“I Never Uttered Those Words …”

Jim Ross has publicly addressed recent accusations made by D-Von Dudley, firmly denying claims that he made racist remarks during their time together in WWE.

Back in October, D-Von Dudley alleged that around 1999–2000, Ross told him he disliked him because of the color of his skin. Bubba Ray Dudley supported D-Von’s account, with D-Von stating that Paul Heyman, Spike Dudley, and Tommy Dreamer were also present during the alleged incident.

Ross responded to the claim during a Q&A segment on the latest episode of his Grilling JR, explaining that health issues at the time delayed his response. He said he was stunned by the accusation and flatly denied that anything of the sort ever occurred.

“Recently I heard that D-Von Dudley thought I was a racist,” Ross said before a clip of Dudley’s comments was played.

“That’s so absurd. It’s not even, it doesn’t merit a response,” he said. “I like D-Von. I like him today. I hired he and Bubba. I thought we did a good job of booking them. They made money. They were put in situations where they could do the things they do best. You know, those TLC matches were pieces of art. They’ll last forever. The Dudleys were a major part of that. I know Bubba for sure because I’ve heard it was involved in the booking of that stuff.”

Ross continued, “And I don’t know. I was shocked to hear that, because I don’t recall ever having a cross word with D-Von Dudley. I always respected him and his work. I loved the Dudley tag team. So I was, it took me totally off guard. I never said that to D-Von Dudley. And why he would conjure up that, I guess to get attention. I thought, well, maybe he’s not as happy with his post-wrestling life as Bubba is, because Bubba’s made a tremendous success of himself as a broadcaster, and still works. So, I never said that. Some people I’m sure are going to still believe it, and that’s their prerogative, but I’m not angry at D-Von. I just am curious and don’t understand why he went there. Just don’t get it.”

Ross also cited several black wrestlers he worked closely with or helped sign over the years, including Shelton Benjamin, Junkyard Dog, and Ernie Ladd, as examples of relationships he valued throughout his career.

Despite the controversy, Ross made it clear he continues to respect Dudley.

“I still have great respect for D-Von and I’m glad that we got to work together,” Ross said. “But I never uttered those words.”

Even decades later, the issue has clearly struck a nerve with the Hall of Fame announcer.

Ross, now 73, remains active in wrestling. He is under contract with AEW and provides commentary for select pay-per-view events. He is also scheduled to be in attendance when AEW visits his home state of Oklahoma on January 7.