Subhojeet Mukherjee on December 31, 2025
D-Von Dudley is speaking out once again—and this time, he’s not holding anything back against Jim Ross.
Speaking on the Duke Loves Rasslin podcast, D-Von addressed Jim Ross’ recent denial of making racially offensive remarks during WWE’s Attitude Era. While Ross previously called the accusation “absurd” and claimed he had “nothing to gain” from lying, D-Von says the only reason he’s continuing to speak on it is simply that Ross took things in a direction that forced his hand.
“I never wanted this to — you know, I probably would not have responded to this and kept this going if he didn’t try to make the wisecrack that he did with Bubba.”
Ross had speculated on his Grilling JR podcast that D-Von wasn’t as happy in life post-wrestling as his tag partner, Bubba Ray Dudley—a comment D-Von didn’t take lightly. To him, it felt like Ross was trying to pit the Dudley Boyz against each other.
“How you gonna say that? Me and Bubba — you gonna try to get us to play against each other? No. Me and Bubba are very good. We are, you know, brothers from different mothers… I’m not turning on him, and he ain’t turning on me.”
D-Von stated that he initially had no plans to continue the discussion after his original comments resurfaced. But once Ross brought Bubba into it and suggested D-Von was chasing publicity, he felt he had no choice.
“I was going to leave this alone… But when you start making comments and making cheap shots, I got no other choice but to respond.”
He added that Ross could have responded respectfully and de-escalated the situation—without resorting to personal attacks.
“It could have been easily said, ‘Listen, I didn’t say this. I’m not sure what Devon is talking about.’ Or it could have been, ‘Hey, I never said this… but if I did, I apologize.’ Simple as that—and go on.”
D-Von also rejected the idea that this was ever about attention, noting that if that were his goal, he could’ve spoken out years ago.
“I could have been looking for publicity three or four years ago when I left WWE, and I never did. I never brought it up.”
He added that the conversation originally came up organically when the topic of racism was discussed on his podcast with Maven. According to D-Von, the moment only gained attention because Bubba encouraged him to name names—and that part, he says, was conveniently cut from most clips.
“It was Bubba when he said, ‘Say the name. Say the name. Say the name. Go ahead. Say names.’ That part was left out. But it made it seem like I was trying to pull the race card, and I wasn’t.”
Addressing critics who claim he’s overreacting or seeking drama, D-Von fired back by talking about his experience:
“You didn’t encounter what I encountered. You didn’t go through what I went through. So please be respectful and mind your damn business if you’re going to have that type of attitude.”
He ended it by urging Ross to simply acknowledge what happened, adding that Ross could have handled it differently.
“Admit what you said and move on. But if you’re going to reply… you could have handled that totally different, and you didn’t. Hopefully this doesn’t get out of control, out of hand. No one’s asking you to lose viewers or money… I’m not trying to do that. I’m just simply telling the truth.”
The controversy started when D-Von, in October 2025, revealed that Ross was the unnamed WWE official he previously referenced in a story involving a racially charged comment. Ross denied the accusation, questioning D-Von’s memory and motives—leading to the current back-and-forth.
“That’s so absurd. It shouldn’t even merit a response. I like D‑Von. I like him today. I hired him and Bubba. At my age and with my health situations and everything else, I’ve got nothing to gain by saying, ‘Yeah, I said that one time and I really regret it.’ I never said it.
Why he would conjure that up—I guess to get attention—I don’t know. Maybe he’s not as happy with his post-wrestling life as Bubba is, because Bubba has made a tremendous success of himself as a broadcaster.”
With D-Von standing firm and Jim Ross just as adamantly denying the claim, the wrestling world is now watching two legends go head-to-head over a deeply personal and painful memory—one with no signs of being resolved anytime soon.
Do you think this situation could have been handled better? Should Jim Ross have responded differently, or was D-Von right to speak up again? Share your thoughts in the comments—we want to hear what you think.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
December 31, 2025 7:58 am
Disqus Comments Loading...