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Tag: Bully Ray

  • Bully Ray Teases TNA Return & Feud With Broken Matt Hardy (Video)

    Bully Ray Teases TNA Return & Feud With Broken Matt Hardy (Video)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxPi2MG8baM

    Bubba Ray Dudley appeared at Saturday’s House of Hardcore event in Philadelphia, and cut a promo on Matt Hardy and teased showing up at Impact Wrestling. “How would you like for me to show up at the Impact Zone?” Bubba asked. “I’ve burned that place to the ground once, and I’d do it again. I already put your boss through a table, and don’t think I wouldn’t do the same thing to your wife and your son.”

    It’s worth noting that Bubba Ray changed his Twitter name back to “Bully Ray” after leaving WWE. Here are complete results Saturday night’s House of Hardcore show, courtesy of ProWrestling.net:

    – Robbie E defeated Lance Anoai. After match, Santino Marella delivered the Cobra to Robbie E.

    – Alex Reynolds won a triple threat involving John Silver and Pat Buck.

    – Vik Dalishus, Eddie Kingston, and TJ Marcone defeated Team Tremendous and Conor Braxton.

    – Chris Hero beat Tony Nese.

    – Brian Myers and Swoggle defeated Torito and Underground Luchadore. The Underground Luchadore was unmasked and revealed to be Matt Striker. Ryback came out and cleared the ring of Myers and Swoggle, hitting Shellshocked on Swoggle.

    – Ricochet beat Sami Callihan.

    – Broken Matt Hardy (w/Senior Benjamin and Rebecca) defeated Tommy Dreamer in the main event. Earlier in the evening, Dreamer addressed the crowd to let them know that Terry Funk would not be in his corner due to the health reasons. There were surprise appearances from Joey Styles, Belah McGuillicuty, The Sandman and Bubba Ray Dudley.

  • WWE Considering Splitting Up The Dudley Boyz And Bringing Back Bully Ray

    WWE Considering Splitting Up The Dudley Boyz And Bringing Back Bully Ray

    While nothing is set in stone, there has been talk within WWE creative lately regarding the possibility of splitting up The Dudley Boyz and having Bubba Ray Dudley perform as a singles character more along the lines of the Bully Ray heel persona he portrayed in TNA.

    The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that while the concept has been pitched and discussed at meetings in recent weeks, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that it’s in the works because often times interesting ideas will come up and never actually come to fruition for one reason or another.

  • Bully Ray Reacts To UFC President Dana White Calling Wrestling Fake

    Former WWE, TNA & ECW star Bully Ray is the latest pro wrestler to react to UFC President Dana White’s comments about wrestling being fake. During a recent appearance on the Chad Dukes Wrestling Show, Ray pulled no punches and explained why “fake“ is such a bad word to describe pro wrestling:

    “When it comes to the in ring action and physicality of what goes on in there, there is nothing fake about it. I put up a tweet the other day comparing pro wrestling to Cirque de Soleil. Cirque de Soleil is a choreographed athletic performance, so is wrestling. Does that make Cirque deSoleil any less real? All of the things that they’re doing, all the physicality, the gymnastics, the trapeze, the flips, the falls, everything, it’s all real, just like it is in the middle of a wrestling ring.”

    “The term that I have always loved for pro wrestling and I don’t think many people in the United States have maybe even heard this term. It’s cool I like to refer to it as fighting opera.”

    “As far as Dana is concerned, listen, he went out there he said something and I fired back with how I believe. I was not pissed, I’m not mad, I did think that he should have apologized to the wrestling world, not me individually or anybody individually. Come out and say, ‘Hey you know what, sorry I used used the word fake it’s definitely the wrong word.’ Because listen, if it wasn’t for pro wrestling, things like MMA would never exist. Pro wrestling is the foundation. Pro wrestling is the grandfather of all of these types of mixed martial arts and anything like that that you see on TV. Whenever there’s a pro wrestling aspect to the UFC is when they draw the biggest number. And that’s not just me talking out of my ass, Brock Lesnar was a professional wrestler first and a UFC fighter second. When they do their highest ratings when the pro wrestling guy was there. You know why? Because he had personality and he’s larger than life. So to say what we do is fake or you know the professional wrestling business doesn’t matter. It’s kind of ignorant.”

  • Update On Bully Ray Leaving TNA, More Departures Expected (Partial Spoiler)

    Despite the fact that he just started as the new babyface authority figure, Bully Ray is already gone from TNA.

    As previously reported, Ray was not brought to television and is no longer with the promotion, as he only signed a per-show agreement which would have allowed him to leave whenever he decided to.

    According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, more cases like this are expected, as most talent are not under deals where TNA has first priority on their dates, or long-term.

    Jeff Jarrett took over as the new head of authority, appointed by Dixie Carter, but it turned out to be a swerve, as GFW turned heel at the next taping and the promotion already began building up a “Winner Take-All” match with the winning team earning the rights to own TNA.

  • Bully Ray Done With TNA Again

    Bully Ray, who just returned as the new General Manager brought in by Dixie Carter, is already done with the company.

    The Former TNA World Champion has not been at this week’s Impact Wrestling tapings from Orlando, where he lives. According to PWInsider.com, Ray told the company he was not happy with the current state of TNA and told them he wouldn’t be making any more appearances.

    Bully Ray’s return has been one of the focal points of TNA television over the past week, so it remains to be seen how they will handle the situation.

  • EC3 On Bully Ray’s TNA Return, Speculation On New TNA Hall Of Fame Inductee

    – TNA World Champion Ethan Carter III commented on Bully Ray being brought back to become the new TNA authority figure in a new video released on the company’s official YouTube page.

    “Maybe my aunt going through that table jarred something loose and made her insane,” said EC3 of Dixie Carter’s decision to bring Bully Ray back to TNA.

    You can check out the complete video below.

    https://youtu.be/jO4Oy6Kwu1M

    – Josh Mathews and The Pope discuss who could be the next TNA Hall Of Fame inductee announced for this year on the latest edition of TNA Breakdown, which you can watch below. The two speculated that the latest TNA Hall Of Fame inductee could be TNA founder Jeff Jarrett.

    https://youtu.be/sPirRr-F2zg

  • Team 3D On Possible WWE Return, Rowan & Harper Stealing Their Move & More

    Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog recently spoke with TNA Hall Of Famers Team 3D (aka The Dudley Boyz) — Bully Ray and Devon — to promote the upcoming House Of Hardcore event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

    On a possible WWE return:

    Devon: “For us not to be back there, knowing that we’re in the best shape we’ve ever been in, I don’t understand it. We’re better now than we were ten or fifteen years ago. I understand that they want the future. But without the older generation that paved the way for these young guys to come, you’re not going to have it. Wrestling is a lost art, so you need the older guys like us to help show the younger guys how it’s done. I don’t understand it, though I know it needs to be on their terms.”

    Bully: “Take the Dudley Boyz and put them back in WWE, and you’d add instant credibility to the tag division. The great thing about the Dudleys is we can work with any team and we can work any style. Not only will we help one team get over and learn and get better, but we can help all of them. It seems pretty simple to me – having the Dudleys back in the WWE is best for business, so I don’t have a really great answer for why we are not there. Only they know. You would think the most decorated tag team in the history of WWE would be able to go back into a company and breathe life into the tag division. It may never happen, but you never say never. It could be right around the corner.”

    On Paul Heyman and ECW:

    Devon: “The greatest thing Paul Heyman ever gave us was creative liberty. A lot of the boys liked to call Paul the ‘David Koresh’ of pro wrestling back then, but he believed in you. He’d fire you up to the point where you thought you were bigger than Hulk Hogan. He made you believe in yourself. Paul took the time to develop your character. When people didn’t know how to speak on the mic, he’d sit there with you until three, four, or even five in the morning until you got it right. Paul really let us be us. When WCW fired Steve Austin [in 1995] and WWE wasn’t knocking on his door, it was Paul E. who saw something in Austin. Eric Bischoff fired Austin when he was hurt in WCW, and Paul E. said, ‘I know you’re hurt, but can you talk?’ When Steve came to ECW and delivered those promos – oh my God, you couldn’t believe that was the same guy who was in WCW. That’s what started Austin as a superstar. Steve started to be born again, and it was the same thing when he was in WWE. He didn’t become a star until he was given the creative liberty to be himself.”

    Bully: “We text and talk all the time. Me and Paul, our relationship is better than anyone else he had from the entire ECW roster. We respect and like each other as people. Even at the Rumble, it was great catching up with him. When the Rumble was over, I was on Brock Lesnar’s tour bus with Brock and Paul, and we were shooting the s— and reminiscing. When Brock first started and Paul was his manager, I was Brock’s first storyline. The WWE came to me and asked me to get Brock ready for what could be in store for him.”

    Bully Ray on Brock Lesnar: “Brock is just so powerful. One night, we were performing at Penn State, and Brock gave me an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. He dropped me right on my head. It was a total mistake, and it could have been a very, very bad injury for me. As soon as it happened, I remember getting up and telling Brock, ‘Do it again, do it again.’ He did not want to suplex me again, so I made him suplex me three more times the same exact way. I didn’t want Brock to become gun-shy about throwing people or change the way he worked if he’d be worried about hurting other people.”

    Bully Ray on traveling with Shane McMahon: “When Shane McMahon was on the road for the company, he was in the car with us. One night, we were driving, and Shane decided to wake up his father and made us all say hello to Vince at three in the morning. Vince loves all that horses—. Shane was driving and he said, ‘Come on, let’s wake up Pop.’ I said, ‘That’s probably not a good idea.’ So he called his father and said, ‘Bubba wants to talk.’ He handed me the phone and all I could hear was Vince say, ‘Bubba, why are you corrupting my son?’ I told him it was the other way around, and we both started laughing.”

    Bully Ray on Vince McMahon: “Vince spent his whole life in the business, added his vision, and made it the best in the world. Vince has a great mind for the industry and thinks on a much larger scale. Paul [Heyman] was great at storytelling and really getting people’s characters to come out and how to hide your weaknesses and accentuate your strengths. Those are the two smartest guys I’ve ever learned from in the business, and Paul, Vince, and Pat Patterson are the three best minds ever in this business.”

    On Erick Rowan and Luke Harper:

    Bully: “Right now, the one WWE tag team that deserves to taste the Dudley Death Drop is Harper and Rowan. It was very interesting they started hitting the Dudley Death Drop on TV and calling it something else. We’ve been hitting this finish consecutively for eighteen years.”

    Devon: “That is a touchy subject. A move like 3D – when you see it, you automatically think the Dudleys. So Harper and Rowan started the fight. Harper said on Twitter, they’d be happy to show us ‘The Way,’ which is what they’re calling the move. Well, we’d be more than happy to hit 3D the way it should be hit.”

    Check out the complete interview at SI.com.

  • EC3 On Becoming TNA Champion, Private Conversation He Had With Angle

    New TNA World Champion Ethan Carter III recently appeared as a guest on the “This Is Awesome Wrestling Show” podcast to discuss his big title victory over Kurt Angle this week and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

    On becoming TNA World Champion: “Everything I’ve ever been through, every stupid personal or professional hell I’ve ever had to overcome, it made it all worth it. I’m very fortunate. I hate using the word blessed, because people use #blessed way too much. But for one day, I can say I was #blessed.”

    On being able to watch his win and experience it with everyone else: “Watching it personally, I had a nice soiree. My girlfriend hooked us up with a party and a bunch of people came by. What was cool about it, as much as people who support either her or I, our friends, they not huge wrestling fans. They check it out from time to time. Kind of fans we need more of, which is mainstream people checking it out from time to time. You know, again, when we talk about smart fans and credibility, or messing with the finisher or outside interference. The hook, line, and sinker with every little thing we did and every part of that story we told, like, it was mostly clean, but I’m still kind of a dirt bag because I still need a little help — the stuff with Tyrus. I guess, a guy whose never had a wrestling match in his life who can give out stars can say, ‘Hey, that’s typical TNA.’ When you watch the reaction of the people we try to get, and they are hooked, line and sinker, and they are buying into this and seeing it unfold, it was kind of an out of body experience.”

    On what it means to have Kurt Angle be the wrestler he won the title from: “He’s a Hall of Famer in every company he’s been in, let’s not forget that. But I mean, dude, whoa. Like, whoa. Like you said, we grew up watching Kurt. It’s very, very rare you have the opportunity to have your dream match. And I think it’s even more rare that it happens to be for a world title. It’s surreal. You know, I’ve had that match a thousand times in my head. I remember doing German suplexes and then Angle Slams in my backyard, locking in the ankle lock. Next thing you know, I’ll take about eighteen of them…I don’t remember because they all hit me in the head. Withstand that, then defeat him with a wrestling hold. Ha! Pin! What? Out of control.”

    On who hugged him first after win: “John Gaburick.”

    On what Kurt Angle told him after the match: “Later that day, he was sitting down talking to me, and I will not say what he said to me. But to hear those words come out of his mouth, was maybe even more important than actually winning the title.”

    On joining the list of past TNA World Champions, such as Sting, Jeff Hardy, Bull Ray, Samoa Joe, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle and others: “When you read it like that, that’s a pretty damn exclusive list. I guess that’s a great thing about TNA World Championship, they take a lot of slack for doing things wrestling fans hate for some reason. One thing they do very well is keep the integrity of the World Championship. And that’s pretty cool to be on that list.”

    Check out the complete interview at MooreGlenn.com.

  • Bully Ray Calls Out WWE For Harper & Rowan Using 3D On RAW, Harper Responds

    As seen on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW, the team of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan used the Dudley Death Drop (3D) finishing move to defeat Los Matadores in tag-team action during the show. The two have actually been using the finisher made famous by Team 3D (The Dudley Boyz) for a few weeks now.

    After RAW, Bully Ray took to Twitter to call out WWE for having the team use the move he helped make famous. This led to a reply from Harper.

    You can check out the Twitter exchange between Bully Ray and Harper below.

    https://twitter.com/LukeHarperWWE/status/608119068328001537

  • Bully Ray Teases Feud With Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho’s Band To Tour With Kiss

    – Chris Jericho noted via social media that his rock band Fozzy will be going on tour with legendary rock and roll group Kiss as part of their “The Kiss Kruise V” tour. Jericho tweeted the following:

    – After teasing that he could be the ECW surprise at the NXT live events in Philadelphia and Albany this past weekend, Bully Ray is back to leading fans to speculate with his latest social media appearance. On Twitter today, Bully teased a potential feud with NXT Champion Kevin Owens. He tweeted the following:

  • Bully Ray On His TNA Return, If He’s Back For Good & Who Might Challenge Kurt Angle Next

    Bully Ray recently appeared on Busted Open Radio to talk about his surprise return at last week’s Impact Wrestling and whether or not that was a “one-and-done” deal.

    Below are some highlights from the interview.

    On if last week’s appearance on Impact Wrestling was a one time deal: “That was a one shot deal. They called and they said “we need a referee for the World Heavyweight Championship match. Do you want to do it?” I said “yeah I will come and do it, no problem.” That’s it. I’m at the point in my life and in my career and Devon too, where we are really enjoying doing what we want to do, when we want to do it. This is like the first time in my entire career where I haven’t been on someone else’s schedule. So I really dig doing a lot of the smaller shows around the United States, or going back to do something like The Royal Rumble, or going back to be a referee for TNA. It is actually a lot of fun.”

    On which TNA star might challenge Kurt Angle next: “Guys there is so many great wrestlers and entertainers in TNA.As far as new guys are concerned, let’s take guys like Bobby Roode out of the equation, take Bobby Lashley out of the equation, let’s take Eric Young out of the equation, because those guys are extremely deserving, but those guys we have seen them already challenge Angle. Let’s talk about brand new guys. I’m a big fan of Bram. That kid has got it. I like Galloway. EC3 is definitely going to be a big deal. But my absolute favorite wrestler in TNA is Rockstar Spud. He has it. He is so entertaining and I can’t say enough good things about him. Is he going to be the face of TNA? Is he going to be the next World Champion? I don’t know, but the kid has so much potential.”

    Check out the complete interview at BustedOpenNation.com.

  • Bully Ray Talks About His TNA Return, The Pope To Wrestle Again?

    – Roderick Strong and Chris Hero were backstage at TNA’s recent Impact Wrestling tapings.

    – “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero’s is back with TNA and will be doing some commentary with Josh Matthews. There’s some speculation that he’ll be returning to the ring soon, as he’s been wrestling in Puerto Rico in recent months.

    – Bully Ray talks about his return to TNA on last week’s Impact Wrestling where he served as the surprise guest referee for the main event between TNA Champion Kurt Angle and Eric Young:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM_x9lfB-os

  • TNA Stars Not Allowed To Work For GFW, Bully Ray/Velvet Sky Update, More

    – TNA President Dixie Carter had a camera crew following her around at Friday’s set of Impact Wrestling television tapings in Orlando, Florida. It has been said in the past that Dixie has been trying to get her own reality television show off of the ground.

    – While this should come as no surprise, Dixie Carter has reportedly made it clear to TNA talents that she does not want her contracted performers working for Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling (GFW) promotion, even on their “TNA off-days.”

    – Regarding the returns of Bully Ray and Velvet Sky in TNA, it’s said that Sky is back for a regular run, while Bully Ray’s appearance was a one-time only deal for now.

    (Credit: PWInsider.com)

  • Possible *Spoiler* On Former TNA Champion Returning As Special Referee Tonight

    As reported earlier today, TNA will be taping several weeks worth of Impact Wrestling episodes across the next four days, starting with tonight’s show, which airs semi-live on a two-hour delay from Orlando, Florida.

    In the main event of tonight’s show, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line with Kurt Angle defending the title against Eric Young with a former TNA Champion returning to serve as special guest referee of the match.

    Unless the former champion is a swerve of some kind, the following are the most likely candidates, according to a report from F4WOnline.com:

    – Sting (highly unlikely due to his WWE deal)
    – Samoa Joe (possible, but unlikely due to his rumored negotiations with WWE)
    – Mick Foley (also seems unlikely now that he just recently taped a highly-promoted special for the WWE Network)
    – A.J. Styles (would seem unlikely due to his various commitments, including Ring Of Honor starting next Tuesday)
    – Chris Sabin (a possibility)
    – Rob Van Dam (a possibility)
    – Bully Ray (a very strong possibility)

    – Also confirmed for tonight’s Impact Wrestling is a Ken Anderson vs. Ethan Carter III match where the fans get to choose the stipulation (likely an arm-wrestling match or a falls count anywhere match), and Divas action with Gail Kim & Awesome Kong vs. Taryn Terrell & Jade & Marti Bell.

    Make sure to join us here at SEScoops.com for complete results of tonight’s Impact Wrestling, as well as spoiler results of any matches/segments taped for future Impact Wrestling episodes!

    • JERRY LAWLER: WWE Stars FAR Outshine UFC Stars In Popularity [READ >>]

  • Devon Talks About Returning to WWE, Being Compared To Bully Ray, Avoiding Drugs

    Former WWE, TNA, and ECW star Devon Dudley appeared on the In The Room podcast this past Tuesday, April 28, 2015 with Brady Hicks and former WCW wrestler The Stro. This show can be downloaded at VOCNation.com and TheBradyHicks.com.

    Devon talks the Team 3D Academy wrestling school, his sons wrestling, the Bill DeMott controversy, life off the road, ECW, being influenced by Steve Austin, Internet wrestling fans, politics, this year’s Royal Rumble non-invite, and being referred to as a “WWE Guy.” Here are some highlights from the interview:

    Being Compared to Bully Ray:

    “It always seemed to me – and even Bubba admitted sometimes – … that [writers] put one [Dudley] over the other … Whether it was with ECW or WWE, it was never like that. So I couldn’t understand it. Then it got to the point where certain things were said [such as] “Devon needs to lose weight.” … Then all of a sudden “Devon needs to stay out of the gym … he’s getting too big.” Something like that. I don’t remember … And then it went from those two things to “Well Devon is reaching 40 now.” And I’m like, “I can’t catch a break.” … I was starting to have a complex.”

    Avoiding Substance Abuse:

    “It’s just one of those things where you take care of your body and your body will take care of you. I don’t do drugs. I’m an occasional wine drinker. I love my wine, but that’s about it. For me to go out there and say I’m doing heavy drugs, pills, cocaine, or whatever the crap they’re doing out there, pill popping, I don’t do that. And I think that Bubba and I are one of the guys that can honestly say that. We didn’t participate in that crap.”

    Returning To WWE:

    “Whether we’re going in there and taking over where we left off, whether we’re helping out the younger generation to get them to where they need to be … you’ve got to pass the torch … Every generation does that … We’re doing the wrestling school now, the Team 3D Wrestling Academy, we’re doing that with our students. We’re passing the torch, we’re passing the knowledge … To be able to go back to WWE and to be able to do that on that level, that would be a great thing for us to be able to do that. To help those young guys out, to help the tag team division thrive again. That’s what our goal would be.”

  • Devon On Reason He Wasn’t At The Royal Rumble, A Possible WWE Return & More

    Former WWE and TNA star Devon recently appeared as a guest on the Interactive Wrestling Radio show to promote the Team 3D Wrestling Academy. Below are some highlights:

    On the origins of the school: “I’m July of 2005, we left the WWE. We knew we were going to TNA but we also knew we were gpomg tp Japan. Anyone who knows this business knows a week without getting in that ring, (laughs) can hurt you. After being off for 2 months, we went to a wrestling school here. I came from Johnny Rodz’s wrestling school. I had heard of schools where you pay your money but then you don’t really learn anything but I never experienced it. We just went down there because at the time, it was the only place that had a ring that we could work out in. This guy wasn’t really doing a lot with them (his students.) After about a year or two, these guys were getting frustrated. I was going down and helping them out. They said, “Why don’t you guys open up a wrestling school? If you did that, we would definitely come”. I approached Bubba with the idea because we always had said we would open up a wrestling academy. Thus, we opened up the Team 3D Academy in Kissimmee, Florida!”

    On why Florida is where so much wrestling focus is put today: “Indy wrestling is starting to make a move back. Right now, it just seems Florida has become the hot bed for wrestling. We are happy that WWE has taken so many of our guys. We’re fortunate to say that WWE has used so many of our guys for tryouts. There have been guys that they (WWE) say don’t have it or need improvement that they (WWE) have sent to the Team 3D Academy. I think it speaks volumes. We don’t allow anyone to leave unless we know fully that you are going to represent that school in a good way”.

    On the training process: “It is very structured. We take 45 of the most basic moves, moves that you will see and use, and we make that the beginners class. Once you know the basics, you advance to the Advanced Class where we will teach you what to do in a match and what not to do in a match. While many of the schools have a name, me and Bubba are hands on. We’re in there helping you… I’m in the ring, helping you. Bubba is there helping with promos and story telling. That is one of the advantages we have at Team 3D Wrestling Academy, we’re not just guys who opened up a wrestling school, put our name on it, and had some other guys teach you. We’re actually getting in that ring., helping you along, and teaching you. We are the trainers.”

    On the evolution of the business and how it changes the training plan: “I don’t care how the business changes. I don’t care how it evolves into this new generation… If you don’t have good story telling, and you don’t know how to put a match together… I don’t care all the flipping and flying you’re doing, you’re on borrowed time. You are going to fall short one way one day. Bubba loves to compare us to the rock group KISS. When KISS came out with Detroit Rock City, Christine (Sixteen), Dr. Love… You loved to hear those song – I don’t care how old you were! But, when they made the new songs, not knocking on KISS, but you didn’t care for it. You wanted to see Gene Simmons blow the fire, you wanted to see him spit the blood. You wanted to see Ace Frehley go crazy on the guitar… ” James mentions that for a good time of the 80’s and 90’s, KISS were not in make-up and Ace wasn’t in the band. “Exactly, and once they did that, it really didn’t matter anymore. But once they did that (put the make-up back on), people loved it again. That is just like the wrestling business. I don’t care how many flips you can do. People still want good story telling. That is what Johnny Rodz taught us and that is what we teach – Good story telling. The things that you know. The 3D, the What’s Up, the Belly to Back, taking and giving homage to LOD, by doing the Doomesday, we do things (like KISS) the fans recognize. You don’t take away what got you there in the first place.”

    On LOD and Team 3D battling for the #1 tag team spot in wrestling history: “They set the stage. We always put over Animal and Hawk. You can say we’re #1 but we say we’re #2. LOD will always be #1 in our hearts because we’re taking over where they left off. You can’t have a future without recognizing the past.”

    On the “Old School Rules with New School Tolls” at the Academy: “If you look at the Attitude Era, each character was them. Austin was a beer drinking redneck, it really was Austin! The Rock, conceited, could come at you with a punch-line like that – That was The Rock! Taker! There were times I was in the ring with Taker and I thought he thought he really was dead! That was them! When you become a character that is a part of you, it works because it is you. When you give someone a character that isn’t them and hope they hit a Home Run with it, it doesn’t happen. It has to be part of them.”

    On the sale price: “You know the WWE Network, $9.99? Well, we are doing the same thing, $999 for a tuition year. $999. That is a hell of a deal! Show me one wrestling school, show me one, that has done anything like we’ve done.”

    On Bubba returning to WWE at the Royal Rumble: “I was very happy and very honored that the fans never forgot him but also never forgot me. For them to have been cheering for him like they were and still know and to accept the fact that we have been gone for ten years but we have never been forgotten!”

    On why he wasn’t at the Rumble as well: “I look at it from a Biblical standpoint, if God wanted me to be there at the Royal Rumble, I would have been there.”

    On a possible WWE Return: “There is a great chance we could return to WWE. THere is also a chance we may not. Only God knows the answer to that.”

    On the fall of the Aces and Eights: “If the creator of Sons of Anarchy (Kurt Sutter) had the show idea taken away from him, it would not have been as successful as it was The minute the creator of the Aces and Eights had it taken away from him and the other people put their hands in it, that is where it went south. I believe the Aces and Eights could still be going today. But, the original creator was taken off of it and it was watered down to their version and therefore Aces and Eights went the way it went.”

    On his kids now training at the Team 3D Academy: “My boys, Terrence and Terrell, who were seen on Impact, have graduated from high school. They went to college. They are personal trainers now at Gold’s Gym… They now go to the school. You know, Bubba is a hard ass when it comes to looking at people and saying “They’ve got it”… For Bubba to look at my boys and say they’re good speaks volumes… It speaks volumes… I’m definitely looking for them to take over where Bubba and I leave off.”

  • Bully Ray Talks Possibly Working In NXT, Samoa Joe/WWE, Rey Mysterio Leaving WWE

    Bully Ray spoke with Alex Obert of the Journey of a Frontman website while at Tommy Dreamer’s “House of Hardcore VIII” event in Philadelphia last weekend. Below are highlights from the interview.

    On returning at the WWE Royal Rumble: “Well the Royal Rumble is a lot of fun. As far as the reaction was concerned, it was awesome. To be able to come back to Philadelphia ten years after I had left the WWE to that type of reception, you really can’t put any words to it. I kind of knew in the back of my head that I was gonna get a warm reception from the Philly crowd. Some people might of been shocked just how big the reaction was. It was overwhelmingly positive. If that was my last time that you ever saw me in a WWE ring again, not that I’m saying that I want it to be, but if that was the last time that you ever saw me, that’s a hell of a way to go out!”

    On being in the ring with Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt: “I’m a big fan of those guys. I’m a big fan of most guys in the WWE, they’re all extremely passionate about what they do. You can tell that they whenever they go out there, they always strive to be the best and steal the show and do the absolute best that they can. The Wyatt Family is kind of reminiscent of the old Dudley clan back in the day. Big fan of Bray. Big fan of Luke and Erick Rowan. They’re doing a great job. It was fun to be in there with The Miz. It was fun to be in there with R-Truth doing the What’s Up and the 3D. It was all good, lots of fun.”

    On possibly appearing at NXT: “I am open to anything that is fun and that would be good business. Me and D-Von have accomplished so much as a tag team and I’ve accomplished more than I thought I ever would as a singles guy. If you listen to the fans, they would love to see the Dudley Boyz back in the WWE and help bring that tag team division back to the heights that it once was. Our school is going on almost ten years now and we’ve been very proud of the students that we turn out. We are very proud of the way we train our students. On a whole, I’m really happy with the way everything has unfolded so far.”

    On Rey Mysterio leaving WWE: “Whenever people leave a company or go to a company, everyone will ask what my thoughts are. It goes on every day. People come and go from companies every day, whether it’s wrestling or a bank or a big business or McDonald’s, people come and go all the time. When one person stays in a company for too long, they can sometimes get stagnant or stale. So it’s good because with Rey leaving WWE now, maybe he’ll go do some stuff that will light a fire under his ass even more. And now that opens up a spot for a younger guy in WWE to step up and become the next Rey Mysterio. It’s always good for the business when people come and go and rosters constantly get mixed up.”

    On Samoa Joe possibly going to WWE: “That’s awesome for Joe. Great! I would love to see Joe be ultra successful in the wrestling business. WWE is the top of the food chain. When you get into pro wrestling, everybody always wants to wrestle for the WWE. Joe went to Ring of Honor, helped build Ring of Honor and he paid his dues there. He went to TNA and helped build TNA, paid his dues. Now he’s gonna have an opportunity with the WWE and I hope he knocks it out of the park. He’s worked very hard and he deserves it.”

    Check out the complete interview at JourneyOfAFrontman.com.

  • Bubba Ray Dudley On Not Being With TNA, A Possible Full-Time WWE Return & More

    Bubba Ray Dudley, fresh off of his surprise appearance at the WWE Royal Rumble last Sunday night, spoke to the folks at Busted Open Radio about his appearance in the 30-man match, the reaction he got from the fans in Philadelphia, not being with TNA as part of their rebirth on Destination America and more.

    Below are highlights from the interview.

    On his appearance in the Royal Rumble and if we are going to see more of him in the WWE: “It’s really up to the WWE Universe. I think that fans have more of a voice now then they have ever had in pro wrestling and I think that’s good because it forces pro wrestling to stay on their toes. You know; wrestlers, creative people, everybody. So my answer is if the WWE Universe wants to see me or me and my brother, Devon, they need to be as vocal as possible. And you know, let them know. Whether that be on social media or with signs (at live events). And if management wants us back, then we’ll make that decision. But as far as the Rumble is concerned, it was a one night stand alone and it was really exciting. It was just a lot of fun.”

    On the pop he got from the crowd in Philadelphia: “It was awesome. It was not anything I haven’t experienced before but I hadn’t experienced it in a while. So it was good. And I said to myself before I walked out, I wonder if I’m gonna have that surreal moment where I kind of black out for a minute and I went out there and I soaked it all in. I really enjoyed it.”

    On the fans becoming more vocal if they are displeased or pleased with the product: “I mean, yeah. It’s obvious. I don’t like it when fans try to hijack a show, so to speak, just for the sake of doing it. Just because they want to be cool or because they want to go on someone’s social media and go hey look what I did. But if they are dissatisfied with the product or unhappy with the level of entertainment that any company is giving them; I think because of the world we are living in today that they have more of a voice and they should speak up. Listen, if you’re paying your hard earned money to go to a show and you’re not enjoying yourself, then why shouldn’t you speak up? If you went to a restaurant and ordered dinner and you didn’t like dinner, you would speak up. If you went to go buy a car and the car didn’t run the right way when you got it home, you would speak up. If you went to a rock and roll concert and they decided to play all B-Sides, you’d speak up. You’d be pissed. So wrestling is no different.”

    On if it would mean more to him to have a single’s run in the WWE or to return with Devon to the tag team division: “I think both can be done. And I think people would like to see both. I’m really torn on the idea. As far as me and Devon doing it together, I think it’s a very easy fit. People have always been supportive of us and if we were to go back there together, I think that they would welcome us back open arms and it could definitely, definitely work. They have some really quality teams up there that me and Devon would love to work with. The Usos, big fan of Damien Mizdow and The Miz, maybe we would get in there with The Ascension. Hell, maybe a nostalgia match with Road Dogg and Billy Gunn. That’s easy. As far as by myself is concerned, that would be interesting because people always ask me about the Bully Ray character and the WWE.”

    On if him not being with TNA is affecting their rebirth over on Destination America: “They’re going through their—uh, I don’t know what the right word is; I don’t want to even say growing pains. I think that they are beyond the growing pains stage. And when it comes to Bully Ray and TNA, I have done so much there. Especially over the last 3 years, so I think taking a break from each other might have been a good idea. But you know like they say in wrestling; you never know. You never say never. I wish them—most of all I wish the boys the best of luck because at the end of the day, that TNA locker room is a hard working bunch of guys who have a lot of passion and a lot of drive. And I would like to see really great things happen for the wrestlers in the TNA locker room.”

    MMANEWS.COM: CM Punk/UFC Update, Backstage News On Brock Lesnar’s Future & MORE!

  • Update On Bubba Ray Dudley’s WWE Status

    Following his surprise return to WWE at Sunday’s night’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Bubba Ray Dudley spoke to WWE.com about the experience.

    Bubba said he and his brother Devon have appeared in several Royal Rumbles, but this was the first time he went in there alone. He said it felt amazing to be back home for the first time in nearly 10 years. He clarified that back home doesn’t just mean wrestling in Philadelphia or the North East United States, but working for WWE. The former TNA Champion said flat out, “This is where I belong.”

    At this time, his return at the Rumble was a one-time deal and he is not under contract with the promotion.

    For those wondering, his ‘brother’ Devon was not backstage at the event, which is why R-Truth filled in for him with the Dudley Boyz double team moves.

  • Hey, I Guess There’s Always Next Year!

    It happened again.

    All the signs were there, yet somehow WWE didn’t see it coming.

    At the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view on Sunday night, the rabid, passionate fans in Philadelphia completely turned on what is generally a very popular, fun, 30-man annual match.

    Things started off just fine. The momentum was great coming out of what was an excellent triple-threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship between Brock Lesnar, John Cena and Seth Rollins. Everything was in place. One left turn when WWE should have gone right, however, and everything could potentially fall apart.

    WWE went left.

    The match began like every other year. Out first comes The Miz, followed by R-Truth.

    Whatever.

    But then the countdown clock hit, the fans counted from ten to one and we had our first surprise of the night. Bubba Ray Dudley, the former “Bully Ray” in TNA Wrestling, was our first unexpected entrant of the match.

    The fans were hot in Philly for their former ECW original. Dudley borrowed R-Truth for a few minutes, turning him into his own personal D-Von Dudley replacement, and the fun began.

    “Wazzupp?!”

    “Truth! …Get the tables!”

    “3-D!”

    The match was going along smoothly.

    Dudley was eliminated a few minutes after popping up in WWE for the first time in ten years.

    That was their first big mistake.

    Seven entrants later — enter the leader of the “Yes! Movement.” Straight out of the gate it was clear — Philadelphia came to see Daniel Bryan win the match that he wasn’t even entered in last year.

    It was going to be an ugly night.

    Daniel Bryan was only in the match for a few minutes before being eliminated by Bray Wyatt. He was the eleventh Royal Rumble entrant to be eliminated this year. From there, the rest of the show completely fell apart.

    WWE clearly had a game plan. Get Bryan’s elimination out of the way early, give the fans time to get the “boo’ing” out of their system, and then hopefully we’ll go along with our business.

    Well, that didn’t exactly happen, did it?

    What in the world did WWE expect to happen? Did they learn nothing from 2014?

    Apparently not.

    I’m assuming WWE was under the impression that once Bryan was out of the way, they would get behind Roman Reigns, and if they didn’t, when The Rock came out to endorse him and help him win, surely at that point the sheer excitement of seeing a big movie star for a few minutes would make them forget that they’re favorite wrestler had been screwed for the second year in a row.

    Right?

    Wrong!

    Of course that wasn’t going to work. There were many other options WWE could have tried that would have saved the show from completely falling apart. For those who missed it, from the point Bryan was eliminated, throughout the rest of the entire match, except a couple of pops here and there, the rabid Philly fans boo’d the living crap out of everything that was happening.

    Bryan was only cleared to return to the ring a few weeks ago. Knowing the Royal Rumble was coming up, if you’re not planning on having him win the match, why even have him return? Why not wait until after the Royal Rumble to bring him back?

    Well, they had already brought him back, so that’s out. Knowing he’s back, however, why not save him for the final two? If you’re hell bent on having Reigns win the match, at least you have the fans turn on him at the very end of the match. They boo the finish. It sucks, but it’s better than 20-30 minutes of guttural boo’ing and madness.

    Going forward, Roman Reigns is expected to be “the guy.” The next John Cena, if you will. If this is his launching off point, they better have their writers quickly figure out a way to turn him heel and capitalize on momentum that is already in place, because if they think that was a one time thing, they’ve got a rude awakening coming in their future.

    Fans don’t forget. Reigns’ push had already peaked and started going down several weeks ago. His promo work isn’t there yet. His matches, while good, are not so good that fans will overlook the rest of the missing pieces of the puzzle. He’s simply not going to work as the top babyface superstar in the company. It’s not going to happen. Not yet, at least.

    Regardless, another Royal Rumble is in the books. Another year of fans completely turning on WWE and crapping on their choice for a top guy, or a top match for WrestleMania, and they let it be known. Now, all that’s left is to wait and see if WWE smartens up and finds a way to give them what they want.

    WrestleMania 31 — Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan.

    Personally speaking, I don’t like the sound of that. Another triple-threat main event for the title? I’m not into it. But it’s pretty clear that the fans are choosing Daniel Bryan as their guy. Why WWE is so dead set on fighting it is completely beyond me.

    But hey, I guess there’s always next year!

    What are your thoughts on this year’s Royal Rumble and the fan reaction to the match? Let us know by posting your feedback below. You can also add me on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or follow me on Twitter @MBoone420.

  • Bubba Ray Dudley, DDP & Boogeyman Appear In The Rumble, The Rock Returns & More

    Former TNA star Bully Ray, know once again known as Bubba Ray Dudley, made a surprise return to WWE in the 2015 Royal Rumble match.

    Bubba Ray entered the match at number three and got a huge reaction from the Philadelphia crowd. He last wrestled for the company 2005 and finished a 9-year run with TNA at Bound for Glory back in October. He tweeted after the Rumble:

    Also appearing as surprise entrants in the 30-man Royal Rumble match were The Boogeyman and Diamond Dallas Page.

  • Former WWE Star Spotted An Hour Away From Philadelphia (POTENTIAL SPOILER)

    Bully Ray was in Belmar, New Jersey last night. That’s just a little over an hour away from Philadelphia.

    There have been rumors for the past several weeks that Bully Ray (and possibly Devon) will be returning to WWE at Royal Rumble match.

    The photo below of Bully and Velvet Sky was taken last night at a bar in Belmar.

    bully-ray-velvet-sky

    (Credit: Bill Mckim)

  • Dixie Carter On Bully Ray’s TNA Status, Plans For TNA PPVs, Kurt Angle & More

    The following are highlights of a new Ring Rust Radio interview with TNA President Dixie Carter:

    On the transition to Destination America: “Well I think it is critical for the company. We were in a position where in negotiations I went to every network saying, ‘Look, we are not interested in just licensing our two hour show Impact for your network. I am interested in a partner, someone who will help build our brand, give us more exposure, provide new programming for us’, and that’s exactly what we have gotten and more with the support of Discovery and Destination America. We are very, very excited about all that they are giving us across all ten Discovery networks; support, print advertising, PR, radio, digital. It is everything we had hoped it would be.”

    On re-signing Kurt Angle: “Well, I think Kurt was a game changer for us when we first signed him. I think it is important at such a new beginning for us to still have him as a corner stone for our company. Kurt looks at all the positive changes that are happening. Our signing with Destination America out in Los Angeles, the new network deal, the commitment from them, he sees the big picture and he gets it. He is a joy to work with and a real leader for us. We are thrilled to have him.”

    On the atmosphere in TNA: “Unfortunately, I’m not even going to see what the atmosphere is like Wednesday. I will be in Los Angeles while they are going live in New York. I am representing Discovery and Destination America at the Television and Critics Association. Again, that’s just part of what they are asking us to do. Ken Anderson, Chris Melendez and I will be there. We will be representing our show and network in front of hundreds of media representatives. Just the whole vibe from the locker room, everyone was so supportive. They realize that this is what we have all been wanting and hoping for. This is going to be a great fresh start for us.”

    On rebooting storylines or sticking with past storylines: “I think it’s a little bit of both quite honestly. The momentum we had in New York for those shows this past year we want to continue that on and kick it up a notch. We got some surprises planned and we’ve got some changes planned. You won’t see it as much at the live shows but there’s only so much you can do with a live television production. The shows afterwards you are going to start to see a transformation of some new technologies that we are going to use. From new productions and some new and exciting ways in which we want to showcase the show. Things we have talked about for a long time, but quite honestly, technology wasn’t where we needed it to be to fit in to how we have to shoot a wrestling show. I am really, really excited for things to start taking shape in the coming weeks.”

    On TNA pay-per-view plans: “We will still have several live ones a year, but when we have them they will mean something and be worth people’s hard earned money. I think that the creative team really wanted to start the year off with a bang and something special on the network. So we decided to take the Lockdown theme live and free on Destination America. I was supportive of that and we will have a couple of live pay-per-views a year and then we will still do some of the One Night Only specials that have been really successful for us.”

  • Bully Ray To Do Weekly Podcast, Scott Hall’s Son Joins The Bullet Club, RAW Note

    – Bully Ray is the latest pro wrestler getting into the online podcast business. As things stand now, there’s no information on what his show will be, just that he’s going to begin doing one in the near future.

    – Scott Hall’s son Cody Hall, wearing an old Razor Ramon vest, was announced earlier today as the newest member of The Bullet Club faction in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

    – It’s expected that the ratings for this week’s edition of WWE RAW will take a hit in Canada because the World Junior Hockey Championships will take place with China vs. Russia.

  • Bully Ray Done With TNA?, TNA Announces Signing Of Former Champion

    TNA has announced the re-signing of former TNA Tag-Team Champion Jessie Godderz. Godderz joins Kurt Angle, Abyss and Ethan Carter III as talents that have re-signed with the promotion this week.

    Speaking of TNA talents, the company has moved Bully Ray, Devon, Brittany, Quinton Jackson and Shark Boy to the alumni section of their official website.

    In the case of Bully Ray, his deal with TNA expired and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be re-signing with the company for their return to cable television on Destination America later this month.