The Usos' Return Opens the Door to Split Up the Dudley Boyz

The honeymoon is over.

The Dudley Boyz's nostalgic Rocky Horror appeal has dried up. After losing in multiple chances to defeat the New Day for the tag team championships, including a sloppy match at Hell in a Cell, the Dudleys' window to win the tag team titles has closed.

In reviewing that match, Jason Powell of Prowrestling.net wrote that the Dudleys felt like "a nostalgia act, and this failed chase for the tag titles was their peak," while James Caldwell of PWTorch noted, "It just does not seem like they will win the titles at this point."

If the Dudleys are to remain relevant in WWE, it will have to be as singles competitors.

As great as the Dudleys are, WWE's tag team division does not need them. Perennial front-runners The Usos are back and are slated to be next in line for a tag team title run against The New Day.

Meanwhile, the reigning champs have not only carried the tag team division but transcended it, turning into a semi-main event act. With the Wyatt Family back together, it's only a matter of time before some combination of Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman enter the fold.

And all this is before mentioning those scrappy Lucha Dragons who picked up a win Monday on Raw.

With so many up-and-coming tag teams entering the fray during a transitional period in WWE, the Dudleys have been rendered the elder statesmen.

It's no secret that Bubba Ray Dudley can hold his own as a singles competitor. Even before his world title run in TNA, he's an eight-time WWE Hardcore champion and even competed for a world title against Triple H in 2002.

As a member of TNA, Bubba Ray had a career renaissance as the promotion's top heel and its world champion. In 2013, Pro Wrestling Illustrated's 500 ranked Bubba Ray No. 4 on its list of annual singles wrestlers (h/t Internet Wrestling Database). With top stars John Cena, Seth Rollins and Randy Orton out of action, WWE desperately needs veterans to step up and facilitate the growth of active young stars.

The idea of a heel Bubba Ray is still novel to the WWE audience, most of whom did not see his run in TNA. In WWE, turning heel on D-Von would be unfathomable and get him all the heel heat he needed to become an effective villain.

Winning a world championship in WWE is out of the question for the 44-year-old veteran. But feuding with the likes of Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose will create fresh matchups for a limited pool of WWE babyfaces.

WWE's young stars can learn a lot from working with Bubba Ray, who has run a pro wrestling school with D-Von in Florida since 2008.

Bubba Ray discussed the potential of a singles run on a recent episode of the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast, saying: "If WWE ever came to me and said 'Hey, we'd like to give you a shot at the singles, we'd like to try it,' I'm more than open to it. It would be interesting. I think the fans would love to see it."

WWE has gone about as far as it can go with The Dudley Boyz' return. With its roster basically in shambles, a Dudleys split is necessary.

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast.