The WWE Universe will be hard-pressed to find a more accomplished tag team than The Dudley Boyz.
For over 20 years, they have made their mark on the industry and set the gold standard for the tag team division. Bubba Ray Dudley, which is the more outspoken member of the duo, dropped by to chat with us about the Dudleys return to the Staples Center, his legendary career and the why he came back to the WWE.
Return to WWE
CraveOnline: Can you take us through how you came to return to WWE?
Bubba Ray Dudley: The process started way back in January of 2015. They contacted me and asked me if I wanted to be in the Royal Rumble and I told them “yes.” …
I did the Royal Rumble and stayed in touch a little bit and decided that the RAW after SummerSlam would be the best time to come back and that’s really how the process started. There were one or two shows that they asked me to do by myself but I wasn’t able to do them. In retrospect, I think it was better than I wasn’t able to do them because it was a bigger shock when D-Von and me returned.
Facing The New Day at Hell in a Cell
CraveOnline: What can we expect from your tag tittle match with The New Day at Hell in a Cell this Sunday?
Bubba Ray Dudley: This is the first time we have been back in the Staples Center in 11 years and as you all know, gunning for our tenth tag team championship in WWE. We already hold the record at nine and we’re the most decorated tag team in the history of WWE and in the world. Now we’re going to try and make it ten and The New Day has it coming to them.
What’s your secret?
CraveOnline: You’re 44-years old and your physique has improved tremendously. You’ve had a long and successful run where you never took it easy. What’s the secret to your longevity?
Bubba Ray Dudley: I really don’t even know. I just really try to take a lot better care of myself. I got myself in better shape about five years ago and just try to eat healthy and exercise more. There really is no secret. If you want your car to run forever you take care of it. You change the oil; you put good gasoline in it. If you want your body engine to run forever, you got to take care of it also.
Team 3D Academy and advice for aspiring wrestlers
CraveOnline: How involved are you in your Team 3D Academy that you run in Florida and will it possibly serve as a feeder school to NXT?
Bubba Ray Dudley: D-Von [Dudley] and I are extremely involved and extremely hands on. Now that we are full-time with the WWE, obviously we are not there every day like we used to be but we are there every day that we’re at home and not on the road or working with WWE. We’re very hands on in the ring, character development, their promos and everything it takes to be good as a businessman and professional wrestler.
As far as a feeder system, we’re only twenty minutes away from the WWE Performance Center could work if they ever want to examine it in the future.
CraveOnline: What would you tell your students that you wish someone had told you when you first started out?
Bubba Ray Dudley: The very first thing I teach all of my students that I was not taught from day one is that this is a business. You always have to remember that this is a business. This is a business just like every other business you can get into and the idea is to always climb ladders of success and to always make more money.
“We’re like an old married couple.”
CraveOnline: You’re on the road a lot with your tag partner, D-Von. Do you guys ever get sick of each other?
Bubba Ray Dudley: The funny thing is that we are probably the only tag team in the history of wrestling that genuinely gets along. We ride together, we do most stuff together and the other guys laugh at us and say we’re like an old married couple. We have enough time away from each other to get out of each other’s head. We basically know when to stay out of each other’s way.
WWE releasing a DVD of The Dudley Boyz
CraveOnline: I know you’re working on a DVD with WWE that is coming out next year. What do you want the fans to know about that and what are some things you’re going to make sure is included on the DVD?
Bubba Ray Dudley: There are some really cool photos of me and D-Von in the past that you’re going to see and this will be the first true DVD about The Dudley Boyz, not just a “best of matches” or anything like that, you’re going to get me and D-Von doing separate sit down interviews, different settings and just getting a different perspectives on our careers. I think you’re going to get the DVD version of Motley Crue’s The Dirt. I think the fans are going to be really entertained by it.
Current era stars and the Attitude Era
CraveOnline: You guys have been around a long time. Who from the current era do you think could be successful if they time traveled to the Attitude Era?
Bubba Ray Dudley: I think The New Day is really, really entertaining. The Attitude Era was all about entertainment. They could have been successful in the tag-team scene. No doubt. There are so many guys could have done something. I definitely think [Seth] Rollins, I definitely think the Wyatts, and all those guys are just so talented that if you ever took them and put them in the DeLorean and you went back in time and put them in the Attitude Era and they’d all work.
CraveOnline: The New Day has three members so where’s Spike Dudley these days?
Bubba Ray Dudley: Spike’s doing well. He’s retired and at home and with his family so he’s doing great.
Bubba is a Star Wars geek?
CraveOnline: I understand you’re a big Star Wars geek. How psyched are you for the new film?
Bubba Ray Dudley: I am beyond psyched. I’m even thinking about renting out my own theater just to go watch it.
The future
CraveOnline: What do you hope to accomplish in this latest WWE run?
Bubba Ray Dudley: The number one thing I hope to accomplish on this WWE run is first and foremost, help the tag-team division get back to the prominence that it once was. Are we ever going to see another day of the Dudleys, Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian, APA and all those teams? I’m not sure. It would be great if we could get there. The WWE has a lot of great tag teams. This is why I picked this time to come back. You have The New Day, The Usos, The Lucha Dragons, all of these teams are really quality teams. You throw in Cesaro and [Tyson] Kidd once he gets back and that gives you a great dynamic in teams. If you got all those teams on the same page, the tag-team division would be really, really special. Throw in the Dudleys and things can work.
“We’re still relevant 20 years after we got together”
CraveOnline: With such a prestigious career, what do you hang your hat on the most?
Bubba Ray Dudley: The thing I’m the most proud of is our longevity. What team has been able to flourish and survive for 20 years like me and D-Von have? What team has been able to break-up and get back together with such success as we have? What team is able to go back to WWE after everything we’ve done and be as successful as we are? We’re still relevant 20 years after we got together and still doing what we do best. As far as matches are concerned, everybody talks about the TLC and TLC II matches, those would be hard matches to top. That stands out the most.
Photos courtesy of WWE
- WWE Hell in a Cell is live on WWE Network Sunday October 25th from Los Angeles, CA.
- After a 10 year hiatus The Dudley Boyz have made their WWE return and look to take the WWE Tag Team Titles from The New Day.
Joshua Caudill is a writer for CraveOnline, a surfing enthusiast, an unhealthy sports fanatic, and an expert on all things Patrick Swayze. You can follow him on Twitter @JoshuaCaudill85 or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
