Team 3D Academy

The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley family members, notably Spike Dudley and former valet Stacy Keibler. They are best known for their time in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) where Joel Gertner was their manager. They are also well known for their tenure in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, briefly known as Impact). They are considered one of the major teams that revived tag team wrestling during the Attitude Era and have been described as the greatest and most decorated tag team in professional wrestling history.

The team wrestled as the Dudley Boyz in ECW and WWF/E, and upon joining TNA—Due to WWE owning the rights to their names—they became known as Brother Ray and Brother Devon of Team 3D (named after their finishing move the Dudley Death Drop). Spike Dudley later signed with TNA and again sided with Team 3D as Brother Runt. Later in their TNA career, Brother Ray used the ring name Bully Ray while Brother Devon wrestled as simply Devon. After a brief feud with one another, Devon and Bully Ray were reunited as part of the villainous faction Aces & Eights.

They are the only tag team to hold the WWF, WWE, ECW, WCW, NWA, TNA and IWGP Tag Team Championships, as well as to win the All Japan Pro Wrestling's World's Strongest Tag Determination League (although they never won the AJPW World Tag Team Championship) and are thus regarded among the greatest tag teams of all time. During their time as members of Aces & Eights, Ray was TNA World Heavyweight Champion on two occasions, while Devon was Television Champion. On June 15, 2014, at Slammiversary XII, Team 3D (as a team) were selected as that year's induction into the TNA Hall of Fame. WWE recognizes them as the most decorated tag team in company history, with 18 world tag team championship reigns, while TNA recognizes them as 23-time world tag team champions. They were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2024, they were inducted into the Hardcore Hall of Fame, making them the first to be inducted into the WWE, TNA, and Hardcore Halls of Fame

They are famously known for their use of tables in their matches, usually beginning with Bubba Ray asking D-Von to "get the tables" in the middle of a match. On May 21, 2007, Bubba Ray and D-Von opened the Team 3D Academy of Professional Wrestling and Sports Entertainment at the X-Cel Fitness Gym in Kissimmee, Florida. Longtime pro wrestling journalist Fin Martin of ''Power Slam'', in contemplating the greatest tag team of all time, wrote: "If one were to base his decision on longevity, title wins and success in a variety of companies, The Dudley Boyz would get the nod".

History

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996–1999)

The teaming of Mark LoMonaco and Devon Hughes was born from ECW's Dudley family, a team of comedic fan favorites that consisted of many illegitimate children of the mythical traveling salesman "Big Daddy" Dudley. LoMonaco's Buh Buh Ray Dudley at the time was a fat, stuttering hillbilly who entertained the fans by dancing and wrestled with several of his "half-brothers", including Matt Hyson's Little Spike Dudley, for the ECW World Tag Team Championship several times. Hughes, as D-Von Dudley (the only black member of the family), debuted in ECW in April 1996 at Massacre on Queens Boulevard.Peterson Kaelberer, Angie. ''The Hardy Boyz: Pro Wrestlers Matt and Jeff Hardy'', p.29. All the members of the Dudley family chased for the World Tag Team Championship at that time. Little Spike Dudley also debuted in 1996 and teamed with Buh Buh Ray against The Full Blooded Italians.

Initially, D-Von was hostile toward his family, saying that "true Dudleys" were not comedians. In February 1997, however, Buh Buh Ray and D-Von united at Crossing the Line Again and kicked all of the remaining Dudleys except for Big Dick Dudley and Sign Guy Dudley out of the family, becoming villains in the process. They became the most successful members of the Dudley family as they dominated the tag team division of ECW. They won their first World Tag Team Championship from The Eliminators (John Kronus and Perry Saturn) at Hostile City Showdown on March 15, 1997. This win resulted in a rivalry with the Eliminators, who won the title back at ECW's first pay-per-view event Barely Legal. On June 20, the Dudleys won their second ECW Tag Team Championship from Kronus in a handicap match due to Saturn being injured.

The Dudley Boyz began their next rivalry with The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa), which began after the Dudleys defeated the Gangstas to retain the tag titles at Orgy of Violence on June 28. The Dudleys, however, lost the tag titles to the Gangstas in a steel cage weapons match at Heat Wave on July 19, 1997. In less than a month, the Dudleys defeated the Gangstas at Hardcore Heaven to win their third ECW Tag Team Championship. After Mustafa and Saturn parted ways with ECW, New Jack and Kronus teamed up to form The Gangstanators and beat the Dudleys for the tag title at As Good as It Gets on September 20. At November to Remember, the Dudleys participated in a four-way dance for the tag title, involving the champs The F.B.I. (Tracy Smothers and Little Guido), The Gangstanators and The Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks (Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten). The F.B.I. won the match and retained the titles.

The Dudleys began a rivalry with Rob Van Dam and Sabu in the summer of 1998. At Wrestlepalooza, they lost to Van Dam and Sabu. Eventually, the Dudleys turned on Spike, who then became involved in the rivalry. At Heat Wave, however, Buh Buh and D-Von, along with Big Dick Dudley, lost to Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and Spike in a six-man tag Street Fight, ending the feud. On October 24, 1998, the Dudleys defeated Rob Van Dam and Sabu to win their fourth ECW Tag Team Championship. At November to Remember, however, they lost the titles to Masato Tanaka and Balls Mahoney in Louisiana. Dudley Boyz regained the titles from Tanaka and Mahoney on the November 13 episode of '' Hardcore TV''. They lost the titles to RVD and Sabu, a month later at the ECW/FMW Supershow II in Japan.

With the departure of The Sandman, the Dudley Boyz took advantage of Sabu's ban from competing in the US, and D-Von defeated Rob Van Dam in singles competition for their sixth World Tag Team Championship. With a brewing feud between the Dudleys and the Impact Players, (Justin Credible and Lance Storm), Buh Buh Ray and D-Von still had their hands full with the new team of Spike Dudley and Balls Mahoney. It was at Heat Wave in 1999 that Spike and Mahoney beat the Dudleys for the gold. The Dudleys, however, powerbombed both men through flaming tables—the first time such a thing had been seen on PPV.

In late-1999, the Dudley Boyz signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). They made their final appearance with ECW at the Last Show at the Madhouse on August 26, 1999, winning their eighth ECW World Tag Team Championship from Spike and Mahoney in an impromptu match and threatening to take the titles to the WWF, only to lose the titles to Tommy Dreamer and the returning Raven in another impromptu match later that night.

World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (1999–2005)

Early years and tag team dominance (1999–2001)

In August 1999, Buh Buh Ray and D-Von joined the WWF and debuted on ''WWF SmackDown!'' on September 2, 1999. They requested a $1 raise above the WWF's offer to stay in ECW, but their request was denied because ECW owner Paul Heyman was working a deal with Vince McMahon to supply talent to the WWF. Upon entering the WWF, Buh Buh Ray was first named 'Buh Buh Ray Dudley,' then was renamed "Bubba Ray Dudley," and returned to stuttering during his promos - a character trait he had initially used early in his ECW tenure. D-Von would then slap Bubba on the head to help him get his words out. After several weeks, most of the gimmick was dropped. They also dropped their classic tie-dye attire and began wearing camouflage-like ring attire.

While part of the WWF, the Dudley Boyz's claim to fame was bringing the use of tables as weapons into the wrestling mainstream, often using their signature double-team move, the 3D, to put their opponents through one of these tables. They were initially villains and were known for Bubba Ray's penchant for driving women (including Terri, Trish Stratus, Tori, B.B., Lita, Torrie Wilson, Jazz, Stacy Keibler, Molly Holly and Mae Young) through tables however they became fan favorites in mid-2000 when they engaged in a feud with T & A. They then feuded with D-Generation X (DX) which culminated in a tag team table dumpster match at King of the Ring on June 25, 2000 in which Bubba drove Tori through a table they spray-painted her name on. Throughout 2000 and 2001, the Dudley Boyz engaged in a three-way feud for the WWF Tag Team Championship with the Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian. The feud incorporated two critically acclaimed Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC) matches, the first at SummerSlam on August 27. The second was at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, 2001, in which Spike Dudley (who had joined the WWF in early-2001) interfered to aid the Dudleys.

In mid-2001, the Dudley Boyz became villains again in a storyline where they'd act more aggressive towards Spike Dudley, mainly due to his growing relationship with Molly Holly. They would also soon join The Alliance, a massive group of wrestlers mostly consisting of former ECW and WCW wrestlers led by Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, who attempted to take over the WWF. During this time, the Dudleys acted as enforcers of the Alliance, interfering on the behalf of Alliance mid-carders and main eventers. Stacy Keibler became the Dudley Boyz' manager during this time— dubbed the "Duchess of Dudleyville" by ECW manager Paul Heyman—but she later cost the Dudley Boyz a tag team match, and they put her through a table. During the storyline, they became the first tag team to ever hold the WCW, ECW, and WWF Tag Team Championships. Later, The Dudleys beat the Hardy Boyz in a cage match at Survivor Series on November 18 to unify the WWF and WCW Tag Team Championships.

Split, reunion and departure (2002–2005)

As 2002 began, Spike feuded with his big brothers again, winning the WWF Tag Team Title from them with partner Tazz. Following WrestleMania X8 in March 2002, the WWF was renamed "World Wrestling Entertainment" (WWE) and the roster was divided into two brands, Raw and SmackDown!. The Dudley Boyz were separated for a short time when Bubba Ray was drafted to Raw and D-Von to SmackDown!. Bubba became a fan favorite again by reuniting with Spike Dudley while D-Von, who was still a villain, went on to become the corrupt preacher character "Reverend D-Von" and gained a protege with Deacon Batista. At Judgment Day in 2002, Bubba Ray was in the corner of ''Raw's'' Trish Stratus, who was defending the WWE Women's Championship against Keibler; D-Von and Batista were in Stacy's corner as asked by Mr. McMahon. After Stratus retained her title, Bubba Ray and D-Von stood in the ring and shook hands before an altercation broke out between the three men where D-Von and Batista ended up driving Bubba through a table. As 2002 went along, Bubba Ray teamed with Spike on ''Raw'' to form a new version of the Dudley Boyz.

Bubba and D-Von reunited following the Survivor Series, when D-Von helped Bubba Ray, Spike and Jeff Hardy win their match against 3 Minute Warning and Rico. From then on, he was back on ''Raw'' (as he was part of a package deal that sent The Big Show to ''SmackDown!''). After the Dudley Boyz were back together they immersed themselves in the ''Raw'' tag team division over the next sixteen months. During this time, alternating between siding with and feuding with Raw General Manager, Eric Bischoff.

They continued competing in the tag team division until all three Dudleys were drafted/traded over to SmackDown! in March 2004, Bubba Ray and D-Von aligned with Paul Heyman and feuded with The Undertaker. They were also billed from New York City instead of Dudleyville. In June of that year, they won the SmackDown! brand's WWE Tag Team Championship, making them the first team to hold both sets of tag team titles in WWE history. By July, the Dudleys were helping Spike win matches by interfering in his favor, which Spike seemed to dislike at first, only to reveal his hand as the "boss" of the outfit after they helped him take the WWE Cruiserweight Championship from Rey Mysterio. Their final appearance of 2004 as members of the WWE roster was on the November 4 episode of ''SmackDown!'' where they were taken out by the Big Show.

After a lengthy hiatus, Bubba, D-Von and Spike made their final appearance at a WWE sanctioned event as part of the original One Night Stand in June 2005. In July 2005, WWE opted not to continue contract renewal negotiations with the Dudley Boyz. In addition, there was a mass of wrestlers (including Spike) that were released by WWE for budgetary reasons. In August 2005, Bubba and D'Von were issued with legal notices instructing them not to use the (WWE trademarked) name "Dudley". This led to a degree of acrimony between the former Dudleys and their erstwhile employers, as they had used the names since 1996, several years before all ECW intellectual property was acquired by WWE as a result of bankruptcy proceedings. Both believed Paul Heyman had granted them the rights to the name.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2014)

NWA/TNA World Tag Team Champions (2005–2008)

On September 21, 2005, Bubba and D-Von (now under the names Brother Ray and Brother Devon, respectively) signed multi-year contracts with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), as Team 3D. Team 3D made their first appearance on the October 1 episode of ''TNA Impact!'', helping save the 3Live Kru (Ron Killings, Konnan, and B.G. James) from Planet Jarrett and Team Canada. Team 3D's first rivalry in TNA was against America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) (AMW), which included a mock funeral for the careers of Team 3D. At TNA's December pay-per-view Turning Point in 2005, Team 3D defeated AMW in a Tables match. At Final Resolution on January 15, 2006, Team 3D fought AMW again, but this time for the NWA World Tag Team Championship, which AMW held. They won the match, however, due to Team Canada's interference the referee awarded the match to AMW.

On the April 13 episode of ''Impact!'', Spike Dudley, now referred to as "Brother Runt", debuted in TNA, helping Team 3D beat Team Canada. At TNA's April pay-per-view Lockdown, Team 3D defeated Team Canada in a Six Sides of Steel Anthem match. Ray and Devon then started a rivalry with The James Gang (B.G. James and Kip James), with the two teams meeting at TNA's June pay-per-view Slammiversary in a match which no one can be counted out or disqualified; Ray and Devon claimed victory in the match. After their brief absence, Ray and Devon made a return to TNA in October 2006 and went back on the tag title hunt. They first fought with The Naturals (Chase Stevens and Andy Douglas), who defeated Team 3D in their signature tables match.

At the beginning of 2007, Team 3D became the number one contenders to The Latin American Xchange's (LAX) NWA World Tag Team Championship and faced them at TNA's January pay-per-view Final Resolution. During the match, however, Runt was scripted to appear drunk, wearing a Santa Claus outfit, and interfere, causing Team 3D to get disqualified. They continued their rivalry with LAX at TNA's March pay-per-view Destination X in a match which neither team could be disqualified called a Ghetto Brawl by TNA, in which they lost after interference from Alex Shelley. At Lockdown in 2007, Team 3D defeated LAX in an Electrified Six Sides of Steel match to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship. In this match, the cage was electrified by electrical powerlines, to give the illusion when a wrestler touched the cage, they would be instantly electrocuted, in storyline.

On May 13, 2007, the executive director of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) stripped Team 3D of the NWA World Tag Team Championship due to the permanent discontinuation of the relationship between the NWA and TNA Wrestling. TNA continued to recognize Team 3D as their World Tag Team Champions and were then designated as the very first official TNA World Tag Team Champions, and the new TNA World Tag Team Championship belts were unveiled on their "TNA Today" webcast on May 16, 2007. On the broadcast they were awarded the new championship by authority figure Jim Cornette. Before the new championship was unveiled, Team 3D successfully defended their champion status at TNA's May pay-per-view Sacrifice in a standard tag team match involving three teams known as a 3-Way Dance, which also including the teams of Tomko (Travis Tomko) and Scott Steiner (Scott Rechsteiner) and LAX. After the match, Steiner's brother, Rick Steiner ( Robert Rechsteiner), came out and attacked Team 3D which set up a match between the two teams at Slammiversary for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Scott, however, could not compete due to a legitimate injury; instead Road Warrior Animal took his place, but Team 3D retained the championship. On the June 21 episode of ''Impact!'', Cornette scheduled a "Champions versus Champions" match for TNA's July pay-per-view Victory Road, in which the Tag Team Champions faced the World Champion and the X Division Champion. At Victory Road, Team 3D lost the championship to Samoa Joe after interference from the Steiner Brothers. On the following ''Impact!'', they blamed the Steiner Brothers ''and'' the fans (who had actually been taking intervals to chant "3D sucks" for weeks at the time) for their loss. At Hard Justice and Bound for Glory, Team 3D lost to the Steiner Brothers, the latter defeat coming in a two out of three tables match after Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, The Motor City Machine Guns, interfered on the Steiners' behalf.

On the October 18 ''Impact!'', Team 3D assaulted the Machine Guns in the middle of their match, whipping them with studded belts and simultaneously powerbombing them through two tables while Ray derided the supposedly terrible quality of the Guns' match. Team 3D continued on this path of attack and verbal putdown, directing it towards the Guns' fellow TNA X Division wrestlers. This led to a match against the Guns at Genesis, which Shelley and Sabin won. They later stole Jay Lethal's belt and kidnapped X-Division wrestler Johnny Devine, who subsequently turned on his fellow X Division wrestlers. While still referred to by most as Johnny, Ray and Devon called Devine "Brother Devine" and treated him as a member of Team 3D, though he did not share the half brother backstory. At Against All Odds, Team 3D and Johnny Devine fought The Motor City Machine Guns and Jay Lethal in a Street Fight but lost. Per the match stipulation, Ray and Devon could not compete unless they weighed in at 275  lbs. or lower.

After Against All Odds, Team 3D were matched with Shark Boy and Curry Man on numerous occasions in tag matches, with either one or both of the brothers being unable to compete due to the weight restriction. The week before Destination X, a stipulation was added to the match between 3D and Shark Boy and Curry Man: if Ray and Devon did not each weigh in at under 275 pounds, they would be fired from TNA. Both Ray and Devon made weight, and as such never had to weigh in under 275 ever again. Shortly afterward, Devine returned to competing for the X-Division Title, his association with Team 3D being quietly phased out for a time, though it would soon return. As this went on, 3D, meanwhile, became part of several loose collectives of self-identified "bad guys" and "scumbags", aligning them at some point or another with almost every important villain on the TNA roster, including but not limited to Booker T and Kurt Angle. They began a feud with Christian Cage, Rhino and A.J. Styles, attacking them on several occasions. Their feud ended at Hard Justice with Cage and Rhino defeating them in a "New Jersey Street Fight". They then began a feud with the team of "The Monster" Abyss and Matt Morgan, both teams competed at No Surrender with Abyss and Morgan picking up the victory.

IWGP Tag Team Champions (2008–2009)

Team 3D turned fan favorite when they joined the TNA Frontline after appearing to join Kurt Angle's Main Event Mafia, double crossing them and jumping them along with Frontline leaders Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles and Rhino. They also attempted to put Angle through a table. At Final Resolution in December, Team 3D along with Styles and Joe lost to the Main Event Mafia in an eight-man tag team match. After Against All Odds 2009 Team 3D began a feud with Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode) over the TNA World Tag Team Championship. They faced each other in an Off the wagon challenge match (where if 3D lost then the person who lost is kayfabe fired). Beer Money lost by countout. On April 19, 2009, at Lockdown, IWGP Tag Team Champions Team 3D defeated Beer Money, Inc. to win the TNA World Tag Team Championships in a match where both titles were on the line. This made Team 3D World Tag Team Champions for the 22nd time. On June 21, 2009, at Slammiversary, Beer Money, Inc. defeated Team 3D to become three-time TNA World Tag Team Champions after outside interference from The British Invasion of Brutus Magnus, Doug Williams and Rob Terry. Soon after, 3D then reignited their feud with the Main Event Mafia from late 2008 by becoming number 1 contenders to face Booker T and Scott Steiner for the TNA Tag Team Championships. After a failed attempt at the titles, they started a long feud with The British Invasion and other members of World Elite. Team 3D was attacked by World Elite on multiple occasions, until Beer Money Inc. intervened, leading to a loose partnership between the two teams.

Various feuds and dissolution (2009–2010)

On October 18, 2009, at Bound for Glory, Team 3D captured their 23rd tag team championship when they defeated Beer Money, the British Invasion, and The Main Event Mafia's Scott Steiner and Booker T in a Full Metal Mayhem Tag Team match. With both the IWGP and TNA Tag tiles on the line, they captured the IWGP titles, which the British Invasion had beaten them for, only for the Brits to take them out and win what at the time were Booker and Steiner's TNA tag championships moments later. During the following weeks Team 3D once again turned heel and aligned themselves with Rhino in a battle against the younger talent of the company. On the November 19 episode of ''Impact!'' Team 3D Academy of Professional Wrestling and Sports Entertainment graduate Jesse Neal

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