In the early 1990s, when Dudley was first getting started, wrestlers treated the fiction of the business as if it was wholly true whenever they were in the public eye. This adherence to maintaining the illusion is referred to as kayfabe, and Dudley blamed the advent of the internet as the leading cause for that boundary eroding.

Though the heyday of kayfabe might be past the point of saving, Dudley isn’t a fan of shows like “WWE Unreal” that expose the industry even further. For that reason, he didn’t watch the series, even though he gets why WWE would produce it in today’s day and age.

“I’m still that old school guy,” Dudley stated. “I don’t want people to know. I’ve got family members who called me after the match this past Sunday. ‘Hey, are you okay? Were you hurt?’ I’m like, ‘F**k.’ Jeff took care of me and he was great, but I’m not letting anybody know that.”

Along with his in-ring career, Dudley worked as a producer in WWE from 2016 to 2023. Following a series of health issues, Dudley made his return to the ring in 2023 and wrestled a handful of matches before retiring alongside longtime tag partner Bubba Ray Dudley (AKA Bully Ray) at Bound for Glory.