15 WWE Break-Ups That IMMEDIATELY Backfired
1. The Dudley Boyz Go Separate Ways (2002)
Vince McMahon knew he needed some seismic splits to make his first ever brand extension matter. On the 25 March 2002 episode of Raw, red GM Ric Flair picked Bubba Ray Dudley and made it clear he planned to pick D-Von next. Muscling in and ruining that thought, Vince took D-Von to SmackDown with him. The Dudley Boyz were to be split up on WWF television for the first time since signing in 1999.
A short backstage segment showed the pair looking visibly distraught. Then, they shook hands and Bubba walked off as D-Von looked heartbroken. The WWF moved on to the next segment like nothing had happened. Later, Bubba-Ray's run on Raw as a would-be Dusty Rhodes type proved to be bang average (although it did produce some cool hardcore matches), but it was really D-Von's new direction that stole eyeballs.
He was repackaged as Reverend D-Von, a corrupt man of the cloth who stole donation money rather than gifting it to good causes. Maybe the only positive one could say about this character was that it gave Batista his main roster debut. Even that was almost disastrous, but thankfully big Dave said no to McMahon's sickening backstory.
The Dudleyz weren't coping on their own, and they were decidedly less-than as individuals. So, without any warning whatsoever, D-Von ran in on a match at Survivor Series '02 to help Bubba out, and the boys were back in business. Madison Square Garden erupted for that, and the fed quietly pretended they'd manufactured this all along.
That's eh...that's what we wanted to happen! Enjoy!
What other WWE break-ups and splits backfired? For more wrestling content, check out 15 WWE Title Changes That IMMEDIATELY Backfired and 100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)!