WWE has been granted an additional 90 days to decide whether it will oppose Spike Dudley’s attempt to trademark his wrestling name.
World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC requested the first extension to challenge the “SPIKE DUDLEY” trademark application submitted by Matthew Hyson, according to records from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board approved this extension on September 25, giving WWE until December 23 to file any opposition, though no opposition has been filed yet.
Hyson submitted the trademark application on May 13, 2026, for use on action figures rather than wrestling services. Previously, in November 2005, shortly after his release from WWE, he applied to register the same name for wrestling services. However, the USPTO denied that application due to WWE’s existing “Dudley Boyz” trademark, active since 2003, which led Hyson to abandon the application in January 2007.
The 56-year-old Hyson is now retired from active wrestling. He performed in WWE from 2001 to 2005 as Spike Dudley, a persona he originated in ECW before WWE acquired ECW’s assets in 2003 after ECW went bankrupt in 2001. He also wrestled under his real name, Matt Hyson, and as Brother Runt in TNA.
During his WWE career, Hyson earned the Cruiserweight Championship once, the European Championship once, the Hardcore Championship eight times, and won the WWF Tag Team Championship alongside Tazz.
In a 2025 interview with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Hyson revealed that his decision to retire followed a 2010 match against Sabu for 2CW in Syracuse, New York, when he sustained an arm injury requiring emergency treatment the next day. At that time, his wife was expecting their first child. Although he wrestled occasionally afterward, his last consistent appearances were in 2015, with a one-off match in December 2023.
“That was the moment where I realized, Okay, I’m going to be a father. I can’t be doing this crazy stuff anymore, because physically, that’s what I did, was take bumps,” Hyson said. “And no matter how indestructible we all think we are, you hit a wall where you cannot do that anymore.”
Currently, Hyson works in financial services, stating, “I work for Fidelity Investments, and I’m on what’s called the Transition Services team,” during his conversation with Van Vliet.
His most recent wrestling appearance was in October 2025 at TNA Bound for Glory, where, performing as Brother Runt, he came out before Team 3D’s “One Final Table” match against The Hardys and shared a moment with Bully Ray and D-Von Dudley. Earlier this year, in February, D-Von publicly urged Triple H to induct Hyson into the WWE Hall of Fame.
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Fan Take: This ongoing dispute over the Spike Dudley trademark highlights the lasting influence of wrestling personas beyond the ring, especially as legends transition into other careers. For fans, it underscores how intellectual property battles can impact the legacy and branding of beloved performers, shaping the future of wrestling merchandising and history preservation.
Source: wrestlingnews.co
