Straight Outta Dudleyville – The Legacy Of The Dudley Boyz DVD Review: 20 Interesting Observations
12. Doubts From The Boys
Many within WWE thought the ECW style just didn't work in WWE. It was seen as too explicit for Vince McMahon's crowd, while Public Enemy had made things worse for any talent coming in from the land of extreme.
One of the best tag teams in ECW history, Public Enemy arrived in WWE with a big reputation. They fell well short of that though.
Ten minutes before a match with the APA, where both members of PE were scheduled to go through tables, they said they weren't going to do it. Tables, in their eyes, were their thing and them going through one would be taking it away from them somewhat.
Needless to say, APA were given license to beat up the Public Enemy by Vince McMahon so their egos would shrink and they'd realise what it was like to be team players. And they did so, with steel chairs.
Now since The Dudley Boyz had enjoyed even more success in ECW than the Public Enemy did, everybody in WWE assumed they'd be even more difficult to work with. Bubba and D-Von were paired with APA upon their arrival in WWE as a tester to see what they were made of.
After debuting on SmackDown by attacking a number of teams with two-by-fours, APA were scheduled to attack the Dudleys during a backstage interview on the following RAW.
Word spread round the locker room that Bradshaw and Faarooq would be beating the snot out of the Dudleys to see how they'd react, so when it came time to do the segment, the entire locker room followed Bubba and D-Von to the interview area and watched from behind the camera.
APA did what they were told, demolishing the pair with heavy steel drums. When Bubba and D-Von heard "and cut," signalling the end of the segment, they simply stood up, asked if that was a good take, and thanked the APA for the beating.
Obviously, many were hoping that things would blow up after Bradshaw and Faarooq were too stiff with them.
After proving they were humble and team players, they received a standing ovation from the entire locker room. They had passed the test and were officially integrated into the WWE ranks.