D-Von Dudley is looking back on one of the biggest regrets of his wrestling career. During a recent video on his YouTube channel, the WWE Hall of Famer opened up about his three-year experience using steroids in TNA, explaining why he started, how the drugs affected his body, and what ultimately convinced him to stop.
D-Von admitted that part of the appeal was physical appearance. Like many wrestlers, he wanted a more impressive physique and enjoyed the confidence that came with it.
“One of the reasons why I started using it was because I wanted that body like everybody else does when they watch a professional wrestler.”
“I wasn’t ashamed to take my shirt off in the ring anymore.”
However, D-Von stressed that appearance wasn’t the only factor. He said the demanding wrestling schedule and constant physical punishment also played a major role in his decision.
“We’re on the road 300 days out of the year.”
“There are certain steroids that would help you to recover quicker and faster.”
“It helped me through a lot of ups and downs when I was hurt.”
According to D-Von, the recovery benefits were noticeable almost immediately. He recalled feeling stronger and more energetic than he had in years.
“You get a lot stronger. You’re able to lift more weight.”
“You may be a 30, 40-year-old man and now you feel like you’re 20 again and you have the energy and the strength of a bull.”
The former Dudley Boyz star eventually bulked up to nearly 300 pounds. While he initially enjoyed the transformation, he later realized the additional weight was taking a serious toll on his body.
“I got to be almost 300 lbs.”
“I was jacked up. I was solid.”
“Everything was good. But I didn’t realize putting all that weight and having that big frame like I did hurt my knees tremendously.”
D-Von said the situation worsened as time went on. The extra weight became increasingly difficult to carry, eventually affecting his breathing and forcing him to reconsider whether continuing was worth the risk.
“I’ll be honest with you, it felt horrible.”
“I wasn’t used to carrying that much weight around.”
“When it got to the point where I couldn’t breathe anymore because I was carrying all that weight trying to move around, that was when I realized, you know, maybe you shouldn’t do this anymore.”
“Maybe it should be over.”
Although he was able to walk away from steroid use, D-Von admits it remains one of the decisions he wishes he could take back.
“After three years of using it, I realized that I didn’t need it.”
“I truly regret doing it.”
“I felt like it could have hurt my body in many ways.”
The biggest reason he decided to quit, however, had nothing to do with wrestling. D-Von revealed that his children ultimately changed his perspective.
“My kids. My kids were the reason why.”
As his sons began entering the wrestling business, D-Von wanted to make sure he was setting the right example and could honestly advise them against making the same choices he had made.
“I wanted to set a role model.”
“I sat them down and I had talks with them over and over again, do not do it.”
“Trust me, it’s not going to be good.”
Looking back today, D-Von considers himself fortunate that he avoided the severe health consequences that have affected others who used performance-enhancing drugs.
“There are a lot of things in life that we’re not proud of.”
“That’s one of the things I wish I can go back and change.”
“Thank God nothing happened.”
D-Von also praised modern wrestling’s stricter drug-testing policies and believes today’s generation of wrestlers is in a much healthier position than many performers of the past.
“To me, it’s a lot better now.”
“The drug testing is real.”
For younger wrestlers or athletes considering performance-enhancing drugs, D-Von’s message was simple.
“Stay away from it.”
“There’s other ways that you can get your body to look the way it needs to look without using that stuff.”
“Trust me, you could do without it.”
