Manik Aftab on January 26, 2023
The Dudley Boyz were a top tag team during the Attitude Era. D-Von Dudley and Bubba Rey inspired a generation of fans and aspiring pro wrestling with their classics against the likes of The Hardys and Edge and Christian.
Vince McMahon split the Dudleys with the arrival of the Ruthless Aggression Era. D-Von became Reverend D-Von and brought Leviathan (who’d later become Batista) from OVW as his protégé.
As Reverend, D-Von squared off against Triple H on the May 9, 2002, edition of WWE SmackDown. The episode marked Batista’s main roster debut as well. D-Von got the win over Triple H after an interference from Chris Jericho.
The former tag team specialist recently appeared for a virtual signing with Signed By Superstar. D-Von had high praise for Triple H, noting that Hunter loved his Reverend gimmick.
“Great. I have a lot to be thankful for with Triple H. He was the reason why I became a producer backstage. He gave me my first big victory as Reverend D-Von. Hunter actually believed in me and the gimmick and loved it. He said to somebody, ‘D-Von got the raw end of the stick with that,’ at least in some people’s eyes, but not mine. Hunter was always in my corner. I had a really good time working underneath him.”
D-Von parted ways with WWE on January 19, 2023. His last stint with the company was in the capacity of a backstage producer. D-Von made the announcement on Twitter. He thanked Vince McMahon, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in his farewell tweet.
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