I haven't met anyone who uses spiked collars to protect small dogs against larger dogs, but the theory behind it is not entirely a rumor.
The origin of spiked collars is the protection of dogs used for hunting or to guard sheep flocks against predators, their use dates back to ancient Rome. Those collars were generally made of metal and locked around the dogs neck like a shackle, usually with nails sticking out. Search wolf collar on google images and you'll see what I'm talking about. You can still get true wolf collars, but they're hard to find and would be quite an interesting statement at the dog park.
Would the contemporary 'fashion' style studded collars give much protection against a bite to the neck? I wouldn't count on it preventing a neck break, because they're flexible, not that wide, and not that unpleasant to bite, but they would provide more defense than a little nylon strap. You might be able to find something that is a good balance between a wolf collar and a contemporary studded collar if you search for something designed for dogs used in wolf, bear, and pig hunting. Hard to say though.
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