D-Von Dudley has revealed that following recent surgery doctors have told him he can never wrestle again.
In a career spanning almost 25 years, D-Von Dudley competed in some of the most chaotic, destructive an innovative matches of all-time. Alongside his ‘brother’ Bubba Ray Dudley, the two men established themselves as one of the most hardcore and successful tag teams in history.
After becoming mainstays in ECW throughout the mid-1990’s the duo moved to WWE in 1999. They later engaged in rivalries with both The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian, doing battle in a series of legendary matches often involving their beloved tables. The three teams famously competed in the first two TLC matches which are still revered to this day.
Unsurprisingly, after more than two decades of putting his body on the line in the name of entertainment, D-Von has more than a little wear and tear.
Posting on social media, the WWE Hall of Famer revealed that he had just undergone extensive surgery on his spine, although he was now recovering well. However, he confirmed that doctor’s had told him that his time in the ring was now over.
“They had to fuse L4, L5 and L6. The damage was a lot worse than they thought. The surgery took longer than they anticipated. But God is good and he the DOCTER said I am a new man. I can run, I can jump, I can beat my son Preston in basketball on the basketball court. LOL and racing him down the street lol, he thinks he can beat the old man. They also had to shift my spine a little bit with a curve. Because it was a straight line. That was because of all the wrestling.
“Then again, all of it was because of wrestling. They put the bolts screws and a plates in my back. They had to go up higher in my back they told me. I was told I could not wrestle anymore because if I do I could do more damage to my back I would have to have surgery again on the upper part. That’s OK I didn’t have plans On going back in there anyway. I would be in the hospital From Tuesday to Friday from My understanding. Unless it changes. Again, thank you for all the well wishes and love. God is a great all the time. Amen.”
After winding down his in-ring career in 2016, D-Von Dudley began working backstage in WWE as a producer passing on his experience to the next generation.
D-Von and Bubba Ray were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.
The team were back in the news in early 2022 after The Usos began using their legendary 3-D finishing move. It was later revealed that the Dudley’s had given their blessing to the SmackDown Tag Team Champions to use the manoeuvre.