WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley recently opened up about experiencing racism during his early tenure with the company, revealing anxieties he faced that impacted his approach compared to his tag team partner, Bubba Ray Dudley.
Speaking with former WWE star Maven on D-Von’s own YouTube channel, the discussion turned to the dynamics within their legendary team.
While discussing Bubba’s more aggressive nature and willingness to challenge authority, D-Von explained his initial apprehension stemmed partly from personal responsibilities and a fear of racial bias within the industry at the time. “Me, I was petrified,” D-Von admitted, citing concerns about providing for his family. He added another layer to his hesitation: “And I’m gonna be honest with you… but being African American in this, in this business still, especially in the very beginning of 1991, and even though we got started in ’96, I was still petrified of racism”.
D-Von elaborated on the environment he perceived when they joined WWE around 1999-2000.
“Their philosophy was still stuck in the 50s and 60s,” he stated, referring to the prevailing attitudes towards Black wrestlers. He specifically mentioned the damaging belief that “a Black man should never say anything because of the fact that he’s Black and you’re in a white man’s business”.
When asked by Bubba Ray if he experienced racism while they were together, D-Von clarified the distinction between their environments. “No, I didn’t experience it when we were together because of the fact that when we got together, we were in ECW… I experienced it in WWE,” he confirmed. He then recounted a specific, jarring incident without naming the individual involved.
“There were certain top officials who I don’t really want to go and say any names,” D-Von prefaced. “…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 up there going, wow, really? When? 1999, uh, 2000”.
He explained that this fear was compounded by the power structure within the company. “There were certain people in that organization at that time that felt that I should not have said anything, who had power to basically bury me if need be just because I might have stood up for what I felt was right,” D-Von stated. This fear, he implied, contributed to his initial reluctance to push back against creative or management decisions in the way Bubba Ray often did during their WWE tenure.
