D-Von Dudley Says AEW Was Never an Option for His Retirement Match – WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley has officially wrapped up his in-ring career, closing out a legendary run with one final tag team match alongside Bubba Ray Dudley against The Hardys at TNA Bound For Glory. However, according to D-Von, AEW was never a realistic option for his retirement bout — not because of the talent, but because of how he feels the company is run.
Speaking with Video Gamer, Dudley revealed that while he simply wanted to finish his career the right way, AEW wasn’t the right fit for the Dudley Boyz. “I just wanted to end my career the right way and it had no bearing on where I did it, just as long as it was the right way,” he explained. “I would not have done it for AEW just because I don’t think AEW was ever a fit for the Dudleys. For other people, probably yes, but to me, not the Dudleys. I don’t know if I would’ve felt comfortable.”
Dudley made it clear his discomfort stemmed from issues with certain people in AEW’s leadership. “There’s just certain things about the organization. I love the talent. I think the talent is great. There’s no question about that, but there’s a feeling that certain people in the organization that call the shots, I’m not a big fan of them,” he said.
He also placed part of the blame on AEW President Tony Khan, suggesting a lack of firm leadership. “And Tony Khan lets that happen. So I don’t ever think that it would’ve ever been able to take place in AEW. I’ve got nothing against AEW as a company. I’ve got nothing against Tony Khan. I just don’t like the way the organization is run. And that’s about it.”
Dudley further suggested that some AEW wrestlers share similar concerns. “I’ve got friends in AEW. I’ve met new people at autograph signings, like Will Ospreay, who is a great guy, and a lot of the talent in AEW have the same frustration that I see,” he claimed. “They just wish that certain people wouldn’t be calling the shots and that Tony would take more control, but yet give it to somebody that knows what they’re doing.”
D-Von Dudley provided further insight into his past discussions with AEW President Tony Khan, explaining why their talks never progressed.
Dudley revealed that after leaving WWE, his agent reached out to AEW on his behalf because he wanted to continue working in a backstage capacity rather than as an in-ring performer. “I was looking to become a producer. I wasn’t looking to become a wrestler,” he said. “And the only reason why my agent even contacted them was because of the fact that I left WWE and I wanted to still do the agent role.”
Another reason for his interest in AEW was his desire to support his sons, Terrell and Terrence Hughes, who were working matches on AEW Dark as the tag team TNT. “But my sons were there at the time and I was gonna try to do anything I could to help my sons out,” Dudley explained.
However, according to D-Von, Tony Khan appeared more interested in having him perform on television rather than taking on a backstage position. “I expressed to Tony that I didn’t wanna wrestle. He kept trying to push it,” Dudley said. “He would have loved me to go out there and do a couple of things, maybe be a manager and maybe even do a six-man tag match. And I told him, I said, ‘If I do a six-man, let me know right now. I’ll be on the apron and the boys are gonna do all the work.’”
At the time, Dudley was still recovering from back surgery and made it clear that returning to the ring was not an option. “I told him I don’t wanna wrestle anymore. And he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He couldn’t get that through his head,” Dudley recalled. “He was like stringing me along and even though I kept telling him I don’t wanna wrestle. I was literally when we had those meetings really fresh off a back surgery. I really couldn’t do it like that back then.”
Ultimately, the conflicting visions led to the end of their discussions. “So I basically kept emphasizing that I wanted to be a producer. I did not wanna wrestle… And he kept asking me if I wanted to wrestle and get back in the ring,” Dudley reiterated. “And I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re not getting what I’m saying. I don’t want to wrestle. I just wanna be a producer. I wanna help my sons out… Like what Billy Gunn was doing for his sons, you know? I’ve done everything in my career. I don’t need that.’ The discussions ended without an agreement. He just wasn’t taking no for an answer. I’ve had three meetings with him and all three were a bust!”
D-Von Dudley Says AEW Was Never an Option for His Retirement Match
