The Dudley Boyz to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame

When you think about great tag teams in pro wrestling, The Road Warriors, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and The Fabulous Freebirds come to mind. The Dudley Boyz are right there with them, and come this April, they will join them in the WWE Hall of Fame. That’s right, the men from Dudleyville will be trading in tables for tuxes and rings as they join Goldberg in the class of 2018. CBS Sports was the first to report the announcement.

One of the most decorated tag teams of the last 30 years, Bubba/Bully Ray (real name Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von (real name Devon Hughes) have literally done it all. The New York-born Dudley’s first exploded onto the scene in 1996’s ECW. They joined the famous Dudley family, but became the true stars out of all of them. Known for being “too hardcore”, the Dudley’s innovated the way to use tables in matches. They were also masters of the mic, finding easy ways to rile up the crowd. At one point, they almost started a riot at an ECW PPV.

From ECW, they went to WWE where they became megastars. With the help of Edge and Christian and The Hardy Boyz, the three teams changed the landscape of tag team wrestling during the Attitude Era. Utilizing their love for tables, and the other two’s affiliation with ladders and chairs, the TLC match was born. Over time, they innovated their legacies at every turn, main eventing shows while putting on star-making performances.

httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGxxcIHP86o

In total, The Dudley Boyz have over 20 tag team title reigns throughout their run together. They won the ECW Tag Titles eight times, the IWGP Tag Titles twice, the WCW Tag Titles once, the NWA/TNA Tag Titles three times and have held the WWE Tag Titles a record nine times. That accomplishment and record will never be duplicated again by any tag team. When speaking to CBS Sports, Bubba Ray made a point to explain just how good the Dudley’s were.

The legacy of the Dudley Boyz is really the last of the Mohicans. We are the last, legitimate, great tag team that you most likely will ever see; the most old school tag team that there is. I don’t think you will ever see a tag team go on to accomplish what we have accomplished, whether that’s in the WWE or any place else. We really are the last of many, many generations of great tag teams.”

Over the years they went their separate ways and made an impact one way or another. Bubba became a true main event player in Impact Wrestling, and showed what a force he could really be. He also won a few titles while in Ring of Honor. While D-Von continued to wrestle, he slowly transitioned to a backstage role with WWE. When the fireworks go off however, you can be sure The Dudley’s will always be there to stir up some chaos.

Both of their speeches are sure to be amazing, as they talk about their careers over the last 20+ years. Don’t be surprised if they give a shout-out to Sign Guy, Big Dick and the rest of the Dudley family. Who knows, Spike may come out of hiding to honor them, and hope they don’t beat him up along the way. If Paul Heyman tears up it’s only because he is a proud father watching his children become true legends.

The WWE Hall of Fame is a great final hoorah for the now retired Dudley’s. It is a moment they have waited their entire lives for. On April 6th, it will be a true honor for them to get recognized for their great accomplishments. Congratulations to The Dudley Boyz!