WWE Pulls NXT Coach From 'Tribute To The Extreme' Event

WWE pulled the plug on an independent promotion's attempt to revive one of the company's most extreme tag teams at a live event this weekend.

PWInsider reported that WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley was scheduled to appear with longtime tag partner Bully Ray at Battleground Championship Wrestling's "A Tribute To the Extreme" event this past Saturday, but WWE sent a legal threat over the appearance, causing the indie promotion to remove D-Von from the show.

D-Von, a.k.a. Devon Hughes, was one-half of The Dudley Boyz in ECW. In 1999, the decorated tag team then moved to WWE, which still owns the intellectual property rights for ECW after purchasing the hardcore promotion in 2003. D-Von is currently a backstage coach for WWE's "NXT" developmental brand.

After reportedly receiving a legal letter from WWE last Thursday, BCW then attempted to reach out to WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, a.k.a. Triple H, to get clearance for D-Von to appear on the show over the weekend – but to no avail, according to PWInsider.

D-Von was scheduled to accompany Bully Ray in his match against Matt Cardona, according to BCW's promotions leading up to Saturday's live event in Philadelphia. The card featured several former ECW roster members, including Rob Van Dam, Rhino, both Dudley Boyz, Super Crazy, Juventud Guerrera, The FBI, and 2 Cold Scorpio. Shane Douglas, Sabu, Sandman, and more ECW veterans also made appearances at the show, which took place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, a.k.a. the old ECW Arena.