WWE has secured another 90 days to consider challenging Spike Dudley’s application to trademark his famous ring name.

Matthew Hyson, best known to wrestling fans as Spike Dudley, filed the application on May 13, 2026, covering action figures. According to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records, WWE requested additional time to decide whether to oppose the registration.

The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board approved that request on September 25, setting a new deadline of December 23. WWE has not filed a formal opposition.

This is not Hyson’s first attempt to register the name. He previously applied for a trademark covering wrestling services in November 2005, shortly after leaving WWE. That application was refused because of WWE’s existing “Dudley Boyz” registration, which has been active since 2003. Hyson abandoned the application in January 2007.

The now-retired wrestler, 56, first became known as Spike Dudley in ECW before joining WWE in 2001. WWE later acquired ECW’s assets in 2003, following the promotion’s bankruptcy in 2001.

During his four-year WWE run, Hyson won the Cruiserweight Championship, European Championship and eight Hardcore Championships. He also held the WWF Tag Team Championship alongside Tazz. Outside WWE, he competed under his real name and as Brother Runt in TNA.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet in 2025, Hyson explained that a painful experience following a 2010 match against Sabu helped change his priorities.

The match, held by 2CW in Syracuse, New York, left him with a cut arm and led to an emergency room visit the following morning. With his wife expecting their first daughter, Hyson began thinking more seriously about life beyond the ring.

“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.”

Hyson continued wrestling occasionally, with his last regular appearances coming in 2015. He returned for a one-off match in December 2023 and now works in financial services.

“I work for Fidelity Investments, and I’m on what’s called the Transition Services team,” he told Van Vliet.

His most recent wrestling appearance came at TNA Bound for Glory in October 2025. Appearing as Brother Runt, he joined Bully Ray and D-Von Dudley for an embrace before Team 3D faced The Hardys in their “One Final Table” match.

D-Von later called on Triple H in February to recognise Hyson’s career with an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Would you like to see Spike Dudley receive a WWE Hall of Fame induction? Share your thoughts in the comments.