Mark Henry isn’t on board with Bully Ray’s recent take on Jon Moxley’s return promo.

Moxley was expected to make it to the finals of an AEW World Heavyweight Championship tournament. He likely would’ve gone one-on-one with Bryan Danielson. “MOX” ended up withdrawing from the tournament to enter an alcohol treatment program.

Jon Moxley Returns, Bully Ray Criticizes

Jon Moxley made his return on the Jan. 19 episode of Dynamite. Outside of one heckler who got verbally eviscerated by “MOX,” the crowd stood in silence to hear what Jon had to say. Moxley fired up the supportive fans and talked about how everyone has internal scars that they should be proud of.

Bully Ray took to Busted Open Radio to express his belief that Moxley was missing an apology in the speech.

“I would have liked to have heard just a little bit of accountability from Jon. I understand the whole demons thing and we always use the word demons as a creative word to get around the real issues.

“Whether it’s an alcohol issue, whether it’s a drug issue. In Tommy’s case, it’s an eating issue. Everybody has some kind of ‘demon’ that they have to get around.

“So, okay we have our ‘demons.’ These demons got the best of Jon for a time period where he had to step away from AEW. I would’ve liked to have heard him say a bit of an apology to the AEW fans.”

Mark Henry Comes To MOX’s Defense

Mark Henry, who works with Bully Ray on Busted Open, doesn’t agree with his colleague on the “MOX” promo.

“I have to disagree with our contemporary Bully Ray. He didn’t owe anybody an apology.”

Moxley was back in the ring on the Jan. 21 episode of Rampage. He defeated Ethan Page to get the show started. After the match, he had a staredown with Bryan Danielson.

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One tag team legend doesn’t believe that HHH’s vision of NXT would’ve been dismantled if the brand had beaten AEW in the ratings.

There was a time when NXT was the alternative brand of WWE. While Raw and SmackDown generally stuck to the status quo, NXT was filled with established indie and international talent. The brand was also able to garner a passionate fanbase.

Once AEW came to life, the pressure was on HHH and his crew to hold the new kid on the block at bay. That didn’t happen as NXT got smoked in the head-to-head ratings war.

Bully Ray Says NXT Black & Gold Sticks Around With Ratings Wins

Ultimately, NXT was moved to Tuesday nights and rebranded. Now, WWE has put emphasis on developing talent to be ready for what the main roster officials want instead of being a competitive third brand.

Taking to Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray shared his theory that the previous NXT regime would’ve stood in place if it had gotten better ratings than AEW Dynamite.

“I believe NXT would have still been around, the black and gold, would’ve still been around if it was to continue to win and that’s it. ‘It stopped winning, now we’re gonna strip it down, and now it’s going to become what I originally wanted it to become.’

“Last night seeing Bron [Breakker] and seeing [Grayson Waller] and the way they’re peppering in guys like AJ Styles to work with these NXT talents so they are accustomed to the Raw and SmackDown work [solidified the new NXT era].

“Not like a Keith Lee who comes in who’s a 300-pounder who wants to work like he’s a buck and a half. Vince will just look at it and go, ‘What the heck is going on?'”

PWInsider recently reported that NXT has fully moved into its next phase. Bruce Prichard and Christine Lubrano have now taken over the creative reigns so that the show runs similar to Raw and SmackDown.

WWE has been releasing many members of HHH’s NXT team. We recently saw the likes of William Regal, Samoa Joe, and Road Dogg being given their walking papers.

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Bully Ray believes Big E is a classic case of a star who fans would rather see chase a championship than retain it.

Big E saw his 110-day WWE Championship reign come to an end on Jan. 1, 2022. He lost the title in a fatal five-way match after suffering a pinfall at the hands of Brock Lesnar.

A lot has been made about the decision to have Big E drop the WWE Title at this stage but the crowd in attendance was on their feet for the finish. After all, Lesnar by far received the biggest ovation of the night.

Bully Ray Likens Big E To A ‘Chase Champion’

On an episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray admitted that he didn’t hate the title change. In fact, he sees more value in Big E as the one chasing WWE gold.

“A lot of these babyface champions who are built the right way, you will pay to see retain.

“Big E is one of those talents where I feel like you pay and you invest your emotion to see him chase another one of these guys, much like a Kofi Kingston where you feel like he’s been working hard for so long and he deserves better, thus you get behind him because of the chase.

“Then once it happens and the chase is over, alright fine we got what we want. Do we really wanna invest our — let’s forget about time and money. Do we really wanna invest our emotion in seeing Big E retain?

“Yeah, there will be some fans who wanna do that but the majority? I’m not quite sure.”

There will be no immediate rematch for E. Instead, Lesnar will be putting his WWE Championship on the line against Bobby Lashley at the Royal Rumble event. Whether or not Big E gets a one-on-one match with Lesnar down the road remains to be seen.

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Bully Ray has looked back on the time D-Von felt he was above a run in ROH.

Bully and D-Von were a legendary tag team as The Dudley Boyz. They made their mark in ECW, WWE, and TNA Wrestling. Eventually, the team split apart and Bully found himself going solo in ROH.

Bully Ray Claims D-Von Wasn’t Sold On ROH

During an episode of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray made quite the claim that D-Von felt ROH was beneath him.

“I’ll never forget the first day I was there. They asked me, ‘Hey man, what do you wanna do?’ I said, ‘I wanna work with The Briscoes.’

“That was the big deal for me, I wanted to work with The Briscoes. Me and D-Von when we had left the WWE for the second time actually had a deal in place from Ring of Honor to work with The Briscoes.

“It was supposed to be The Dudleyz vs. The Briscoes. D-Von felt that Ring of Honor was beneath him. I completely disagreed so we never got Dudleyz vs. Briscoes.

“I went there and I made sure I got to do something with them because I had a lot of respect for those two guys.”

Bully ended up winning the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship with Jay and Mark Briscoe. The Briscoes are heavily rumored to be making their way to AEW soon. The team has already been feuding with FTR.

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Bully Ray has gone off on social media dwellers whining about Brandi Rhodes’ recent one-liner.

On the Dec. 29 New Year’s Smash episode of AEW Dynamite, Brandi and Dan Lambert got into a verbal exchange. During the segment, Brandi referred to herself as a “black b*tch” which got some people on social media in a hissy fit.

Of course, many of these social media accounts were WWE stans. After all, the wrestling community on Twitter has become a cesspool of fanboys on both the WWE and AEW front.

Bully Ray has had enough of the “snowflake” Twitter warriors.

Bully Ray Defends Brandi Rhodes

Bully Ray is aware of the complaints on Twitter of Brandi’s line and he’s fed up. He obliterated the whiners during an episode of Busted Open Radio.

“And then I was reading on social media that people were having a problem that Brandi referred to herself, and I think I’m getting it right here, as a black b*tch? And then she takes her heels off and she’s ready to fight?

“And what’s wrong with that? It’s sports entertainment you f*cking snowflakes! Give me a break!”

A feud has now been sparked between the Rhodes family and Lambert’s crew. Lambert manages Ethan Page, who will be challenging Cody for the TNT Championship on the Dec. 31 episode of AEW Rampage.

This will be Cody’s first TNT title defense since capturing the gold a third time by defeating Sammy Guevara on the Christmas episode of Rampage.

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One WWE and TNA Hall of Famer believes Dan Lambert always brings the goods as a heel.

Lambert has become quite a polarizing figure among the AEW audience. Some love him, others believe he generates go-away heat. Regardless of how you feel, few can deny that he’s been successful at getting people to despise him.

Bully Ray Sings Praises Of Dan Lambert

Bully Ray took to the Busted Open Radio show to express his belief that Dan Lambert is doing his job to perfection.

“They [wrestling fans] sit back and like, ‘No, we don’t wanna like Dan Lambert. We don’t accept Dan Lambert. We don’t like him.’

“Come on people. This guy is really good at what he does on the microphone. He’s got a flow to him.

“What he says digs deep. He stabs you, he twists a knife, and then he throws salt on it as he looks you in the eyes and lets you know that, ‘I’m Dan Lambert and I’m the one who’s got you.”

Lambert was most recently seen on the Dec. 29 New Year’s Smash episode of AEW Dynamite. He got into a verbal battle with Brandi Rhodes.

As most fans are aware, Cody and Brandi aren’t exactly well-received by the AEW audience these days. Bully praised Lambert for being able to get the fans at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida to cheer for Brandi.

Cody is set to put his TNT Championship on the line against Ethan Page on the Dec. 31 episode of AEW Rampage. Page is managed by Lambert.

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Bully Ray gets why WWE has switched up the formula for NXT but he hasn’t been entertained by the change in direction.

NXT went from the black and gold to Splatoon-like colors. The brand has also gone from focusing on indie talent to shifting gears to bigger wrestlers with athletic backgrounds.

Some believe the new change could be beneficial for the main roster but it’s clear that the talent is very green. If the brand was airing on Hulu like FCW and the early NXT days it would be one thing but NXT 2.0 airs live every Tuesday night on USA Network.

Bully Ray Not Satisfied Watching NXT 2.0

Taking to the Busted Open Radio show on SiriusXM, Bully Ray said that NXT 2.0 simply doesn’t grab his attention.

“Here is my thought walking away from the show, I don’t wanna watch the JV squad anymore. I don’t wanna watch the Triple-A of the WWE anymore.

“I understand why it’s important, I understand why it’s on, I get it. From a business point of view, I understand every last detail of what they are trying to accomplish on Tuesday nights at 8 o’clock on USA.

“As a fan who’s been around the wrestling business obviously 40+ years, I’m not as much into the up-and-coming developmental talent right now. To me, these new characters, these new talents are doing well but I wanna be entertained at the highest level.

“That’s why I’m watching a Raw, a SmackDown, a Dynamite. Those are the top of the food chain when it comes to the different brands we have at our disposal to be entertained by.

“Last night I felt very much like I was watching the minor leagues because NXT is the minor leagues now. Me calling NXT the minor leagues, I’m not being disrespectful. It’s not a detriment, it just is what it is.”

Many agree that the one highlight of NXT 2.0 has been Bron Breakker. He is the son of Rick Steiner and there is no doubt that he takes after both his father and his uncle, Scott Steiner.

Breakker is set to challenge Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship in a rematch. The title match will take place at New Year’s Evil on Jan. 4.

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Bully Ray thinks that despite Brock Lesnar’s popularity, “The Beast” doesn’t get his due from fans.

Lesnar has been enjoying his role as a babyface on the SmackDown brand. He has been involved in a highly praised feud with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. The two will collide at the Day 1 PPV on Jan. 1, 2022.

Brock Lesnar Underappreciated?

It’s hard to picture a superstar the magnitude of Brock Lesnar being underappreciated but Bully Ray is targeting the “smart” fans. Here’s what he said during an episode of Busted Open Radio.

“Just as Roman is going to cave in Paul’s [Heyman] head via what looked to be a one-man Con-Chair-To, the music hits and the place erupted.

“Did the place erupt for a babyface? No. Did the place erupt for a heel? No. The place erupted for a superstar.

“A superstar that people refuse to give the right amount of respect and props to. You know, Roman has this whole thing, ‘Acknowledge Me,’ as as ‘The Head of The Table.’ If anybody should truly be acknowledged in the wrestling business it’s Brock Lesnar because Brock is so damn good at what he does.

“And he’s so smart but a lot of ‘smart’ fans who are actually dumb as the freakin’ day is long don’t get it. Brock is a megastar. Brock is on the same level as Austin and Rock but because Brock had come and gone a little bit, you don’t really see it.”

Bully went on to express his belief that Lesnar is better than he’s ever been. He credits Brock’s current successful run with experience and being an elite-level star in an industry where making it to the top isn’t easy.

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Bully Ray believes Ring of Honor deserves credit for creating many of the stars that are renowned today.

ROH held its Final Battle PPV event this past Saturday (Dec. 11). The main event saw Jonathan Gresham defeat Jay Lethal to become the ROH World Champion. This was the final event before ROH goes on hiatus.

Back in October, Ring of Honor announced that it will be going dark to undergo a “reconceptualizing” process. It was later revealed that the company planned to release all of its on-air talent.

Bully Ray Praises ROH’s History Creating Stars

We’ve seen plenty of fan favorites get their first run in ROH. That fact isn’t lost on Bully Ray, who gave the company its due during an episode of Busted Open Radio.

“Pound-for-pound Ring of Honor has created more stars of today than any other company. We talk about ECW and how ECW changed the landscape of a wrestling business.

“Very few ECW guys came out of ECW and were considerably more successful than they were in ECW as Ring of Honor. I mean, the list goes on and on. From the Samoa Joes, to the AJ Styles’, to the Seth Rollins’, to the CM Punks, yadda yadda.

“Star after star after star and that’s why so many other companies, including NXT in its early days, mimicked everything that went on in Ring of Honor because Ring of Honor was truly giving wrestling fans an alternative in-ring style to what they were seeing in the WWE.”

Many stars who made their first big mark in the industry under the ROH banner made pre-taped appearances at Final Battle. Some of the names include CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Adam Cole.

It’ll be interesting to see where some of the ROH wrestlers will end up.

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Bully Ray isn’t convinced that AEW fans will hate on Cody Rhodes permanently.

There was a time when the idea of AEW fans turning on Cody was inconceivable. After all, Cody is one of the reasons AEW even exists. He along with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks gave Tony Khan a reason to invest in the wrestling industry.

Despite Cody’s efforts to bring as many eyeballs to AEW as possible, the fans are treating him like he’s a heel. It has left many puzzled including Bully Ray. With that said, Bully thinks the boobirds are temporary.

Bully Ray Thinks Cody Jeers Won’t Last Forever

On an episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray shared his take on why he doesn’t see the fans booing Cody Rhodes over the long haul.

“I don’t think it’ll be full-blown yet. I think there’s still people out there who love and respect Cody for what he has done for AEW. It’s very hard to completely hate a guy that spends almost every waking minute of his day thinking about AEW. I mean, obviously, he thinks about Brandi and Liberty, his daughter but he is the backbone of the company. Kinda hard to hate him forever.”

Cody Rhodes recently laid down a challenge to TNT Champion Sammy Guevara. The two will compete on a special Christmas night edition of Rampage. That episode will be airing via tape delay.

Cody had been involved in a feud with Malakai Black and Andrade El Idolo. He ended up defeating Black in their third match and put Andrade through a flaming table in their most recent encounter.

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Bully Ray has an idea on how the feud between Edge and The Miz can be more intriguing.

Edge and Miz have begun a program on WWE TV. To some, this has been disappointing as there were high hopes for the next Edge rivalry following his highly regarded Hell in a Cell match with Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel.

Bully Ray Adds Spice To Edge vs. The Miz

Bully Ray took to an episode of Busted Open Radio to throw out his suggestion on how to create more buzz around this program.

He explained why at the moment he isn’t invested and how things can change.

“Not really because I know what I’m gonna get. This is just a typical WWE storyline. I would like something different.

“I would like something other than typical — do I think I’m going to get a great match between The Miz and Edge? Absolutely. Am I gonna get great promos from The Miz and Edge? Absolutely.

“I know what I wanna see though. I wanna see them go beyond The Miz and Edge. I’d like to see The Miz have somebody standing next to him and her name would be Maryse Mizanin, and I wanna see Edge having somebody standing next to him and that woman’s name is Beth Phoenix.

“I want The Miz and Maryse vs. Edge and Beth moving forward because Edge and Miz — okay yeah, sure. Two WWE superstars, great promos, great matches been there done that but the intergender stuff with the wives, now we’re onto something.

“Especially if they have to have a dance-off cause if there’s a dance-off then you know all the sh*t hits the fan.”

The Miz and Maryse are no strangers to ruffling the feathers of fellow real-life couples. Things got physical during The Miz’s 2016 feud with Dean Ambrose, known as Jon Moxley outside of WWE.

Moxley’s wife, Renee Paquette slapped The Miz and Maryse returned the favor by slapping Renee. Miz and Maryse also had a feud with John Cena and Nikki Bella back in 2017.

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Bully Ray has weighed in on a recent situation involving Jeff Hardy.

During a WWE house show in Edinburg, Texas, Jeff teamed with Drew McIntyre and Xavier Woods to take on Roman Reigns and The Usos. Jeff was seen tagging in McIntyre and then making his exit through the crowd before the match ended.

PWInsider reported that Jeff ended up being sent home and he wasn’t a part of the Sunday house show in Corpus Christi.

Some fans are already fearing Jeff Hardy might’ve relapsed. Jeff has a history of drug issues but he seems to have turned a corner over the past few years. At this time, it isn’t known why Hardy made an early exit in his house show match.

Bully Ray Speaks On Jeff Hardy Situation

On a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray discussed the reports of Jeff Hardy being sent home.

“Listen, complete speculation as to why Hardy decided to go home, leave. You never know. Life on the road is difficult, Dave [host of Busted Open Radio]. I’ve explained this to you before.

“Lots of things can be going on in somebody’s personal life. He still was able to get out there, I guess do the match, and when the match was over or before the match even ended he just decided to jump over the guardrail and head up through the people? Is that what you’re telling me?”

When Dave LaGreca confirmed that was the case, Bully said he feels Jeff knew he didn’t want to be in the building any longer.

“That means to me that he just wanted to get the hell out of there. He didn’t wanna deal with anybody in the back. He didn’t wanna answer any questions. He just wanted to split.

“With Jeff unfortunately there is history and what history will tell us is that sometimes Jeff gets himself in a little bit of trouble. I hope it is not those same things that have happened in the past.

“You know, Dave [it’s] really interesting. In wrestling, they talk about how one door closes for somebody and another door opens for another person. The door closing on Jeff Hardy in TNA is what opened the door for Bully Ray.

“It’s a really weird turn of events. I hope Jeff is okay. Obviously, you know how I feel about Jeff as a person and the history that we’ve had together professionally. So, I hope he’s okay, I hope his family’s okay, and I hope he’s in a good headspace.

“Maybe he just had a bad day and needs to go clear his head a little bit and that’s it. So, best wishes to Jeff.”

Jeff was last seen on WWE TV on the Nov. 26 episode of SmackDown. He won a tag team match with Drew McIntyre against Baron Corbin and Madcap Moss.

SEScoops will keep you posted with the latest information on Jeff Hardy’s situation as more details become available.

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Bully Ray is fired up over the criticism he’s seen following the Cody Rhodes vs. Andrade El Idolo street fight.

Cody and Andrade had a memorable street fight inside the Gas South Arena in Duluth, GA. The match closed out the Dec. 1 episode of AEW Dynamite.

The match came to a thrilling conclusion when Brandi Rhodes made her return and lit a table on fire. With Cody and Andrade perched on the turnbuckle, Cody nailed Andrade with a reverse DDT through the flaming table and scored the pinfall.

Bully Ray Slams Critics Of Table Spot

Some fans have been critical over the table spot because Cody ended up taking the brunt of it, going back-first through the flames.

On an episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray said he thought the spot looked cool regardless.

“Cody took the fire, Andrade took the move. Could I say, ‘Cody should’ve never went through the table? Cody should’ve been selling more through the fire and this, and this?’ Yep, I could sit here and do that all day. Who the f*ck cares? It looked cool.”

Bully then proceeded to go scorched earth on the critics.

“If Cody botched it go get a table, go get some lighter fluid, light it on fire, film it in your backyard and do it better. ‘Cody botched it. Andrade botched it.’ What did they botch? Your mother botched you at birth.”

Well then.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio provided a brief update on the flaming table spot. He was told that “everyone is okay.”

That includes Arn Anderson, who took a scary spill on the entrance ramp.

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Bully Ray had a lot to say about the CM Punk-MJF promo and he isn’t a fan of one zinger.

On the Nov. 24 episode of Dynamite, fans got to witness the long-anticipated verbal battle between Punk and MJF. Both men hurled some digs that garnered big reactions from the crowd in Chicago.

Bully Ray Criticizes CM Punk One-Liner

On a new episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray had a suggestion for Punk’s future promos with MJF and explained why he hated the “needle dick” line.

“So, if I’m CM Punk you know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna let MJF pile all those shots on me.

“I’m gonna let him get in as much steam on me as I possibly can because I know I don’t have enough material to come back at him with.

“He doesn’t have that much time in the business and the amount of time he does have he’s been doing so well.

“If I’m Punk in that situation, and this is definitely a Monday morning quarterback call cause I haven’t thought about this until now, I think I might let him get the best of me for real.

“Pile on so much heat that people are like, ‘Holy crap, Punk’s in a lot of trouble.’ And then have to do the one thing that you can beat him at, with your fists.

“That’s why I thought the needle dick line was stupid. ‘I’d like to punch you right in your needle dick.’ You’re supposed to wanna punch him in the face.”

Punk and MJF don’t have a matchup lined up officially but that definitely seems to be the plan. Both men competed in separate matches at Full Gear. Punk defeated Eddie Kingston, while MJF pinned Darby Allin.

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Bully Ray has come to the defense of Seth Rollins from some online detractors following a fan attack.

On the Nov. 22 episode of Monday Night Raw, WWE ran an angle where Seth left Finn Balor laying in the middle of the ring. As Rollins walked up the ramp, a fan tackled him to the floor.

During the attack, Rollins slapped on a guillotine choke but didn’t tighten it up and the fan ended up pulling on his hair as seen in several fan-recorded videos.

Seth kicked the man, who has been identified as 24-year-old Elisah Spencer, to break free. Afterward, Rollins had some strong words for the fan as he was escorted out of the arena.

Bully Ray Responds To Seth Rollins Critics

Some fans have taken to Twitter to sound off on Seth Rollins for not giving the fan a beatdown. Even Chavo Guerrero insinuated that Seth looked weak.

On an episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray expressed his belief that Rollins did exactly what he was supposed to do in that situation.

“People chiming in on social media, ‘Oh Rollins is a punk for not beating the sh*t out of him.’ No, he’s not, he’s a pro. You can’t fire back because then they sue you, then they sue the company, then they sue the arena, then they just get sue happy.

“And then the jury looks at you like, ‘Well Seth, you did get away from the guy. Did you really have to go back and punt him in the face?’

“‘Yeah, but the guy jumped me.’ ‘Yes, we understand. The guy jumped you and that’s what arena security is there for and that’s what WWE security is there for. It’s their job to control the guy and get him out of there, not your job to kick him in the face after you got away.’

“That’s why you don’t do that. Seth saved the company a lot of headaches last night. Most guys wouldn’t have that kind of self-control. I’ve seen it a hundred times. The boys just salivating to get that one shot in.”

The fan was arrested by the NYPD for attempted assault and attempted violation of arts and cultural affairs. It was discovered on social media that Spencer had been scammed by a Seth Rollins impersonator online.

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Bully Ray thinks former ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoe Brothers would be the perfect fit for AEW.

Many have praised AEW’s tag team division. Teams such as the current AEW Tag Team Champions, Lucha Bros, FTR, The Young Bucks, Proud N’ Powerful, and others have proven to deliver the goods.

There’s one tag team, however, that Bully Ray feels would do wonders for AEW.

Bully Ray is ‘All In’ on The Briscoes AEW

Bully Ray discussed potential tag teams that could make their way to AEW during an episode of Busted Open Radio. At the top of his list are The Briscoes.

“The Briscoes are an absolute perfect fit for the AEW tag division. The Briscoes and The Bucks already have history.

“Now, imagine if we get Briscoes and Bucks again. Imagine if we get Briscoes and FTR, Briscoes and Lucha Bros, yadda yadda. Anything like that.

“And then on the horizon, way, way, way off in the horizon, there’s the possibility of a Hardy reunion in AEW. Could you imagine? A very small portion of wrestling fans got to see Hardyz-Bucks in Ring of Honor.

“Now, the world could see Hardyz-Bucks. Hardyz, Bucks, FTR, Lucha Brothers, Briscoes. Damn, that is one hell of a tag division.”

Briscoe Brothers’ Problematic Past

The timing certainly can’t be ignored. Ring of Honor announced that all talent will be released from their deals as the company will go dark until at least April.

Many have wondered if AEW will consider bringing in The Briscoes due to some controversial comments made by Jay Briscoe back in 2013. Jay said he’d shoot anyone who teaches his kids that same-sex marriage is okay.

Jay did end up apologizing for his remarks. These days, the wrestling industry is far less forgiving of these types of comments but The Briscoes have done well for themselves over the past few years.

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Bully Ray has fired back at those who ripped him over his opinion on whether or not Hangman Page should emerge victorious at Full Gear.

This Saturday night (Nov. 13), Page will be challenging Kenny Omega for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. When Hangman first competed for the title back in Aug. 2019, he lost to Chris Jericho.

Many believe the time is now for Hangman to win the AEW gold but Bully Ray had other ideas.

He expressed his belief that it would be beneficial to get more heat on Hangman and have him win the title at another show.

Bully Ray Responds To Angry Fans

Bully got ripped to shreds on social media for his take. During an episode of Busted Open Radio, he addressed the backlash.

“After last night and all the heat that they built up in that segment, which is exactly what I wanted to see, it was crazy to see the tweets I got. This one tweet said, ‘Bully has caused so much discourse with his takes.’

“Well, I’m glad that my takes, my opinion could cause so much discourse amongst the AEW fans or the wrestling community. It’s an opinion based on 30 years of being in this business.

“So, I’m agreeing with you [speaking to host Dave LaGreca] now that they got a good segment of heat on him where he’s signed in blood. Wow, that was awesome I loved it.

“Yes, let’s strike while the iron’s hot but will the iron be hotter in Minneapolis? Or is that a good opportunity to get a little bit more heat? Or if we don’t do it in Minneapolis, have we missed a golden opportunity? It’s just a discussion.”

Bully Ray also claimed the “IWC bottom-feeding dirt sheets” embellished his take on it not being time for Hangman to win the championship.

This is despite the fact that Bully said, “Do I feel it’s the right time for Hangman? I’m gonna say in nine days? No.”

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Bully Ray has given his take on the reports that Charlotte has been difficult to work with.

Charlotte made some waves recently in the wrestling industry, although not in the way she intended. Things went array on the Oct. 22 episode of SmackDown. During a title exchange segment, Charlotte went off the script by dropping the Raw Women’s Championship instead of engaging in a tug of war with Becky Lynch.

This reportedly led to a verbal argument between Charlotte and Becky backstage. PW Torch later reported that many within WWE have found Charlotte to be increasingly difficult to work with.

Bully Ray Speaks On Charlotte Situation

During an episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray said that a wrestler being difficult to work with could boil down to many things. One of the main ones is when a performer takes pride in how their character comes across on TV.

“Difficult to work with also comes down to knowing your worth. You see, the wrestling business has morphed into this weird, quirky yes-man, yes-woman territory. If you don’t just say, ‘Yes’ to everything, if you stand your ground and fight for what you believe in, you’re deemed difficult. By that definition, don’t you think wrestlers like The Undertaker, or Stone Cold Steve Austin, or The Rock were difficult to work with?”

Bully also went on to say that he doesn’t agree with the “difficult” label being tossed around in that situation.

“Is that truly difficult? No, it’s just somebody believing in their convictions the way their character has been portrayed. It’s not always, ‘Well this is what the office wants, you have to do it this way.’ There’s talking, there’s negotiating, there’s working it out. So, when I hear the term ‘difficult’ I really try to put it under a microscope and find out, how is this person so difficult to work with? You mentioned Charlotte Flair. Charlotte is top of the food chain.”

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Charlotte isn’t likely to face repercussions for what transpired in the title exchange segment. The reason given is that if Charlotte is punished, then a few others would have to face the consequences as well.

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Bully Ray doesn’t think Hangman Page is ready to be AEW World Champion.

All Elite Wrestling presents AEW Full Gear this Saturday, November 13, live from Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Target Center It’ll be the final PPV card for AEW of 2021. The main event will see Hangman Page will be challenging Kenny Omega for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship.

Many believe that the timing is right for Hangman to reach the mountain top at AEW, but Bully Ray has a different take.

Bully Ray On Hangman Page As Champion

On a recent episode of Busted Open Radio on SiriusXM, Bully shared his belief that AEW needs to get more heat on this angle before Hangman Hangman becomes a world champion.

“I would say to stick with Kenny right now,” said Ray. “That’s just my own personal opinion. I’m not gonna say if Tony decides to switch it’s the wrong decision, or this or that. Listen, booking is all about feel also. There are Xs and Os that go with it but it’s also all about feel.”

Bully Ray continued, “Do I feel it’s the right time for Hangman? I’m gonna say in nine days? No. I would like to see Kenny get more heat on Hangman or them come up with a way to get more heat on Hangman.”

Bully went on to say that one idea could be for The Elite to take out The Dark Order “mafia-style.” He also says if Hangman were to win the title at Full Gear, then Tony Khan will have to decide who the top three heels in the company are to challenge for the gold.

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Bully Ray believes there’s a way AEW can avoid rushing CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston too soon.

All signs are pointing to a Full Gear showdown between Punk and Kingston. The two were involved in a shouting match backstage on the Oct. 29 episode of Rampage. Kingston had just been eliminated from the AEW World Heavyweight Title Eliminator Tournament by Bryan Danielson and he interrupted Punk’s interview in frustration.

On the Nov. 3 episode of Dynamite, Punk said he was expecting an apology from Kingston. He wants to hear the apology on the Nov. 5 episode of Rampage in St. Louis.

Kingston has taken to his Twitter account to let it be known that he will confront Punk.

Bully Ray Wants Slow Build For Punk vs. Kingston

Bully Ray holds CM Punk and Eddie Kingston in high regard when it comes to their promo abilities. During an episode of Busted Open Radio, he expressed his belief that Punk and Kingston can carry their feud for months before actually coming to blows.

“Let’s just say you wanted to build to Punk and Kingston, which you should definitely do. You should not blow through this at all. Let’s say you wanted to get three months out of them, three months leads up to one match. If you do this the right way, you can keep them away from each other for three months and walk and talk the whole thing.

“Mic time and every time it looks like they’re gonna come to blows, security is on high alert, the boys are on high alert, massive pull aparts anywhere and every time. You build to them actually touching. It’s a very old-school way of thinking but it works. All of that old-school booking still works with the modern characters and the modern ways of 2021. Like I always say, old-school rules, new-school tools.”

Bully Ray pointed out how during the ECW days, Paul Heyman managed to keep Tazz and Sabu away from each other for a full year before the two finally collided. He also said he feels Kingston’s authenticity can carry the momentum of the feud.

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Bully Ray has a theory about why the promotion is currently in the state that it is.

The former ROH star and tag team wrestling legend shared his views on Thursday’s episode of Busted Open Radio. He recalled a conversation he had with an ROH executive around the time the Elite left the company.

“I was asked by a higher-up at Ring of Honor ‘moving forward what do you think we should do?'” he said on the show. “The number 1 thing I said is sign Cody and the Bucks.”

“I can take you to the office I was in, the chair that I was sitting in in the office at Sinclair broadcasting at their TV studio when I was asked ‘What should we do?’ I said you have to sign Cody and the Bucks. They are the most important people to your company right now. The most important talent.”

ROH Had The Elite

Bully Ray says Ring of Honor’s decision to low-ball Cody and the Young Bucks was a mistake that ultimately led to the company’s decline.

“And we know from interviews or discussions that Cody and the Bucks might have had, that they said the negotiations with Ring of Honor did not go the way they thought they were going to go because they felt they had earned the right to ask for the money that they were asking for and lord knows Sinclair had it.”

A clip of Bully’s comments can be heard below (via Putting You Over):

• Update On the Future of Ring of Honor

Bully Ray was offered a backstage position in WWE by Vince McMahon himself. Though the wrestling legend didn’t feel very enthusiastic about it because of how things have changed over the years.

The WWE Hall Of Famer recently joined Gerald Brisco and JBL for an appearance on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw. He recalled feeling ‘stifled’ by his 2015 return to the company because of how the creative process has changed.

Discussing if he has any interest in taking on a backstage role in WWE, Ray revealed that the boss himself, Mr. McMahon had offered him a position in the past:

“Vince has offered me the position in the past. He has told me, ‘When you’re ready, I’d love to have you here as a producer’. I don’t think the job is the same job that it used to be when [Brisco] were a producer or an agent.”

Bully Ray Explains Why He Didn’t Take The Job

Explaining why he didn’t take the job, Bully Ray mentioned that the producers nowadays just carry the marching orders of the creative team to the talent:

“I believe the producers and agents now just kind of carry the marching orders of creative to the boys, and I don’t think the boys have as much input into things these days. I do consider myself creative.

If I don’t feel like that creativity can be put to work for the guys and the gals putting their matches together, then I kind of feel stifled. I would try it one day.”

The Attitude Era star then questioned JBL how his experience of working as an agent was. Replying to it, JBL said that he tried it for a few months but didn’t enjoy it.

Bully Ray was also asked which generation he thinks had the best tag teams. In reply, the former champion claimed that the tag teams of the Attitude Era sold more arenas and made more money than any other generation.

• D-Von Dudley On Initially Not Liking His Backstage Role In WWE

Former WWE Superstar and Hall of Famer Bully Ray recently appeared on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw. The Dudley Boy discussed several topics during the show, including when he returned to WWE in 2015.

When Bully and D-Von made their return, they hadn’t been in the company since 2006, so it was a culture shock for the ECW legend when he saw how different the industry was.

“When D-Von and I left in 2006, I remember what WWE was like,” Bully Ray began. “So when we went back in 2015, I remember feeling so stifled as a performer. Because you had to run almost everything by the agent, and being told that two guys don’t bump and feed for a comeback anymore, or that you can’t do this behind the ref’s back.

Bully Ray on WWE Culture

“Everything that worked in the Attitude Era that made all of us a lot of money, now you couldn’t do anymore” Bully added. “And there was not really a good reason why they didn’t want it done anymore. It’s just that they’d not want it done.

“I remember dealing with an agent one time where I came up with something different and I felt passionate about it. I asked my agent to please go run it by Vince. My agent said, ‘Okay, I will’” Bully recalled.

“Then I followed my agent for an hour, he never spoke with Vince, then he came back and said, ‘Yeah, Vince doesn’t want to do that’. I lose all the respect in the world for you. So I would much rather you tell me to my face, ‘You know what, Bubba? I don’t want to talk with Vince right now. You go do it’.”

Mark Henry and Bully Ray have a piece of advice for WWE star Keith Lee.

Lee has recently taken on a new persona in WWE. His nickname is “Bearcat” and he’s been showing a more vicious side of his character. The nickname is in honor of legendary wrestler Bearcat Wright.

Speaking to Bully Ray on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry gave his take on what Keith Lee has to do in order to make his new persona work.

“Own it. He’s not owning it yet. He’s feeling like, ‘well who am I? Who is Bearcat? What does Bearcat do?’ It’s a lot of studying right now, a lot of practicing. Eventually, we’ll get to the point where he’s got it. He’ll roll with it and he’ll be fine.”

Bully Ray agrees with Henry and he added the following.

“If Vince thinks of it and Vince gives you the name and Vince is the one that says, ‘my God he reminds me of Bearcat Wright,’ Vince doesn’t wanna be wrong about a gimmick that he puts on you. So the best thing for Keith Lee to do right now is own it to the max. Make it your own. Take just a little bit of that throwback of Bearcat Wright and mix it in with a lot of modern-day Keith Lee.”

Lee was a part of the WWE draft. He will not be switching brands as Monday Night Raw decided to keep him on the show. “Bearcat” has been earning victories in dark matches and even squashed Akira Tozawa on an episode of Raw in late September.

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Bully Ray recently spent some time on Busted Open Radio comparing WWE’s treatment of NXT to its treatment of ECW. According to Bully, there are many similarities between the two situations.

“There are many of us who believe that Vince McMahon brought ECW back for one reason: to kill it,” Bully said on the show. “He was going to get as much blood out of that stone as possible and then he was going to kill it because he could not stand to hear those letters E-C-W anymore. And guess what? It was his to kill.”

“Vince owns NXT,” Bully continued. “Hunter doesn’t own NXT, Shawn Michales doesn’t own NXT, Vince McMahon owns NXT. And I will do whatever I want to do with it, thus what’s going on lately. I do not think Vince is doing backflips over the fact that NXT ‘lost’ to AEW on Wednesday nights. That is a perception thing and if there is one thing that I learned from Vince McMahon one-on-one, is that perception is reality, Bubba. Nobody gives a damn about the truth in wrestling, it’s all about the perception.”

“NXT almost became an ECW for Vince, another thorn in his side. Do you really think that Vince McMahon wants NXT to be a better product or a more liked product than RAW or Smackdown?”

Bully’s comments can be heard on the Busted Open Radio podcast below: