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Reason Why WWE Broke Up The Dudley Boyz

The Dudley Boyz are finding their rightful spot in the WWE Hall Of Fame in a few short days so it seems like a great time to revisit one of their monumental moments from pro wrestling’s past.

In 2002, Vince McMahon decided to shake things up and hold a WWE Draft. It was a wild night and nobody knew which brand they would find themselves on except for The Undertaker, Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and a couple other select main event names. But a majority of the roster had no idea what was going to happen, including the brothers from Dudleyville.

Bubba Ray and D-Von were split up for the first time in WWE and soon tried out their own thing. Their separation didn’t last for long, but at least we got Brother D-Von and Deacon Batista out of it.

The Dudley Boyz would eventually reunite at Survivor Series later that year and it was something the fans wanted so badly popping Madison Square Garden like they had just won the titles.

The first WWE Draft was the topic of Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard recently and Prichard revealed the reason why The Dudley Boyz were split up when so many other teams like Chuck and Billy and the nWo remained intact through the transition.

“The reasoning for it was we were looking to do something different for [The Dudley Boyz] individually obviously,” Prichard revealed. “So that was the storyline, okay? You pick Bubba, I’ll pick D-Von. But then again it flies right back in the logic of Billy and Chuck go as a team, nWo goes as a faction, but you can split The Dudleys? What the f-ck? Made sense.”

Prichard went on to say The Dudley Boyz had an idea a breakup was on the way because the idea of them being singles performers had been thrown out there before. But when the time came, The Dudley Boyz were still shocked when they were actually broken up.

When the WWE Hall Of Fame tag team heard they were being split up they were astonished and a little upset according to Prichard but he went on to explain how The Dudleys were told about WWE’s future plans for them. Prichard said he had even spoken to D-Von about the future Brother D-Von gimmick They were told there would be more of a future if they broke into singles runs.

Time would tell that while both guys excelled on their own as entertainers, they were best as a team. “Obviously it didn’t work and I was wrong,” Prichard admitted because he was one of the main people pulling for a Dudley Boyz split backstage.

But one thing is for sure, The Dudley Boyz are being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame as a team for a reason.

If you use any portion of the quotes in this article please credit Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard and a H/T to Still Real To Us for the transcription

Aaron Varble

Aaron Varble hasn’t just been writing for more than a decade in various formats including sketch comedy, stand up, television, radio, and other various projects; nor is he just another professional wrestling fan with a master's degree in journalism and Tourette’s syndrome. He's always looking to explore the why not with the why and the how come along with the how. Follow on Twitter @TheVarble

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