The Next Big Thing - Bubba Ray Dudley

Ever since the departure of Stone Cold Steve Austin from the WWE a few months ago, many names have been mentioned with regards to who will become the next big name of the Raw brand. A name that has been mentioned countless times is Rob Van Dam. However, while I am a great admirer of RVD's work, I don't think that RVD is the man - yet.

So who is going to be the man to step up to the plate, to step up to the plateau that is currently occupied by Triple H?

Booker T? He shows promise, but perhaps not yet. Chris Jericho? He had his chance. Kane? See Jericho. Shawn Michaels? HBK is really only a short term solution. Scott Steiner? Depends on if he goes to Raw or Smackdown.

While all of the above could join Triple H at the top of the ladder, there is one member of the Raw brand who, given the right push, could become just as popular and successful as Steve Austin. That man is Bubba Ray Dudley.

Dudleyville's favourite son may be a surprise choice to many of you, but let's take a look at his tenure in the wrestling world. He is one of the most successful tag-team wrestlers in the industry. Having achieved legendary status in ECW, he achieved greater success in McMahon-land, not only holding the WWF titles, but the WCW straps as well.

As D-Von struggled somewhat on Smackdown, Bubba seemed to excel on Raw, winning the hardcore title, before joining the tag ranks again with a variety of partners, most notably Little Spike and former enemy Jeff Hardy.

So what makes Bubba so special? He will never put on a mat wrestling classic with the likes of Kurt Angle or Chris Benoit, because that's just not part of his character. Bubba, like Stone Cold, is a tough SOB who doesn't take crap from anybody.

Bubba Ray Dudley appeals to the average wrestling fan for one simple reason - because he is one of us, he is everyman. He's not an upper-class blue blood, he's not a plumber or a refuse collector, he's just Bubba Ray Dudley, your everyday kind of guy who could appeal to young and old alike, just as Stone Cold did before him.

So while we wait for the powers that be to come up with someone who will stand at the same level as Vince's future son-in-law, maybe they should look towards Momma Dudley's pride and joy when they search for the new Stone Cold.