WWE Hall Of Famer Told He Will Never Wrestle Again After Major Surgery

A sad end to this WWE legend's in-ring career, but an essential one.

D-Von Dudley silhouette
WWE

If it wasn't already, D-Von Dudley's in-ring career is officially over.

The WWE Hall of Famer has been told he will never wrestle again after undergoing major back surgery earlier this week.

Dudley broke the news via Instagram, stating that three of his vertebrae had to be fused as a result of the wear and tear suffered during his pro wrestling career:-

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They had to fuse L4, L5 and L6. The damage was a lot worse than they thought. The surgery took longer than they anticipated. But God is good and he the DOCTER said I am a new man. I can run, I can jump, I can beat my son Preston in basketball on the basketball court . LOL and racing him down the street lol, he thinks he can beat the old man. They also had to shift my spine a little bit with a curve. Because it was a straight line. That was because of all the wrestling. Then again, all of it was because of wrestling.

Going deeper, D-Von said that he didn't have a problem with being told never to wrestle again as he wasn't planning on returning to the squared circle anyway:-

They put the bolts screws and a plates in my back. They had to go up higher in my back they told me . I was told I could not wrestle anymore because if I do I could do more damage to my back I would have to have surgery again on the upper part. That’s OK I didn’t have plans On going back in there anyway.I would be in the hospital From Tuesday to Friday from My understanding. Unless it changes. Again ,thank you for all the well wishes and love.God is a great all the time . Amen [folded hands emoji] and testify.

Dudley hasn't wrestled since a House of Glory show in December 2016, when he and kayfabe brother Bubba Ray contested a four-way tag bout featuring The Hardy Boyz and future AEW tandems Private Party and EYFBO (Santana and Ortiz). He has worked as a WWE producer since that September.

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All the best to D-Von as he recovers from this surgery.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.