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back. Welcome back to another exciting edition of the Devon and the Duke Podcast. This is a limited edition series hosted by your main man. Duke loves wrestling and of course the Hall of Famer himself, one of the greatest of all time, Brother Devon Dudley. How you doing that Devon? I'm good, man. How's everything going? Listen, brother, I'm a I'm a year older officially, you know what I mean? I'm, I'm old enough to know better and I'm too old for this. You know what? How about that?
That's right. Happy, happy birthday. Happy birthday. I hope you celebrated it good. Oh, man, I, I spent time with mom and my sister, you know, took them for their holiday shopping and all that and picked up some of my birthday stuff. And then my lady and I, you know, we, we, we had sushi and we went to the movies and, you know, relaxed. That was the main point, brother. I just got a chance to just unplug and relax. So absolute.
We were talking about that too. Man, you, the older you get the more you you really appreciate sleep and rest, huh? Listen, I appreciate it from the time I go to bed to the time I wake up. Well, listen, you got a whole gang of kids too, so I know that that for for many years sleep hasn't come easy for you, right? Not really.
The kids go to sleep, like when I go to sleep, really it's I, I'm, I'm really blessed and lucky to have that, especially the baby, the infant, you know, he goes to bed. He, he never gave us problems or anything. Two months after two months of being born, he was going to bed through the night. So we never had to get up in the middle of the night to do anything. He was. He's a very, very good baby. Wow, wow. So. So he done got with the program right away.
Right away, even to this day. And if he wakes up in the middle of the night, that means either he got a diaper change or something's wrong. I love that shout out to the baby, Hey, doing the right thing. You know what I mean, is that it's almost like working a job. They, the baby knows when to wake up, knows when to go to bed. Hey, can't beat that. I love, I love that. Listen man, we got the holidays coming up. So. So how far along are you on on your holiday preparation, so to
speak? Have you? Have you even started your Christmas shopping and all that? Yes, I have, believe it or not, which I'm shocked, going great. I'm gonna try to get it all done this week, this weekend coming up because I've taken off for the next two or three weeks. I'm not doing anything. I'm just going to be home. No autographs, signings, appearances and nothing.
And I doubt if WWE calls Bubba and myself to do anything up and from now until January. So I'm really going to enjoy the time I have off and, you know, just relax with the fam. I'll tell you man, for for years when I was younger, I had a job at one of the malls and holiday season was always crazy because usually you, you could always count on Mother's Day and Christmas in particular, fathers, men, they would rush the mall a day, two days, you know what I mean?
It'd be like December 22nd, December 23rd. It's just a mall full of guys trying to grab whatever they can doing that last minute shopping. And it will always just boggle my mind because it was like, damn brother, you had all year to figure this out. Now you hear it in the in the midnight hour, try to try to scrape it together and figure just just give them a gift card, give them some money and call it a day. You know what I'm saying, right?
Yeah, yeah, that's what, listen, I I'd never, I'd never had a problem when I get money for Christmas, that's that's the best gift you could get. Shoot, Go get what you want, you know? Exactly. What what was the big Christmas gift for you? It it when when you think about when you were younger, was there one thing that when you finally got that thing, it was like, yes, this is the this is it right here. I'm going to say, man, oh gosh, what was the one?
I guess my electronic drum set that I got from my grandmother. I was like an oar, you know, 'cause I always wanted a drum set and never had really had one, that I had the electric drum set and actually I still have it. Wow, but. I still have it. That's crazy bro, you still have your electric? How old were you when you first got it? Man, I was probably 1415 years old. How I kept it with me all this time is beyond me. Wow, that is something. So did you ever play drums in
church? Oh, absolutely. I put stuff on my Insta. If you go back on my Instagram with my videos, me and two other people were jamming upstairs in my game room. That is amazing. No, yeah, I played the drums for many, many years. And you know, sad to say, when I had my stroke, I hadn't played in a while. So I went up there for the first time in about two or three years and tried to play songs that I knew. And it was a little rough.
But, you know, if I, if I keep going at it, I'm sure I'll pick it up again. And, you know, but it was to the point where I could play with my eyes closed. And now it was kind of like a little weird for me because again, I had been out because of the stroke and everything. So trying to get my bearings and everything was a little rough. But it, it wasn't what I wanted. But I'm sure if I kept on doing
it, it'd be it'd be good. You know, folks, you you've heard Devon say before on the show, he grew up in the church and in fact, both parents were church leaders. To this day, Devon's mom is still a well respected, well accomplished church leader. In fact, she recently got bestowed upon her A a major honor, right A. Major honor. She's the mediator of all the Baptist churches in New York City.
Incredible. And you could check her out on Facebook, Facebook or Instagram. No Facebook, I'm sorry, Facebook or look her up. Renee Washington Gardner Memorial Baptist Church, Harlem, New York. She took over my the church when my father passed away in 2003. Who when he passed away, he was a Bishop but well respected man Preston Robert, Washington senior.
And, you know, I'm like I told her in my Instagram post, my grandmother and my father would be so proud of her because the things that she accomplished, you know, after all the tragedies she went through and all the, you know, setbacks, she really, really, you know, blew it out the park.
I mean, it's, it's true. Not only is it a tremendous honor for anybody to be, you know, somebody who's facilitating the, the, all the Baptist churches in New York like she is, but this is a woman, this is a female church leader who gets bestowed that honor. And that's not very common, right? You know, and, you know, not to mention, you know, the first black female on top of that. Wow, wow, huge deal. Huge deal. So again, shout out to the Rev
that that is tremendous. And and that just goes to show, you know, when God calls you, you got to answer, you got to you got to get to it. And and certainly she continues to do that, which is why she continues to be blessed. That's good stuff. But diva on the drummer. Oh my. So so where did you think you were going to take that? Where you did you have aspirations to have your own band or something like that? Or was it were you just sticking?
With the church, I was just doing it, you know, I watched people in the church play the drums. I watched them play the drums and I was fascinated by it. And I was just like, oh man, I would love to learn how to do it. And nobody taught me. I just watched. I learned by watching. And it was the strangest thing. And then I remember in 6th grade, my grandmother was giving me money to take a lesson to to learn how to play the drums the right way. And on my way, I had to ride my bike.
It was about maybe 6-7 miles from my house at the time. I'm on my way to drum practice. Somehow another lost control of my bike, fell and broke my arm. Oh man. So I never really got to really learn the proper way. I learned a lot by just watching. You know, that's like sometimes you hear people with guitars or piano, they don't really take lessons, they just learn by watching. Yeah, you know, but.
Again, I encourage you to go to my Instagram, go where the videos are and take a look at some of the stuff that I've done. I love playing rock music because it's very challenging to me. And like Iron Maiden, I love Iron Maiden. I'm a big Iron Maiden fan, love Iron Maiden and love playing their music. Somewhere in time, The Trooper Revelations. I really, really had a good time in playing those, playing those song and I did it on my Instagram. Wow, that's fascinating.
So I, I, I wonder about that because here you are, this this kid growing up, you know, originally from the projects in New York and what have you. How the hell did you get into rock music? Well, the school I went to in Long Island, New York was John Glenn High School in East Northport, Long Island in Huntington.
And when crack first came on the scene in 83 and it became a epidemic, basically, my mother and grandmother said we got to get Devon out of here, you know, 'cause if not, he's going to fall victim. And I wasn't getting in trouble or anything, but they just saw the bigger picture. And they said to me, you know, what do you think about going to Long Island and going to school out there? And I was like, yeah, I'll go, I'll do it. I never thought in a million years it would happen.
You know, I was talking out of my behind. And when they finally said yes, they were going to send me out there 'cause what I would do is I would go to school in Long Island Monday through Friday, but then Friday come back to Brooklyn. And I just never thought it would happen. And when it really did, I, I, I became a little bitch and started crying. I don't want to go, I don't want to go. My, my mother was like you going, you going and, you know,
and I went to a school. It was like Saved by the Bell or Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Do you remember that one? Oh, absolutely. That's a classic, brother. Absolutely. Yeah, that was that was my school at the time in in East Northport and so I in Long Island. So it was kind of like that was the type of school I went to, you know. And so I went from all black and Spanish school to now all white. So it was like maybe 3% maybe. Now I'm not going to say 3%.
There's probably maybe 10% black and Hispanic at that school at the time. And you remember this was in the 80s, you know, and of course, heavy metal was big back then, and rap was just starting. It was, you know, Sugar Hill Gang just hit #1 so that's how far back we're going. That is I, I never knew that bro. I never knew that about your history and it and it's it's so fascinating because I have a similar story.
You know what I mean? I, even though I'm a little younger than you, same concept you got, you got parents for police officers and, and my mom in particular, she was very serious about not wanting me to fall into gang culture and things like that. So we moved and you know, as she progressed in her career, we would move to different neighborhoods. And more often than not, and especially by the time I got to high school, I was living in a town that was less than 2% non white.
It was over 98% white, which was crazy. Now, the good thing about the school is that they had what's called a school choice program. So they were bussing in children of color from different neighborhoods surrounding that that area. So, you know, the school was only about 51% white and the rest was everybody else.
So there was diversity in the school itself, but same concept that just, you know, the concern with the crack epidemic and the gang culture and people shooting each other up all over the place. I mean, absolutely. I mean, I grew up in in Myrtle Ave. Myrtle and Nostrand, you know, near Flatbush.
So it was rough and Coney Island, she said they and it was rough, you know, And so, like I said, when crack first came on the scene, it made people do things that were, you know, ordinary, you know, citizens that went to work every day, took care of their families. And after that first hit, they were they were hooked and it made them it made them become people that you do would never known or never thought that they
would become. And when my parents saw they were like, we got to get them out of here. We can't have them for victim. And that's what they did. And so like I said, when I left to me was a culture shock, you know, I went from, you know, being with all black and Spanish kids to now the majority were white. And I didn't know how to handle it at first. I, I was miserable at first because it was a culture shock, you know, I felt nobody understood me.
Nobody, you know, knew about where I came from or nothing. It was just one big culture shock for me. And eventually I started fitting in and starting adapt, adapting
and this and that. I did get in trouble along the way in terms of fighting because, you know, kids back then not understanding me or how I grew up and acting a certain way with me. So it was kind of like one of those things where I just said, you know, I'm going to have to make sure that, you know, everything is good and and this and that. So, you know, that was just the way it was. Wow, that's that's deep.
I I wonder that experience of, of being taken out of your normal surroundings and being dropped into a place where, like you said, you had to learn how to adapt. You had to learn how to make new friends, experience different aspects of life and what have you. How much did that help you and prepare you for who you would eventually become as this this world famous figure?
Well, it allowed me, you know, because again, you're coming from 1 diverse, you know, group of people, you know, and only lowering their ways of being and all of that. Now all of a sudden you are trying to learn a different way and it's kind of like it's hard, you know, it was hard. But because I was able to make that switch at a young age and adapt, it was like fantastic, you know, it was, I was able to
adapt. I was able to do what I had to do and you know, and be able to adjust accordingly. So to me, I was good with it. You know, I, I basically, you know, got along with everybody. You know, I fit in very well When I had to make the change, I did. And it was, it was, it was a good time for me. I just, I, I think about your whole career, Devon and, and you know, the, the, the Dudley family, not just the Dudley boys, the Dudley brothers, Team 3D, the Dudley family was a
bunch of white guys. And then there was you, other than the answers with Dudley, who was who was Native American. But you know, you were the black guy in this mix, which is a parallel to your real life. Exactly. Wow. I mean. That was me 100%, you know? Wow, Was that a happy accident or, or, or was that because of how you grew up? It was, it was thought, hey, you know, you would fit in with this
thing that we're doing here. Well, to me it, you know, again, I fit it. I fit in because I was, I wasn't close minded even at that age to be able to open up and to really enjoy. And plus pro wrestling helped me too. You know, seeing that and you know, idolizing people of different races during that time was huge. Because remember growing up in Brooklyn, it was different time, different era. You didn't see too many white people or, you know, people that
weren't the same as you. It was totally different. Yeah, yeah, it's, it's it's more cosmopolitan today. It's more commercialized today. Wasn't like that back then, that's for sure. Yeah, good point. Wow. Wow. That's, that's a fascinating piece of history, man, which has
served you throughout your life. I mean, you know, you, you're encouraging people to check out your Instagram at Testify Devon and anyone who's paying attention, You have a common post that you put up every so often of a very close friend of yours. And you know, you and him get together, have a, have a drink, have a cigar. And, and, and you always put a nice message in there about, you know, you've been friends with this person for years. And that's, that's literally, that's like family.
That's your brother right there. And it's a white guy, right? Are you talking about Henry Garlin? I don't think it's Henry Godwin. It's somebody who's not in the in the business. It's it's the other guy who who wears glasses. I, I I don't know his name.
Oh, yes, yes, Scott. Yeah, basically him and I yeah, he, he actually played for a band called, I think it was Bonehead back in the 90s, very, very successful band out of New Jersey. And I met him through the Blue Meanie after the ECW show, went to one of his gigs and fell in love with the band and the music. And I had every time they were in the area. I made sure when we were done with ECW I would go frequent the shows. That's something else.
But you you've maintained that that friendship throughout all those years. Absolutely, absolutely. There was a point in time where we did lose in touch, in touch with one another. But then he came to an NXT show because of Jeremy Borash. They knew each other. Oh wow. And he came down and I was producing at the time, and I remember coming from the arena part of NXT to the back where the producers are, and I ran into him. I was like, Scott, what the hell
are you doing here? He was like, we hadn't seen each other in such a long time, maybe 20-30 years. And it was like we didn't skip a beat, you know, we took over where we left off. Wow, wow. Shout out to Scott. You know, his gimmick name in the band was Scott Stanley. He's a bass player. Scott, what is it? Pustelnick, That that's his name, right? Scott Pustelnick. Yep. With the band Bonehead Band out of Philadelphia, that that's, yeah, you're, you're absolutely
right. Alternative rock band. So folks out there, if you're on Spotify or any of those other apps, definitely check out Bonehead to hear some of the fantastic music by Scott and his and his band members there. Wow, that's, that's, that's pretty cool, man. That's pretty cool to to know your history and get an understanding because you do maintain a diverse group of
friends even to this day. And it's interesting once again, being plucked out of your surroundings in Brooklyn and being dropped in Long Island and you have to figure it out out there. That set the table for you and it's never left you. Exactly. Especially during that time, we're talking about the 80s, you know, where at the time, you know, the majority of that area was white, you know, and Brooklyn was black and Hispanic
all the way. You know, now even Brooklyn is becoming diverse with, you know, white people and other nationalized Chinese, Japanese or anything coming into the area, even Harlem. Now, Harlem was known for just being, you know, African American. Now, you know, I remember dry, I hadn't been to New York in a while. And I remember going to visit my mother at church and I'm seeing all these white people walking the street. I go, what the hell is going on? And I didn't mean that in a bad way.
I was like, wait a minute, what it what is going on? I was like, I've never seen so many white people in Harlem before a day in my life. I was like, what is going on? And my mother goes, yeah, they were like, you know, Harlem is building up. It's not what it used to be. And you know now why people feel uncomfortable coming into the area and things like that. So I was like, oh, cool, very cool. That's a trip. That's a trip right there. Wow.
See folks, we, we just brought a full circle there. Big history in a big understanding of Devon Dudley's career when you understand his, his humble beginnings. So that that says a lot there. Speaking of history, a a group that you have a lot of history with the New Day, Kofi and Xavier Woods just recently kicked Big E out of the New Day officially. So I definitely want to get your thoughts on this. Devon, how do you feel about
Kofi and, and and Xavier Woods? First of all, they turned down Big E when he said he wanted to manage them. They said they didn't want to have nothing to do with the big man. He's out injured because of his neck, so he can't wrestle. But how do you feel about those guys kicking Big E out of the group and and turning heel basically? Well, you know, everybody eventually turns on somebody and you know, unfortunately that's
going on with the new day. You know, I'm sure maybe one day they'll be able to has hands all of this and what is it hands all of that and you know, basically, you know, come back together because everybody does at one point in time. But you know, it was a shock to me. It was it wasn't really a shock to me because it seemed like the
writing was on the wall. But I thought we thought it was going to be Xavier and Kofi. We had no idea it was going to be kicking Biggie out, you know, So to me that was like a little twist and turn for us. But you know, you need to make these storylines compelling, and that's exactly what WWE is doing right now. Honda's doing a great job. I, I love the WWE. They have the hottest ticket in town right now. And you know, it's only a matter of time before WWE just takes over.
Period. Yeah, they, they can't miss right now. It's, it's amazing to see and to, to freshen up the New Day the way that they have. I mean, recently on, on Raw this week, we had a situation where Rey Mysterio kicked Kofi and Xavier out of the locker room. Rey Mysterio as the locker room leader saying, yeah, we, we don't want you guys, you guys got to dress somewhere else.
So Kofi and Woods, they complain the whole episode of Raw and they had different segments where they were complaining, going outside, complaining and arguing with the fans. They took it online and they're complaining there as well. Talk to me about that concept of, of telling somebody that they can't dress in the locker room 'cause we know, you know, that's something that really happens and has happened
throughout the years. The Miz has the most famous story that we as fans know about being kicked out of locker room for a period of time because he was, I guess he was eating chicken over somebody's bag and that was considered disrespectful. But in, in, in your career at how often would you see people being excommunicated from the locker room like that? I only saw one and that was it because by the time I got to WWE, that stuff kind of stopped
in a way. But I only saw it one time and it was, I don't want to say any names, but he was kind of being bullied in a sense. So he really didn't do anything wrong. But his attitude and demeanor basically along with the boys made it like that. So in other words, he kind of, he had a little pompous attitude, very cocky and arrogant, especially where he came from. It was kind of expected.
But the boys didn't care, you know, And one of the guys basically, you know, made his help life a living hell when a guy had a change in his car, freaking in what was it like 20° outside, snow, ice, all of that and couldn't change in the locker room. Wow, wow. That's something. These, these customs, these customs in wrestling, knowing the the right thing to do, shake everybody's hand, look them in the eye, take care of everybody
in the ring, all that stuff. How much of that stuff to this day is taught in the wrestling school? So, so I know that you obviously you teach your, your, your folks, right. But from a general standpoint, how much that stuff is actually still taught in wrestling schools? Well, if it's a reppable wrestling school like, you know, somebody like myself or Booker T, you know, you know guys who have been somewhere, they know what it's like to be in a locker room.
They know what it's like to be on the road and in front of the boys. If they have been, if they had been, what's the word? If they had been put in a scenario where they knew about stuff like that, they were able to teach that at the rest of the school. And I tell my, my students all the time because I bring up scenarios like this, how to act, because it's very important to know how to act in the locker room as opposed to learning your craft. Really.
I mean, because that can destroy you if you don't know how to act, right? It can. It can literally take your part in this locker room. Yeah, yeah. I mean, we and we see it and we've, we've heard the stories throughout the years. I remember something playing out on the TV show Total Divas, which I found very interesting. And, and I don't think that it necessarily was 100%, you know, on the level, I think it was more showing you what could happen.
But there was a scenario where NIA Jax was having a conversation with Maurice and she had mentioned something about a match that she would had. And, and she asked Maurice, hey, have you ever had a match like that before? And Maurice was completely dumbfounded and she felt disrespected. She was like, listen, I was Divas champion, you know what I mean? What how could you ask me a question like that? I literally held the, the the number one women's title in the company before.
Of course, I've done things like that. And, and you know, and then you, you really think about it and say, OK, Maurice hasn't wrestled in a long time, but that doesn't take away from the fact that she did earn her stripes in the ring. She she was in there. She did win championship. She did have to go up and down the road and what have you. It was and, and NIA was still, she was only about a couple years in the business at the time. So she just didn't know the
history. But I, I found that to be an interesting commentary, just that, that whole scenario, how it played out. Have you ever been in a situation where maybe maybe you didn't know or even somebody else, you didn't fully comprehend the the history of a veteran and, and you're speaking to them and you may have said something unintentionally offensive as a result of not understanding how far back they went and what they've accomplished? Well, I do know, and this is
kind of funny. What happened to me was we were in Saskatoon and Bradshaw and Farooq were downstairs and the bar slash restaurant and it was during a house show and I didn't really know the history of this town. I didn't know Dick Murdoch was from there. And we were, we came downstairs because we again, we were getting ready to get in the car to go to the live event. And I remember going downstairs and saying hello to Bradshaw and Farooq and I, I had a really bad headache.
I mean, it was, it was like pounding like a migraine. It was a real bad. And I just wanted to get in the car and just, I asked Bubba to drive. He said not a problem. And I remember just wanting to lay back in the car and go to and just close my eyes and try to sleep. I think we had like a 45 minute drive and I was just like, I just want to rest my eyes for a little bit. And I remember Bradshaw goes, we're going to have a, we're going to drink.
We're going to drink the Dick Murdoch, you know, and this thing that we're going to have a shot. And Bubba, you want, you want to do a shot of Jack in the honor of Dick Murdoch. And Bubba goes, yeah, of course. And he goes, Devon, you never shot. I was like, oh, man, I was like, guys, I'm sorry, my head is hurting, guys. I was like, it's pounding. I'll just take a Coke. And Brad sure looked at me. And he goes, you want to take a coke?
The man who helped put this business on the map, Dick Murdoch, we're going to we're in his hometown of Saskatoon and you're going, I might be wrong in terms of the area where he's from. And so please forgive me if I'm wrong with that. But he goes, we're in his hometown and you're going to drink a Coca-Cola in honor of Dick Murdoch. I was like Bradshaw. I was like, my head is is really pounding. I mean, it was really bad. And I was like, I don't think I can I don't think I can drink Jack.
I was like, he was like, and Brett and Peru goes, well, I'll be down. I cannot believe you, Devin. I was like, I was like, guys, I am so sorry. My head is killing me. He goes so Bradshaw goes, oh, that's OK. He was like, when we get to the building, we're going to talk to take about this. We like this might be charges to bring you up in restless court. And I went I was like restless court.
He's like, Oh, yeah, you want to drink a Coca-Cola in honor of Dick Murdoch in his home hometown and you want to insult him by drinking a Coke as opposed to taking a shot at Jack. I was like, no, that, that's not it. I was like, my head was my head is really pounding and I just want to close my eyes and lay down. He goes, you want to restless court. He was like, see you at the building, Devon. I was like, oh, fuck. Bubba goes Devon, why did you just take the drink?
I was like, my Bubba, my head was, my head is pounding. He was like, you should have sucked it up and just took the drink and I was like, oh, I was like, what do I do? Bubba goes, well, if I'm a betting man, what happened to edging Christian when they went to Restless court? You know Bradshaw and Farook are going to be the prosecutors and you know that Undertaker is going to be the judge, so you don't have a chance in hell and winning this case. I was like, oh shit, what do I do?
He goes, if I was you, I'd go get some alcohol and get it quick and try to bribe them. I, I knew, I knew Farooq like Crown and Jack Daniels was for Bradshaw and Taker. So I went and got three cases of it. I found the nearest liquor store, got three cases of it. We got to the building. I basically had this the, the they called runners. I said, can you do me a favor? Can you bring these into the locker room, please? And they grabbed them. They brought them in the locker
room. So by the time Taker got there, here comes Bradshaw and Farooq. Devin, you ready for the rest of the court? I was like, not really. He was like, well, you're going and we already told Taker what's going on. And Taker can't wait to try this case. So before they got everybody in the room that you had to get all the boys and all of that, you know, to be in the room before they got everybody in the room, they basically I went to I went to Taker, Ron and and John.
I was like, guys, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect the honor of Dick Murdoch. I was like in his home in his own hometown. I was like, you know, but as a peace offering, I'm hoping this can be accepted. Here's 3 cases of Jack for you. And here's a case of Crown for you. Farooq. And Farooq looked at me. He goes, well, damn, Devin, that's the best present anybody ever gave me. And take a look at me. He goes, Devin, you might get off on this one. He goes Bradshaw, what do you
think? He goes, well, hell, I ain't going to turn down no alcohol. He's like, I'll take it. I was like, oh thank God, because there was no way I was winning that that that court case, my ass would have been done. Jesus, that, that is a story right there, brother. Wow. Oh yeah, wow. That is a story. So, so again, these, these wrestling customs, these inside customs right here, they matter that much. No. Damn. Yeah, especially with the old school guys, you cannot break
tradition. And if you do, there's a price. There was a price to pay. And you had to learn real quick, you know, So the old school way of doing things was very relevant back when I was there during the Attitude Era. You might have had fun and you know a whole bunch of crap went on back then, but if you didn't follow the protocol of how things should have been, you were screwed.
How much of that stuff was important in order to bring people together as, as as crazy as that sounds, They're, they're reinforcing the notion of respect, respect for the history, respect for, for, you know, everyone who you working with today. If you, if you're going to disrespect the people who laid the groundwork for you to exist in this business, then how are you going to, you're not going to respect me either. So we, we got to straighten that out. How important was that for the
camaraderie in the long run? Well, it was big. I mean, if you didn't have respect, then the veterans wouldn't have respect for you and they can make your life a live in hell. Now, today's wrestling generation is totally different and in certain companies, I'm not going to say any names, but we've heard the horror stories about how the younger generation treats the the guys that have come before them. The disrespect that I've noticed in the locker room with some of the younger talent.
You know, when I was growing up in the business, I would have never even dreamt about doing it. And if I did, I would have woke up and apologized because that was the respect When I was taught in this business, you know, by Johnny Rods, basically, he would beat the hell out of me. Even things that I wasn't even my fault, I would get beat up for. Big Veto would help out and whooping my ass in the middle of the ring. And so did a guy named Larry.
Larry Briscoe, not Sabisco, but Larry Briscoe, who in my opinion was way before his time when he came into the wrestling business and he never made it. But he was a straight shooter and he knew his stuff. And whenever there was a problem, Johnny Rodge would beat me up, then Vito and then Sabisco. So I got my ass handed to me on
many occasions. So it was one of those things where I learned respect right away and I wouldn't have dared open my mouth in the locker room or did anything inappropriate because I was fearful of what was going to happen. Wow, that's deep. And, and like you said in, in this day and age, it, it, that whole notion just seems to, it's not to say that people need to be beating each other up per SE, but the notion of respect and honor and why that stuff
matters. It, it, it just seems like in a lot of places it doesn't exist anymore. And I wonder if that coincides with making it so easy for anybody to quote UN quote, call themselves a wrestler these days. Do you do you think that has something to do with the erosion of the notion of respect in
wrestling today? I just don't think it's taught, you know, you having these guys that never made it in the wrestling business that will get a that will get a warehouse, put a ring in it and say he has a wrestling school and you have a lot of people that fall for it. Just because somebody gives you the notion that they know what they're talking about doesn't necessarily mean that they know what they're talking about. If they knew how to get you where you needed to be, then
they would have been there. But if they didn't, then there's your answer, you know, And that's, that's, that's the crazy things. That's the crazy thing about some of these wrestling schools and some of these people who think they're good. Now, when you look at them physically or when you look at them in the ring, yes, they might know what they're doing and handle themselves very well, but doesn't necessarily mean that they know what the hell
they're talking about. Unless you've experienced and went through what we went through to get to the level that we're at, we have no reason to open your mouth to say anything disrespectful for those that have come before you. Well said, well said. Wow, Devon dropping gems today,
You know. Speaking of gems, Saturday night's main event made his triumphant return this past Saturday. The main event was Cody Rhodes versus Kevin Owens for the WWE Championship which Cody was displaying the the Winged Eagle belts. He brought back the old school belt for that match.
Cody ends up winning but at the end of the match Kevin Owens attacks him and beats the hell out of him and then steals the belt and it was so egregious that Triple H even came out and cussed Kevin Owens out and pushed him a few times or what have you. Owens gave Cody a package powerbomb and WWE reported that Cody's having some cervical issues as a result of that devastating maneuver, so to speak. I'm using all the the old school descriptions of these things. What what did you think?
The overall Devon Saturday night's main event coming back, a little bit of nostalgia for us. How did it feel to watch that? Well, to me, I loved it. I enjoyed it. Now here's what I liked even more. I don't.
I saw it on social media, so I don't know if they showed it on NBC or even Peacock. Do you remember the old that when Saturday Night's Main Event used to come on and they used to have the promos with the music in the background and this and that, and it was kind of like a drama thing? They did that with The Bloodline. And it was somebody else they did it with.
I forgot, but it brought back memories because you think about something that happened forty, 30-40 years ago and how they did it and they're still doing it today. They reinvented it and did it today. So it was kind of like, it was cool to see that it was the, you know, again. Do you remember how those promos were when you know, like for instance, when after Hogan, after WrestleMania 3 settings main event came on and had that
music playing in the background. It was there was Andre and Heenan standing there and you know, Heenan said something like, you know, I'm going to prove to you that this man behind me, Speaking of Andre is still undefeated and deserves to be world champion and blah, blah, blah. While the music is playing in the background, he goes, I'm going to show you just why WrestleMania 3 was a victory for this man right here. And Andre goes, I'm still undefeated. And then it goes to Hogan.
And Hogan starts, you know, talking about saying his prayers, eating his vitamins and how he slammed that nasty giant in the middle of the ring with all his Hulk of maniacs and blah, blah, blah. And he's like, what you going to Andre when Hulka Maniac runs wild on you? And you have that music that they played back then and they did that. And I was kind of like, wow, you know, 40 years later and it brought back memories.
But now I'm waiting to see Nikolai Volkov, the Iron Sheik, Jake the Snake, Robbins, you know, the magnificent Morocco because, you know, that was what I grew up watching Saturday Night's Main Event. And that's what attracted so many of us that are still wrestling fans to this day from, from, you know, all those years ago, you know, and Hunter bought
that back. He kind of made you feel like for the old school guys that you know, that error is still alive and well and we still remember how things were back then and bringing back Jesse the body Ventur. Now don't get me wrong, Jesse's jokes were a little off. I don't think. I think he got AI think he got a couple of boos when he said something about Dusty Rose. I'm not mistaken. Do you remember that part? Oh yeah, Oh yeah, he sure did. Yeah, he got a couple of boos.
And, you know, 30-40 years ago, you know, people would have not popped, but they would have laughed about it because it's Jesse. You know, I don't think this generation understood Jesse Ventura the way we did back then and how he really did things. You know, This is why it's important for the newer generation to watch the old school, the old school wrestlers because, you know, things were so much different back then. My God, it was just, it was
magical. And This is why wrestling is huge in the way it is now, because we watched the growing up and now it's kind of like we're trying to relive it all over again or make it fun to watch again.
And This is why, you know, the attitude ever existed the way it did and you know, and even after and so forth and so on, why people are doing what they're doing now to me, you know, I miss those days of having, you know, things like Senex main event, the way they did it and how, you know, they went about doing things back then because it brought back so many memories. So as I go back and watch the old school settings main event, I'm like, damn, I remember this.
I remember this promo, I remember that match. I remember this, that, and it makes me feel like I'm a kid again, you know, so I really enjoy it and love it. And so to actually know that they're trying to do that now, man, thumbs up. Yeah, same. I did. The nostalgia was through the roof. I loved it. Those those vignettes you were talking about, those introductions you were talking about. I don't think they, I didn't see that played during the broadcast. But yeah, it was online.
So you had the New Day and then even the women were doing similar ones. I saw Liv Morgan wanted what have you. So I yeah, I agree that that just that got you pumped up for what you were about to see. That's the whole point. So. And not to mention the referees and the button down tie with the big bow tie that brought back memories. Now, how did you feel when you saw Ref Jess in that little outfit? Because you trained her, right? So how did you feel when you saw her like that?
I was very happy for her because, you know, Jessie, Jess, Jessica Carr had been with me for almost almost 10 years and she's definitely a student of the game. If anybody would have lasted during the attitude ever, it would have been her. She is, she absorbs things like a book. I mean scream like a sponge. And she's just, she's very old school. She has an old school mentality. She has an old school soul.
So she respects those who have come before her and is willing to ask questions, watch videos of old stuff, not necessarily the new stuff, but the old stuff, to kind of get an understanding of where all of this started and where it all began. And so to see her doing that, I can only imagine what she was feeling inside, the joy that she had being a part of history. And to me, that was history, no question about it. No question.
And she, she looked, she literally looked like an old school ref, which I really enjoyed. She did. She looked, she looked amazing. She looked amazing. I was actually, I had. I should have called her, but I want to give her some time, you know, to come off the road and do what she's doing. But, you know, I was very proud of her. I've always been proud of Jess and I call her every so often.
I don't like to bother her because I know she's busy and I don't want her to feel obligated to have to call me. So every once in a while I'll hit her up and tell a great job. I'm very proud of you and you know, I'm very proud that you were my student. You know, she did everything she was supposed to do. She sure did. She sure did, and she did a fantastic job with that, just like she always does. I got a lot of time for ref Jess as she's known online and then Jessica Carr.
She's fantastic, just like Daphne, the show who was originally ref Asha. She's another one that you know, these these female refs, man, they're they're eventually going to be the ones passing down the knowledge to the next generation. And that is so cool to see. I love that, I love that. And and I love to see that type of diversity in the company because it matters. It certainly does. Overall, what's your thoughts on this feud with Cody and Kevin Owens?
I mean, it clearly is not ending anytime soon, huh? No. And I think it's very good for business. I think it's more storytelling than anything, which is what I like. I I, I like the fact if anybody can do it. And, you know, Kevin Owens is very, very good, very, very good when it comes to storytelling. Him and Sami Zane, both extremely good putting the matches together with them. They go, they cover ABC all the way up to Z. They make sure nothing is missed.
And I was just telling somebody, I said my last match was with Sami Zayn and Neville SummerSlam, you know, 2016 and, you know, had a really good time with them. And it was I told, I remember after the match was over, I told Sammy, I said thank you. I said, if we don't ever wrestle again, I just want you to know I appreciate everything that you did, you know, tonight in this match. And he was like, oh, no, thank you, Devon. It was a pleasure. I said, I don't know what's
going to happen. I said, but if I don't come back, I said, I just want you to know I thank you. And you know, I came back about two months later as a producer. But you know, that's something that me and Sammy, every time we talk to each other, he goes, you got one more in you. I don't know, bro, I don't know. I said the money's got to be right. I don't know. I was like because you nearly kicked my ass in that last match. I, I don't, I don't know about
you taking that. That's that kick that he does that you know, when he, when he runs across the ring in the corner and, and, and, and kicks his opponent in the face. I can't even imagine you taking that, brother. Well, you know, I remember I would never put my hands up whenever Kane, Kane would whip me off and put the big boot up and I would run right into it full blast 'cause I didn't want anybody to think what we were doing was fake.
And you know, I made sure that whenever Kane did it, I made sure I would tell as he was whipping me off. I said, Kane, brace yourself, I go, I'm coming. And he would put his leg up and I'd run right into a smack face, just right into his boot face 1st. And I remember Taker one time said Devon, you can put your hands up. I said, with all due respect, take a fuck that. I'm not putting my hands up. I was like, if I'm going to hit it, I'm going to hit it.
And take it would always get mad at me for not putting my hands up because he was like, you're going to knock yourself out, you're going to give yourself concussions and you don't want that. I said, take it. I get it. I said, but remember where we come from, it's ECW. I'm not saying that we're the smartest group of people in the world. We're probably the dumbest for not wanting to do what you're saying, but that was the way I grew up in this business.
You know, you, you took pain and you enjoyed it. You never complained about it. You did what you had to do. You know, nowadays you break your foot. You got to be out for as long as you got to be out for it, as long as the doctor tells you. Back then we put a boot on our leg and went in there and wrestled. You know, I wrestled with a torn Achilles heel.
I had 25. I had 3030 minutes to go in the match and tore my Achilles heel 5 minutes into the match and had to finish it. I remember Jeff Jarrett going, how the hell did you do that? I said Jeff, I've learned to ignore pain over the years and to me it was like hitting my knee against a chair or something.
That's that's how, you know, tough we had to be back then, you know, we had to ignore it. And how many times did I see Tommy Dreamer wrestling in one of those boot casters or RVD, you know, NECW wrestle like that. You know, we didn't take time off. We were very old school. We didn't take time off. And I'm not saying it was the smartest thing in the world, because it probably wasn't, but we didn't do that. That was just the way that generation was.
And I was very proud to be that part of that generation. Listen, thank God for DDP Yoga and rest, because the fact that you can move the way you can move today given your career says a lot, right? I'm very grateful, you know through the grace of God, that I'm able to walk, whether I walk with a limp or walk a little slow. Like you said, understand what I've been through and where I've been before. You judge me when you see me. Damn right, damn right. Wow, that's a big one.
That's a big we got to put that on AT shirt or something. That's a big one right there. Wow. Tell everybody about the businesses, man, because you you got the detailed business, you got the cigar coming out the cigar line. You got the the wrestling school. Let's plug away, man. Yeah, so the wrestling schools in Winter Park, FL, 2720 Forsyth Rd. Winter Park, FL And you know, we are, you know, we've been up since 1919, since 2007, and
we're still going strong. Bubba left, of course, and went to Connecticut. He has the school up there and I kept the school in Florida, so we're still ready to go. We got a lot of students at our school and we're just trying to get them in and pump them out and getting ready for NXT or whatever is next for them on the horizon after being in our school. But it's going great. I'm enjoying myself and every once in a while I get burnt out and I'm thinking what the hell am I doing?
Maybe I should just retire fully. But then I get that itch to come back at all every so often. So I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. The rest of the school is still there. Give us a call or you can go online and go to www.devondudley.com and and it's VEVON Academy, devondudleyacademy.com. Go on there and get all the information you need if you want to become a wrestler and you want to take the take your school to the next level. And what about the car detailing?
You have the car detailing business down in Fort Lauderdale. It's mobile. I, I did it with a friend of mine who I went to high school with and we put things online and things like that. If if you live in in Miami, Fort Lauderdale area, Orlando Winter Park, we go as far as Daytona. If you live in those areas from Daytona down to Miami, if you would love your car to be done the right way, then check us out at Devon Dudley.
I'm sorry at 3D auto detailing on Instagram and as well as Facebook. Check us out and we'll come to you. You don't have to come to us. And how about the cigars? Yes, the cigar is a work in progress. I didn't realize how tough this getting this cigar was that was going to be easy. But no, it's, it's something that we're trying to organize in terms of what the distributors and all of that.
So that's in the works. And again, as soon as that comes out and we're ready to distribute, well, let everybody know. So that way you can get yourself a Devon Deadly cigar. I love it. I love it folks. Duke loves Rossling on Facebook on on X or Twitter as we know it. Duke loves rossling@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show. Sending your questions. All that good stuff there. As we mentioned before at Testify, Devon on Instagram and on X as well.
If you see Devon on Facebook, don't even try it. That's for close personal friends and family. That's the private stuff. But the public stuff, you can hit them up on X and on on Instagram and really see some cool stuff, of course. And that does it for this week. Devon, what do you have for our Word of the Week? You know, I really didn't have one. I should have had one. Let me go. Let me go back to something I said in the very beginning, and this isn't, this is for life in general.
If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail. So if you don't get your life in order in the very beginning, how can you get your life in order for the future? So prepare yourself in the very beginning so you can prepare yourself for the future and be successful. Can we get a testify on that? Oh testify. Strictly for the culture, every day stepping style in your unique way, pants and colours. So define all about the perfect
life. Be yourself, let your spirit lie in this fashion you'll touch the sky strictly for the culture brand so fine dressed too in price and show your shine strictly for the culture every day sniff in sky in the you need way. Visit www.strictlyfortheculture.ca. Backstage whispers and the crowds roar from matching giants to legends of your Devon's wisdom. In Duke's keen view, every episode feels like it's brand new. And to bring the heat, wrestling tails knock you off your seat.
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