The Buh Buh Dudley D-d-d-drool Page


		Dudleys are Duds The Dudley Boyz went from ECW tag champs to WWF tag chumps The Dudley Boyz are an odd sight. They wear tie-dyed T-shirts and glasses that make them look more like classroom nerds than wrestling ring bullies. D-Von Dudley's attire consists of short, black overalls over his T-shirt. Buh Buh Ray Dudley's shirt goes untucked, leaving little to be imagined around the midsection. His Confederate flag bandanna adds yet another dimension to a team that appears to be a collection of opposites. Despite their unconventional appearance. The Dudleys have failed to stand out since jumping to the World Wrestling Federation from Extreme Championship Wrestling in August 1999. Dudleys' WWF debut The eight-time ECW world tag team champions and popular heels debuted on Smackdown Sept. 2, 1999 with a reputation for excelling in hardcore matches. That night, D-Von and Buh Buh Ray Dudley (real names: Devon Hughes and Mark Lomonica, respectively) looked like they were picking up where they left off in ECW. During a match between Edge and Christian and the Acolytes, The Dudleys walked down the ramp carrying two-by-fours and started swinging. Commentators Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler played to the situation, wondering aloud who these two outsiders were and from where these men had come. Edge and Christian and The Acolytes stood outside the ring staring blankly at the two wrestlers who had just caused a double disqualification. Unfortunately for The Dudleys and the WWF, many fans were doing the same, and many still are. Dudley job squad In the months since the Smackdown debut, the WWF and The Dudleys have not been able to turn the duo's ECW success into WWF glory. While the team chalked up a few victories in late 1999 (including beating Kurt Angle and Steve Blackman on the Dec. 9 Smackdown and Kane and X-Pac on the Oct. 28 Smackdown). The Dudleys have been relegated largely to jobbing to more established tag teams including The Acolytes, The Hardy Boyz, and the team of Edge and Christian. While in ECW, D-Von and Buh Buh Ray Dudley were part of the federation's most despised group. Along with Spike and Sign Guy Dudley. The Dudley Boys developed a reputation for cutting biting promos and inciting near riots with their disparaging remarks toward fans. D-Von and Buh Buh Ray Dudley had instant chemistry. Their Dudley Death Drop (3-D) tandem move - where the opponent is punished in a combination of a back body drop and a version of the diamond cutter - became a fear-inspiring finisher. Toward the end of their ECW run, the Dudleys added a twist on the 3-D by putting opponents through flaming tables. The Dudleys' popularity and teamwork raised the eyebrows of WWF officials. So did another ECW move that forced the WWF to react. Just weeks before The Dudleys left, ECW signed a contract with TNN that gave the federation its first national, cable television deal. Until that point, ECW had limited exposure. Live shows were performed in smaller venues in front of rowdier, hardcore fans. Since ECW's existing syndicated television show was difficult to find on some cable systems, many casual wrestling fans did not know the federation existed. WWF raids competition The WWF had seen enough from ECW to know that a third major wrestling federation could be developing. The easiest way for the WWF to make sure ECW didn't make too big of a splash was to raid its roster of talent, no matter how obscure the performers may have been on a national level. The Dudleys got caught in the middle. The WWF offered Hughes and Lomonica a substantial raise and told them they would be worked into story lines immediately. The WWF didn't need another tag team. It just wanted to make sure ECW didn't have its top one as it went national on TNN. "I wish they wouldn't have left," Tazz wrote about The Dudley Boyz on his Web site on Aug. 4 "But business is business, and they deserve it. They are the hardest working tag team I have ever seen in my 13 years in the business." Turn Dudleys loose While the money might be good. The Dudleys are going to need to work overtime to make their WWF run a success. In the current WWF tag team structure. The Dudleys have yet to find a niche. Because of their bigger size, they don't work well with high-flyers like Edge and Christian or The Hardys, two young teams the WWF is pushing. The Dudleys need to be set loose. They have yet to reclaim ECW-like glory on the microphone because the WWF hasn't allowed them to. In his first few months in the WWF, Buh Buh Ray revived his old stuttering gimmick from ECW, but he earned few laughs and little legitimate heat. The two haven't had an extended interview and only recently were they involved in angles with the top tag teams. "The Dudleys came in and not a lot of people knew who they were," said a WWF tag team wrestler who asked to remain anonymous. "At that time, ECW was still only a common name to a handful of wrestling fans. they didn't have a lot of time to develop their characters because they were thrown right in there. Here, you normally have to pay your dues. The WWF is fair, and I think if (The Dudleys) keep gong along with what they're told, there will be good things to come for them." May 2000 WOW Magazine The Dudleys Speak Out Buh Buh Ray refutes WOW's claim that the "Dudleys Are Duds" in the WWF In the March 2000 issue of WOW Magazine, a feature article on The Dudley Boyz entitled "Dudleys are Duds" questioned the move of the tag team from Extreme Championship Wrestling to the World Wrestling Federation in August 1999. In this excerpt from a recent interview conducted by freelance writer Robert Johnson at a WWF house show in Mobile, Ala., Buh Buh Ray Dudley shares his thoughts on the WOW article and provides insight as to why the move to the WWF is paying off for the tag team. Q: How do you react to WOW Magazine saying you and D-Von should have stayed in ECW? A: In ECW, we were eight-time tag team champions. There was nothing left for us to do. We'd beaten every tag team. They even tried to bring The Public Enemy back, and we beat the hell out of them (on Jan. 23. 1999 in Detroit). The only tag team left that they could have put us against - and this was a team that existed in EWE in the early days - was Task and Sabot. But after winning the title eight times, what more is here to do? We've put more guys through flaming tables than anyone else. A: How do you respond to Wow's claim that The Dudley Boyz got no hype when coming to the WWF bad that it was a mistake to make the move? A: We came into the WWF actually very happy that we didn't get all the pyro, the lights and the big explosions. D-Von and I have always earned our spot the old-fashioned way, through our in-ring work. If you come in with a huge push and you don't succeed - or the fans don't take a liking to you -the (the federation) has to cut back on you. We came in at a low level, so if things didn't go right, they could always push us in a different direction. Instead, they built us up over five months. Now they're finally handing us the bal and we're scoring with it left and right. The people at WOW should have said "Let's give the Dudleys a chance." When the Dudleys first came into ECW, we weren't overnight sensations. It took us some time,especially when we became a tag team, to establish ourselves and work together. Whether it's wrestling, brawling, high-end stunts or a technical match, we have the best tag team finish in wrestling. The 3D (Dudley Death Drop) is an incredible move. Why would the WWF let a tag team from ECW come in and just take over? They're going to let us beat The Acolytes really quick? Absolutely not. They're going to put the straps on us really quick? Absolutely not. They're doing the right thing. Q: What does the future hold for The Dudley Boyz in the WWF? A: The push is starting and I hope it lasts. We're going to keep giving the WWF every reason to keep handing us the ball. There are only a few guys who get monster pushes that last for a long time. I hope we can be the next tag team. We entertain the people on a totally different level. What the Dudleys come through the curtain. There's some cheering, there's some booing, but everybody is starting to stand up because they know something is about to see something that no other wrestlers are willing to do.