D-Von Dudley has opened up about the emotional impact of Hulk Hogan’s leaked racist remarks, revealing that the situation deeply affected him on a personal level given how much he admired Hogan growing up.

Speaking during an interview with DJ Vlad, D-Von reflected on idolizing Hogan as a child and aspiring to follow in his footsteps. He said he once envisioned becoming “the black Hulk Hogan,” crediting Hogan’s message of training hard, saying prayers, and staying disciplined as a major influence during his early life.

That admiration made the controversy surrounding Hogan all the more painful.

“I idolized that man as a kid. I did everything he said to do. Say your prayers, eat your vitamins, train. To hear that broke my heart,” D-Von said. “How do I even see him again and even respect him as a man?”

D-Von explained that the two had built a strong friendship during their time together in TNA, which only added to the sense of betrayal when the recording surfaced.

According to D-Von, Hogan made repeated attempts to apologize and asked for forgiveness directly. “He said, ‘D-Von, I promise you, I am not like that. Give me another chance. All I’m asking for is forgiveness,’” he recalled.

Initially, D-Von admitted he avoided Hogan altogether, choosing to keep his distance rather than confront the situation. However, that eventually changed when he decided to face it head on.

“Usually I would go the other way because I didn’t want to have nothing to do with him. But I said, no, I’m gonna walk right in his path,” he said.

During that meeting, Hogan asked D-Von if he had ever experienced a moment where he said or did something he did not truly mean. That question resonated.

“I told him, ‘Hulk, I forgive you. I don’t forget it, but I forgive you,’” D-Von said.

He made it clear that his decision to forgive was guided by his faith, explaining that he felt a personal responsibility to live by those principles.

“The Bible says if you can’t forgive your brother and sister, then I will not forgive you come time of judgment day. I’m not going to be a hypocrite and sit up here and try to preach the Bible but yet I don’t take heed to what the Bible says.”

The conversation also touched on the timing of Hogan’s passing, which DJ Vlad pointed out came exactly ten years after the tape surfaced and Hogan’s WWE departure. D-Von admitted he was unaware of that detail and described it as “powerful.”

Despite everything, D-Von acknowledged Hogan’s immense legacy in professional wrestling, crediting him as a central figure in the rise of WrestleMania and the expansion of WWE into mainstream popularity.

“He was the first pro wrestler to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He helped launch WrestleMania. He brought Mr. T in. Him and Piper and Orndorff started a phenomenon,” D-Von said. “If there was never a Hulk Hogan, there would be no WrestleMania.”

Elsewhere in the interview, D-Von reflected on another emotional chapter in his career involving his longtime tag team partner, Bubba Ray Dudley. He admitted he was hurt when Bubba returned to WWE alone in 2015 as part of a test run to gauge fan interest in a Dudley Boyz reunion.

“It was like, that was better me not being there and have them do that than me being there,” he said.

However, that setback led to a bigger moment months later, when both men reunited as The Dudley Boyz on Raw in Brooklyn, receiving an even louder reaction from the crowd.