Former ECW, WWE, and TNA star – and arguably one-half of one of the greatest tag teams of all time – Devon Dudley steps IN THE ROOM with Brady Hicks for over an hour to talk about his historic runs with three major US wrestling companies, his love for professional wrestling, and his legacy as a whole. This is a must-listen for any wrestling fan! Brother Devon is legit one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.
Topics include the pressure of a big match at WM and his favorite matches with the company … Paul Heyman's vision for the D-Von character (Mr. T meets Pulp Fiction) … starting riots in ECW …his own singles aspirations and The Dudley Boys' legacy as a tag team … his pressures as an African American role model … being perceived as the lesser Dudley in the media and competition with his partner … The Dudleys being Vince McMahon's favorite tag team …what Road Warrior Hawk meant to he and Bubba … and what makes a "great" match. Plus check it out for lots of backstage stories from three major wrestling companies.
On First Entering ECW:
When I was told I had the chance to be in ECW I was scared to death. That wasn't normal to get hit with a barbed-wire bat or a chair, going through tables, or dropping the ropes and surrounding it with barbed wire. It wasn't normal. I thought it was crazy. But I knew in the back of my mind that ECW could be a stepping stone to get to the WWE … What I didn't visualize happening was falling in love with the company. Falling in love with that style, the same style that I was afraid of. Basically just not wanting to leave. So when the opportunity did come at first for me to go to the WWE … I had cold feet and didn't want to go because I didn't want to leave the ECW fans. I didn't want to leave ECW.
On Being Bubba/Bully's Close Friend:
Can Bubba be a prick? Absolutely. He'll be the first to tell you himself. He'll be the first to tell you he's a jerk. He'll be the first to tell you that he don't like people. There are times where we're traveling together and people will come up to me and talk to me and he will just sit there and he won't say anything. And they'll go, "Hey, Bubba. How are you doing?" And he'll look at me and go, "I just want to know something. Do I have, on my forehead, 'I'm a nice person' printed on it? Let me know so I can erase it." He'll be the first to tell you he'll be difficult when he wants to be.
On Devon's Past and Present Relationship with TNA:
I think every company has growing pains. I think TNA is going through that growing pains. [Regarding] my departure from the company, to me it was just time to leave and I have no regrets. I'm very happy with the decision that I have made. I look forward to bigger and better things. [I’m] not saying that TNA wasn't a good thing, it's just that everything runs its course … it was time for me to move on. If you're in a company for too long … ideas and things like that don't necessarily register. You're always fighting, trying to get them to understand you and vice versa … In terms of [TNA] being a family, it all depends on who you ask. I experienced good times there. I've also experienced bad times … This past August, I did not want to be there. I was ready to move on to the next chapter of my life. I'm not going to say it's dysfunctional. I just think that it's growing pains … I wish them nothing but the best. I miss them dearly, but not enough to go back.
On Being the Workhorse of The Dudley Boys:
I guess a lot of people would say that. You look at all the matches back then and yes and even Bubba would say that. I think that is a fair assessment. Don't get me wrong, Bubba held his own as well, but when it came to all the other stuff and things of that nature, yeah you could say I was the workhorse of the group. But Bubba had a great mind for the business as well. So I think that's where we pretty much evened out … I think the reason why we lasted as long as we did is because we knew our jobs, we knew what we had to do, we knew [to] make money, and if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. That was one of the things that we both realized very, very early.
IN THE ROOM with Brady Hicks streams live Tuesday nights, 9PM ET on the VOC Nation IN THE ROOM Radio Network on vocnation.com, as well as thebradyhicks.com.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
