D-Von Dudley said he was not ready to retire from wrestling in 2016 and that his in-ring career was effectively ended because Bubba Ray Dudley refused to re-sign with WWE, leaving D-Von without a contract despite having already signed his own deal, speaking in an interview with DJ Vlad.
D-Von said WWE wanted to bring the Dudley Boyz back after their 2015 return but that Bubba did not want to re-sign. D-Von said the two had a heated disagreement over it.
“Bubba didn’t want to re-sign. Me and Bubba kind of went at it a couple of, not physically, not in a fight, but we were kind of upset with each other because he wanted to leave and I wanted to stay,” D-Von said.
D-Von said he signed his contract and gave it to then-head of Talent Relations Mark Carrano, who told him the deal would be void without Bubba’s signature.
“As I signed it, he says, ‘All right, now all we need is Bubba’s signature.’ I said, ‘What do you mean we need Bubba’s signature? I signed.’ He goes, ‘Yeah, D-Von, and we thank you for signing, but it’s going to be a null and void contract if Bubba doesn’t sign,’” D-Von said.
D-Von said he begged Bubba to sign for at least one more year. “I said, ‘Man, just do it for me just one year. Just suck it up for one year, that’s all I need. And then if you still want to go your way, you go your way and I go my way.’ And he just said no, he wasn’t doing it,” D-Von said.
D-Von said Vince McMahon personally called him at SummerSlam in Brooklyn to tell him he would not be re-signed. D-Von asked McMahon to use him as a singles wrestler, but McMahon refused.
“I said, ‘Vince, this is not right. I have a family. I signed that contract and gave it to you. Why don’t you just put me in singles?’ He said, ‘Well, I’d rather have you both together. If I can’t have one, then I can’t do the other,’” D-Von said.
D-Von said it was the first time he ever got heated with McMahon. “I said, ‘Vince, I kept my mouth shut for all those years I worked for you. Even when I didn’t want to do things, I did it. I did it with a smile on my face. And now my money, my life is being jeopardized because Bubba doesn’t want to stay. I’m not mad at Bubba, but I’m mad at this situation that I got put in,’” D-Von said.
D-Von said when WWE gave him a scripted farewell promo for Monday Night Raw, he ripped it up and said what he wanted to say instead. “What’s the worst you can do, you already fired me,” D-Von said. “I went out there and said what I felt because it came from the heart.”
Triple H then approached D-Von about becoming a producer. D-Von said he told Triple H he was not ready and still had more to give as a performer. “I said, ‘Hunter, I’m going to be honest with you. I’m not ready to be a producer yet. I still have stuff in the tank I want to get out. Can you put me with somebody that I can help them advance to the next level?’” D-Von said.
Triple H told D-Von it was what McMahon wanted and that if he did not take the producer role, the door would close on the Dudleys entirely. D-Von said he accepted because of the financial security it provided for his family, including a 401k, health benefits, a salary, and all expenses paid on the road.
D-Von said Stephanie McMahon pulled him aside afterward and told him it was not goodbye. “She took my chin, she said, ‘D-Von, it’s not goodbye. It’s see you later. We will do business again.’ She looked me straight in the eye and said that,” D-Von said.
D-Von said he repeatedly asked to be allowed to work with younger talent as a performer to help get them over but was told no each time. “No matter how much I tried to tell Vince or tell somebody, ‘Let me help this guy out because he’s not getting over. You can beat me every night, I don’t care, but let me go in there and help him.’ And they kept saying no. So I never really wanted to retire during that time,” D-Von said.
D-Von clarified that despite the disagreement, he and Bubba never hated each other and the situation never became physical.
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