WWE Hall of Famers Mark Henry and Bully Ray have shared their thoughts on the recent confrontation between Adam Cole and Pat McAfee. The two discussed the incident during a recent episode of Busted Open Radio.
While appearing on McAfee’s show, Cole took issue with McAfee’s suggestion that he had only become the longest-reigning NXT Champion because of the Undisputed Era. He then mocked Cole’s size, calling him “small.” At this point, Cole took offense and began to berate McAfee before storming off.
Henry stressed how the best stories have a semblance of reality to them. He shared how he doesn’t believe their interaction was work, adding how WWE should capitalize on this encounter, turning it into business.
“This is not a work, this is real sh*t that’s going to have to be turned into business because it’s too good not to,” Mark Henry explained. “Here we are with all the stuff that happened for a week in pro wrestling and we’re talking about a verbal disagreement on a show. It was real and that’s why we talking about it.”
Pushing Adam Cole’s Buttons
Mark Henry’s co-host Bully Ray explained how he believes McAfee’s words pushed Cole’s buttons on an off day. He then asked how Cole’s reaction can be justified or found “acceptable” by WWE.
Bully Ray also argued how people can also put the onus on McAfee. He suggested how WWE may reflect on its relationship with the host and the work they’ve done together:
“And then the WWE can turn around and go, ‘You know something Pat? We’ve been really good to you, we’ve allowed you to announce on our shows. […] Why did you even feel the need to throw any digs at Adam Cole?’ There’s a lot of different ways to look at this. You know Adam Cole is a big part of the NXT roster. You know that people bust his chops for his size. Why would you do that?”
Adam Cole’s momentous reign as NXT Champion came to an end after Keith Lee defeated him in a “Winner Take All” match at NXT’s Great American Bash.
