WWE legend D-Von Dudley clears the air about his Royal Rumble appearance

One-half of Dudley Boyz, D-Von Dudley, revealed that he wouldn't appear at the Royal Rumble 2023. It could be because the WWE Hall of Famer parted ways with the company after a seven-year stint as a backstage producer.

D-Von Dudley has been a backstage producer at WWE since 2016. He was most recently employed as a coach at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

The unexpected announcement comes just a month after the company snatched D-Von Dudley from the Battleground Championship Wrestling, an independent wrestling show in Philadelphia.

Signed by Superstars recently hosted a signing with the 50-year-old legend. During his visit, the Hall of Famer was asked if he would be participating in the Royal Rumble. Dudley dismissed the possibility but stated that he is on the verge of being cleared after undergoing backstage testing last year.

"I'll tell you where I'm not going to be. No, I will not be at the Rumble. My back surgery I just had February 15th, so February 15th of this year will be a year that I will be cleared, and I'll be ready to go," D-Von Dudley mentioned. [H/T - WrestlingNews.co]

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D-Von Dudley has no bad blood with Vince McMahon or Triple H

During the same Signed by Superstars appearance, Dudley was asked if working for Triple H or Vince McMahon was less stressful.

D-Von was supposed to be in the ring with his Hall of Fame tag team partner Bully Ray during his hardcore death match against Matt Cardona. But before that could happen, the company released the WWE legend.

"Let me just put it to you this way. I enjoyed my time with WWE, and I have nothing bad to say. I think the job is stressful whether you're with Vince or Triple H because, again, it's a live television show. You got guys who can be primadonnas at times, and if they want to do something they feel passionate about, they're going to wanna do it," Dudley said. [H/T - WrestlingNews.co]

While it does not appear to be a widespread release, a shocking incident occurred at the company involving a WWE Hall of Famer. The question was posed because McMahon's return to the company has already resulted in numerous organizational changes.

Do you think D-Von Dudley should make a surprise entrance at the Royal Rumble? Sound off in the comments section below.