How Good Were The Dudley Boyz Actually?
Moments
The Dudley Boyz were an entertaining and memorable fixture of the endlessly replayed WWE Attitude Era.
The Triangle and Ladder and TLC matches will be remembered forever. Beyond that, without eliciting true emotion, the Dudleyz very much understood the assignment of the time.
In one of the most shocking moments in WWE history, the Dudley Boyz violently attacked octogenarian supporting cast member Mae Young. Placed in a wheelchair, the Dudleyz rolled her onto the stage. D-Von threatened to wheel her off it and through a table before Bubba stopped him. They then gestured to the crowd as if to say “Come on guys, we’re horrible, but we’d never do anything like that!”
They then did something worse: Bubba hoisted her up and blasted her several feet below with a table-assisted powerbomb. This was quite possibly the best black comedy moment in wrestling history. It felt like the most dangerous invitation to fate possible, something deeply wrong even in a time when morality was a heel, and Bubba didn’t merely brag about it: he entered what looked like an orgasmic trance. D-Von was just as funny here; he performed his “Testify!” taunt very slowly, and with a sinister expression on his face, like he was eulogising Mae and not remotely unhappy that she was ostensibly dead.
The first time the Dudleyz hit the 3D is a genuine piece of ECW Arena lore. While it didn’t actually generate much of a pop, and the execution was so wonky that they almost broke Spike Dudley’s neck, it was momentous nonetheless. An assisted double-team cutter, the move was so awesome that it literally elevated their legend in and of itself. Contrary to the ‘Time’s Test’ entry, this actually was transformative; FTR’s Shatter Machine finish isn’t possible, if the Dudleyz don’t pioneer the set-up.
While they didn’t steal the show - Mike Awesome Vs. Masato Tanaka was by some distance match of the night - the Dudleyz were worthy headliners of what many consider to be one of the best wrestling shows ever. The WWE-produced ECW One Night Stand 2005 was a sensationally authentic, all-killer night. It being so unexpected as to be surreal was just as important as the content of the show itself, but the Dudleyz Vs. Sandman and Tommy Dreamer main event was massively fun, highlighted by the awesome flaming tables spot that had become their awe-inspiring signature spot years prior.
‘The Heat Wave ‘99 promo’, accurately or otherwise, is a widely-cited example of heat. It’s hard to argue against it as a moment. It’s a better moment than interview, really.
In another clip that often does the rounds on social media, in a televised tag match, Kane substituted for Bubba when setting up D-Von’s flying headbutt to the balls spot. When Kane did the “Wassup?!” gesture, the Undertaker looked disgusted with him. A memorable, irreverent, crowd-pleasing moment typical of the time.
7/10