Wrestling Business Heading Towards Its End, Says WWE Legend
A WWE veteran has shared his thoughts regarding the recent mass release of WWE superstars. The said veteran feels that if things don’t change, the wrestling business might eventually die.
Speaking on a recent episode of the DukeLovesRasslin podcast, D-Von Dudley claimed that corporate influence is hurting the wrestling business. He argued that companies like TKO operate purely on profit, which leads to decisions like talent releases and cost-cutting, even if they hurt the product or loyal performers.
D-Von said that wrestling isn’t something that can be run like a typical corporate business because it involves a lot of creativity, relationships, and long-term storytelling.
“I hate that, you know, TKO is getting the blame for pretty much everything, whether it’s ticket prices or the releases. But, you know, they’re corporate. And I’ve always said corporate will never work in the wrestling business. It’ll be the downfall of the wrestling business.”
“And you can’t—you can’t do wrestling like it’s corporate. You just can’t because there’s so much involved. There are so many different things that are involved in that. So you really can’t do it like that.”
Triple H Not Responsible For The New Day’s Release from WWE, Says D-Von Dudley
He also highlighted that releasing superstars like The New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods was likely not Triple H’s personal decision, but instead driven by higher-level corporate priorities.
He is concerned that if corporate control continues to increase, then things like loyalty, understanding of the business, and the essence of wrestling itself could eventually be lost.
“But unfortunately, I think that’s what it was. I think Hunter would have loved to have kept them and whatever, but I just feel that it was a corporate decision that was being made.”
“I feel that if corporate gets involved in the wrestling business, there will be no more wrestling business. I firmly believe that—we’re getting there. And like I said, corporate is never good in the wrestling business because they don’t get it, nor do they understand it.”
“They’re looking at the dollar—the dollar. That’s the bottom line to them, is the dollar. And this is why they’re corporate.”
“So, you know, it was sad for me to hear that, but again, times have changed in the wrestling business. Um, it’s not the same. And the way things are done now are totally different compared to when I first broke into the business, you know. Loyalty—things like that—I don’t think it has any room anymore in the wrestling business. Because again, when corporate is involved, it’s not about loyalty, it’s about the bottom line—the dollar.”