D-Von Dudley Accuses Former WWE Higher-Up Of Racism

Without naming the individual, D-Von Dudley has accused a former WWE higher-up of racism, alleging in an interview with Video Gamer that he believes a lot of members of the Ku Klux Klan "made their way" into pro wrestling.

After being asked if racism was worse during the early portion of his in-ring career, D-Von said:

"No, because it was hidden really. I've said this before and I'll say it again. The Klan wore sheets on their heads. The Ku Klux Klan wore sheets over their heads. And I felt that a lot of those Klan members made their way into wrestling, traded in their sheets for suits.

"It was definitely a behind the scenes thing. I've dealt with it with certainly higher ups like MVP said. I dealt with that certain higher up that told me to my face, they don't like me because of the colour of my skin. And they work for other organisations now, and this person knows who he is. I have no respect for that person. I don't really care for him. Now that he's not in the position that he once was, I just really don't care for him."

In an interview that D-Von Dudley filmed for his YouTube channel which aired on October 17, it was heavily insinuated that the WWE higher-up was Jim Ross, with Dudley referencing a "10-gallon hat" and speaking with a southern accent. Maven, meanwhile, shouted "Go Sooners", a reference to the Oklahoma Sooners football team that Jim Ross supports.

"No, I didn't experience it when we were together, because when we got together we were in ECW. In ECW, I did not experience it. I experienced it in WWE. I experienced it when certain top officials, who I don't really want to go and say any names…I didn't wear a 10-gallon hat or anything, but when a person comes up to you and says they don't like you because of the colour of your skin and you're sitting up there going, 'Wow, really?' What, in 1999-2000, and you're still coming up to me and saying crap like this? There was certain people in that organisation at that time that felt 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 on his YouTube channel.

Jim Ross was the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations within WWE for several years in the early 2000s. He has worked as a commentator in All Elite Wrestling since 2019.

D-Von Dudley retired from pro wrestling at TNA Bound For Glory 2025 as he and Bubba Ray Dudley faced The Hardys in a Tables Match.