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THE DUDLEYS SCREWED OUT OF THEIR NAME, HARDY SAYS HIS FEUD WITH EDGE IS A 'FIVE PART STORY'
by Dave Scherer & Mike Johnson @ 3:50:00 PM on 8/29/2005
Dave Scherer reporting. ... In case you missed it over the weekend, the team formerly known as The Dudley Boyz was notified by WWE that they couldn’t use the Dudley name outside of the company as WWE sent legal letters to anyone and everyone who was using the "Dudley" name in their advertising, telling them to stop. At the Wrestle Reunion 2 convention and show, they worked as Team 3D. When they left ECW for WWE six years ago, ECW owner Paul Heyman told them that he was giving them the rights to the name as a payback for all they had done for his company during their time working for him. He made it clear that he was doing so that in the event they ever left WWE, they could take their professional names with them. Well, apparently Heyman never filed the proper paperwork and WWE has retained the rights to the Dudley names. They have made it clear that they intend to keep the men who created the characters from using them again anywhere but a WWE ring. Personally, I think it's really a low move by Vince McMahon and WWE. If his company had created the Dudley characters and made them into recognizable names, it would be one thing. But, they didn't. The Dudleys were already an established team when they came to WWE, having made their name as the best tag team in the business long before they ever got to McMahon's company. Heyman made his intention clear to give the name to the team before they left ECW and if they had a large cash reserve, they could take WWE to court over this and maybe win. But, that won’t happen. What makes it more galling to me is that, while they would say that they are just "protecting an asset", it seems to me like WWE is just doing this because the Dudleys had the audacity to refuse taking a pay cut when WWE wanted to sign them for less. After all, why would Vince care where they use the name since he has said that he doesn't see TNA or the independents as "competition"? If that were true, he wouldn't be so concerned with seizing something that wasn't even supposed to be his. So, it just comes across as spiteful to me, especially when you consider what Heyman’s stated intention was back in 1999. Again, it's not as if Heyman wasn't on record as saying that he gave the Dudleys the name back when they left. But, Vince found a technicality here and seized it, just because he could. Was he within his rights? Yes. Was it morally wrong to do? In my opinion, oh yes. It’s just another example of what Mike Johnson talked about on his hotline recently, you don’t cross the boss in WWE. Sad, but true. It certainly sends a message to the WWE current talent, and the message is not a good one.
Mike Johnson reporting. ... Matt Hardy appeared this past weekend at the WrestleReunion 2 convention in King of Prussia, PA. WWE management attempted to have Hardy, one of the headliners of the convention, removed from at the last minute as they wanted to send him to the Raw house shows in Puerto Rico. In the end Hardy, who had signed to appear before his WWE return, still appeared as scheduled at the convention, which probably didn't make WWE management happy. I'll give Hardy a lot of credit for keeping his word and appearing, as he was one of the main names advertised.
Hardy did a Q & A to open the convention. When asked about the finish of the Summerslam PPV match against Edge, he said that it was only "Chapter One" of a five part story with Edge and that fans should wait and see what happens next. Hardy said that there are hard feelings between the two but they are looking to make money with the situation now. He said there are only four people who truly know the whole story regarding the Edge-Lita-Hardy deal.
When a fan questioned Hardy about his return, asking why he went back to WWE only to be buried, Hardy responded, "Ask me again in six months."
When asked about losing to Rob Conway on Raw, Hardy said that he was "still hurt" from Summerslam.
When asked about Triple H's power, Hardy agreed that he's powerful and that sometime he agrees with HHH but sometimes he doesn't and didn't delve any further.
Hardy main evented the convention's live show, teaming with Rhino in a loss to 3-D, the former Dudley Boyz in an excellent match. I'll have a full live report of the show up later, including post-match comments made by all four about their respective past and futures
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