Opinion by lexluthor

I remember the first time that I saw the Dudley Boys back in 1999.

I was just getting into ECW (I was late), so I ordered the Heatwave PPV. The Dudleys came out to the ring for their ECW Tag Team Titles match against Balls Mahoney and Spike Dudley, and Bubba Ray Dudley proceeded to run down the crowd in a way that I had never heard before. It wasn’t just your usual “everyone in this town is ugly” speech that we’ve heard from heels since the beginning of time. He was vulgar–he singled out a man and a woman in the crowd, and called them names that I won’t reprint here. I was immediately hooked.

Whether or not the people were plants, I was still shocked. Who were these guys, and why did they almost start a riot in Dayton, Ohio? Despite the fact that they lost their match and their titles that night, I wanted to see them perform more.

As I began to watch ECW on a regular basis, I saw them put on some wild brawls with the other ECW wrestlers. They used weapons from the crowd, and even put people through flaming tables. They were hated by the crowd, but at the same time the crowd loved them. This got the attention of Vince McMahon, and soon the Dudleys were headed to the WWE.

They started out a little slow on wrestling’s biggest stage, but soon they were crowd favorites. They had WWE crowds chanting for them to “get the tables,” and Bubba’s powerbomb off the top rope through a table became the Dudley’s signature calling card. They went on to have some of the most innovate matches in the history of the WWE. Up until that point, the craziest thing that had ever happened in the WWE was Mick Foley’s fall off the top of the cell, but the Dudleys went out with the Hardys and Edge and Christian and put on some matches that lived up to Mick Foley’s finest.

As time went on in the WWE, the Dudleys became more stale. They were split up for a while, but that didn’t work, so they were reunited. With the Hardys gone and Edge and Christian no longer in the tag ranks, the matches just weren’t as entertaining. Then, after a long run in the WWE, the Dudleys were let go in 2005, along with a slew of other wrestlers.

The Dudleys eventually landed in TNA, and with their name copyrighted by the WWE, they became known as “Team 3D.” I was excited to see the Dudleys had found a place on television, but the excitement didn’t last long. Despite being in a new federation, their gimmick still seems stale.

Let’s be honest: the Dudleys aren’t the best pure wrestlers. They are a brawling team, and they rely on big spots in their big matches. Most of the matches I’ve seen them wrestle in TNA, however, consist of them brawling throughout the arena, exchanging punches with other teams. Their eight-man tag match at Destination X was the perfect example of this: some people seemed to love it, but I nearly fell asleep halfway through the match. Their tables match with AMW at Turning Point was mildly entertaining, but it wasn’t a title match and it only lasted ten minutes.

I think part of the reason that I’m bored with the Dudleys is the way TNA misuses them. Their running feud with AMW always seems to be leading to the Dudleys capturing the titles, but it never happens. Now, they’ve been building Team 3D’s feud with Team Canada. How long till the Dudley’s get another shot at the titles?

TNA should book Team 3D like ECW did (and WWE did for a period of time). Put them in matches that aren’t just brawls around the arena, but matches where they are hitting people over the head with street signs and whatever else is found at ringside. Raven has had multiple matches like this, so why can’t the Dudleys?
Now that Matt Hyson (Brother “Runt”) has returned, perhaps it will help rejuvenate the Bubba and Devon’s heat. Team 3D can be a entertaining tag team, but only when they are in their element. If TNA doesn’t start using them right, it’s going to be a long, boring ride.