WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the Roman Reigns main event run on SmackDown. Reigns recently defeated Jey Uso at the Hell In a Cell PPV, and was hailed as the ‘Tribal Chief’ of the legendary Samoan wrestling family.
The angle following the Reigns/Uso match at HIAC saw Afa and Sika of The Wild Samoans appear and seemingly anoint Reigns as the head of the family. Bully Ray would then discuss where the angle seems to be going. That is at least in the eyes of a lot of WWE fans.
The ongoing family based story of course has had fans questioning whether or not The Rock will be heading back to WWE to face Roman Reigns.
Bully Ray on The Rock
“I do not want to see the Hollywood version of The Rock right now in this storyline” Bully Ray proclaimed emphatically. “You better give me the version of The Rock that that laid there for 18 hours and got that [Samoan] tattoo.”
Bully Ray would clarify this statement further; saying how the storyline (if The Rock were to return) would need to see a ‘different’ version of The Rock come back to the company. “I want to see the High Chief Peter Maivia live through Dwayne Johnson. Because? That’s the only guy, ‘version’ of the character that I need to see from The Rock.”
“You give me the ‘typical’ Rock? ‘If ya smell’ and all that b*llshit? Roman kill him now. I don’t want to see that though. [If I do], I hope Roman eviscerates The Rock, and we’re done with The Rock forever.”
Bully would finish by saying how he wanted The Rock to evolve if he were to return to the company. “That’s not what I want to see. Roman has gone someplace different. Heyman has gone someplace different. I need The Rock to go someplace, I need The Rock to go back to his tribal heritage.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Do you think we’re going to see The Rock vs Roman Reigns at WrestleMania next year? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the Dog Collar match from this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
Cody Rhodes reclaimed his TNT Championship against Brodie Lee in the Dog Collar bout. Pro wrestling legend Greg Valentine, who had an outstanding Dog Collar match against Roddy Piper in 1983, was ringside for the contest.
Bully Ray would state that his ‘favorite’ part of the match was Valentine being ringside. Ray would praise both Valentine and AEW commentator Jim Ross for selling the story of Valentine ‘re-living’ his Starrcade ’83 match against Piper whilst watching Cody/Brodie.
Bully Ray on Cody Rhodes vs Brodie Lee
“My favorite part of the match? Greg Valentine” Bully ray began on the show. “Watching Valentine watch the match with his subtle facial expressions? It told such a story, watching Valentine relive his match with Piper. “You can see it in his eyes. You could see it in his face.”
“And then that got backed up by JR” Bully Ray continued. “JR told me that Valentine was reliving his dog collar match through Cody and Brodie. That instantly, for me, put tons of credibility on that match. Greg Valentine decided to come off the beach for 10 minutes to show up to watch a dog collar match, a match that he helped make famous.”
Bully Ray would finish by saying how the ‘moment’ helped to make the match. Ray would also be critical of a couple of elements of the TNT Championship match. “To me that little moment in time means so much. Yes the performance from Cody and Brodie was great. Yes, they did a good job with the match. [But] I thought they could have done a better job with the finish, because I didn’t like Cody just getting up right after a Dragon German Suplex on his head. That didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but whatever.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed NXT’s Undisputed Era. Bully Ray noted how the group seems to be taking different creative paths on NXT television, with ‘leader’ Adam Cole showing more babyface-like tendencies recently.
“Adam Cole is the star of the show over there when it comes to the Undisputed Era in my eyes” Bully Ray began on the show. “What I saw last night from Kyle O’Reilly? I dug. I think branching off (Bobby) Fish and Roderick Strong as a tag team? Not a bad idea.”
Bully Ray on Splitting Up Undisputed Era
Bully Ray would then discuss the ‘risks’ of splitting up the group, with Cole leaving and the other three members attempting to get ahead on their own. “It’s gonna…it’s just gonna depend on whether or not these guys can get over on their own. Now, here’s the problem I see, not necessarily a problem but a challenge for the rest of the Undisputed Era. We can agree that Adam Cole is the over guy, he’s the standout star in the group. So now the other three guys have to somehow get over without the reaction of people [live].”
Bully Ray elaborated further, saying “they were related to the Undisputed Era, now they have to carve out their own identities. I think it’s going to be really up to NXT to come up with some good creative stuff for these guys and help them get over. The same way NXT helped like an Io Shirai get over with the packages that they put together for her.”
Bully would then reference his previous comments about Jeremy Borash, saying how the former TNA backstage producer brings out the best in Superstars with his video packages. “I always put over Jeremy Borash for the great work he does behind the scenes at NXT. With all of the packages, especially the Io one.”
Bully Ray would finish by saying that Fish, Strong and O’Reilly will need to get their personalities across if they’re going to succeed in the company. “We’re gonna have to see some good stuff for the rest of those Undisputed Era guys. Can they go in the ring and wrestle and get the job done? Absolutely. But you know what? Wrestling for the sake of wrestling doesn’t get you over to the moon and doesn’t make you a millionaire. You need that character, you need that personality. You need to be able to talk, you need to elicit emotion.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed AEW’s ALL OUT PPV. Bully Ray would mention a number of topics from the show, including the winner of the Casino Battle Royale and Matt Hardy’s potential concussion.
AEW held their ALL OUT event this past weekend from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville Florida. The PPV was notable for a number of reasons, some unwanted, such as the aforementioned Matt Hardy fall.
The Casino Battle Royale during the show determined a new number 1 contender to the AEW Championship. The ‘Murderhawk Monster’ Lance Archer won the match and now he is set to take on Jon Moxley at some point in the future.
Bully Ray on Lance Archer
“No doubt the right guy won, 100%” Bully Ray began on Busted Open, discussing the Battle Royale match. “Lance Archer. In my opinion? He has not been used in his wheelhouse for a while. When you call yourself the MurderHawk? Nobody should be standing after you plough through everybody.”
Bully Ray would then discuss why Lance Archer and Jon Moxley will be a good main event feud for AEW going forward. The tag team wrestling legend would say how Moxley is a strong babyface with the audience fully behind him.
“I hope they can get back on track [with Lance Archer]. Because when you have a champion like Moxley? Okay, I want to see Moxley sell. I know Moxley can do all his stuff with his CZW-esque style matches and his toys…but? I know he can wrestle also. Jon doesn’t need all of the bells and whistles to work as he can have a great wrestling match that we’re emotionally involved in. Because? We [the audience] genuinely like Jon Moxley.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Do you think this’ll be a great feud in the AEW main event scene going forward? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the free agency of Brock Lesnar. It was recently revealed that the ‘Beast Incarnate’ was no longer contracted to WWE and he is now able to pursue options elsewhere.
Many company names have been floated around regarding Lesnar and where he may end up. Just one of those is arguably the second biggest brand in the world, All Elite Wrestling.
The buzz generated from the potential signing of Brock has been huge. However, several believe that this is an opportunity for Lesnar to negotiate a better deal from WWE. It’s not uncommon, as Brock Lesnar has previously played the likes of UFC and WWE against each other, which he absolutely should to negotiate the best deal available.
Bully Ray on Brock Lesnar
“Of course they can afford him” Bully Ray began on the show, dispelling the myth that AEW wouldn’t be able to ‘afford’ Brock Lesnar being under contract. “That’s one of those opportunities that comes up where, let’s just say that AEW is really trying to stick to their budget? Especially with things going on right now with COVID.”
Chris Jericho Says Vince McMahon Won’t Let ‘Free Agent’ Brock Lesnar Jump To AEW
“We’ve seen a couple of very quiet releases from the company” Bully Ray continued. “People that they were still paying but could not perform for whatever reason, to save on the bottom line. So let’s say their budget is extremely tight? How many opportunities are you going to have to take a crack at Brock Lesnar?”
“This is like once in a lifetime type of opportunity for AEW” Bully Ray would claim emphatically.
Former AEW Champion Chris Jericho believes that we will not see Brock Lesnar in an AEW ring.
“I think it’s just another one of the dances that Vince and Brock like to have where Brock’s contract expires, Vince lets it expire, and then they stay away from each other until the next Saudi Arabia show or the next show that has people in the crowd, or WrestleMania, whatever it may be. So I don’t think Brock is really a free agent in the sense of the word, I just think he’s like currently not under contract right now.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on an ‘under-utilized’ talent in NXT. Namely, backstage member of staff Jeremy Borash.
Borash was previously part of TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, and would’ve had a fair amount of dealings with Bully Ray. The ECW legend would state how NXT needs to work on getting fans to ’emotionally invest’ in characters, and how Borash’s recent work with Io Shirai’s video packages would work wonders for the rest of the locker room.
Bully Ray on Emotional Investment
“When it comes to emotional investment? A lot of guys don’t get you emotionally invested with moves” Bully Ray began on the show. “Remember, if you think you’re emotionally invested in somebody? You’re probably just ‘responding’ to the move, and not the person. Emotional investment is all about the person, so emotional investment normally comes on the microphone.”
“That’s what I want to see more of in NXT” Bully Ray continued. “I want to see more of these guys and gals speaking from the heart. And they have something there at NXT, they have a weapon there that I think is under-utilised when it comes to tapping into the emotions of wrestlers.”
Bully Ray would then name Jeremy Borash as someone who needed to work more with NXT talent to help produce more related segments. “That weapon is Jeremy Borash. I think Borash does a phenomenal job of putting together these packages, the stuff that he is/has been doing with Io Shirai? The packages they’ve been doing with her are off the charts.”
Ray would also praise Borash’s work on the Boneyard Match from this past WrestleMania. “The stuff that Borash was behind when it came to ‘Taker and AJ Styles? The Boneyard Match? That’s all Jeremy Borash. Don’t let anybody else fool you, don’t let them smoke and mirror you. It’s Jeremy Borash because Borash was right by Matt Hardy’s side during all of the Final Deletion stuff. He understands all of this newer stuff that gets guys and gals over. I wish they were tapping into him a little more when it comes to letting people talk.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray on Jeremy Borash? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the 20th anniversary of the first TLC match in WWE.
Whilst the ‘triangle’ ladder match from WrestleMania 2000 was essentially a TLC bout? SummerSlam 2000 saw the first official Tables, Ladders and Chairs match between The Dudley Boys, Edge & Christian and The Hardy Boyz.
During that match Bully Ray took a massive bump off of the top of the ladder onto tables in the aisle way. Ray would jokingly mention how WWE icon and Hardcore Legend Mick Foley would mock him so taking such a risky bump to the floor. It’s ironic as of course Foley himself is probably best known for his Hell in a Cell spot. That was when The Undertaker threw him of the top of the cage.
Bully Ray on SummerSlam ‘Spot’
“I wanted to have a memorable moment” Bully Ray began on the show. “Everybody in wrestling wants to have that; that moment in time that can live forever. Obviously with Mick Foley? It was taking the bump off of the Hell in The Cell. And that was kind of like what I had in mind.”
“I’m like, ‘Mick [Foley] will always be remembered for his bump off the cell no matter what'” Bully Ray continued. “No matter how entertaining Mick was with Mr Socco, Dude Love or Rock and Sock? What do you think of when you say Mick Foley? The bump off the top [of the cage]. So I wanted to have a moment like that and I figured, ‘well I’m gonna go stand on the top of that ladder; I’m going to reach for the belts and then I’m going to get pushed over. and I’m going to crash and burn through the floor tables.'”
Bully Ray would then talk about how Mick Foley brought up the bump in conversation shortly after. “It was interesting, because after about a month after that match was over? I saw Mick. We were talking and he was congratulating us and me on a great match. And he then said to me ‘why did you take that bump?’
“I said ‘well Mick to be honest with you I wanted to do something memorable'” Bully continued. “When I’m dead and buried and long gone I want people to be able to remember me for some cool moment. You know? I was trying to emulate what you did’. And he [Foley] goes, ‘you do realize you would have gotten paid the same amount of money if you took a clothesline!?’ And I was like, ‘oh my god, you’re such a buzzkill.'”
Ahead of the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view, SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio co-host Bully Ray recently commented on the 20th anniversary of the first-ever TLC match.
Whilst the ‘triangle’ ladder match from WrestleMania 2000 was essentially a TLC bout? SummerSlam 2000 saw the first official Tables, Ladders and Chairs match between The Dudley Boys, Edge & Christian and The Hardy Boyz.
Bully Ray on TLC Matches
“You don’t have time to think” Bully Ray began on the podcast. “Like when you’re taking a bump like I took off of the ladder that night? Or the bump that Matt [Hardy] took backwards off the ladder? The more you think, the worse it’s going to be.”
“You’ll get in your own head” Bully Ray continued, “you just want to grip it and rip it and go out there.”
Bully Ray would then discuss the extreme difficulty in putting together a TLC match, especially with 5 other performers in the bout. “A TLC match is probably the most difficult match to pull off in all of pro wrestling. And the reason is all six guys have to know the match backwards and forwards. Every step, every way. Because if one guy goes down? If something happens, if something goes wrong? Even the smallest of things? It’s going to be a dramatic chain reaction.”
Ray elaborated further, saying “everybody has to be able to fill in, everybody has to be able to improvise. You need to know where everybody is. When you come up with a match sometimes? You maybe only know the finish, and then sometimes you only know a couple spots. Some guys know the entire match. This particular match? Everybody has to know backwards and forwards, and everybody has to recite the match backwards and forwards. [Just so] all the other guys know that you got it.”
Have you seen the original TLC match? Have any others ever topped it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on Shayna Baszler’s status in WWE.
The tag team legend talked about how Baszler has been ‘misused’ by the company as of late. This seems especially true since her WrestleMania loss against Becky Lynch. Bully Ray would indicate that he felt WWE need to ‘rebuild’ Baszler’s character, and make her the bad ass she represented whilst in NXT.
Bully Ray on Shayna Baszler
“I don’t want to see Shayna Baszler right now in a competitive match” Bully Ray began on the show. “You know what I would have done with Shayna Baszler on Monday night? I would have had Shayna Baszler pop Sasha Banks in the mouth backstage.”
“I would then have had her come to the ring, I would have had Shayna Baszler beat the sh*t out of Sasha Banks, beat the shit out of Bayley. Then? Take both of their championships and hold them in the air.”
“Because they [WWE] need to rebuild Shayna little bit” Bully Ray continued. “I need Shayna Baszler to be that bad mother trucker that she’s supposed to be, not having a competitive wrestling match. I don’t care about her having a competitive wrestling match right now.”
Bully would then compare Baszler’s past character to that of Brock Lesnar. “This woman Shayna Baszler is supposed to be like a killer, like a Brock [Lesnar]. I mean stop me if I’m wrong. Shayna Baszler, the girl that hit the back of that neck of Becky Lynch; this wild rabid animal who can break you, snap your arm, and bite the back of your neck, just poke your eye out and destroy you. Have her do that to those other two girls (Sasha and Bayley), let’s reestablish her.”
Ray would elaborate further, saying “let’s turn her into this menace to the women’s division. Let’s turn her into this loose cannon, snap Sasha’s arm, snap Bayley’s arm, take both of their championships. If you’re going to get somebody over, let’s really get them over. Let’s strap a rocket to their back and shoot them to the moon.”
Do you agree with Bully? Let us know in the comments
Kairi Sane finished up with WWE at the last set of tapings. She defeated Bayley in single’s action last week on RAW but then was beaten up backstage by her this week. After the segment aired, Sane sent out a Tweet thanking WWE for her time with the company. According to comments made by Bully Ray on Busted Open Radio, she should not have sent out the Tweet when she did.
“Sending out that tweet 3 minutes after the segment ended was atrocious,” Bully said on the show. “Anything that WWE and those women tried to build up for that moment is now completely thrown out the window.”
Sane Tweeted out the following after the segment aired:
I was able to accomplish so much in the last three years, but it wasn’t because of my ability or my strength. It was because of all of the constant, warm support from the fans. I am so thankful I could meet you all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Kairi Sane???? pic.twitter.com/BaH2UBi9wn
Bully continued to talk about why Kairi’s Tweet bothered him. According to Bully, the thanking of wrestlers on social media hurts the angle that has been built between Asuka and Banks.
“Wrestlers thanking each other on social media, and what we saw from Kairi Sane last night, in my opinion, has absolutely no business in there. Now, who knows Kairi Sane might be done with wrestling and she might not care anymore. You’d think that she did give a d**n about all those women.”
Bayley’s attack on Kairi Sane on RAW this week also helped Sasha Banks capture the RAW Women’s Championship. The stipulation to the match was that if Asuka, who was technically champion heading into the match, was DQ’ed or counted-out she’d lose the title. Asuka then left the match to go help Sane leading to Banks winning the title.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio on SiriusXM Bully Ray recently discussed AEW and their ongoing shows during the Coronavirus pandemic.
All Elite Wrestling have taken a different approach to taping without fans to WWE. The company has been airing shows from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, an amphitheater that has a different atmosphere to WWE’s Performance Center. Despite this, AEW has had to maintain a high level of shock and awe to keep the momentum going on Wednesday nights.
This includes debuting new characters over the last few months, something that Bully Ray believes has been hindered by the lack of live crowd reaction. “I think the mentality of not staying in a holding pattern has actually…I don’t want to use the word hurt, but it has not benefited certain talents” Bully began on Busted Open.
Bully Ray on Broken Matt and Brodie Lee
“Brodie Lee, as the leader of The Dark Order, the Exalted one” Bully Ray continued. “I just think that because he had to go full blown and could not hold back on anything? Not being in front of a crowd hurt that a little bit. I think Matt Hardy as Broken Matt? I think Broken Matt was affected, look at the position they’ve had to put Matt in now. Kind of hanging out with Private Party, being a manager.”
Bully would then elaborate on his views of Matt Hardy’s AEW run. “I don’t think AEW’s original plan was to have to go back to regular Matt Hardy this soon. Because broken Matt Hardy was such a big deal. But Broken Matt Hardy is not going to resonate as much in the COVID times. These are our characters and angles that need the crowd, but wrestling companies are not in a position right now to hold back. Because what matters the most right now? The rating.”
Bully Ray would finish by saying “it’s all about the rating. Look, everybody’s talking about this whole AEW versus NXT war. The rating? That is really the only number that anybody has to go on these days.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio on SiriusXM Bully Ray recently discussed the NJPW faction Bullet Club. This past weekend saw New Japan hold their Dominion event, which was headlined by Tetsuya Naito putting his IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships on the line against his Los Ingobernables’ partner EVIL.
EVIL would win the bout following interference from Bullet Club, after which he joined the infamous group. Bully Ray would talk about EVIL joining the group on Busted Open, where co-host Dave LaGreca claimed that EVIL joining ‘breathed new life’ into Bullet Club.
Bully Ray on EVIL
“So I just want to talk about what you said about EVIL joining Bullet Club; breathing life into the Bullet Club” Bully Ray began on the show. “I kind of see where you’re coming from, but I don’t think the Bullet Club has been anywhere near what it was in the past.”
Bully Ray elaborated further, saying “I’m not even talking about when Cody and the Bucks where there [in New Japan]. Just that original inception of the Bullet Club, the heydays of the Bullet Club. EVIL being there is cool. Jay White as the head of the Bullet Club? I’m still on the fence [about that].”
Jay White
Ray would then state that he is a fan of White’s in-ring work, but that as a personality he is lacking in terms of ‘leadership.’ “I don’t think Jay White has the personality to be the leader of a group like the Bullet Club. I’m not talking about Jay White in the ring. Jay White is frickin phenomenal in the ring yada yada. But the Bullet Club is/was something special. It had that nWo-esque feel.”
Bully Ray would then reveal who he thinks should be leading the group. “To me, Tama Tonga has to take control of the Bullet Club, because he has that edginess. He has that killer instinct, that vibe. I want to see Tama be the head of the Bullet Club. Just think of him as the spokesperson for that Club? I think restores it to its original badassery. That’s just my take on the Bullet Club.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the infamous incident involving Jeff Hardy from TNA’s 2011 PPV Victory Road.
Jeff Hardy appeared in the main event of that show. Hardy faced Sting for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, however he was visibly intoxicated and the call was made for Sting to pin Hardy early in the bout and go home on the broadcast.
There’s been much publicised about the incident and both Hardy and Sting have spoken extensively on the subject. The ‘backstage’ issues surrounding the incident were even brought up on television at the time, with AJ Styles lambasting Hardy in a backstage segment on IMPACT.
Bully Ray on Jeff Hardy
“I remember when Jeff Hardy had the problem, you know in the match against Sting” Bully Ray began. “Remember that debacle in TNA?”
“I remember when Jeff came back to the company” Bully Ray continued. “And they [TNA] made him apologise to the locker room. They put Jeff in front of the whole locker room and he just kind of apologised like I’m really sorry blah blah blah blah blah.”
Bully Ray would elaborate further, saying “then they said at the end of the meeting ‘does anybody have anything to say?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I do.’ I said, ‘Jeff, I really couldn’t care less about all of these things that went on. All I care about is that you can still hit your finish. Now let’s go out there and make some money.'”
The context of Bully’s comments surrounded the recent public issues that Matt Riddle is facing. The former UFC fighter turned WWE Superstar was recently accused of sexual abuse, however he has denied all allegations.
“All of this outside stuff is noise” Bully Ray finished. “We’re performers, when your music hits? You get in there, you perform, you tear the house down. And then you go home.”
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed Heath Slater’s appearance on WWE RAW this week. This was Slater’s first appearance on the show since being released by WWE due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and having to ‘cut costs.’
Bully Ray would mention on Busted Open how performers like Heath Slater do not get enough credit; Ray believes that Slater still has a lot of potential and that Superstars like him get ‘typecast’ by the company.
Bully Ray on Heath Slater
“Sometimes in a company like WWE? Once they have you typecast or pigeonholed or have a certain idea of what you are or what they’re going to need you to be? You can never get out of that” Bully Ray began on the SiriusXM show.
“Heath Slater was there for a long time and was always used in a certain role. He gets let go and then all of a sudden somebody on the writing team says ‘hey let’s bring him back to do this’ and within five minutes? You see the guy has range” Bully would continue. “You see what he can do. And you’re like, ‘well if he was that good last night why didn’t they do that with him for the past 10 years!?'”
Bully Ray would elaborate further, saying “I know that they put you in a certain role, and they compartmentalise you. You have your five minutes to get over and in those five minutes they decide what they’re going to do with you, sometimes for an entire career. SOME key guys and gals are able to get out of it. You know, they always talk about grabbing the brass ring. I thought last night, he [Heath Slater] did.”
Do you think that Heath Slater deserves another chance in WWE? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the NXT Great American Bash show on USA Network. One of the standout bouts on the card was between Timothy Thatcher and Oney Lorcan, which Bully Ray had huge praise for.
“I’m watching Timothy Thatcher and Oney Lorcan. I’m like, ‘man, this is really good'” Bully Ray began on the show. “This is what it was meant to be back in the day; a spirited contest, a fight, aggression, everything looks tight and snug and everything means something.”
Bully Ray on Lorcan vs Thatcher
Bully Ray continued, saying “they blew me away with something that they did last night that nobody else does. They made something so small and normally thrown away in wrestling matches, and they made it mean something. It was something so small that normally we take for granted in wrestling matches, and we don’t even care about anymore because they really don’t mean anything.”
Ray would then elaborate on the point, saying “it’s chops. When they were chopping each other? They weren’t chopping each other just to make a sound. Or even just for a crowd to go ‘woo,’ or for one guy to chop somebody, and then just wait five minutes to chop them again. It was like they would chop each other to open each other up to go for a move.”
Bully Ray would finish by praising the match even further, saying “they [Lorcan and Thatcher] used something so basic as a chop to make psychological sense of their offence. I love that.”
Did you enjoy the match? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the ongoing feud between Edge and Randy Orton.
Ray recently described the bout between the two, which was billed as ‘The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever,’ as being an “8 star” affair. Bully Ray would comment on not only the match itself, but how Randy Orton ‘needed’ Edge to help him get to the ‘next level.’
Bully Ray on Randy Orton
“It’s not about them putting him [Randy Orton] in a position to succeed. It’s about the WWE putting him in the ring with somebody that complements him well and that can he can work with and up to” Bully Ray began.
“Randy was in the ring with guys that were quote unquote beneath him. Meaning they were always trying to work up to Randy Orton’s level; or guys that were on the same level with him, where Randy could just do this blind” Bully Ray continued. “It’s just wrestling match after wrestling match. Generic story after generic story.”
Bully would continue, praising Edge massively for bringing out the best of Randy Orton. “Now we get to something completely different with Edge. We get backstory, we get history, we get friendship, we get family. We get all of this stuff coming to a head, and what do we have with Edge that we don’t have with almost the entire WWE roster? An emotional connection. A love, a relationship. We look at Edge with our hearts, not with our brains. This is our guy.”
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray had high praise for this past Sunday’s Backlash main event. Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray addressed “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” between Randy Orton and Edge. Despite having minor issues with the match going on last, that didn’t stop his enjoyment of the action, describing the clash as an “8-star match.”
Bully Ray argued how only World Heavyweight Championship matchups should go on last. He acknowledged that there were many extenuating circumstances heading into Backlash. He noted how, by not having Drew McIntyre defend in the main event, “all you do is give me a kink in the armor of Drew McIntyre telling me he is not good enough to go on last.”
Addressing the piped in fan noise that WWE edited in, Bully Ray stressed how it was an unnecessary addition. He didn’t feel it was needed as he doesn’t need to be informed of what to like or not like during a match.
Regarding the match itself, Bully Ray believes it was a “This was an excellent match. This was a very well performed match. This was like an 8-star match and I don’t put star ratings on anything.”
He spoke about how the match was presented as one continuous match, performed as if it was in front of 20,000 people. Bully Ray also highlighted how Edge and Orton went “straight through like two professionals would.” As far as he’s concerned, they approached the matchup with an old school mentality.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on Bobby Lashley and his upcoming WWE Championship match at Backlash.
The former TNA Heavyweight Champion would discuss how now would be a perfect time to put the WWE Championship on Lashley, for a litany of reasons. The most prominent being the current world climate.
Bully Ray on Bobby Lashley
“I really do think that this is a good time for it” Bully Ray began on the show. “I don’t like to think that because of what’s going on in the world today? That we feel it necessary to put the championship on an African American athlete? But I believe Bobby Lashley is well deserving of that and they [WWE] can make it work.”
Bully Ray would elaborate further, talking about how current Champion Drew McIntyre hasn’t had a fair shot due to the ongoing pandemic and the style of taping WWE has had to employ. “This whole pandemic situation that has been unfortunate for Drew, Vince had high hopes for Drew. Drew’s doing a great job and Drew can continue to do a great job. When the crowds are back? I think job number one with Drew is to get that World Heavyweight Championship back on him.”
Lashley as WWE Champion
“When there are crowds back allowed in the house? That’s when we’ll finally find out if Drew is truly over with the fan base” Bully Ray continued. “But right now? I’m leaning towards Bobby Lashley becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion. I’m not saying that he has to pin Drew clean in the middle, they can be some chicanery, we can get some interference by MVP blah blah blah. But I think Bobby Lashley holding that Championship is a good look for the WWE.”
Bully Ray would then finish by saying “Bobby Lashley would be your World Heavyweight Champion, Apollo Cruz would be your United States champion and The New Day would be your Tag Team Champions. I don’t know, I just wanted to get that off my chest.”
Do you think that Bobby Lashley will defeat Drew McIntyre at Backlash this Sunday? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has praised Edge and Randy Orton’s recent segment on Monday Night RAW. Bully Ray called their promo work “phenomenal” during a recent episode of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio.
Bully Ray stated how their mic work on RAW was “the best I’ve seen from the both of them, and Edge had no mic work, and that’s so great.” He explained how, without saying a word, he was able to see Edge’s emotions clearly and “felt the self-doubt in Edge’s heart.”
“[…] when Randy brought up the word ‘wrestling,’ it looked like it struck fear in Edge,” Bully Ray said. “Because a wrestler who’s been retired for nine or ten years knows ‘I can get by in a Last Man Standing Match, but damn, a wrestling match? Can I legitimately go move for move with Randy Orton? No man, I don’t think I can do it.’ That’s what you got from Edge last night: self-doubt.”
Randy Orton challenged Edge to a wrestling match at WWE’s next pay-per-view, Backlash. The two previously clashed at WrestleMania 36 in a Last Man Standing Match. After a grueling clash, Edge would eventually beat his former Rated RKO tag team partner. It was his first singles matchup since returning from a career-ending injury, which forced him to retire back in 2011.
Eric Bischoff recently responded to a fan on Twitter who asked why he does not like the term “Attitude Era.” According to Bischoff’s response, WWE’s Attitude Era was influenced by WCW Nitro and the product that the company he was President of was presenting at the time.
“Because the Attitude Era was nothing more than a derivative (I’m being elegant) of the nWo and Nitro era which forced WWE to abandon their previous creative strategy and presentation to compete with a new formula,” Bischoff Tweeted.
Bully Ray then noted on Twitter that ECW influenced both WCW and WWE at the time. The ECW alumni posted the following to Twitter in response to Bischoff’s comments:
And, the nWo, Nitro and Attitude Era were nothing more than a derivative of the ECW era.
ECW was the Napster of the wrestling business.
Both co’s may have gone out of business…but both co’s revolutionized their respective industries.
“I really do believe that they need more emphasis on story,” Bischoff said of the young promotion. “I know they have stories, I’m not suggesting that they don’t. Please don’t misunderstand me, that’s not what I mean. But what I do mean is, I think the storytelling? Could be vastly improved. I think the character development could really be improved. Not AS much as the storytelling, because they’ve got some great characters. But I do believe that the characters could be developed to be a little bit more unique. To be a little more different from each other. There’s a ‘sameness’ to the characters. It’s just the way I see things, in the way I interpret things.”
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the ongoing ’empty arena’ shows that AEW and WWE have been producing. These have obviously been a necessity, due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic that is affecting the entire globe.
Bully Ray mentioned the flagging ratings for both shows, with RAW recently hitting below 2 million viewers, something that would be unheard of even just five years ago. Ray would offer his own solution to the problem, saying that WWE needs to create more of an ‘ambience’ for the shows. Bully Ray’s solution? Bring back Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon to do WWE commentary.
Bully Ray on WWE Commentary
“All right, this is gonna sound crazy. If somebody said to me, ‘who should be on WWE commentary every week right now?’ Considering the times that we’re in, considering what needs to be done? You know who I would put a commentary? Vince McMahon and Steve Austin” Bully Ray began on Busted Open. “Would you tune in just for the commentary? Of course you would.”
Bully Ray would elaborate further, saying how he believes Austin and McMahon would be hugely beneficial to the talent in-ring. “Do you think Vince McMahon and Steve Austin could get the talent in the ring over? Yes. Now, is there a chance that you’re going to be more invested in Steve Austin and Vince McMahon than you are the talent on the ring. Yeah, but you got to do everything you possibly can do to keep a rating right now.”
Credability
Bully Ray would finish by discussing the credibility that Austin and McMahon could bring to the talent on screen. “Vince McMahon has been one of the best people behind that announce desk ever Right? Because he’s getting across the stories that he wanted to tell. So if you put the greatest rivalry in the history of wrestling behind behind the announce table, holy crap what the hell are these two guys gonna say to each other? And when the time is right they bicker, and when the time’s right they lay out and tell stories. ‘Well you know these New Day guys they’re really good you know they’re sitting on 8 Tag Team Championships, only a matter of time before they break the record.’ Holy sh*t Steve Austin just put over the New Day!? Instant frickin’ credibility.”
Bully Ray
Do you feel that WWE need to change up the commentary booth to bring some more life to the broadcasts? Let us know in the comments
Night One of WrestleMania 36 was headlined by WWE’s cinematic Boneyard matchup. The bout saw The Undertaker take on AJ Styles in a pre-recorded movie-style clash. During WWE show The Bump, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray shared how it was probably the best performance he had ever seen from AJ Styles.
Bully Ray praised several matches from across WrestleMania weekend. He shared that the Boneyard matchup was his favorite. He noted how the concept was an out the box idea, especially with The Undertaker showing up as The American Badass.
After the match, Bully Ray text Styles. He referenced the fact they have a history together, having both worked in the same companies before WWE. The Hall of Famer then relayed how he told Styles his match “was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen you involved in.”
He stressed how the match “didn’t include one wrestling move” and that wrestling moves didn’t matter. Instead, it was all about the storytelling and the spectacle. He explained how he had never been more emotionally invested in AJ Styles than during this match.
Bully Ray Proposes A Dream Match
Bully Ray argued how this match represented a rebirth for The Undertaker. He acknowledged how The Undertaker can’t continue to wrestle throughout the year, noting how he has maybe one or two matches left in him.
However, if ‘Taker continues to compete in cinematic matchups like the Boneyard Match, he wouldn’t be unhappy about that decision. If WWE does continue to pursue this style for The Undertaker going forward, Bully Ray explained it’s the perfect scenario to deliver a matchup between ‘Taker and Sting.
This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW saw the aftermath of the WrestleMania 36 event. Although the ‘RAW After Mania’ has been known to be the ‘best’ show of the year, due to the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic this week was a more sombre affair.
WWE have been utilising what talent they have available for taping over the past couple of weeks. Notably, stars such as Roman Reigns and The Miz have been pulled or voluntarily left the Performance Center due to concerns over the pandemic. WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray recently commented on the situation, discussing how WWE have been put in an awkward position with the ongoing pandemic and travel restrictions.
Bully Ray on the ‘tip of the iceberg’
“Let’s take what people see” Bully Ray began on the latest episode of Busted Open Radio. “People see what’s on their television. And that’s all that they see. What you see on your television is the tip, of the tip, of the iceberg. There’s so much going on beneath the surface when it comes to actually getting what you see on TV, to make it to that TV. One of the biggest things is travel, a lot of the people that you’re seeing on the show? Especially Monday Night RAW? That’s local people.”
The Big Show
Bully Ray elaborated further, specifically talking about the appearance of The Big Show to face Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. “There might have been a fly in or two, but most of them are local that they can count on. The Big Show, everybody’s like, ‘why the Big Show? Why would the Big Show get a Championship shot?’ Why did they use the Big Show? Because he lives about an hour and a half away in Tampa. Drive to the Performance Center, drive home from the Performance Center. Duh? There you go, people. That’s why it was the Big Show.”
Vince McMahon call?
“That’s probably a Vince call saying, ‘I need a strong win for Drew coming out of WrestleMania.'”
Bully Ray
Bully would then go on to say that he believes it was a last minute Vince McMahon call. Taking one of the biggest (literally) Superstars in the company to give McIntyre a big first title defence. “That’s probably a Vince call saying, ‘I need a strong win for Drew coming out of WrestleMania.’ Big Show is seven foot two, 450 pounds. He is the biggest guy they’ve got in the company. Let Drew beat the Big Show with his finish, it’ll be something credible the night after WrestleMania for Drew.”
It is currently unknown what the situation is regarding WWE and how they are going to be taping going forward. The COVID-19 situation is changing on a daily basis, and as of now the company does appear to be taping at the Performance Center, although it is not confirmed how many shows they will be able to get in the can.
WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has praised the NXT Women’s Championship clash between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. The two battled for the gold this past weekend during WWE’s WrestleMania 36 event. Flair would end up reclaiming the championship, making her a two-time NXT Women’s Champion. Speaking on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray shared his thoughts, noting how Ripley stepped up for the confrontation.
“Bravo to Rhea Ripley. Man, did she step up,” Bully Ray said. “Man, did I enjoy that match, and I enjoyed it for the in-between. […] the little things that those two women did. The physicality of that match. Charlotte and Rhea are some stout women, they are athletic, they are physical, and they were throwing some shots at one another. Punches, slaps, stuff was landing.”
Bully Ray On The “In-Between”
Bully Ray explained how he was impressed by the “in-between” moments between the two Superstars. He described how everything was earned between the two, and nothing was simply given.
According to him these details gave the match a much grittier, realistic aesthetic. To him, it felt like he was watching a fight. He added how it was like watching two Amazon warriors do battle: “Just tall, impressive fighters, impressive warriors just beating the s–t out of one another.”
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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the WrestleMania 36 bout between Drew McIntyre and Brock Lesnar. The match headlined Night 2 of the WrestleMania event over the weekend, and only went around 4 minutes. Although this short amount of time has been utilised for Brock Lesnar matches in the past, Bully Ray believes that the match needed to be longer.
Bully Ray on Drew McIntyre vs Brock Lesnar
“What you got from Brock was a typical match when Brock faces a big guy” Bully Ray began. “It’s, ‘we’re going to hit each other with our biggest artillery, because that’s the only thing that’s going to matter. And we’re cutting out all of the stuff that would get absolutely no reaction and fans probably saw in every other match throughout the night. So it’s going to be F5, Claymore, German Suplexes, we’re just gonna, you know, just bombard the match with those moves, and we’re going to get a quick finish.'”
“I don’t think that’s what fans wanted to see”
Bully Ray
Ray would then discuss how this isn’t what he believes fans wanted to see from the match. “I don’t think that’s what fans wanted to see” Bully Ray stated. Nobody is a bigger Brock Lesnar supporter than me. I have been flying the flag for Brock on this show [Busted Open], since day one. Why? Because I was the very first person to get with to get to work with Brock Lesnar. I know who how smart Brock Lesnar is, I know what kind of performer Brock Lesnar is.”
Changing The Formula
Bully would finish by clarifying that he did enjoy the match. “Listen, was the four and a half minutes good? Sure, yeah, it was. But I had seen that before I had seen the formula work with Goldberg. I had seen the Brock before [where he] just destroys everything you know type of psychology before last night. With Drew I was hoping for a little bit more.”
Lesnar vs Goldberg
Brock’s match against Goldberg from WrestleMania 33 went only a few short minutes also and you can check out that match below. The ‘formula’ that Bully Ray refers to does clearly work for that bout from ‘Mania 33, however we have seen in the past just how creative and hard working matches between Brock and ‘smaller men’ can be. Although WWE did have a difficult situation due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, it is arguable that a younger talent such as McIntyre could’ve had a lengthier match against Lesnar, due to the environment and lack of live crowd reaction.
It is also worth pointing out that Ray said that if the exact match as it occurred happened in a full arena with 80,000 people that it would have worked perfectly.
