Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and hardcore wrestling icon Spike Dudley has opened up about how his post-wrestling career saved him from the harsh realities many ex-wrestlers face after stepping out of the ring. Now working as a financial transition specialist, Dudley reflects candidly on the emotional and physical toll wrestling took on him and how his new profession has given him stability and purpose beyond his days in WWE, ECW, and TNA.
Following a memorable wrestling career full of high-risk maneuvers and championship reigns, Spike Dudley, born Matthew Hyson, officially semi-retired from in-ring competition after 2013, with just a one-off match in 2023 marking his latest bout. Since then, he’s carved out an entirely new path working at Fidelity Investments on the Transition Services team, where he helps manage the asset transitions of recently departed clients. While it may not have been his childhood dream, Dudley told Chris Van Vliet on the “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” podcast that the role became his niche and a steady job supporting his family.
“I work for Fidelity Investments, and I’m on what’s called the Transition Services team,” Dudley said. “It would never have been my first choice of, you know, as a kid, you grow up, ‘what do you wanna do? Be a transition service specialist?’ No. But, I’ve found my niche with it and it’s been good” [1].
His reflections also unveiled a sobering side of the wrestling business. Dudley recounted one of his final matches on the independent circuit, a six-man bout featuring a 70-year-old Jimmy Snuka, who participated because he needed the money and to sell autographs. This memory brought home for Dudley the grim reality many aging wrestlers face financially and physically after their careers wane.
“[Snuka] was there because he needed the money, he needed to hawk the 8x10s, he needed to be in the ring, and it was sad,” he recalled. “If I were still in [the business,] I wouldn’t – I don’t think I’d be alive, I’ll be honest with you. I think I would have either drank myself to death or I would have taken some sort of crippling bump” [1].
This candid admission underscores the difficult transitions many wrestlers endure, dealing with physical injuries, mental health struggles, and financial instability after the spotlight dims. Spike Dudley’s move to a financial role has not only provided him with a stable livelihood but has saved him from what he describes as a “sad future,” commonly seen among former wrestlers.
Spike’s wrestling journey began in the independent circuit in 1993, before earning fame in the late ‘90s with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he gained a reputation as the fearless underdog despite being smaller than most opponents. As part of the infamous Dudley family storyline in ECW and later WWE, Spike was known for his high-risk style, drawing the nickname “The Giant Killer” after toppling opponents much larger than himself, such as Bam Bam Bigelow.
Between 2001 and 2005, Dudley thrived in WWE, capturing the Hardcore Championship eight times, winning the WWE Cruiserweight and Tag Team Championships, and entertaining fans with his never-say-die attitude. After leaving WWE, he joined TNA in 2006 but did not find the same success and quietly wound down his wrestling career by the early 2010s.
Outside the ring, Dudley was never just a wrestler. Before fully dedicating himself to wrestling, he had a bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College and previously worked as a third-grade teaching assistant, showing a foundation and interest in professions beyond sports [4].
According to sources close to Dudley, his transition into financial services was also facilitated by his desire to secure a future for his family, moving away from the unpredictability of wrestling. His respected reputation inside the wrestling industry lends weight to his testimony about the struggles wrestlers face after retirement.
The insight Spike shared during his interview with Chris Van Vliet sheds light on a broader issue within professional wrestling – many performers, after years in a physically punishing and emotionally draining career, confront daunting post-wrestling lives. Dudley’s story breaks this mold by highlighting a successful transition into an entirely different career that still allows him to provide for his family and maintain his mental well-being.
WWE news outlets such as WWE.com and Fightful have noted that Dudley’s openness about his life beyond wrestling contributes positively to ongoing conversations about wrestler wellness and career longevity. Several wrestlers have started advocating for better support, including financial education and health plans, to aid wrestlers once they retire from the ring.
Spike Dudley’s journey is inspiring not only because of his achievements inside the squared circle but because he serves as an example of how wrestlers can reinvent themselves and thrive after their wrestling days are over. In his own words, as shared on the “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” podcast and reported by Wrestling Inc., his new career helped him dodge the “sad” fate that so many former wrestlers encounter, showing fans a hopeful narrative beyond hardcore matches and championship lights [1].
As Spike recently turned 55, reflections like these remind the wrestling world that behind the characters and personas are real people needing stable futures. For now, Matt Hyson seems content helping families through financial transitions rather than putting his body on the line in the ring, a testament to the resilience and adaptability that originally made Spike Dudley a beloved figure in professional wrestling.
If quoting this article, please credit “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” podcast and credit Wrestling Inc. for transcription of the interview.