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MORNING THOUGHTS: WITH THE END OF THEIR TNA RUN ON THE HORIZON, WHAT NOW FOR THE FORMER DUDLEY BOYZ, TEAM 3D?

With Team 3D's current TNA deals set to expire in about a month ("sometime in September", according to TNA sources), it puts one of the most decorated tag teams of the modern era in an interesting position.  Do they re-sign with TNA?  Do they look into a WWE return?  Ring of Honor?  Do they hit the independent scene?  The former Dudley Boyz now find themselves at a most interesting crossroad. 

Historically, Brother Ray and Devon have shown they are able to draw money and legitimate heel heat when put into the position to do so.  Fans of the original ECW have many a story to tell about the riots that were started by Team 3D.  Unlike today where fans' plastic cups and cans of soda being tossed towards the ring would be considered an unruly environment, the Dudley Boyz literally caused fans to try and hop the rails and start fights every night with their expletive-filled insults and taunts that didn't border on bad taste.  The salacious mic work from the inbred Dudley Boyz crossed the border, powerbombed the Border Patrol, then urinated on them.  There was no team or heel that generated that kind of heat in professional wrestling at the time - not Vince McMahon, not Bret Hart, not The NWO.   There were fights, there were arrests and there was chaos. Cheap heat or not, it accomplished it's goal.  In the summer of 1998, following an angle where the Dudleys broke Beulah McGuillicuty's neck during a feud with Tommy Dreamer, that heat led to the most financially successful summer of the original ECW. 

When The Dudleys moved onto the World Wrestling Federation, the critics and cynics were quick to point out that no ECW act had transferred there and survived.  Public Enemy was gone quicker than you could say, "Hey Champ" while Tazz, despite fan support and the obvious looking WWE right in the face, was never given the chance to be more than a mid-carder.  Unless you had a lengthy run in WCW prior to heading to the Fed (i.e. Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, etc.), chances weren't likely you were going from the Bingo Hall to a prominent spot in the Wrestlemania race.

So, with no chance of being able to ask the ringside females if their mother taught them the proper way to have oral sex on the mic on national TV, one might have assumed the Dudleys were destined to become tie-dyed Bushwhackers.  Instead, the team recreated themselves, taking the table breaking from ECW and meshing it with a catch phrase "Devon, get the tables", a series of character building incidents where Bubba Ray powerbombed women and ended up in a trance, and new ring gear.  Within two years, the team was as important to the WWF as the homegrown Hardy Boyz or Edge and Christian, thanks to the strength and legacy of their three-way TLC feud.

When The Dudleys left WWE in 2005 (sans their names, wrongfully held from them by the company, but that's an article I've already written), they quickly signed with TNA.  While I don't feel the run their has been as successful in terms of promoting Team 3D as a top-tier act, it's hard to argue that the team, now veterans, did a great job with working with younger talent. 

While the creative side of their rampage over the X-Division could be debated, at the end of the day, Team 3D made Jay Lethal a star.  The angle was also designed to make the Motor City Machineguns bigger names.  That project is still going on.  3D's work with LAX has seen that team improve as well, although there were certainly times where that feud didn't hit on all cylinders the way some might have hoped.  It's impossible to argue that the team was an asset in terms of providing familiar faces to first-time TNA viewers and with grooming the next generation of names that will be around long after they are gone.

That time could come in a month, if the two sides don't come to an agreement, which leads to a number of possibilities:

TNA - The likeliest of guesses is that TNA will come to terms with 3D, partially because it's convenient to wrestle there.  They get to be on national TV, they get to be within close range of their wrestling school in Kissimmee, FL and they get to continue making a difference working with younger talent.  To me, it seems a no brainer that TNA would want to keep them, especially since they have yet to even attempt to use Brother Ray as a backstage figure, something he excelled at while working as a local promoter for the original ECW from 1997 until the day the Dudleys left the company.  As TNA grows, one would think they'd be interested in picking his brain for localized promotional ideas, at the least.  Plus, TNA has yet to allow a full-fledged heel Team 3D onto the scene, perhaps for fear of destroying their good standing with their promotional partners. 

WWE - The second-likeliest choice.  The main obstacles would be political, since WWE hasn't put a strong emphasis on tag team wrestling in years and without it, what's the point of having 3D there.  The company's attempts to split the team in the past only proved to be a drastic creative error.  I can see 3D reluctant to give up their school, but working with WWE could also provide them the chance to be a satellite school to send developmental talent somewhere else to work under the company umbrella.  While the TLC era of the company is far gone, there is certainly a place for 3D for the same reason WWE loves having other veterans around, to groom the other talent.  The idea of The original old school bullies, the Dudleys, trying to teach Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase some manners has merit.  In ECW, they'd also be a good fit, not because of the past history, but because a series of 3D vs. John Morrison and Miz matches sound really fun on paper.  Once you've exhausted that, the team could move onto whatever brand creative needed them for. 

Ring of Honor - While the idea of The Dudleys against the Briscoes, Kevin Steen & El Generico and the Age of the Fall sounds appealing, especially The Briscoes, one can't envision a world where ROH would have the money to sign what national stars the level of Team 3D would be looking for.  Plus, ROH has always been about that next generation of star becoming headliners, so 3D would be a complete change in strategy and tradition from ROH management.  Still, from a fantasy standpoint, the idea of old school Dudleys trying to make the uber-smart ROH audience bubble into a riot makes me giggle.  Unlikely as a full-time deal.  Possible for special appearances.

International - Team 3D being booked to work for international companies like NWE in Europe or a major Japanese company like Pro Wrestling NOAH seems most likely, because smaller companies aren't going to be able to afford the paycheck.  The more interesting aspect is the team's age.  As they hit their late 30s, early 40s, are they going to want to continue to travel heavily and work a more physically demanding style, especially in Japan?  There comes a time where every talent has to weigh their age and their family's happiness against their career and I don't see the International scene as having the weight to win that battle.  Possible.

Independents -Unless it's an outfit that is reputable in terms of living up to their agreements in advertising and paydays, I don't see it. The problem is there are so few reputable independent promotions and fewer still that could regularly afford the team's asking price. Plus, like the international issues, at this stage of the game, do they really want to be driving to Palookaville to wrestle for 200 fans? I can see 3D pricing themselves out of the range of most promoters, so this isn't happening in my eyes.

The next several weeks are going to be an interesting time for Team 3D fans and fans of tag team wrestling.  There are very few commodities in wrestling that can immediately be plugged into a company and make a difference, and only one team you can make that argument for - Team 3D.

The only question now is, what direction do Brother Ray and Devon look towards.  I guess we'll know in a few weeks.

Mike Johnson can be reached at Mike@PWInsider.com.

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