D-Von Dudley has shared a blunt take on the current state of wrestling, calling out what he sees as an overreliance on high-risk offense at the expense of storytelling.

Speaking on the Krazy Train podcast with Jasmin St. Claire, the WWE Hall of Famer reflected on how the fundamentals that once defined the business are being overlooked by many modern performers. Drawing from his own career alongside Bubba Ray Dudley, he emphasized that connecting with an audience has never been about doing the most spectacular moves, but about making every moment count.

D-Von explained that too many wrestlers today are focused on impressing crowds with athletic sequences rather than learning how to structure a match in a way that keeps fans emotionally invested from start to finish.

“And that’s the thing. This is why so many indie wrestlers don’t make it to NXT or the main roster is because they have no knowledge of how to how this business works. And if you have no knowledge and you’re not going to really go anywhere.”

He continued by stressing how preparation has become more important than ever, noting that success now depends on attention to detail and understanding every aspect of performance.

“Now you have to come prepared. Every box has to be checked off and you have to make sure that you check each and every one of those boxes off.”

Turning to in-ring style, D-Von made it clear that he believes the foundation of wrestling should always be storytelling. He pointed to the Dudley Boyz’ success as an example of how simple offense, when executed with purpose, can resonate far more than complex, high-flying spots.

“So again, a lot of these guys who don’t know this is and I tell my students this, Bubba and myself never did anything spectacular in that ring. To the point is we didn’t do flips and flies. We didn’t do any Huda Kuranas. We didn’t do any of that crap. We took basic wrestling moves and made it into a story, but made it mean something.”

He added that pacing plays a crucial role in keeping an audience engaged, warning that cramming too much into a short period can actually work against performers.

“You don’t have to flip and fly. You don’t have to do a thousand things in 30 seconds. Use the basics. Take your time. Tell that story. Work the body part. Get the people happy and ready to go home.”

D-Von also cautioned that overloading matches with constant high spots can lead to audience fatigue, making it harder for fans to stay invested throughout an entire show.

“The minute you start jumbling a match with all sorts of spots and all of that, they short circuit. They already don’t have a long attention span as it is. And now you’re burning them out so that they can’t even enjoy the show.”

He wrapped up by urging wrestlers to think beyond their own moment in the spotlight and consider how their match fits into the broader card, as well as what fans will actually take away from it.

“If you’re the first match, you don’t have done every high spot there is to do just so you can wow the people and get yourself over. Did you think about everybody else on the card? Have you told a good story? What’s the last thing they’re going to remember when they see your match other than the one, two, three?”