AEW Stars Allegedly Fed Up With Who’s Really Calling the Shots

D-Von Dudley isn’t keeping quiet about what he sees going wrong in AEW—and according to him, the talent isn’t happy either.

While speaking with Video Gamer, the WWE Hall of Famer shared that his brief talks with AEW didn’t pan out, and now he’s opening up about why. Dudley admitted that beyond Tony Khan pushing him to wrestle again—despite him wanting a backstage role—he got the sense that AEW’s internal structure is causing problems for talent on the roster. D-Von said he’s still close with several people in AEW and made it clear that the frustration isn’t just his own.

“I don’t know if I would’ve felt comfortable in AEW. There’s just certain things about the organization that I don’t like. And Tony Khan lets that happen. I think the talent is great, there’s no question about that. I’ve got friends in AEW and a lot of the talent in AEW have the same frustration that I see. They just wish that certain people wouldn’t be calling the shots and that Tony would take more control.”

Dudley also pointed to a broader shift in the wrestling business, claiming younger talent today lacks the same respect for veterans that he was taught coming up.

“The business has changed tremendously. I feel, and so many other wrestlers feel this way, there’s a lack of respect from some of the younger talent. And that’s fine. It’s just because they weren’t taught the proper ways when coming into the business. People who are older than me, people who I used to watch during the Hogan and Andre era, I still respect and love them dearly for what they did in terms of entertaining me as a child. And the business has changed. We don’t have many people that do that anymore.”

D‑Von’s words echo the growing chatter that AEW’s locker room isn’t as unified as it once seemed. With veterans feeling unheard and younger talent reportedly frustrated by who’s calling the shots, the company may be heading toward a breaking point unless Tony Khan steps in and tightens control.