10 WWE Matches That Changed Your Mind About Wrestlers You Hated

4. THE DUDLEY BOYZ Vs. The Hardy Boyz - Royal Rumble 2000

Roman Reigns
WWE.com

Lost to revisionist history is that the Dudley Boyz really weren't that over upon their late 1999 WWF debut. You'd be hard pressed to single out a classic - or truly good/memorable - traditional tag match they contested, even after they established themselves as the octogenarian-killing psychopaths so beloved of the Attitude Era.

The Boyz are inextricably linked to the tables they brought - and, since they first brought them to the WWF arena at Madison Square Garden in January of 2000, this gruesome thriller is the moment they seduced the fandom. The taste-making MSG crowd lapped up every last skull-crunching chair shot and terrifying bump. It was significantly better than their ambling, shortcut-laden ECW vintage brawl, too; helped by their daredevil opponents, this first-ever tag team tables match was as suspenseful and rapid as it was stupidly violent, boasting a superb spot in which D-Von narrowly evaded two near-stereo Hardy dives.

Mark Yeaton, in a rare miscue, was late ringing the bell. He was either flummoxed by the brand new rules or, just as likely, in a state of pure shock at just how breathless and brutal those terrifying 10 minutes were.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!