Buh Buh Ray Dudley
Real name: Mark Lomonica
6'4" , 275 pounds
Born:July 7, 1971
Home town: Long Island, New York
D-Von Dudley
Real name: Devon Hughes
6'2" , 240 pounds
Home town: Brooklyn, New York
After beeing in the WWF for just a little over a year, The Dudley Boyz have skyrocketed to the top of not only
the tag-team ranks in terms of popularity, but more impressively, up the personality ladder, where they get just
about the same thunderous pop from the crowd as a solo personality. Aside from their in-ring accomplishments, this
in itself is an unbelievable achievement when you look at the WWF's talent roster and see such names as The Rock,
"Stone Cold", and Triple H.
In an interview for The Long Islander newspaper last May, Buh Buh Ray Dudley had this to say about their lightning-quick
rise to the top: "There hasn't been a tag team in a very long time that has ever been in that upper-5 percentile when
it comes to the show and everything that goes on. But when it comes to all the guys that are there, just to be in the
upper-5 percentile as a tag team, be in main event status and everything every night. That's what we're looking to
crack the upper echelon of the company."
And crack they do! One of the main draws of their matches is how they dispose of their opponents. One of their most
popular gimmicks is to take their helpless foes and drive them through wooden tables, a feat they call "getting wood"!
When it comes to " getting wood" no one is safe. No superstars are passed over. No executives. Not even the ladies of
the federation! As a matter of fact, when the duo first broke into the WWF thay plowed one of the game's greatestfemale
wrestlers, Mae Young, who was also 78-years old at the time, through a table. This caused not only a hush over the crowd,
but it also left the powers-that-be scratching their heads, wondering if these 2 were a cheeseburger short of a Happ Meal!
But this act wasn't new to the terrible twosome. They made a practice of it during their time at ECW, when on one occasion
they "boke the neck" of one of the federation's beauties, Beulah McGuillicutty.
Before coming to the WWF The Dudley Boyz, Buh Buh Ray and D-Von, perfected their game-plan on the mats of ECW in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Even though Buh Buh Ray claims to be from Dudleyville, USA, he entered the ECW by way od Long Island, New York. The
6'4",245-pound, Coke-bottled--eyeglass-wearing wrestler was born Mark Lomonica on July 7, 1971, and ever since he could remember,
he wanted to become a pro wrestler.
He signed on with the House of Hardcore in New York, the main wrestling training plant for ECW'ers, and it was there that he
learned how to grapple. When the federation came calling, they placed him with a clan known as the Dudleys. In its early stages,
the team was not what it is today. The Dudleys were a large clan of wrestlers all walks of life, who were not only from Dudleyville,
USA, but they all were also supposed to be brothers, even though none of them looked alike.
While Buh Buh Ray was one of the original members, D-Von didn't come along until a short while afterward. He claimed to be from
Dudleyville, USA, but in reality, he also grew up on the streets of New York--Brooklyn, in fact. The 6'2", 240-pound grappler
credits wrestling for keeping him in school and off the streets as a child.
Born Devon Hughes, the youngster grew up admiring Hulk Hogan and instead of hanging out on the mean streets of Flatbush, he would
rush home to watch the Hulkster and his crew square off against one another.
"When i was young, you had a lot of kids, especially in my neighborhood, that were either getting killed or doing things that you
weren't supposed to be doing," Hughes said in an interview with "The Long Islander" newspaper. But my main objective was just to
get home to watch wrestling. I was captivated by Hulk Hogan. I would go home to watch who was challenging him or who he was going
to challenge. That kept me in school."
The young Brooklynite would commute to Long Island to attend John Glenn High School, where he would also star on the varsity football
team. While he liked playing the gridiron sport and had thoughts of pursuing a professional career in football, his mind would always
wander back to becoming a pro wrestler like his bothood idol, Hulk Hogan.
Once he realized that was definitely the route he wanted to take, he wasted no time and, like Lominca, joined the House of
Hardcore. While beeing taught the tricks of the trade at Hardcore, he fell into an opportunity that would land him right in the heart
of Dudleyville. ECW needed another brother to add to the clan and Hughes's trainer recommended him.
When the 2 decided to pair off and form a tag team, it wouldn't be long before they would wreak havoc on the rest of the federation.
They won their first belts on March 15, 1997, in Philadelphia against The Eliminators, after only beeing together as a duo for a short
period of time. While they didn't win every bout they took part in, it didn't matter. They were making a name for themselves not only in the
ECW, but all over the wrestling world. By the time the year came to an end the new duo had 2 more tag titles to add to their resume.
The twosome, who were crowd-jeering heels, would run roughshod over the rest of the tag tanems in the ECW. But this in itself was no easy
feat, squaring off against some mean teams such as: The Eliminators, The Gangstas, Public Enemy and Rob Van Dam and Sabu.
But beating the tough competition wasn't their drawing card. It was their crude, rude, and violent stlye that kept the fans coming back for
more. The Dudleys took Extreme Wrestling to another level. They went from using steel chairs on the craniums of their foes, to smashing them
through one table, then two, and when that wasn't enough, they added fire to the mix and hurled their opponents through the now blazing
pieces of furniture. Oh yeah, and let's not forget their lethal finishing maneuver, the 3-D, short for the Dudley Death drop. This move
happens to be one of, if not the most, devastating finishers in the business today.
After winning their eighth tag-team title belt on March 26, 1999, against Balls Mahoney and Spike Dudley , the 2 decided that it was time
to move on, and they hooked up with Vince McMahon's promotion, the WWF. Many wondered whethered or not they would make it because the
Connecticut-based organization was not as violent as the Philly-based one, but the Boyz proved all the naysayers wrong.
While, yes, their act was violent and borderline sadistic, the tandem didn't win a record 8 tag team championships in the ECW just on their
antics alone. They'll be the first to admit that they competed in some of the most bloody, violent, and dangerous matches ever, but the tag
powerhouses can flat-out wrestle. Buh Buh Ray and d-Von combine raw, physical power with some greta technical moves in the ring. While they
aren't one of the high-flying duos like the Hardy boyz or Edge and Christian, they don't have to be in order to be successful. Their unique
style of grappling is what got them to where they are today.
The Dudleys have made it in the WWF not only their table-breaking skills, but also on their hard work. The team is always looking for ways
to add to their showmanship. They came into the federation and worked their wya from the bottom up. There have been several defining moments
so far in their career, one beeing winning their first WWF tag straps from the New Age Outlaws on Febuary 27, 2000, in Hartford, Conncticut. But
none could compare to their 3-way ladder matches with The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian in both Wrestlemania 200 and SummerSlam.
While the duo didn't win either match, as a mtter of fact, they lost the belts to Edge & Christian at Wrestlemaniam they did something way
more important for their careers. They earned the respect of the fans, who are the real make-or-breakers in the business.
The Dudleys proved that they are for real and can compete with anyone thrown their way, so the rest of the federation should be aware that
"Thou shall not mess with the Dudleys!"
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