Going Solo: Reverend D-Von

On March 25th, 2002, WWE held its inaugural draft, officially ushering in the on-and-off era of the brand split.

According to Brian Gewirtz in his recent book, “There’s Just One Problem,” the purpose for the draft was that the company was “burning out” their top talent. By featuring their marquee stars twice a week on both Raw and Smackdown, they were at risk of overexposing them. Therefore, it was decided that the roster would be split into two “brands,” with one represented on Raw and the other on Smackdown. In addition to having separate rosters, it was also announced that both shows would feature different writers and commentators. 

WWE had gone out of its way to emphasize that teams and factions were not entirely exempt from the draft. They touted how well-established teams could be split apart. WWE has never shied away from transparency, so you knew it was a virtual guarantee that the upcoming draft would separate one or more teams. That is precisely what happened when Raw and D-Von drafted Bubba Ray by Smackdown. Even worse, the decorated Dudley Boys tag team was divided thanks to a superficial game of one-upmanship by then Authority figures Vince McMahon and Ric Flair. 

To their “credit,” WWE did attempt to capture some drama with the moment by having Bubba and D-Von share an embrace upon being drafted. In hindsight, The Dudley Boys had somewhat plateaued as a team in early 2002. Because title changes were so frequent and title reigns relatively short during this period, the team had amassed several runs with the titles. Unlike other teams that were mirror images of one another, the Dudley Boys could not be more opposite. It’s not as much of a stretch to picture them as separate entities. 

The caveat was that the Dudley Boys sort of completed one another. D-Von was somewhat limited on the mic, whereas Bubba was an excellent talker. On the flip side, D-Von was more rational and fundamentally sound, as to where Bubba could be unhinged and emotionally unpredictable. It seemed as if fans were weary but willing to give the experiment a try. Because mic work is crucial in WWE, most fans weren’t worried about Bubba’s chances on Raw. However, D-Von, on his own, yielded a much larger question mark. 

D-Von's trademark catchphrase as part of the Dudley Boys team punctuated Bubba’s promos with “oh my brother, testify!” So it seemed the WWE creative team decided to embellish upon that aspect of D-Von's character. That character was initially inspired by Samuel L. Jackson’s performance in Pulp Fiction. In the movie, Jackson’s character was a bible quoting hitman who would imbibe his victims with scripture before taking their lives. It worked well for the team and seemed like a natural extension for D-Von as a solo act.

Debut

On the April 18th edition of SmackDown, we would first see the Reverend D-Von persona. While D-Von would deliver his promo well enough, he was almost immediately met with the dreaded “what” chants. Though the crowd loved to chant “what” at everyone during this era, if they were genuinely invested in you, they would typically reserve the chants for something they weren’t. It wasn’t a good sign for Reverend D-Von, but it was also a new outfit for an established talent, which can take time. D-Von would reveal that the inspiration for his newfound faith was Smackdown General Manager Mr. McMahon.

Rumour is that Vince and WWE conceived the Reverend character to mock the Catholic Church. The church had picketed the WWE at one point due to what they perceived as offensive content on their television program. One of D-Von’s first and more memorable promo/matches as the new character would involve legendary tough guy Farooq. D-Von began the promo by condemning masturbation as a lascivious act and claiming he no longer partook. For whatever reason, Farooq took exception to this. The former Florida State standout, who had also been separated from his partner, stormed to the ring. He said that he still enjoyed masturbating and proceeded to demolish D-Von. 

Deacon Batista 

The squash match didn’t bode well for Reverend D-Von’s future, and D-Von admits he knew he was dead in the water. Perhaps the most momentous occasion involving the Reverend D-Von character occurred on May 9, 2002. D-Von was scheduled to face Triple H, and when he made his entrance, he was accompanied by someone carrying a donation box. This introduced the man we now know as Batista to the WWE audience. At this time, he was referred to as “Deacon" Batista, playing off of the reverend character. 

Deacon Batista and Reverend D-Von make their entrance during the May 9, 2002 edition of SmackDown.

Batista has reflected on his debut and says he was told to buy a suit. When he got to the arena, he had his sleeves ripped off, most likely to show off his impressive physique. It’s an incredible bit of foreshadowing how Batista’s first and last moments of physicality in WWE were with Triple H. Batista has never wrestled for another promotion other than WWE and is on a short list of those who can say that. Looking back, the debut of Deacon Batista was Reverend D-Von’s character's most significant contribution to the company. 

Batista would team with D-Von in his debut match before turning on him. He would join Evolution later that year; the rest is history, as they say. Once again, Batista proves that the Reverend D-Von persona was not a waste of time, even if it didn’t do much for D-Von. It’s the entire ideology of pro wrestling, in that the wrestlers are there to get other wrestlers over, as well as themselves. D-Von can rest easy knowing that he was at least a small catalyst for Batista’s mega success in WWE and eventually beyond.

The Dudley’s Reunite

After disappearing from television for a while, D-Von would make his triumphant comeback at the 2002 Survivor Series when he saved Bubba during a match. Bubba had been outnumbered by the 3-Minute Warning faction in a tables match, and D-Von ran in to make the save most fittingly. The reunited Dudleys would perform their signature 3D to Jamal through a table, scoring a win for Bubba. The MSG crowd erupted in approval as Bubba and D-Von were back where they should have remained together all along. As for D-Von, at least he did leave his stamp with the Reverend character on WWE history. 

Could the Reverend D-Von's character have ever worked? The answer is possibly, but probably not. WWE likes creating personas based on fleeting bits of topical occurrences. If the idea was to thumb their nose at the Catholic Church, what sort of gravitas or direction did the character ever have? Also, D-Von as a performer, has proven to be more reliant on Dudley’s team than Bubba, who has enjoyed more success as a singles wrestler. 

The Reverend D-Von will be remembered for introducing Batista to the world of pro wrestling, at least on a mainstream platform. Aside from that, a few humorous moments and a shocking but tainted win over Triple H on Smackdown. D-Von would eventually move on to a backstage role for WWE after retiring in 2020. His legacy will always remain as one-half of one of the all-time great tag teams in pro wrestling. At the very least, the Reverend's character showed that D-Von possessed more range as a performer than he may have been given credit for before that.