Love this podcast? Support this show through the A Cast Supporter feature. It's up to you how much you give and there's no regular commitment. Just click the link in the show description to support. Now Strictly for the Culture Brothers and sisters, you have seen the T-shirts, the hats, the hoodies, the mugs in the hands of some of your favorite pro wrestling stars, podcasters and influencers out there and now it's time. Visit strictlyfortheculture.ca and you too can be part of the
movement. Bigger than sweatshirts and commercial success. Strictly for the Culture aims to build with like minded people and elevate their position in the world through knowledge, self love and desire to unite. So what are you waiting on? Visit strictlyfortheculture.ca. Do it for the love, do it for the knowledge. Most importantly, folks do it strictly for the culture we're locked in Look at. What we have here folks, to the only show that matters, the Queen of the crop.
Do gloves wrestling. And there is no one that does it better than your house. I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass and I'm all out of bubble. Brothers and sisters, welcome back to another wonderful edition of Devon and the Duke, the Limited podcast series starring myself. Duke loves wrestling, who finally has gotten over COVID-19. Oh my goodness, they tried to Take Me Out. But I'm back and I'm here for you.
And of course, one of the greatest of all time, the Hall of Famer himself, Mr. Devon Dudley. How you doing there Devon? Good good, how you doing? Glad glad to hear that you got over COVID. You know what's funny, man? We, we had a conversation, you know, folks, Stevon and I, we, we talk a lot. We actually are, are, are becoming really good friends aside from doing this show. So I picked up the phone and we and, and he heard my voice and I sounded like a different person,
didn't I? Yeah. I, I, I didn't know what was going on. Yeah, I don't know the rest. Yeah. Right for real for I'll tell you right now, bad My my voice is my money maker, OK? No matter what I've done in life, this voice is the thing that that keeps me afloat. So the fact that I was sounding crazy like that, that, oof, it was a rough week. It was a rough week. You know, on the flip side though, you had a fantastic
week. In fact, this past weekend you were at a live event signing at a convention, and you definitely set the place on Fireman. Talk to me about that a little bit. Well, it was Galaxy Con in Raleigh, NC. I've never been signing autographs in the Carolina area. I've always performed but never signed. And the fans came out in in huge numbers for the support. Not just for the wrestlers that were there, but all of the talent that was in attendance.
Again, it was Galaxy Con and I mean again, they really know how to take care of their talent. Galaxy Con, I can't put over enough how good it felt to be in a con that knew exactly what they were doing. Because I've been to some comic cons that man, they don't know where they're, they, they, they're just horrible and how they treat people, the advertisement and things like that. But Galaxy Con was right on the money with everything.
Well, we definitely want to give a shout out to the folks at Galaxy Con Certainly again, folks, you can check out Devon social media, especially his his Instagram and you'll see fantastic photos. The, the fans out there were excited. It was a it was a good time. It was a good time. And, and that's the whole point anyone out there. If you are connected to a live event, convention, meet and greet or what have you, and you want Devon Dudley in your city, come on now, reach out.
Reach out and and let's see if Devon can make some time on the schedule to be out there. Meet and greet the fans, sign autographs. Most importantly, have a good time. That's what it's all about here, right? Absolutely, 100% testify. That's right, that's right. Now folks, we know Summer Slam is this upcoming weekend, the big PLE, it's one of the big four. And certainly Devon Dudley is no stranger to SummerSlam. In fact, I'm, I'm taking a look
at the stats here. Devon, you have had 17 matches through the years at SummerSlam that that's incredible, 17 matches. Talk to me about that. Just your fondest memories of competing at SummerSlam. Well, one of the fondest memories that I have, of course, is Summer Slam where we did the first TLC match with the Hardee's edging Christian, which really helped put us on the map 30 years ago and people still talk about today.
It was the one where I particularly hung with Jeff Hardy, 25 to 30 feet up in the air, landed on my back and you know the rest is history. That match right there helped put The Dudley Boys edging Christian and The Hardee's on the map as being, but how do I say this as being a very huge, successful tag team during that time?
There were so many different tag teams that were on the horizon back then, but that match that we did helped solidify us into being one of the greatest rivalries that the WWE has ever seen in tag team wrestling. I love those guys. Andrew Christian, you know, the Hardees, Matt and Jeff, and of course, Bubba myself, You know, again, I can't be more proud of the work that we did that people still talk about.
And of course, that Summer Slam match led to WrestleMania 17 and then other TLC matches that we did. So again, Summer Slam has always been something true to my heart. WrestleMania has as well, but Summer Slam is always that special thing just because of that match. Again, we had numerous matches that came out of SummerSlam, but the one again that sticks out is the TLC match Tables, Ladders and Chairs. It was a great time, a great error, and just something that I will always be fond and
remember. Now, I know some wise guys out there are going to say Duke, what do you mean 17 matches? Of course, the WWE Live SummerSlam Heat Wave Tour, that's also included in the mix there. But in terms of the, when I say 17 matches, but in terms of the actual SummerSlam PLE that we call it now, absolutely. I mean, the, the TLC is definitely the one that stands
out for all of us the most. Devon, ironically, the last time you performed at SummerSlam, the actual PLE, it was the Dudley Boys taking on Neville and Sami Zayn. So when we Fast forward now, we think about where Sami Zayn is today, where he's definitely on that upper card. Now he's he's somebody who, you know, at any point you can plug him in as being a top contender for the world title and people will show up and pay money to see that.
How does it feel to know that you were somebody who was helping this young man early on in his WWE career to make a name for himself and now you know it's stuck and he he legitimately is becoming a household name? Well, I look at it this way, anybody that we've helped or I've helped over the years and has been very successful, I'm very happy about being able to extend the knowledge to someone and they take it and wrap it up and do something with it is
always a good thing. I think that's one of the reasons why I got into teaching at the Wrestling Academy that I have, because I found more joy in passing the torch than being in the ring. In itself. It's just a complete honor and I'm so happy that everything is going well for him. I, I just, you know, I can't begin to stress enough how much gratification I get when I see
things like that happening. Because again, it's a testament to what you've done and what you are doing for the person, the individual that you are helping, and for them to grasp it, take it in and then be able to make something of it and go out there and do it. It's a very special thing. Certainly if you if you have ever shared a ring with Devon Dudley, you probably are somebody who is very well regarded and remembered in the wrestling industry.
That's just the way it is all over the world. There's no two ways about it. And again, that's a testament to you and Bubba and just the great work that you guys have done through the years, not just Hall of Farmers and great Wrestlers yourselves, but as you just said, great teachers and folks. That's exactly why Devon Academy, you definitely, if you're somebody who's interested in becoming a pro wrestler, go
to a reputable wrestling school. Learn from the best, OK, we're talking about a Hall of Famer here who's won titles all over the world, all the different major promotions and what have you. The proof is in the pudding. And again, take a look at who this man has been in the ring with and where they've gone. Take a look at who this man has trained and where they are today. This is exactly why you got to check out the Devon Dudley Wrestling Academy. In fact, What's the website
again there, Devon? It's www.devondevondudley.com. Love it, love it. Check it out, folks down there in Florida for sure. I wonder, I wonder Devon, some some chatter has been happening online regarding this summer slam. Right now there were seven matches that have been announced and it looks like a great card. Top to bottom looks like a great card. Of course, they'll probably have some matches on the pre show as
well. But one of the most glaring issues here and something that folks have really have started a movement about is the fact that there isn't a single black wrestler currently on this Summer Slam card. And I mean, we're only a few days away from this card happening. It's happening this Saturday. What are your thoughts on that, Devon?
I mean, in Full disclosure, you know, there's, there's different races and, and nationalities being represented on the card, but unfortunately there's nobody black on it. Any thoughts on that? Well, you know, again, sometimes it's a hard decision. I don't think it's so much race that has to do with it. It could be just the luck of the draw and it just could be a coincidence. I've never known Triple H to play the race card or even
working with them. You know, it's, it's hard to say why something like that, you know, is not happening the way it should. It just goes back. I mean, we have Montez Ford, we have Dawkins. You know, they're a good tag team. Why they're not on it, I don't know. What about Bianca Bel Air, is she on it or is she still injured? I believe she was injured, correct? Bianca and Jade, they've been A
tag team recently. Yeah, they're both, they're both a little banged up, but they were just on a recent tour in Japan and they and they performed. Obviously when you take two singles wrestlers and you make them A tag team, that could be a way, and correct me if I'm wrong, Devon, but that could be a way to help somebody who may be dealing with nagging injuries. Does does that make sense? Absolutely no question about
that. And you know, injuries can take you out, you know, I mean, as we all know, sometimes it's good in the sense because the body needs a rest. Sometimes it's bad. But I don't know, I just feel, you know, to me, in my career, whenever there was an injury, I always felt, you know, there's a reason for it. I had to look at it from a biblical standpoint. And what I mean by that is, you know, sometimes God takes you out of something and brings you into something that's better for
you. Maybe, you know, an injury happening could be a good thing. I think people should look at it that way. I mean, sure, it hurts, it sucks, you know, you don't want to go through it. But think about what happens when you come out of that, you know, you could be better than ever and moving the way you should. So I, I think, you know, from looking at it from that perspective, I've always tried to look at it from a biblical standpoint and say God knows
what he's doing. He ain't gonna let it happen if he doesn't. So that's the way I kind of look at it from that perspective. Well said. Well said. I mean, listen, I, I think that when we look at the history of pro wrestling, there's no confusion about the fact that there has been a tremendous amount of racism and challenges through the years, including in WWE. But we got to tip our hat. And we have to give credit where credit is due.
That has not been the case over the past five, 6-7 years. It's been a complete 180. That's been done. No, absolutely. You know, again, could it be a coincidence? Absolutely. I don't think anybody should really play the race card yet in terms of that. And I say yet because it really hasn't been proven to that degree. But you just never know, you know, nowadays, you know, I would like to think that Hunter wouldn't play the race game, you know, because I've never known him to do that.
You know, when you look at certain things over the years with Vince and how he did certain, you know, black performers, a lot of people would say it was wrong. And speaking to people like Bad News Brown, Coco, beware schooling me when I first got into the WWE, you know, I was always told, you know, Devon, this is a white man's sport and you're going to have to work 10 times harder for your character to get over then the white man will. And sometimes it showed his ugly head.
And you know, I kind of witnessed certain things, but then again, I didn't mind working hard. You know, it showed me that I could go out there and nobody can ever take that away from me. So I didn't mind doing that. I just feel, you know, and again, I'm not trying to say anything, but maybe, you know, that should have been looked at because again, if you noticing that there are no Black Stars on
Summer Slam, then guess what? Other people are going to notice that too and they're going to bring it out. So you've got to be very careful about how you're doing things like that. And it's a shame that that is the case because I don't think anything should be, nothing should be like that in terms of, you know, saying, hey, how come there's no many? How come there's no black people
on the show and this and that. So I think we need to be careful when they're booking and realize what they have because nowadays with cancer culture and all of this stuff that's going on, it's going to be picked up and it's going to be recognized. And if someone is doing it maliciously, then they will be exposed as time goes on, which is why I said, you know, everything is on God's timing. You know, if he wants you to be a part of that, then he will. If he doesn't, then he's not.
He's got something bigger for you. That's how I've always looked at it. Well said, well said. And, and you know, for, for fairness here, when you take a look at NXT, which for all these years it's been the developmental promotion, this year in particular, you can't find a more diverse pro wrestling program on TV today. NXT is just tremendous in that regard. And them moving over to The CW in a couple of months, you really aren't going to call them
developmental anymore. That's a third brand. So it's not as if WWE is not focusing on developing Black Stars. In fact, that's a mandate, you know, at these tryouts and things like that, they are particularly looking for wrestlers of color, especially Black Stars, because you get the numbers of the proof in the pudding, you know what I mean? The fans, that's what they want to see. They want to see that diversity. Everybody wants to turn on the television and see themselves
somewhere on the card. So with that said, I don't think this is going to be something that we see again. I think this was just a, a strange coincidence given what WWE has been doing top to bottom overall. And by the way, it doesn't mean that there isn't diversity elsewhere as well. You know what I mean?
And you look at all these, the Samoans and Tongans and what have you, the Asian wrestlers, there's a, there's a lot going on. Hispanic wrestlers, Jesus, Damien Priest Bailey, they are Hispanic wrestlers. So there are, there is diversity everywhere. We do want to see our Black Stars, though, not taking that away, but I think this is kind of a hiccup. That was just a happy accident and hopefully that we don't see
that again moving forward. It's it's interesting, Devon, because WWE continues to chug along, making money hand over fist at these PL. ES. You know, they're getting site fees from these cities, so the cities are literally paying them to host PL. ES at their no longer pay per views PL. ES in their cities. And because of that, they're setting up residences. So in addition to the actual card, you know, Summer Slam on Saturday, you also have Smackdown. You're going to have Raw.
They're all going to stay in the same area there. But then you have these other live events. You have an Undertaker event, you have a Sami Zayn event, you have a screening of the Damien Priest documentary that's happening. What are your thoughts about WWE figuring out that they can make even more money by having these extra events in addition to the big game, so to speak? Well, think about it. The more content you have in terms of what you just described, the better it's for
the company. You know, the documentary on Damian Priest, which is great. I mean, think about the, you know, the Puerto Rican culture that is going to really enjoy seeing something like that because it's somebody that's representing them, you know? So I think that's a great thing.
Sami Zayn, you know, with where he's come from, you know, since his time being in WWE, let's just say, even say NXT to where he has now and he has evolved and the whole thing with the Bloodline storyline, that was a huge success. And now he's going on on his own without the Bloodline and is even getting more success. So to me that's huge.
So when you have. You know, people like this that are actually having extra content on the show and being represented in a positive light, it's only good for the show for that to be so I honestly think that it's a great thing. And the more the stuff that they can do like that, the better it is. You're kind of stepping outside the box. Remember when we were growing up, you really didn't have documentaries and things like
that. You didn't know, like, for instance, when I first saw Hulk Hogan, I always thought that he talked the way he talked. You know what the you know what's what the brother, I always thought that was him. And then one day I saw him on an interview and he was just as calm as can be. And that kind of shocked the hell out of me. I was like, what the hell? He's not screaming, he's not yelling. But you know, that's showing the real side of of Hogan.
And I think you see a lot of that when you're seeing the documentaries of of Damian Priest and you're seeing whatever you're seeing with Sami Zayn and you know all the star that they're doing in between. I think it's great. It's one of those things, again, fans aren't used to seeing. We're only used to seeing what we're seeing on TV in terms of their characters during the shows. But to see them outside of that and to see them in a normal life, it's a great thing. Absolutely, absolutely.
I agree. And listen, we we have these other promotions out there who they go into the same cities that the WWE are in, especially WrestleMania weekend, summer slam weekend, and they hold events because they they turn into a big convention because they're trying to make money since all these fans are going to be in town anyway.
And it's interesting. And I've always wondered about that, you know, WWE could make more money if they held more events during that time period because these other indie promotions and what have you're doing it. So hey, you know what I mean, WWE drew those fans, so why not keep that money in house? And, and it seems like that's exactly what they're starting to do now from a business
standpoint. They're figuring out, hey, let's give the fans more things to do since they're in town, because if we don't provide that service for them, somebody else will. And that's that's just money that you're losing as a result. So it's a it's an interesting concept there. It's proof that that pro wrestling is really as a whole and WW ES business as a whole is as strong as it's ever been. And I want to ask you about something, and I want to preface
this, folks. We're not going to go too, too far off the deep end politically here, but there is a perspective that I think Devon is perfect for providing here. Hulk Hogan was invited to speak at the Republican National Convention and he was one of the people that was helping to introduce former president and the now Republican nominee, 2024 nominee for president, WWE Hall of Famer, Donald Trump.
Hogan was one of the people who were there to help introduce Trump. And, and Trump had tears in his eyes when he was listening to Hogan speak and what have you. Hulk was up there. He tore off his shirt. He did the whole Hulk Hogan shtick that we grew up watching and all that good stuff. What are your thoughts about? And this isn't the first time, it's not the first time that a, that a pro wrestler has been at one of these conventions. Ric Flair has done it. The Rock has done it.
It's it's happened through the years. What are your thoughts on not just politics, but just mainstream in general, finding these creative ways to use the star power of pro wrestlers in order to help further whatever it is that they're trying to do? Well, remember back in the day, Rock the Vote, which was headed by Linda McMahon and Stephanie, you know, they've always used pro wrestling to do things like
that. Also remember there was a relationship between Trump and Hogan before this WrestleMania four and five, when it was held at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City WrestleMania. So there's always been a relationship between those two. There's always been a relationship between pro wrestling and Trump. And right now, pro wrestling is hot. So why wouldn't you get, you know, a wrestler to come in to represent the candidate? You know, we call on everybody
else to come in and help. You know, they call everybody else to come in to help out. Why wouldn't they call us? Wrestling right now is on. A is on. I don't say wrestling is very hot right now. And you know, I think either party, whether it be Republican or Democrat, can use the endorsement for pro wrestlers.
Remember, we attract the young vote, which is why back in the day when Linda McMahon got involved in it and basically did the rock your vote thing, This is why because the young people can make a difference. So if you can get enough young people that watch wrestling and turn them to get to the polls and start voting, it's a win win for everybody. You know, we're not just sitting home waiting for the results of the election and then being disappointed.
You know, when the one that we wanted didn't win, you got to go out there and vote. You got to go out there and do that. And if bringing in pro wrestlers is the way to get you to get off your couch and then go and vote, then so be it. So I think it's a good thing. But again, it's always been like that. Absolutely. And and clearly it's effective. I mean, the TV ratings are through the roof. Trump raised a lot of money as a result of that. There was a lot of press because of Hogan.
So the proof is in the pudding there. Who would you counter a Hulk Hogan with it if if, if you were to put a different wrestler up to counter that to somebody who's going to draw you ratings or any? Is there anybody, do you think there's anybody else who could deliver the way a Hulk Hogan could? I mean, The Rock is one. I think John Cena can do it. Even Roman Reigns, you know, you want to put the head of the table there, I think. I think Roman can do it.
I think any of those three guys I just mentioned can be more than happy to go with. And, you know, almost, I don't want to say, yeah, I'd say toe to toe with Hogan. Well, since these are current guys, these are more current guys, right? Exactly. And who are very popular again, The Rock, You know, did it at one point, which was very, you know, he influenced a lot of people to come out and vote back in the 90s, you know, 'cause he was on that King that campaign during that time.
So the WWE did that job in terms of getting a lot of young people to get off their behinds and go and vote back in the 90s. And why not still use that platform today? And that's a lesson for all of you folks out there who have brands no matter what it is, whether it's politics, whether it's soda, chips, skin care products, you name it.
You know, pro wrestlers are hot. And just like Devon said, you know, they, they draw a younger demographic for sure because folks grew up watching them are, are actively still watching them. So it's not a bad idea if you want to push your product, no matter what it is, to reach out to a pro wrestler with some name identity. You might move some units. And certainly the last time I checked, Devon Dudley was open for business. Am I? Am I right about that, Devon?
I don't know about going to the convention and speaking, but I can do it from social media, from my house. Well, listen, that you, you, you know, even beyond that, if it's a flavored water company or you know, it might be a brand of cigars or something, what do we say? Are we we going to get a Devon Dudley being the the the face of a brand? That might happen. That could happen. If anybody is listening, I would love to do that. So let's make it happen. Give us a call. There we go.
You see that folks, I'm telling you, we do business around here. That's right. Speaking of business and I, you know our our favorite friends here. This is this is the part of the show every single week where the the hate listeners, they're tuning in for this part. And certainly, you know, devoted the Duke. We're going to give you what you're listening for, you hate listeners out there. Tony Kahn, he's done it again. He's managed to find himself back in the news cycle.
This time, ironically, he stated Tony Kahn stated that he would be interested in doing business with the WWE. So the same guy that called the WWE the Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling just a few months later is now saying that he'd do business with them. Is this guy out of his mind,
Devon? I, I, I'm not sure what's going on with Tony Khan, you know, man, I mean, you know, you would think so. I mean, the way he's acting, you know, again, here's the here's the thing that I got to say is that I don't think the WWE would want to do business with him. That that's my, I could be wrong. I could be overstepping my boundaries when I say that. But you know, I don't know. I just don't think that I don't know. I don't think it.
I don't think they would. I'd be more surprised if Hunter did because again, WWE doesn't need them. AEW needs WWE, and I'm not saying that from a talent standpoint because again, I've said this before and I'll say it again, AEW has a tremendous amount of talent in their company. They just don't have the guidance from the right person steering the ship to lead them in that direction to go against a head to head like WWE. They have tremendous talent, but they're lacking the leadership
and that's the problem. So, you know, to think that WWE would want to do business with somebody like Tony Khan, I don't know. I, I, I find it hard pressed to believe that that would happen again, I've seen other things happen and I don't know, you never know, but I, I just don't think it would happen. I think it would be insane to want to do business with a man, you know, that would say the
things that he said. I mean, just just think about the things even, you know, the Harvey, Harvey Weinstein or Weinstein, whatever that guy's name is in Hollywood, they got in trouble to say that WWE is like him. And then of course, I'm sure he'll backtrack and say, well, no, I meant Vince McMahon, you know, and blah, blah, blah, whatever. You should have said it in the 1st place. It was the wrong place to say that. The wrong platform.
You're at the NFL draft. Why would you say something like that? Secondly, to actually say that, you know, Edge had the greatest run of all time in AW, bigger than WWE. I'm trying to understand what Tony Khan is smoking because he's only had four or five matches. So how can you even make that reference when he's done what he's done in WWE, which is probably why you wanted him to come to your company in the 1st place. So that I don't know that just man, I don't know. I'm at a loss.
He's all over the place. Yeah, he's all. It's like my ex-wife. Listen, you got to get this cancelled, man. Stop that. Don't do that to me though. Oh no. If you knew my second ex-wife, you'd understand why. But it's it is kind of crazy though, when you think such big extremes and Tony Khan is covering both bases there, it really makes you scratch your head. I ironically, when you look at the success that TNA is achieving right now, you know they just had a major sellout
for their last pay-per-view. That's probably why he sees what WWE is doing for TNA, the working relationship that they have. So you don't think Tony Conn's? I don't want to piggyback off of that. Absolutely. You know, Tony Khan is not Tony Khan. In my opinion, he's like Dixie Carter. He should be behind the scenes financially, taking care of business and let those who know what they're doing with the wrestling minds, let them handle
the storylines and all that. Let them handle that part of the business. You just stick to the financials. Well, I don't even know if he can do that right. We know that Tony's good at spending money, but he hasn't proven that he knows how to actually make money in pro wrestling.
I mean it, and it it's strange. There was a story that was floated out there and a lot of these dirt sheets picked up on it. They claim that there was a agreement in principle between WBD and AEW, So they had signed something stating that they were going to have a new contract for AEW. So all their shows, you know, Dynamite, Rampage, Collision, what have you, that they were going to give them a new contract. They just were still negotiating.
But the agreement in principle, you know, just makes it so both parties have to continue to negotiate. They're not going anywhere else. Tony Kahn had to state that that wasn't true and that although he's still negotiating, there is no agreement in place right now. But then he said something that was very strange. I want to get your thoughts on this Steve on. That doesn't surprise me, he
said something strange. Exactly that's that's his his MO. Tony Kahn said that one of the dirt sheet riders confided in him that somebody from WWEPR had floated this story and it wasn't true that AEW had an agreement in principle with WBD. And the idea is they're they're trying to mess with our negotiations. And you know, the WWPR, they need to stay out of our business. He started going on this crazy rant in this crazy conspiracy that WWE is trying to meddle in
his negotiations. What are your thoughts on that? WWE is not worried about Tony Khan. I can tell you that right off the bat. They ain't worried about him. Tony Khan is too busy worried about WWE. Someone who I admire very well in this business that works for AW is swerved, you know, great guy. But I do know that his cousin, I think it is, who's a dirt sheet rider who basically is in Tony's air a lot. That might have been the one that basically pretty much said that to him.
Tony likes to be fed information or what have you by anybody that will give it to him. And if if, if it was Swerve's cousin that said that to him, probably, which probably was, you know, as far as I'm concerned, from my understanding from people in the locker room, the three times I was there in the meetings, every single person said he's a snake And they don't know why Tony Khan is trusting him.
I don't know him personally, but and what I've seen and his demeanor and all that, I got to tend to agree that they're probably right. He can write whatever he wants to say about me. But the bottom line is everybody in that locker room thinks that you're a snake. And if you're a snake, then if they think that then depends on you probably are. Again, this is getting off that a little bit off the topic, but you know, these are the people
that Tony Khan has in his ear. You know, Vince doesn't have people like that in his head. The people that Vince had or even I'm, I'm just saying for Vince, the people that Vince had in his ear, a lot of the boys didn't like them, but they were wrestling minds that knew how to draw money. Tony doesn't have that in his company.
He's got people that he should not be trusting and is messing him up. Triple H, as we can see, is doing a fantastic job with doing what he's doing and yet with his knowledge and what he's got going on in the business, you can see in the ratings and and everything else in terms of people in his ear, I'm sure he has the right people in his ear telling him what to do and how to do it. Not everybody's gonna be happy 100% of the time, but for those that are happy, they're singing his praises.
For those that aren't happy, they're gonna bury him. That's just the way it is. Well said, Well said. And listen, you, you, you're talking about Swerve's cousin. I'm assuming you're talking Will Washington, who Tony Khan hired. This is a guy who worked for Fightful. He had, you know, podcasts and what have you. Interesting guy. You know, there there's a lot of people who like him, but then there's a lot of people who don't like him so much. So that's interesting.
If if the if the boys in the locker room are saying this guy's a snake. Hey, Tony, what do you think about that? And. What I'm telling you, I'm not saying that I think he's personally Snake. I'm saying what is being told when I've asked the questions. Who is that guy? I've gotten the same response from everybody. Even when I was on the Jericho cruise and his name came up,
that was what was being said. And you know, again, I'm not going out there saying anything bad about him, but I'm telling you what the perception is about him within the company, within the company that he works for. And these are people that say, you know what, I'm nice to him because if I'm not nice to him, he'll go to Tony, say something. I'm off for TV so I don't say
anything. Well, it's, it's interesting because, you know, there, there are some friends of the show who had a, a situation where one of the folks was injured and it was a very serious, you know, medical issue. And somehow information got leaked out into the dirt sheets. Now, whether the information was accurate or not, nonetheless this is about very personal medical information that was being put out there. And you got to wonder because the publication that put it out was fightful.
And that's the same publication that Swerves cousin Will Washington used to work for. You got to wonder who this stuff is coming from. So when we talk about somebody potentially being a snake, if you're putting out people's personal medical information that is not public record and that only a handful of people in the company could have possibly known whether it's true or not, that says a lot about your character. And I'm just going to leave it
at that. You know who I'm talking to and you know what I'm talking about, OK? It was wrong. Whether it was accurate or not, it was wrong to be putting out people's personal medical information. In fact, I think it's against the law, quite frankly. And my question for Tony Kahn, cuz I know you hate listening to the show. One of your confidants has already told me that. By the way, Devon, congratulations, Tony's
listening. You know, Tony, you got to wonder, who are these bozos that you're employing where they're putting out people's personal medical information out there? Accurate or inaccurate? You know what I mean? Is, are these the type of financial problems you want to have? Because that's a lawsuit waiting to happen, brother. I'm just going to leave it at that. Just going to leave it at. That, well, I mean, look, let the lawsuits kill you. I mean, you know, I don't get it.
I really don't get it. This business is really not that complicated, complicated to get. And history, it's like life. Life is one big circle and the problems that you're going through, the situations that a person is going through, all you have to do is look at the past and see that it's very similar that somebody else has had the same problems that you've had and all you gotta do is learn from their mistakes.
Point in case WCW, look at what happened there and everybody's saying that AW is following that same path. I hope it does it for the sake of the wrestling business because we need competition, but if you don't get your shit right and and start taking care of business, then you're going to wind up just like that. Whether you believe it or not, it's going to happen. That's right.
And, and certainly here we are. It's already we're knocking on the door of August and they still don't have a new television deal going into 2025, at least not in the United States. That is a big, big problem. I mean, you got all those people on staff, you got all those people under contract and they may not have a job come January. I mean, you know, Devon has somebody who has worked show to
show appearance to appearance. Talk to me about the the anxiety of, in the modern day working under those conditions when you know you're accustomed to being under contract and, and as far as you know, the company's going to be around. So that the idea that in a couple of months that paycheck just may stop. What kind of feeling is that? Well, it's an uneasy feeling, especially when you have a family. If you have a family that you're taking care of, you don't want the paycheck to stop.
That's like any job that goes on today. You know, once you hear that a, a job that you work for for 20-30 years is going to close down and you're nowhere near financially stable already, it's nervous. You're nervous, you're scared. How are you going to feed your family, feed yourself? You know it's crazy, you know it, it is crazy and you know you don't want to be caught on the outside of anything, so you want to try to protect yourself as much as problem as much as possible.
How many times have you heard, you know, people working in plants and stuff like that or what have you, you know, where they, you know, heard about their businesses closing and they're scared. I mean, no one wants to hear that the place of employment where they make the money to feed their family is going to close down. They just don't want. To all said, well said. So my heart goes out to everybody in that company who's
collected a paycheck. I mean, look, you got to start asking yourself what's what's Plan B here? Because January's around the corner, you know what I mean? And this is a very real situation now historically, and I don't know if you know this or not, Devon, but historically Shahd Khan has a reputation for bankrupting companies. It's what he does. And Black News Channel is a
prime example. Here we have this Pakistani businessman who purchases a 24 hour black news channel and within a couple of months he bankrupted them and didn't even pay everybody. So a lot of folks, if they did get paid, they got paid pennies on the dollar for work they had done. We're not even just talking regular contracts that that some of those are guaranteed. We're talking work they had already done. They did not get all of their money.
So, and that's the guy who really owns AEW folks. So for all of you out there, especially all of you out there who are currently negotiating with that company, if your contract is not insured by the Khan Family Trust to certain people like Jim Ross, they made sure they did that. If your contract is not insured by the Khan Family Trust, I don't know how much that contract is really worth.
Because if this company doesn't get TV, there's no way in hell Shad Khan is going to continue to allow this company to exist. They're, they're just going to shut it down. And that's, it's scary to say that because we don't want our friends in the wrestling industry, especially over there, to lose their jobs, lose their their way to support their families. But you got to start thinking
about this. You got to start figuring out what you're going to do. In fact, that entire roster, they should band together on Wednesday before it goes on TV. They should band together and force Tony Kahn to have a conversation and give them some concessions. What is going to happen if we don't have TB come January? What are you going to do? How we know we're going to get paid? Because if this is going out, you know, if this is going down the drain here, then we need to
start making some moves. You know, nobody, nobody's ever really thinking that. So, you know, it's one of those things where they're not putting that in perspective unless you hear about reports of the family, you know, bankrupting businesses and then people not getting their money. That's when people start thinking, OK, wait a minute, you know, if this company goes under, am I going to get paid still? That's something they got to put
in perspective. You know, when they're doing these contracts, if the company goes because nobody ever thinks that a wrestling company is going to go under, you know? I mean, you know, and of course over the years it's been proven AWAWAWA, you know, you know, WCW, of course, and all those federations that vents bankrupt somewhat, you know. You know, we should, you know, take in consideration, but nobody's thinking that far. So I don't know, man.
It it's just one of it's a scary situation out there now especially times are different. It's not what it used to be. It's not what it used to be at all. And, and, and we could be deceived by WWE success. We could be deceived in the thinking that the entire industry is this way, when in reality it's not. And unless you're WWE or, or wow, women of wrestling, you know, TNA is on the upswing now, but that's because of their
partnership with WWE. Unless you're one of those companies, you're kind of living on the edge, so to speak. So again, all you talents out there, just make sure you're keeping track of your business and and you're paying attention to what's going on because the worst thing that could happen is that you you show up one day and find out, yeah, it's over. You know, that's that's scary. That's scary stuff.
What's not scary is the fact that Devon Dudley is going to be live and in color once again this upcoming weekend. Where you going to be, Devon? I'm going to be in Cleveland, OH. It's it's gonna be great to see the fans in Cleveland, OH at Wrestle Con. I'll be there from August 2nd to the third with Bubba. I'll be there with Bubba and signing autographs and, you
know, having fun. So I'm gonna be at the Cleveland Marriott downtown at the Key Tower, 1360 W West Mall Drive in Cleveland, OH. So I'll be there signing autographs with Bubba and getting to know the great fans of Cleveland, OH cause I've never been there to sign autographs. We've wrestled there a million times, but never been there to do autographs. So that's going to be great. Can't wait.
You folks out there in Cleveland, you're going to get a chance not only to see Devon, but also see Bubba. The Dudley boys are in town, so make sure you show up this weekend. Check these guys out, get your photos, get your autographs. It'd be fantastic. Bring the whole family, please. That's right, Devon, if anyone out there listening wants to get in touch with you, what's the
best way they can do that? Alrighty, well, you know, I love it because you know, I've said it before, I say it again, you can go to Devon Academy, you know on Instagram as well as Twitter. It's D hyphen VON Dudley or I'm sorry, testified Devon, which the Devon is spelled DVON. So be testified in DVON. You can find me on social media a lot on Instagram. I post a lot of pictures and things and what I'm doing trying to let the fans know that Devon is still alive, kicking and going.
So, you know, you can contact me there or you can contact me on Twitter, which I'm not really on as much. But again, you can contact me on there. It's Devon Dudley again. Testify Devon on Twitter and say hello. Say hello to the Hall of Famer himself. Devon Dudley, of course. Folks, as always, we appreciate you. Duke loves wrestling on Facebook, on Twitter, Duke loves wrestling@gmail.com. Send in your questions, your birthday shout outs, the whole 9 yards.
We'll slide it in on this show here. And listen, we're not going to hold our tongue. That's the main idea. I know some of you AE W fans out there, you're a little upset because Devon is very direct and clear in his opinion on things. But you got to remember something. He's not speaking from a third person standpoint. He has met Tony Kahn. He has formed his own impression. He has people in that company who he has relationships with.
Devon has been in the wrestling industry over 30 years. This is an expert, this is a Hall of Famer. So whether you like it or you don't like it, learn to love it, as Rick Flair would say, because it's the best thing going. It is what it is. I'm going. To I'm going to say this, I'm not trying to bury AW. You know, I'm not Jim Cornette. I love Jim Cornette, though.
I love him to death, but I'm not trying to bury AW or bury Tony Khan. The fact of the matter is there's too much crap that's going on. It needs to be addressed. And if everybody's just going to yes, him to death because of the money, then that's wrong. I'm only going by facts, like again, about, you know, Swerve's cousin. I'm not going by what I'm thinking. I'm going by what people are
telling me about him. I don't know the man personally and don't really care to know him personally, but I'm only going by what every single person that I have interacted with in that company. When I was there at the meetings I was having with Tony or when I was on the Jericho Cruise with a lot of the AEW stars that were on there that was telling me about him. So again, I don't know him personally. I'm just going by what people
say. That doesn't form my opinion on him because I don't I don't really talk to him or speak to him. I have any words for him. As far as Tony Kahn goes, I just think the nonsense needs to stop. Worry about your company as opposed to WWE and maybe you'll get somewhere. Stop hiring these bozos that don't know nothing about pro wrestling higher my higher wrestling minds that can show you how this works. And I'm not talking about me.
I'm talking about other wrestling minds that can give you the knowledge that you need to get your company where it needs to be. Take it away, Tony Shivani. Mr. Tony Shivani and we're desperately out of time on Duke Love Wrestling.