D-Von Dudley has cleared the air by naming the person who was allegedly racist towards him during the WWE Attitude Era.
D-Von Dudley had an illustrious run in the business as one-half of the Dudley Boyz. The pair wrestled their final match at TNA Bound For Glory, where D-Von and Bully Ray left their boots in the ring for The Hardyz, signaling the end of their Hall of Fame career.
D-Von previously opened up about his experience with racism during his first stint with WWE in the nineties. During an interview with Video Gamer, the former multi-time tag team champion revealed that a WWE higher-up had once said he didn’t like D-Von because of his skin color.
Although D-Von did not name anyone at the time, fans speculated that Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, Michael P. Hayes, or John Laurinaitis might have been involved. The speculation has now ended, as D-Von Dudley has shared the name of the person who allegedly made the racist remarks.
D-Von Dudley claims Jim Ross was racist towards him
Speaking on the Duke Loves Rasslin podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer praised Vince McMahon, Michael Hayes, and John Laurinaitis for supporting him during those years before naming former Head of Talent Relations Jim Ross as the offender.
“Did I come out and say ‘ten-gallon hat’? Yes. Did Maven let the cat out of the bag? Yes. Was it JR? Yes. I did have a problem with JR back then — and I didn’t know why. I’m not angry at the man today. I know he’s dealing with health issues, and to show you where I am in my life now, I pray that God heals his body. But was I disappointed when he said what he said to me back then? Yes, I was,” D-Von said.
He continued by saying that several people, including Bubba Ray and Paul Heyman, witnessed Jim Ross’ remarks toward him, adding that he is not “pulling the race card” by addressing the incident.
“He can deny it all he wants, but Bubba was there — and he remembers the incident. Paul Heyman was there, Spike Dudley was there, Tommy Dreamer was there. All these people witnessed it, and none of them are Black. I say that because people love to claim, ‘Oh, if they were Black, they’d stick together and pull the race card…’ No one is pulling anything here. And I’m not saying this now because I’m retired or no longer with the company.”
D-Von Dudley explains why he decided to address the controversy
“The question kept coming up, and I got tired of hearing, ‘Who was it?’ If I didn’t want to say it back then, I had every right not to. You just wanted to know — I didn’t owe anyone that answer. So why now? Because I wanted to. This was my way of letting it go. Whatever people choose to do with it on social media… that’s on them.
“I don’t wish the man any harm or illness. I was very hurt — very bothered — by what he said on two separate occasions. And just like I’ve said about Hogan, I’m not asking anyone to forget, but you do have to forgive. And I’ve forgiven him in my heart. I haven’t talked to him, and when I see him, I don’t say anything, because he’s never come to me to apologize. He might say he doesn’t remember… and that’s fine.”
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