|
|
Book It
4-1-02
Each week in Book It we help the struggling WWF creative team with a few ideas on how to get talent that has been stuck in a rut over with the WWF fans.
The recent roster split in the WWF is an attempt to liven up the WWF product. So many facets have become stale that something needed to be done in order to maintain fan interest. One of those changes was the breakup of a long time WWF tag team icon, The Dudley Boyz. No longer will Bubba Ray be able to tell D-Von to get the tables and no longer will D-Von have someone to testify to.
With each man on a different show they can no longer rely on the gimmick that made them so popular over the last seven years. So, without each other, can the Dudley Boyz still be a success in the WWF? Can they make a name for themselves as individual wrestlers as well as they did as tag team champions? They can if I have anything to say about it.
On Raw, Bubba Ray Dudley comes to the ring for a promo. Bubba Ray is the easier of the two Dudleys to get over, and he plays the better heel. Since Bubba will get cheers from the fans at first, it's important to establish that Bubba Ray is going to be a heel and you should boo him. Any cheap heat will do such as insulting the local city, sports team, etc… After that, Bubba gives the following promo:
"I've been the WCW tag champion. I've been the eight-time ECW tag champion. I've been the five-time WWF tag champion. So, now, because of Ric Flair (actually McMahon's fault, but Bubba can use heel logic) I can't be with my brother and tag team partner. But it you think that is going to stop me from tearing through the WWF and putting those pansies in the back through tables, then you are dead wrong. In fact, I'm going to start my new career by issuing a challenge to a guy whose ass I know I can beat, Rob Van Dam."
RVD is the current Intercontinental champion and both he and Bubba Ray have roots in ECW. They have fought many times before in ECW so RVD is a logical choice for Bubba to go after. Also, Bubba moves right into a battle for the Intercontinental Championship which shows fans that Bubba isn't just a mid-card nobody, he's an upper-card somebody! Their feud can last for about two or three pay per views. Bubba can win the title for a little bit, the WWF can gauge fan reaction and decide where to go as far as his push from there.
D-Von is another story. When I think Dudley, I don't think D-Von. D-Von is at high risk of falling down the WWF ladder without Bubba Ray. One way to counter this is to find a replacement for Bubba. On the first Smackdown, D-Von is walking around backstage doing whatever and is confronted by Billy and Chuck. They manage to corner him and start taunting him by telling him he no longer has his brother to protect him. Billy and Chuck move in closer on D-Von (teasing the gay rape thing) and eventually lay the smackdown on D-Von. The same thing happens the following week on Smackdown during a singles match between D-Von and Christian. Chuck and Billy leave D-Von laid out in the middle of the ring.
The following week, we see D-Von go up to Faarooq, who has also been separated from his long time partner, wanting to strike a deal. They bury past differences and agree to try and work together as a tag team. They try it for a few Smackdowns, but just don't seem to be able to work as a cohesive tag team. If the WWF wants to have them start to hate each other and have a quick feud to settle things, then fine. Meanwhile D-Von is still getting his ass kicked by Chuck and Billy on a regular basis.
After another beating D-Von finally snaps, storms to the ring and cuts a promo. He talks about how he's been trying to replace his brother and he was stupid for trying that. "If I've learned one thing in my years on Earth, it's that 'Thou shall not mess with the Dudleys'" He challenges Chuck and Billy to come to the ring right now and settle this once and for all. Chuck and Billy come out and just before they reach the ring, they are attacked by several members of the Dudley family.
For those of you that don't know the Dudley Family history from ECW, the Dudley Boyz that we know and love today (Spike, Bubba Ray and D-Von) were not the original Dudley Boyz. Also on the family tree are Big Dick Dudley, Big Daddy Dudley, Dudley Dudley, Little Snot Dudley, Chubby Dudley, Dances with Dudley and Sign Guy Dudley. Now, most of these guys aren't great wrestlers, but I'd bet that most of them could use a job. The WWF could hand pick one or two to be the new Dudley Boyz along with D-Von.
Dudley Dudley
Back on Smackdown, the new Dudleys and D-Von have turned the tables (literally) on Chuck and Billy. D-Von grabs the mic and taunts that they didn't listen to him when he told them, "Thou shall not mess with the Dudleys." This launches into a Dudley Boyz vs. Chuck and Billy feud that can go for a few months.
I worry about D-Von, I really do. Not because I don't think he has the talent to make it on his own; there are just far more interesting people above him. I'd hate for either of the Dudleys get lost in the shuffle of the mid-card. Then again, if none of this works, it's easy enough to reunite them and have them go back to what they've been doing since 1994.
