10 Former Cruiserweight Champions: Where Are They Now?

Spike Dudley was always the black sheep of the Dudley family, particularly in WWE. A pint-sized brawler with bags of heart, Spike signed for WWE in 2001, and his career with the company primarily revolved around his turbulent relationship with his “brothers” D-Von and Bubba Ray, along with the ill-fated Molly Holly romance angle.

Spike was far from the archetypal Cruiserweight, but his scrappy fist-throwing style contrasted well with the slick high-flyers that largely comprised the division at the time. He mustered a 138-day Cruiserweight Title reign after being drafted to SmackDown in 2004, and was always over with the crowd despite his lack of sheen and polish.

Dudley left WWE in 2005, and immediately headed to the independent circuit. 2006 saw him join D-Von and Bubba as TNA’s “Brother Runt,” where Spike would continue his tradition of wrestling (and defeating) wrestlers far bigger than his diminutive 5’5”. He left the company full-time the following year, but continued making occasional appearances over the years that followed, and by 2012, his wrestling career was all but wound-down.

He still makes the odd independent appearance every now and then, but Spike’s day job sees him working as a financial planner for MassMutual: an agency focused tax, retirement, and college fund planning.