The Dudleys Check In

            In the Genre of hockey films, 1977’s Slap Shots ranks as one of the best.  At the time, Paul Newman was one of the top actors in Hollywood; but it was a trio of players known as the Hanson Brothers who ultimately made the movie a classic.  The Hansons, star goons on the Chiefs, didn’t care if they scored goals- they just wanted to break bones.

            Almost two decades later, the popular characters were the inspiration for the Dudleys of Philadelphia’s Extreme Championship Wresting. (ECW)  Sporting tie-dyed shirts and coke-bottle bifocal glasses, much like the Hansons, this bizarre “family” reproduced with the rapidity of Gremlins.  Inevitably, two of the brothers would continue the legacy, finally landing in the World Wrestling Federation this past summer.

            When the Dudleys left ECW, expectations for them in the Federation were high; but just signing their names on the dotted line was just one part of road to acceptance.  Their biggest, and most challenging, test was from their peers in the locker room-many of whom wondered if Buh Buh and D-Von had what it takes to survive, or would they fail like another former ECW team before them.

            The Dudleys, born Mark and Devon, still find amusement in the genetic lineage of their personas.  As the story line goes, D-Von and Buh Buh are half brothers, progeny of the mythical Big Daddy Dudley.

            “The story was that Big Daddy Dudley used to travel throughout the United States and settle down with a different woman in each town,” Mark says, “And each time a different Dudley would pop out.  Big Dick was from an affair Big Daddy had in New York City.  Dances with Dudley happened after an affair with a [Native American] girl, and D-von came about because Big Daddy obviously got a flat tire in the south side of Dudleyville one night!”

            Devon laughs how Buh Buh Ray appeared after Big Daddy watched Deliverance once too often.   Fans now have a clear understanding of how this inter-racial tandem claim to have the same father within the confines of sports entertainment.  Skin color isn’t the only thing separating these two native New Yorkers.

            Mark grew up learning the family oil business while balancing studies at St. John’s University and his dedication to sports.  While he excelled in track and field (shot-put and discus), it was his love of wrestling that led him to the ring.  Competing under the name of Mongo Vile, Mark learned the mat mechanics competing in the independents or as he puts it, “Getting educated ass backwards.”  With a few ups and downs, he eventually made it into ECW and was introduced as Buh Buh Ray, the stuttering Dudley.

            Devon grew up in a deeply religious family; his parents are in fact core members of the local church.  As a result, one can imagine the uproar Devon created when he opted to pass up a full football scholarship to Florida A&M for the squared circle.  While some family members perhaps prayed for him to see the light, his grandfather urged him to follow his dream and even helped him financially.  At the same time, Devon found a job with the postal service.  In a few years’ time, he was a graduate of former Federation Superstar Johnny Rodz’s wrestling school in Brooklyn, New York, and had his first try- out with ECW.

            At that time the promotion graded newcomers in the confines of their training dojo, which was then headed by Taz, where Devon- unaware that he was being considered to play the latest Dudley- met his future tag-team partner Mark.  Devon passed his test with flying colors, and within six months, he and Buh Buh had began to team.

            “Story line-wise, Buh Buh and D-Von couldn’t stand each other, but after months of fighting within the Dudley family, I suggested to the powers-that-be in ECW to put us together,” Mark says.

            “I told them, ‘You’ve got something here… put us together and see what happens.’ Once we got in the ring there was an obvious chemistry, as opposed to the other Dudleys.  Taking nothing away from them, but we just clicked.”

            Like the Hansons of Slap Shot fame, the Dudleys were a tag team who loved to go to extremes on their foes.  Their characters cared little for victories- just brutalizing the opposition.  The Dudley family flourished for some time, but eventually, Buh Buh Ray and D-Von became the sole competing members.  At the same time, free agency was thinning ECW’s ranks, and while many of their colleagues chose to sign with the Federation or WCW, the Dudleys decided to remain.

            “ I think we stayed more because of me,” Devon says.  “I needed to grow in ECW a little bit longer, and I don’t think I was ready to leave.  There was still a lot I needed to learn in the business so that when I did make the jump, I would be ready for it.”

            Mark enjoyed the creative freedom ECW offered.  The duo were cornerstones in the promotion, but as often happens to the major stars, there was nothing left for them to prove.  It was time to graduate from ECW to see if they could make it in the big time.

            “We had basically run the gamut in ECW. We competed aginst everyone, from your traditional wrestling opponents in the Eliminators to the brawling combination in the Gangstas,” Mark says.  “We had done it all before and it was getting to be a little old hat.  Pushing the envelope was cool, but there wasn’t fresh meat out there for us to run with; it was just the same guys over and over.  So, it was time for us to get in the ring with some new talent.”

            After several meetings with Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and the Federation’s creative team, Mark and Devon bid farewell to their longtime home promotion for new opportunities.  Obviously, the two were nervous about their new environment and in particular, how they would fit into a company where Public Enemy- a fellow former ECW team- had reportedly had problems.

            “We heard stories about the Public Enemy, and we didn’t know if the boys in the Federation didn’t like them just because they were from ECW or because they came here and didn’t conduct themselves the right way,” Mark says.

            “We know how to conduct ourselves.  We were brought up the right way… to always respect the business, always respect the people who came before, and respect everyone there because you have to work with them on a daily basis.

            “It could have been miserable for us, or it could have been like it is today- very good.  We were going to be the catalysts for that.  Coming in and acting like big shots because we were eight-time ECW tag team champions wasn’t the right thing, because that meant zero here in the Federation.”

            Since their debut, Mark and Devon have been accepted by everyone in the Federation locker room- including Bradshaw, who apparently questioned Public Enemy’s attitude.  Today, despite the ongoing feud between the Acolytes and the Dudleys, the tough Texan has nothing but praise for Devon and Mark.

            “The Dudleys are great guys, “ Bradshaw says.  “They work extremely hard and they’re very conscientious to work the Federation style, which is a little different from ECW. And they try hard to learn it, and it shows that they really want to be here.  I don’t know of anyone in the Federation who would say anything bad about them.  First impressions usually make for a lot, and they’ve been great.”

            Just as the Dudleys have become a part of the World Wrestling Federation family, so have they bonded as brothers. According to Devon, they share a mutual respect as the key to their friendship has been opening their eyes and ears to what the other has to say.  Mark, on the other hand, likens it more to wedlock.

            “What we do in the ring is business.  And the thing that keeps us friends is that when we go home we each do our own thing,” he says.  “We don’t even talk to each other except maybe the night before our flights.  I don’t want to see him on my days off!” he laughs.  “It’s like a marriage sometimes- on the road, we have to travel together, eat together, go to the gym together and sleep in the same room.  The time away does us good.”

            At the end of Slap Shot the Chiefs win their division title- but if you’re looking for some kind of happy ending for the Hanson brothers, forget it!  Paul Neuman benched them at the end of the game. While the Dudleys may have had their origin in the characters, the Hansons, there is one good reason this duo won’t end up like the legendary Hollywood hockey goons… The Dudleys are team players.