A WWE Hall of Famer is looking for an opportunity to bring back a gimmick he believes was doing well, but wasn’t given enough time by the company.
In the 2002 WWE Draft, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley were split up for the first time in the company. D-Von went to SmackDown and underwent a surprising transformation into ‘Reverend’ D-Von, the spiritual advisor for Vince McMahon. While the gimmick also led to the debut of Batista as D-Von’s ‘Deacon’, it didn’t last long, with D-Von getting back together with Bubba Ray only six months later.
“I Don’t Think It Was My Failure” – D-Von Dudley On Reverend D-Von Gimmick In WWE
D-Von brought the character back in 2024 for a cameo in Trick Williams’ diss track against Ethan Page ahead of their title match at Halloween Havoc. Looking back on the appearance in a new video on his YouTube channel, D-Von said he loved being able to show the gimmick to a new generation of fans.
“So one of the things I was happy about was that in NXT, Trick Williams called me and wanted me to do a video with him getting ready for his match. So when he called me, he said, ‘D-Von, you did the Reverend D-Von character, and I loved it. I would love for you to come in this video and do exactly what you did back then.’ I was ecstatic. I was like, ‘Yes, I get a chance to showcase what the Reverend D-Von character was all about to the new generation of fans.’
D-Von believes he didn’t get his “just due” for the gimmick, and hopes he can bring it back someday, just not in the ring.
“It was a great response. It was something that the fans were really enjoying, because this was something that I really felt that I never got my just due for, because I thought the character was doing really well. Again, I look back on it. I don’t think it was my failure. I think it was the company that didn’t let it really breathe and let it happen, hopefully one day I’ll be able to come back as Reverend D-Von, but without being in the ring.”
If yall want to see me take Ethan to Church this Sunday say Amen ❗️ pic.twitter.com/sK3xyCvEWW
— Trick Williams (@_trickwilliams) October 27, 2024
While D-Von doesn’t want to get back in the ring, The Hardy Boyz have called out the Dudleyz for one last match.
H/T to Fightful for the above transcription.