D-Von Dudley Says Jade Cargill Should Have Gone To NXT Before WWE Main Roster

WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley is weighing in on the growing conversation surrounding Jade Cargill — and he believes WWE rushed her to the main roster too quickly.

Speaking on the DukeLovesRassling podcast on March 7, 2026, Dudley didn’t hold back when discussing Cargill’s in-ring skills. According to him, the company made a key mistake by fast-tracking her straight to the main roster instead of sending her through NXT first. After being asked about Cargill’s situation, Dudley pointed directly to WWE skipping its developmental system as the turning point.

“She had never been in NXT, and that was a mistake. Maybe she should have gone to NXT first. If she had gotten that training before going to the main roster, we probably wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

Dudley said he understands why WWE pushed Cargill quickly. Her look, presence and physique make her stand out instantly. But in his view, that shouldn’t replace the development process. He also pointed to her AEW run as proof that more training time could’ve helped before making the jump to WWE’s biggest stage.

“I understand that she has the look and the physique, but bringing her straight from AEW to the main roster was not the right move. If you look at her time in AEW, there’s a good chance she really needed that time in NXT. It wouldn’t have hurt her to spend some time there, get proper training, and then move up to the main roster.”

He also suggested that Cargill’s unique look may have played a role in WWE fast-tracking her instead of focusing on development first. Dudley added that fixing the situation now would be difficult because once a wrestler is already established on the main roster, sending them back to developmental becomes complicated.

“She’s a really nice person outside the ring, but it feels like they brought her up mainly because of the look she has. If you want someone to become a star, you can’t just bring them up because they look the part. You have to make sure they can perform the part before putting them on the main roster. That’s what’s missing. And now it’s kind of backwards, because once someone is already on the main roster, it’s harder to send them back to NXT.”

Cargill has already been at the center of plenty of discussion recently following her social media exchange with Rhea Ripley and reports of locker room frustration surrounding her push. Now the question is whether WWE doubles down on Cargill’s push — or whether the criticism from veterans like Dudley starts to change how she’s developed going forward.