The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D in TNA Wrestling) were a professional wrestling tag team, who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (originally known as Buh-Buh 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, also 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 TNA 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".
On October 12, 2025 at TNA Bound for Glory, The Dudleys officially retired from in ring competition, after losing to Matt and Jeff Hardy, in a Winner Takes All match for The Hardys' TNA World Tag Team Championship and the NXT Tag Team Championship.
Contents
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. 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.
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (1999–2005)
In August 1999, Buh Buh Ray and D-Von joined the World Wrestling Federation (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.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2014)
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) and Scott Steiner and LAX. After the match, Steiner's brother, Rick Steiner, 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.
Japan and independent circuit (2005–2015)
Aside from TNA, Team 3D has also participated in many All Japan Pro Wrestling and Hustle's shows after their WWE release. Team 3D held an unbeaten streak in All Japan, where they won All Japan's World's Strongest Tag Determination League in 2005. Team 3D has also won HUSTLE's tag title in 2006, which they held until the promotion folded in October 2009. Team 3D also appeared in the Pro Wrestling Alliance June show, defeating Booker T and Dawg in the main event. Team 3D has also participated in two of the January 4 Dome Show PPV events for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In 2008, they won a hardcore match against Togi Makabe and Toru Yano. They also performed in Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council, where Armando Estrada served as their manager. Team 3D wrestled Thunder and Lightning for the WWC World Tag Team Championship at Lockout 2008, but lost the match by disqualification. The following year, Team 3D were booked to face Makabe and Yano, at that time the IWGP Tag Team Champions, and the team of Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan in a three-way match for the Tag Team title, later with a hardcore rules stipulation added. However, days before the event, the team of Kojima and Tenzan withdrew due to Tenzan sustaining a serious eye injury which required an operation. Team 3D won the resulting tag match against Makabe and Yano to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship, thus making them 22-time tag-team champions. On January 4, 2010, at Wrestle Kingdom IV in Tokyo Dome Team 3D lost the IWGP Tag Team Title to No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro) in a three-way hardcore match, which also included Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson).
Starting in late 2013, Bully Ray and Devon have been something of a fixture within Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore promotion. On November 9, 2013, at HoH 3, Bully Ray attacked Dreamer and Terry Funk following the main event, claiming that Dreamer offended him by not inviting him to the show, before challenging Dreamer to a falls-count-anywhere street fight at the TNA One Night Only pay-per-view event Old School. Spike Dudley came out to make the save only to be beaten by Bully as well, whereas Devon appeared to confront Bully—only to turn around and aid him as the two hit Dreamer with a 3D, then fended off an attempted save by the Sandman. Team 3D were also scheduled to officially team together against Dreamer and Abyss, then against Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian), on June 6 and 7, 2014 at House of Hardcore 4 and 5 respectively. However, Bully Ray was pulled out of both events by TNA President Dixie Carter, turning the on-screen feud between Bully and Carter in TNA into a crossover storyline involving talent associated with both promotions. On July 13, 2014, Team 3D defeated Kevin Steen and Jason Axe to win the 2CW Tag Team Championship. On November 15, 2014, at HOH VII, Team 3D defeated NWA World Tag Team Champions Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer).
Return to WWE (2015–2016)
On January 25, 2015, Bubba Ray made a one night appearance at Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant in the Rumble match, eliminating The Miz and R-Truth before being eliminated by Bray Wyatt.
On the August 24 episode of Raw, Bubba Ray and D-Von made their surprise return as the Dudley Boyz, where they reestablished themselves as fan favorites by attacking The New Day, giving a Dudley Death Drop to Xavier Woods through a table. On the August 27 episode of SmackDown, the Dudley Boyz wrestled their first match back in WWE, defeating The Ascension. At both Night of Champions and Live from Madison Square Garden, the Dudley Boyz challenged The New Day for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but won both matches by disqualification, which allowed The New Day to retain their titles. At Hell in a Cell, the Dudley Boyz challenged for the title again but were defeated by The New Day. At Survivor Series, the Dudley Boyz teamed with Goldust, Neville and Titus O'Neil to defeat Stardust, The Ascension, The Miz and Bo Dallas in a 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match.
The following night on Raw, the Dudley Boyz suffered a defeat against Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family. On the November 26 episode of SmackDown, the Dudley Boyz faced The Wyatt Family again, beating Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman by disqualification after Harper attacked Bubba Ray and threw him through his own table. The following week on Raw, they had a no-contest six man tag team match against Harper, Rowan and Strowman when the Dudley Boyz teamed with the returning Tommy Dreamer. However, the Dudley Boyz and Dreamer fended off a post-match assault and threw Wyatt into a table. At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, The ECW Originals were defeated by The Wyatt Family in an elimination tables match. The next night on Raw, the Dudley Boyz, Dreamer and Rhyno were defeated again by The Wyatt Family in an 8-man tag team Extreme Rules Match.
On the February 8 episode of Raw, the Dudley Boyz turned heel when they attacked The Usos after an 8-man tag team tables match that also involving The New Day and Mark Henry. That same week on SmackDown, the Dudley Boyz proclaimed that their signature tables didn't win all those Tag Team Championships for them, but rather they did it themselves, and thus, with the help of several stage-hands and staff members, they took all the tables they had out of the arena, going "table-free" for the first time in their careers. In the following weeks, the Dudley Boyz and The Usos began a feud, setting up a tag team match between the two teams on the WrestleMania 32 kickoff show, where the Dudley Boyz lost to The Usos. The following night on Raw, the Dudley Boyz defeated The Usos in a tables match, breaking their vow to never again use tables and officially ending the feud. Afterward the duo were interrupted by the debuting Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, who proceeded to insult them and ignite a new feud. In a tournament to determine the number 1 contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship, they defeated The Lucha Dragons to advance to the semi-finals, where they lost to Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady. On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, the Dudley Boyz were drafted to Raw. At SummerSlam, they would lose to Sami Zayn and Neville.
Late careers and retirement (2016–2025)
Team 3D competed at Insane Championship Wrestling's (ICW) Fear and Loathing IX event on November 20, 2016 in an unsuccessful challenge for Polo Promotions' (Mark Coffey and Jackie Polo) ICW Tag Team Championships and at House of Glory on December 17, 2016. Devon retired shortly after, making this his final match. Devon returned to WWE shortly afterwards as a producer while Bully Ray would continue his in-ring career and sign with Ring of Honor.
On January 22, 2018, on Raw 25 Years, the Dudley Boyz made a one night appearance by interrupting a tag team match between Heath Slater and Rhyno and Titus Worldwide (Apollo Crews and Titus O'Neil), giving a Whassup? and a Dudley Death Drop to Slater through a table. On April 6, 2018, the Dudley Boyz were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Edge and Christian. At that point D-Von had retired from wrestling while Bubba Ray was still active.
On September 21, 2023, Team 3D reunited on the 1000th episode of Impact in a winning effort against The Desi Hit Squad. After the match, they put Rohit Raju through a table.
At the 2025 Slammiversary, Bully Ray confronted The Hardys (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) after they captured the TNA World Tag Team Championship. While congratulating them on their title win, Ray would also challenge The Hardys to face Team 3D one final time at Bound for Glory, which The Hardys accepted. On the September 25 episode of Impact!, both The Hardys and Team 3D agreed to make the match a Tables match with the TNA World Tag Team Championship on the line, after Ray admitted that he and Devon were always bothered by the fact that they had lost to The Hardys in the very first tag team Tables match at the WWE Royal Rumble over 25 years ago. On October 7, at NXT vs. TNA Showdown, The Hardys would defeat DarkState (Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin) to win the NXT Tag Team Championship, and it would subsequently be announced the following day that their match with Team 3D, dubbed as "One Final Table", would be a Winner Takes All match for both the NXT and TNA Tag Team Championship. At the Bound for Glory event (with a special appearance by Spike Dudley), after being announced as both Team 3D and The Dudley Boyz, they lost the match and officially retired from in-ring competition, removing their boots and giving them to The Hardys.
Championships and accomplishments
All Japan Pro Wrestling
World's Strongest Tag Determination League (2005) – Bubba and D-Von
The Baltimore Sun
Tag Team of the Year (2007) – Bubba and D-Von
Cauliflower Alley Club
Other honorees (1997) – Bubba and D-Von
Tag Team Award (2024) – Bubba and D-Von
Extreme Championship Wrestling
ECW World Tag Team Championship (8 times) – Bubba and D-Von
Hardcore Hall of Fame
Class of 2024 – Bully and Devon
Hustle
Hustle Super Tag Team Championship (1 time) – Bubba and D-Von
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
IWGP Tag Team Championship (2 times) – Bubba and D-Von
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Match of the Year (2000) vs. Edge and Christian and the Hardy Boyz in a triangle ladder match at WrestleMania 2000 – Bubba and D-Von
Match of the Year (2001) vs. Edge and Christian and the Hardy Boyz in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at WrestleMania X-Seven – Bubba and D-Von
Tag Team of the Year (2001, 2009) – Bubba and D-Von
Media
The Best of the Dudley Boyz (Pioneer Entertainment - December 4, 2001, VHS/DVD)
Second 2 None: World's Toughest Tag Teams - Team 3D (TNA Home Video - May 5, 2009, DVD)
Straight Outta Dudleyville - The Legacy Of The Dudley Boyz (WWE Home Video - January 5, 2016, DVD)