The internet is currently a total dumpster fire over Devon Dudley
Pull up a chair and grab a drink, because the marks are absolutely melting down in the forums today. Devon Dudley, one half of the most legendary tag teams to ever put someone through a table, decided to go on record about forgiving Hulk Hogan regarding those infamous recordings from years ago. If you thought this would go over quietly, you clearly haven't spent five minutes on social media since the turn of the decade.
The debate has split the fanbase right down the middle like a bad powerbomb. You have the purists who argue that forgiveness is a personal journey and none of our business. Then you have the keyboard warriors who think that because they bought a ticket to a house show in 2004, they are morally entitled to veto anyone else's path to reconciliation.
The divide between the saints and the scorched-earth brigade
Over on the main subreddits, the pro-devon crowd is pushing the narrative that a man of faith has every right to choose his own battles. One frequent poster summed up the sentiment perfectly: if Devon wants to let go of the grudge for his own peace of mind, who are we to tell him his heart isn't working correctly? They point out that keeping hatred on ice for an entire decade is a heavy burden, and walking away from that grudge is arguably a power move.
However, the skepticism on the other side is biting and frankly, it is not without merit. The contrarians are screaming into the void, pointing out that Hogan represents a history of problematic behavior that makes some fans feel alienated. They are not asking for a public stoning, but they are questioning why a legend like Devon feels the need to lend his cachet to the Hulkster at this stage in history.
My take: Why this conversation is a total circus
Let's get real for a second. We are sitting here debating deep philosophical concepts like forgiveness while the actual product is gearing up for AEW Double or Nothing 2026 on May 24. We have guys like Bryan Danielson potentially putting their bodies through hell in the ring, and yet here we are dissecting a podcast clip about an incident that happened an eternity ago.
The issue here isn't Devon's forgiveness; it's the fact that modern fandom treats every single human interaction like a courtroom hearing. When your entertainment is scripted, it is easy to forget that the guys in the trunks are actual people with messy, complicated lives. Devon Dudley doesn't need a permission slip from the internet search history police to decide who he talks to behind closed doors.
Where the discourse goes off the rails
The anti-forgiveness camp makes a decent point about accountability, but they lose the plot when it turns into harassment. You can dislike a legend's past actions without needing to deconstruct every single interview they give. It is exhausting to watch fans treat moral posturing as a competitive sport. We are here to talk about cage matches and botched moonsaults, not to act as the supreme arbiters of morality for a hall of famer.
That said, don't mistake this for a defense of Hogan. The 2015 tapes were a gut punch to the industry and the black community, and the fallout was rightfully brutal. But if we are going to start demanding full, notarized public confessions every time someone shows an ounce of grace toward a polarizing figure, the comment sections are just going to get perpetually miserable. The sport is better than this constant cycle of outrage.
Ultimately, Devon Dudley holds all the cards here. He took the bumps, he broke the tables, and he earned his longevity the hard way. If he wants to bury the hatchet on a decade-old drama, he can go right ahead. The rest of us should probably focus on whether the upcoming pay-per-view card can actually deliver on the hype. If we spent half the energy critiquing the booking that we do stalking old controversies, maybe the shows would be a hell of a lot better.
