Bully Ray: Next TNA WHC & Leader Of Aces & Eights

[Jack-Hammer]

As of a little while ago, Bully Ray defeated James Storm to move onto the BFG Finals to happen latter in the ppv that's currently going on. I'm predicting Ray to ultimately move on and will face Austin Aries at BFG for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. I also predict that Ray will be revealed as the leader or one of the leaders of Aces & Eights at that ppv. At the very least, I predict he'll be a member.

Ray is probably the overall top heel in TNA right now and maybe a World Championship run was part of the inscentive for him to re-sign with the company. It might not make all that much sense when you consider Ray has been attacked by the group before, but I don't think it's that much of a stretch when you consider that the members will allow one another to be "beaten" as a means to an end.

I might be completely wrong but I just don't see Jeff Hardy winning the BFG Series to feud with Aries. I just don't see a payoff, plus Ray & Aries have history with one another. Since BFG is TNA's biggest show of the year, I just expect that they'll try to pull off a big surprise by revealing who is leading, or is one of the leaders, of Aces & Eights. Given that Ray has been among the most vocal opposition to Aces & Eights, including spending weeks vehemently accusing James Storm of being in league with them, it just feels like having Ray revealed as being the inside man would be that sort of surprise that TNA is going for.

 

[THEHEAT]

Bobby Roode helped Bully Ray win the match tonight, so he will probably be another leader of A&8's. Remember he was very vocal in the beginning about James Storm being connected to A&8's but as of late has been very silent on the subject.

 

[GrandSword]

Bully Ray also asked Joseph Park on Impact this past week how his investigation was going, offereing the olive branch just to see if he had found out anything... it adds to your theory JH.

Ray has been very good in his heel role, but I still think Jarrett needs to be involved, as I'm not sure what ray had to gain from attacking the first Hall of Fame entrant Sting.

 

[Jaffa]

For me Bischoff is involved in some capacity as well there is just no way that TNA is not going to have him in it because he is always buddies with the big heel faction. So I think Bischoff, Roode and Ray are leaders.

 

[LegendKiller716]

I predicted this in another thread. I think Bully Ray will be a "walking boss" whereas I think Jarrett is the actual mastermind. I've been thinking Bully the entire time, I just wasn't sure because of his contract situation, but now that that's resolved, I don't have a doubt in my mind.

Someone above mentioned Roode as a member, I disagree. Roode didn't help Bully, he hurt Storm. This was done to set up Roode/Storm at BFG.

I like the direction TNA went with this, they know the title match will be big and Storm and Roode don't need the belt to have a good feud. However, I think the execution was poor. Their feud has really died down, I just hope they can rekindle it quickly.

 

[kcoe24]

Here's my problem with that (and It's probly going to be what tna does) when Ace's and Eights first arrived they attacked sting and then sting and Hogan so it makes no sense for Bully Ray to be the leader. why attack them when ur already in the Bound for Glory series.

I wouldn't mind it if Bully was one of the leaders with someone like Jarret or Bishoff (someone who has a problem with Sting and Hogan.) but thee intially attacks wouldn't make any sense if it was Bully.

But heres hoping Bully becomes Champ he deserves it.

 

[wrestlemaniac]

well, jeff just won. Guess we'll get a match we havent seen before lol which i have no prob with as im a fan of both

 

[MWRedskins]

Bobby Roode helped Bully Ray win the match tonight, so he will probably be another leader of A&8's. Remember he was very vocal in the beginning about James Storm being connected to A&8's but as of late has been very silent on the subject.

i cant see that now. i think Roode isnt going to be in Aces and Eights, Bully however makes perfect sense in many ways than one. look at it like this. has Ray even been attacked by the group yet??? he acts all nice and kind when they come out and helps defend when it's too late. Roode however was attacked by the group, so i dont see him being a member of them. i expect Roode vs. Storm at BFG and i think the reasoning will be because he screwed Storm and i think Roode will say he did it because he thinks that Storm is trying to copy his way of winning and is sick of him. as for Bully, i think he wins the title, dont want it to happen as i like Aries as Champ and hope he has a longer run. i do hope that he wins it at maybe the ppv after BFG, but not at BFG, but i think he wins it and then is revealed as one of the guys behind Aces and Eights with likely Jarrett as the real mastermind.

 

[MWRedskins]

well, jeff just won. Guess we'll get a match we havent seen before lol which i have no prob with as im a fan of both

well, there goes my prediction, but i like it that way. i still think Ray could be behind Aces and Eights, but still, it's nice that it's Aries vs. Hardy. it's one of those never been seen matches and it should be entertaining especially if Aries wins as i think he's better with the title than Hardy, though Hardy will get alot of cheers and take some of the cheering of Aries.

 

[wrestlemaniac]

well, there goes my prediction, but i like it that way. i still think Ray could be behind Aces and Eights, but still, it's nice that it's Aries vs. Hardy. it's one of those never been seen matches and it should be entertaining especially if Aries wins as i think he's better with the title than Hardy, though Hardy will get alot of cheers and take some of the cheering of Aries.

oh im sure jeff will get more but i think aries should def retain. Though about that match these last few days but idk. Hopefully jeff's injury was all bullshit.

 

[whoopin' ass]

isn't Bully leaving though? i agree that it would be a cool angle and i have no problem with him as champ but i don't see them making him champ. TNA's biggest problem is that they currently have too many former champs on the roster. there are about a dozen former champs right now so why add one more, especially when it is someone who has had a long career already? again, wouldn't object to seeing him as champ but i just don't think TNA feels they need him as that. even without being champ, he is still a credible threat. this is where them not having a real second tier title hurts people. if they have a US/IC title, Bully could have won that and atleast they can say he has held singles gold too. the TV title should be doing that but they killed it long before it got to Devon.

 

[MTL722]

I still don't think we're going to see Hardy-Aries. I think creatively speaking, another attack on Hardy by Aces and 8s would be sensible. I would much rather see Bully Ray vs Aries and thats coming from a Hardy fan. That could all set up Bully being the leader of Aces and 8s (or at least involved if it does end up being Jarret) and what could be a long run with the title depending on how long Aces and 8s sticks around. And after tonite I've kinda ruled out Bobby Roode. Him and Storm will get there match and I think that'll be separate

 

[SpecialFNK]

I don't think this rules Bully out as the leader of Aces and Eights. isn't there a plan to have a War Games style match at Bound For Glory between TNA and Aces/Eights? you could still have Bully in there on team TNA, but turn and show he is A&8. would be similar to WCW Fall Brawl 97 with nWo vs Four Horsemen, after Curt Hennig was given Arn Anderson's spot in Four Horsemen, only to be the last person into the cage and show he was nWo.

I feel like I'm in the minority from where I've read about Eric Bischoff. many seem to think there's no way he should be involved, but I actually think he fits. he could be a good heel manager, someone like Bobby Heenan? Bischoff was gold in nWo, and even with Immortal he was good up until the end. but I don't think that's the fault of Bischoff. once you had the Hogan turn back to face it was just weird continuing on with Immortal as they were.

I think Jeff Hardy and Austin Aries is a better match anyway. one where Jeff wins to once again become champion. he is the more popular face in TNA and more well know for fans watching on TV. just a matter of time before Aries was going to lose anyway, IMO he's just not a continuous world title holder.

 

[SpecialFNK]

isn't Bully leaving though?

recently announced that Bully resigned for 2 years. I don't know if any financial terms were announced, but I read that it was 2 years.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

The single thing I hate about pro wrestling today is that too many wrestlers win the World title or a title. Why can't they be built in a different way? There should be more tournaments and other means of competition to distinctively make wrestlers brag in their promos about how they're so special because of the aforementioned successes. It'd be different. Bully Ray doesn't need to be World Champion. He's fine where he is right now and he has a credible legacy anyway. I know a Tag Team wrestler isn't looked as having equal weight as a singles wrestler, but come on, he's won all the major Tag Team Championships and has had very memorable singles matches stretching as far back as ECW. The outcome of the BFG series was a good one, because Austin Aries is still a fairly new TNA World Champion and it would benefit him more if Jeff Hardy were to lose to him than rather have Bully Ray beat him. I'm not a fan of quick title changes. I'm not sure what direction Bully Ray really is headed towards, but I think it should be big and at the same time unpredictable. Being a leader of the Aces & Eights would be a good direction.

 

[MTL722]

The single thing I hate about pro wrestling today is that too many wrestlers win the World title or a title. Why can't they be built in a different way? There should be more tournaments and other means of competition to distinctively make wrestlers brag in their promos about how they're so special because of the aforementioned successes. It'd be different. Bully Ray doesn't need to be World Champion. He's fine where he is right now and he has a credible legacy anyway. I know a Tag Team wrestler isn't looked as having equal weight as a singles wrestler, but come on, he's won all the major Tag Team Championships and has had very memorable singles matches stretching as far back as ECW. The outcome of the BFG series was a good one, because Austin Aries is still a fairly new TNA World Champion and it would benefit him more if Jeff Hardy were to lose to him than rather have Bully Ray beat him. I'm not a fan of quick title changes. I'm not sure what direction Bully Ray really is headed towards, but I think it should be big and at the same time unpredictable. Being a leader of the Aces & Eights would be a good direction.

I agree Bully doesnt need the title. If he were to retire w/o holding a major championship, I dont think it would hurt his legacy in the least. That doesnt mean it would be a bad decision to give it to him. If he IS the leader of Aces and 8s, what would've been the point if he doesnt win the title?

As a fan of both programs, I feel WWE dropped the ball by not having Wade Barrett hold the title while leading Nexus. A faction that is taking over an entire organization hasnt truly taken over until they have the gold.

If Bullycan pull off leading a big heel faction while holding the title, thats a hell of a thing to put on his resume' when he retires

 

[Trance Metaphor]

Many stable leaders never held the World title while they were stable leaders. Being a stable leader doesn't have to do anything with the World title at all. I like it better when two separate programs are running rather than intertwining with a dominant stable holding the World title. For once I don't want another nWo and I don't mean in the Nexus sense, but a direct incarnation of the WCW's version. So far, the way they've handled the Aces & Eights has been different and good. When Wade Barrett was the leader of the Nexus and didn't win the WWE title, it didn't hurt him in the least. He still got his big victories/title shots and he still looked awesome and believable as a leader. The same applies to CM Punk and his two stable runs. The whole "Evolution" stable imagery is a done deal and I wasn't excited about that when it was going down back in the day because it didn't provide anything interesting. The goal was already accomplished and you knew what was coming. Bully Ray can simply be dominant in leading the Aces & Eights and beating all the top names without winning the World title. That would by no means NOT convince me of his credibility.

 

[MWRedskins]

i hope they dont go the route where Aces and Eights "injures" Hardy. there are other ways to reveal Bully as the leader of Aces and Eights like a big tag match where Bully turns on them. i also think that Jarrett will be behind it, some mention Bischoff, but unless they can find a way around it, it doesnt make sense for Bischoff to be in the group as they said he has to give up his name and other stuff. Jarrett and Ray do make sense.

 

[rcknwrslingfigrviews]

nothing has been mentioned about this, and keep in mind tna never did reveal what happened with abyss, now this maybe a farfetched theory, remember when he was in the character joseph park, and he was doing his interrigation questions to bully ray, well remember awhile a back there was a main event, i can't remember everyone involved with that main event, anyway, abyss made a brief appearence at the end of that match and said to in a message to his alterego or "brother", that he was "getting to close to the fire and that he was going to get burned, so back off" and keep in mind this is just a theory, but i beleive bully ray is the leader or one of the leaders in aces & 8's, and considering it's been awhile, but that did happen this year, i beleive tna, should have bully ray in aces & 8's for sure in someway, shape, or form and even though it's been real early in the year that abyss started not appearing on impact, and we're still not seeing abyss every week, it just makes sense that abyss return soon and be involved with battling aces & 8's as well, and i beleive if tna continues to do right with aces & 8's, they should tie up the loose end with what happened to abyss, by revealing that after him and bully ray continued to battle, bully ray had him taken to aces & 8's and viciously beaten or something of that nature

 

[MayorMcCheese]

Bully Ray rocks, and I would love if he was the mastermind this whole time. he's the best heel in wrestling right now, and it's not close!

 

[MisterRob]

I really don't see why everyone is jumping on this bandwagon of Bully Ray being behind Aces & Eights. I don't see any reason at all that that would be the case. All I see is TNA booking things so that all the fans will jump on a red herring and jump to the conclusion that Ray is behind them because Hardy was taken out by them, and Hardy was Ray's opponent. Really? What else have you got?

There's lots of guesses and theories, but the only person I see being behind Aces & Eights is the top heel in the company. That's Bobby Roode. Aces & Eights first appeared in a match with Roode, which was non-title, causing a DQ and setting up a rematch, for the Heavyweight title, against Roode. Roode was the one putting on the blame on James Storm and accusing him of being behind Aces & Eights.

Roode is the only one who has history and bad blood with Hogan, Sting, Storm, and even Aries. Roode cost James Storm his match so he WOULDN'T win Bound for Glory and possibly win the title, which would mean Roode would have to face HIM to get the title back. Roode is the one who would want Aries to lose the title, since he can't challenge Aries for that title as long as Aries has it. Roode could've easily had Aces & Eights take out Hardy as well, as Hardy's a face. Where as Bully Ray is a heel, and one who Roode has history with.

I don't see what makes people think Bully Ray is somehow going to become the TOP heel of TNA, seeing as he's an old talent whose past his prime and is definitely NOT the future of the company. Bobby Roode is, though.

I would also not be surprised to see Hogan somehow in on it, as this is TNA, after all. And Hogan loves to be the center of attention as always; plus he does have a history with the whole "biker" theme.
People hoping for something clever or surprising, or out of the norm, might be hoping for too much in my opinion.

 

[aneurysm]

"I really don't see why everyone is jumping on this bandwagon of Bully Ray being behind Aces & Eights."

Really..., really...?
Here's just a few reasons why he is.
1. He's a bully, they're bullies.
2. Isn't he from New York? They're from New York.
3. Bully Ray kept accusing Storm of being the leader (to get attention off of him).
4. A's&8's, to this point, still haven't jumped him. Sure they've threatened him, but nothing like the other wrestlers.
5. His conversation with Aby... I mean Joseph Parks, was too civil even for Bully Ray. He wanted to know what he found out about A'S&8'S (wanting to know if they found out about him leading). And even made a comment about him not liking what he might find out.
6. Bully Ray always coming in late after an attack. He did fight them once with the other wrestlers, but what's a few punches when they are willing to sacrifice their own (hitting their own with hammers).
7. What a coincidence that out of all the wrestlers, Jeff Hardy, Bully Ray's opponent gets the crap kicked out of him before their match? Makes you wonder if he was targeted.

Now i'm not saying he is the ultimate mastermind behind Aces and Eights, but he is definitely a leader. I think the mastermind is still Jeff Jarrett. Makes sense they messed up Sting for being the first HOF inductee and Hogan for turning his back on them. Jarrett wants his company back by any means neccessary.

I think that will lead to Bully Ray somehow winning gold. Then leading to a Jarrett/Bully Ray confrontation (Jarrett sets them up, Bully knocks them down - so who really leads?)

 

[Neutral Drop]

I don't watch TNA much, but the A&8s story looks excellent from afar. A few weeks ago, when I watched, everyone was blaming James Storm and A&8s was setting him up to be the "obvious choice". I understand they eventually turned on Storm. During this time the person I thought would turn out to be the leader was Wildcat Chris Harris. He got rather fat right? It sounds like the story has turned now and Bully Ray is the guy. I would love for it to turn out to be a cool faction that stays around for awhile (like the NWO) and builds. Jarrett, Bully, Harris and the mouth piece Eric Bischoff.