Jim Ross: Spike Dudley Contributed More Than People Will Ever Know, He Helped The Dudley Brand

Jim Ross comments on Spike Dudley’s value as a WWE Superstar and reflects on the gnarly bump he took on the road to WWE Unforgiven 2003.

Not nearly as heralded as Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley, Lil’ Spike Dudley was the runt of the litter with a scrappy, can-do attitude. Despite not being mentioned in the same breath at times as his on-screen half-brothers, Spike Dudley held multiple championships in WWE, including the WWE European Championship, the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, and the WWE Tag Team Championship. 

On a recent episode of Grillin’ JR, Jim Ross praised Spike as an asset to WWE, saying that fans did not understand how much he contributed at the time. Jim Ross also spoke about a bump that took Spike Dudley off the card of Unforgiven 2003 when La Resistance missed the table on an episode of Raw when they tried to throw him over the top rope and threw a table. 

“Scared the hell out of me, because I thought that there was no way little Spike was going to be able to endure and stand that bump,” said Jim Ross. “I was in Grand Rapids at a Deer Camp [when he] got hurt. I was there with Austin doing some vignettes and videos. So I wasn’t on site when that occurred, but I just thought there was no way. There was no way that the little guy — and this proves that Spike Dudley was one of the toughest guys we ever signed. What a wonderful human being he was and is. I felt essentially the same feeling that I had when Mick [Foley fell off] the Hell In A Cell in June of 1998 with Undertaker. I just didn’t think Spike could withstand it, I didn’t think any human could withstand it. But he’s tougher than a two-dollar streak. What an asset the was to our company, he contributed much more than people will ever know. Spike Dudley helped the Dudley brand, and as we know, The Dudleys became one of the most successful tag teams in all of professional wrestling.” 

In a later interview with Chris Van Vliet, Spike Dudley credited the inexperience of La Resistance as a factor in that moment. 

Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley recently signed new legends contracts with WWE. Learn more here.

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