Summary

WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley said modern wrestlers and the broader current generation are more sensitive to criticism than the era he came up in. He made the comments while appearing on the Krazy Train with Jasmin St Claire podcast.

D-Von said he does not expect a return to older standards around blunt feedback, and he connected that view to how he coaches students at his wrestling academy.

D-Von Dudley’s criticism comments spotlight a training-culture divide

D-Von Dudley framing this as a generation-wide issue puts direct attention on how wrestlers handle coaching, and the immediate consequence is a sharper public debate about old-school versus modern development standards.

His academy example also grounds the discussion in day-to-day training environments, not just nostalgia, because he specifically tied his point to students reacting negatively when told they need to improve.

Quote from D-Von Dudley

"A lot of people nowadays—it’s the generation. It’s not just the wrestlers, it’s the generation. This new generation is easily rattled, so to speak, and it’s like you can’t say anything without people being offended and things like that. So this generation is very different from the generation that I grew up with. And it’s just something that I would hope would go back to the old-school ways, but I don’t see it happening. You can’t say this about somebody without them getting upset. You can’t say that. People take things so seriously. It’s like, when is it okay to just be you? And that seems to be the problem—you can’t, because if you do, someone gets offended. Someone doesn’t understand it. I tell my students at my wrestling academy all the time-I tell them, ‘Half of you would not be able to survive during the time that I grew up in the business.’ Because most of you get angry and mad if I tell you you’re not good—you need to work on things and this and that."

Sources

As reported by NoDQ.