNA Bound For Glory 2025, after losing to The Hardys in a Tables Match for the TNA & WWE NXT Tag Team Titles.
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