D-Von Dudley isn’t holding back when it comes to how he sees modern wrestling, especially when it comes to the growing reliance on flashy moves instead of meaningful storytelling.
While speaking during a conversation with Jasmin St. Claire on the Krazy Train podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer explained that many wrestlers today are missing the core fundamentals that made matches memorable in past eras. He pointed to his own career alongside Bubba Ray Dudley as proof that simple, well-executed storytelling can connect with fans far more than nonstop high spots.
During the discussion, D-Von explained that too many wrestlers try to impress crowds with athleticism instead of learning how to build a match that audiences can emotionally invest in.
“And that’s the thing. This is why so many indie wrestlers don’t make it to NXT or the main roster is because they have no knowledge of how to how this business works. And if you have no knowledge and you’re not going to really go anywhere.”
He went on to explain that wrestling today requires preparation and attention to detail, adding that the days of simply showing up and learning on the fly are long gone.
“Now you have to come prepared. Every box has to be checked off and you have to make sure that you check each and every one of those boxes off.”
D-Von then turned his focus to the in-ring style itself, making it clear that he believes storytelling — not flashy offense — should always be the foundation of a match.
“So again, a lot of these guys who don’t know this is and I tell my students this, Bubba and myself never did anything spectacular in that ring. To the point is we didn’t do flips and flies. We didn’t do any Huda Kuranas. We didn’t do any of that crap. We took basic wrestling moves and made it into a story, but made it mean something.”
He stressed that slowing things down and focusing on structure is what keeps fans invested, warning that too many rapid-fire moves can overwhelm audiences and hurt the overall show.
“You don’t have to flip and fly. You don’t have to do a thousand things in 30 seconds. Use the basics. Take your time. Tell that story. Work the body part. Get the people happy and ready to go home.”
D-Von also pointed out that packing matches with nonstop high spots can hurt crowd engagement, especially if wrestlers burn out the audience too early in the show.
“The minute you start jumbling a match with all sorts of spots and all of that, they short circuit. They already don’t have a long attention span as it is. And now you’re burning them out so that they can’t even enjoy the show.”
He finished the thought by challenging wrestlers to think about the bigger picture, especially their role within the overall card and whether fans can actually remember the story being told.
“If you’re the first match, you don’t have done every high spot there is to do just so you can wow the people and get yourself over. Did you think about everybody else on the card? Have you told a good story? What’s the last thing they’re going to remember when they see your match other than the one, two, three?”
D-Von Dudley has spent decades inside the ring and helped define the tag team division during one of wrestling’s most memorable eras. Now, he’s making it clear that he believes the next generation needs to slow things down, focus on storytelling, and respect the structure that made the business work in the first place.
D-Von isn’t just talking theory — he’s speaking from decades of experience at the highest level, and his message to younger wrestlers is simple: flashy moves might get attention, but storytelling is what makes careers last. With the industry continuing to evolve, it’ll be interesting to see whether more performers lean into fundamentals or keep pushing the high-risk style that dominates many modern matches.
What do you think about D-Von Dudley’s take on modern wrestling — are too many matches focused on spots instead of storytelling, or is today’s faster style exactly what fans want? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know.
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