Bully Ray

[ctln4rko]

Last night, Hogan and Bischoff and Sting were in the ring. Out of NOWHERE comes Bully Ray. I was really saying what the hell? I decided to tune into TNA to see how they handle the Hardy situation- ( to me, they really didn't) and out comes Bully Ray, trying to play with the big "dogs, so to say, metaphorically.
But i liked his promo. it wasn't bad, it wasn't the greatest promo ever, but it was good. Then, I liked the four way set up as the ME. Sadly, i knew already at Lockdown that it was Sting vs. RVD vs Mr. Anderson.
But I also enjoyed his match performance. He dominated for a good part of it. i LIKE HOW tna FINALLY, FINALLY, is giving younger talent a chance to really, really, shine. Then he freaking powerbombs AJ off the stage injuring him. (I turned off the TV after that just cuz it was the end, basically)
So who else was impressed by The Bully? Anyone?
***********************************************************
Also, why did Hogan keep calling Sting Jack? If you're gonna use a real name of a wrestler, get it right, Hulk.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Considering they really needed to add a guy in a pinch, I thought Bubba was a perfect choice. He's a name with some history, we know he is under contract for the forseeable future, he brings that legit "tough-guy" credibility, and he is good on the mic.

They're wasn't alot of time at the creative teams exposure to get something figured out from a numbers perspective for match set-ups heading into Lockdown; especially considering they were filming three weeks of TV in three days, starting the night directly after the Hardy debacle. They needed an established heel with recognizability to take the role, since there wasn't really a chance to build a guy into the spot. There weren't really alot of choices that would work. Bubba seems to fit the bill nicely.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Last night, Hogan and Bischoff and Sting were in the ring. Out of NOWHERE comes Bully Ray. I was really saying what the hell? I decided to tune into TNA to see how they handle the Hardy situation- ( to me, they really didn't) and out comes Bully Ray, trying to play with the big "dogs, so to say, metaphorically.
But i liked his promo. it wasn't bad, it wasn't the greatest promo ever, but it was good. Then, I liked the four way set up as the ME. Sadly, i knew already at Lockdown that it was Sting vs. RVD vs Mr. Anderson.
But I also enjoyed his match performance. He dominated for a good part of it. i LIKE HOW tna FINALLY, FINALLY, is giving younger talent a chance to really, really, shine. Then he freaking powerbombs AJ off the stage injuring him. (I turned off the TV after that just cuz it was the end, basically)
So who else was impressed by The Bully? Anyone?
***********************************************************
Also, why did Hogan keep calling Sting Jack? If you're gonna use a real name of a wrestler, get it right, Hulk.

He wasn't using it has a name. Hogan uses the word jack the same way he uses the words dude and brother.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I was one of the first to denote that the Ray/Devon split would tank as far as their singles careers would go, and I was half right, but Ray has really come into his own here with the Bully character.

I actually like moving him up the card the way they did to get him into Immortal who's ranks have depleted severely since the loss of Fortune and now Hardy—a founding member.

Ray is an ace on the mic and as a heel he's at his best as a character, so while he probably doesn't belong in the main event long-term, for the moment he's hurting very little (besides AJ), but he really does help to legitimize the Immortal factor here.

 

[ARLO]

I've been impressed since team 3D split. I too thought they would suck as singles and be back together within a few months.

He's finally been able to build himself a character and I hope Devon can have equal success.

My only problem is that there are bigger names that could've taken Hardy's spot. The Pope, Matt Hardy, perhaps Samoa Joe could even go heel.

Although I can't see him ever winning the title, I'll be watching intently to see where this goes.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think Bubba has come into his own as Bully Ray. I did not expect him to be a success as a singles wrestler. He is past his prime, out of shape and his previous attempts at singles stardom have flopped.

However, he has impressed me and could quite easily do a job for Immortal. I do not expect him to be a long-term main eventer in TNA but right now I think he is doing pretty well. He has some name value, can cut a good promo and is no worse in the ring than the likes of Abyss or Matt Hardy.

I do not mind seeing Ray get a short-term spot higher up the card, well done to him.

 

[HBKeith]

Last night, Hogan and Bischoff and Sting were in the ring. Out of NOWHERE comes Bully Ray. I was really saying what the hell? I decided to tune into TNA to see how they handle the Hardy situation- ( to me, they really didn't) and out comes Bully Ray, trying to play with the big "dogs, so to say, metaphorically.
But i liked his promo. it wasn't bad, it wasn't the greatest promo ever, but it was good. Then, I liked the four way set up as the ME. Sadly, i knew already at Lockdown that it was Sting vs. RVD vs Mr. Anderson.
But I also enjoyed his match performance. He dominated for a good part of it. i LIKE HOW tna FINALLY, FINALLY, is giving younger talent a chance to really, really, shine. Then he freaking powerbombs AJ off the stage injuring him. (I turned off the TV after that just cuz it was the end, basically)
So who else was impressed by The Bully? Anyone?
***********************************************************
Also, why did Hogan keep calling Sting Jack? If you're gonna use a real name of a wrestler, get it right, Hulk.

Younger talent? Isn't Bully Ray like 40 or 41 years old? Not sure I would classify him as younger talent. But, I think I see where you are going with this. Yes, I was excited to see him step up in class a little bit. I always thought he would have been a good singles wrestler, but the Dudleys were just too good of a team to split up for a long time. All of Ray's moves are powerful and always give that huge impact type of feel. Ray is talented on the stick and in the ring, so he could make a push for the TV title at some point.

 

[CaptainZaltan]

As I've said before, I think the Bully Ray character has a lot of potential. Bubba has always been great on the mic, and this character is as suited to him as the JBL character was to Bradshaw in the WWE. My one previous complaint was that Bully was only feuding with former ECW stars, which I felt would get him nowhere. Now, it looks like he will be feuding with AJ Styles, which will be great for him. If AJ can help establish Bully as a serious singles competitor, he should make a fine addition to the midcard scene, where he can be utilized to help elevate less experienced talent. He might even make a decent TV champion at some point. And lets face it, there are a number of guys in TNA's midcard who could seriously benefit from feuding with a heel as hated as Bully.

Because of that, while I do think a Bully/AJ feud could be entertaining, I'm hoping it will be short as I feel there are other performers in the mid and undercard who could benefit more from feuding with either of them (Kazarian, Williams, Lethal, Morgan, etc). If the injury angle was used to write AJ off of tv for a while, hopefully Ray does move on to feud with Kazarian or one of AJ's other associates.

On a side note, I hope TNA gives Devon a chance to reinvent himself as well. We're never going to know if the man can carry himself as a singles competitor unless he's given a chance.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Bully Ray had a good night last night. I was surprised to see him come out and get mixed up, at least to some degree, in the TNA World Heavyweight Championship scene.

I'm not sold yet on Ray. Maybe it's still because that link to Team 3D is still so very prominent, maybe it's because he has virtually no accomplishments as a singles wreslter, maybe it has something to do with me just not being all that fond of him in the ring, etc. Ray still has a LOT to prove in my eyes as a singles wrestler. Just suddenly putting him in the spot he had last night was an unexpected surprise.

Considering how weak Immortal is, adding Ray might work. Let's be honest, all Immortal has as far as the in-ring stuff goes at this moment is Matt Hardy and that's not saying much.

I'm not sold on Ray, as I said, but he had a good night last night and it was a step in the right direction.

 

[mrbooker]

I was enjoying Bully Ray alot last night on impact one of the brighter spots, when watching i dont like to think wow pope should be in this spot or hardy should be in this spot, Bully Ray was in the spot and top to bottom he did what he was suppose to do.

His promo was good, his in ring work was clean, and the way he plays his character is enjoyable and something we have not scene in a long time.

Him knocking out the ref was hilarious,The way him and Aj were trading blows, and he would jaw back after every Aj punch, tossing off agents trying to help him up.

It goes to show wrestling isnt about who has "it" or the look, or who is young and can be a break out star, who has WHC potential, who can do flips in the ring, and has beens who should not be on TV..... its about guys who can entertain a fan and play their role to sell the WHOLE segement they are in Bully Ray did that

 

[ztwhite]

The moment was there.

The participants were there.

The "legends" were there.

The "icons" were there.

And then... fucking Bubba / Bully / Butthead Ray Dudley came to the ring.

Really ? REALLY TNA ? That's the best you got ??

For a minute, and it was literally only a minute, the TNA creative team found a way to throw Jeff Hardy under the preverbial bus, and rightly so. Have Sting bring Hogan and Bischoff to the ring, rip into them for single handedly tearing apart TNA from the inside out, with Jeff Hardy being the culmination of their heiness acts. Hogan was selling it, Sting was selling it. And Bischoff was just wondering when he could go back to slobbing Terry's knob, but I digress.

And then they bring a 15+ year tag team veteran to the ring to totally screw up the screw up. Why ? Again, why ? What was the point ? Did Bubba Ray Dudley really need to be part of a four way dance for the number one contender slot ? You had RVD and Anderson. You had AJ Styles and Fortune. Exactly where does Bubba Ray Dudley fit into that class of singles wrestlers ?

Once again, a potential gem of a segment, and really, that's all TNA has and always will have, potential, turned ridiculous.

Bubba Ray Dudley may have been blowing something up in the past week, but it wasn't Terrence's... and that was fucking hillarious by Anderson... phone. Bubba Ray Dudley simply blew up another small step by TNA to keep us interested. But in the long run, did they really need Bubba / Bully / Butthead Ray Dudley to help them out ?

 

[Dream Machine]

Bully Ray works better as a heel then as a face. But I could see him being somewhere around the upper midcard that faces challengers on their way up to the top.

If he is ever going to hold a singles title, I could see him with the TV title if he ever gets that chance

 

[DethMetal]

I LOVE Bully Ray. It just oozes potential. He's good on the mic, can sell, the gimmick is good, and he is a quite decent wrestler. I don't see him being a prime time player for now, but if Sting can do it, why not the Bully? I like this. OP, Color me impressed.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

You know, i like the Bully Ray character. When Team-3D split i thought it would be the end of Bubba Ray and at first i didn't like it. Now i think its good, its not gold but its good and if he joins Immortal soon i will like it more.

 

[Brian in Austin]

It appears that is the best they've got. Meanwhile they have Samoa Joe embroiled in some ridiculous storyline with 'The Pope'. Both of these men would be great matches for Sting to take on, let alone Anderson. (I believe RVD is vastly overrated as an in-ring performer/entertainer.) The focus should be A.J., Samoa Joe, Anderson, and The Pope fighting for the #1 spot. Beer Money should get a huge run as Tag Champs, taking on all comers, to include Gen Me, (why are they on the verge of breaking these guys up?), Gunner and Murphy (man that could become a great series of matches, and of course The MCMG. They could build up to a PPV where there's a steel cage match for the titles, make it adult-themed (meaning bloody; a la Midnight Rockers v. Buddy Rose and his partner (can't remember the guys name) from back in the day.) As for Sting, I think you give him this last run as Champ, then retire him as Champ culminating in a huge main event v. A.J. Styles in a PPV after he and Anderson have a big match prior to the PPV to determine #1 contender. Sting gets the nod over A.J., then officially retires (for real this time), and A.J., Anderson, Pope, and Joe have a 4 way dance for the title at the next PPV as they build the match in between the PPV's. You could have each wrestle each other with multiple run-ins or near run ins like with C.M. Punk this past week on Raw v. Randy Orton. Would make for great tv and build the storyline to the PPV.

Problem is, Hogan and Bischoff. Until they are gone, the lackluster booking and horrible storylines aren't likely to end any time soon.

 

[razor_2910]

This situation with Bully Ray now reminds me of JBL back in 2004 when he was getting pushed as a singles wrestler.

JBL was mostly with Farooq/Ron Simmons(APA)
Bully Ray was mostly with Devon (3D/Dudleyz)

 

[jellmoo]

I can't help but wonder how often a man that loses to a sub-midcard wrestler that has barely been featured in months on one show, is given a chance to be a number one contender on the next...

The sad part is that there really aren't that many people they could have gone to, as they have written way too many of their guys into a corner. Joe or Pope would have worked, but they are locked together in the longest pointless feud I can remember. Angle or Double J could have worked, but again, locked in an overly long feud.

Matt Hardy? Ehhhh... maybe we should keep anyone named Hardy away from main event matches.

Oh! How about Matt Morgan? You know, the guy that was being so heavily pushed not all that long ago? Oh... right, locked in a feud with a guy that can't wrestle or talk.

At this point, I think they just got tired and gave up, deciding to use the fat guy with the ridiculous hair cut.

 

[The Five-Star Frog Splash]

Im still not sure of how I feel about this. Although I understand why its happening.
With the demise of Hardy as the top heel, they needed someone to step up and take that spot (if only for the time being). Bubba Ray may just be the only candidate for that spot, because really, who are the top heels in TNA? Hernandez is in a feud with Morgan, Pope is dealing with Joe, and then theres Hogan and Bischoff who arent wrestlers. Bubba is really all that they have left, but it may not be a complete waste of time. Now like most people, when I saw Bubba come down to the ring, I too was thinking, "They wanna make this guy a main-eventer after 15 years of tagging with Devon?" But then I started seeing the potential a Sting/Bubba feud could have, or Bubba/Styles, Bubba/Anderson. It'll take time to build the guy up as a credible contender for the Heavyweight title, but I think Bubba as a top heel could actually work! Bully Ray is an asswipe on television and plays his role well (from what I've heard its because in real life he is an asswipe.) Bubba comes across as a great heel on TV and this may be a great opportunity for TNA to find a suitable replacement heel until they figure out what to do with Hardy. But like I said, if Bubba does get a world title shot, I'll put my money on Sting because I know he won't win the title. I'm just saying he could be a good foil to the multilpe face challengers that TNA currently has.

 

[DethMetal]

I had no problem with it. I kinda liked it. I think Bully Ray has potential, and last night, he proved that he's great on the mic and can wrestle. I see no problem. Besides, who else could they bring out? Brian Kendrick??

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I love it. Bully Ray is great on the mic and he is somewhat agile for his size. Anderson should never be allowed near a mic and that goes for about 90% of the roster. A.J. is the perfect guy for Ray to work with because he's great at selling the offense of bigger guys like he has with Joe and Abyss.

 

[midgensa]

I love the Bully Ray character the more I see it. I hated the storyline of splitting the Dudleyz and having them feud because we have seen it a bunch of times already. I would have preferred a quit split.
I think Devon is solid as a singles face as well, but nowhere near as talented or as high on the card as Bully can get.
Ray has always excelled on the mic and is continuing to excel in this role. I was doubting whether he could be legit in a main event scene, but he continues to grow and prove me wrong, leading me to wonder if there could ever be a legitimate world title run in his future.

That is definitely a thought that would be 100% no in my book just 2 years ago ... not I would say he has a 25% chance of actually wearing a strap ... and that percentage might continue to go up.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

Midgensa i would give him the TV title at least but, since Gunner is champion and Bully Ray is technically a new member of Immortal it wouldn't work for now.

 

[Mister Nice Guy]

This move did not surprise me, as it seems to be the method for most TNA ideas as of late. Creative must think that just because an idea did not work in the WWE, it doesn't mean it won't work for TNA. Bubba or Brotha or Bully Ray should never see the main event of a wrestling match, unless its from a front row ticket. Would it have been too daring to use a TNA original? Is it not possible free a heel from one of the ridiculously long and pointless on-going feuds? Where the f**k is Abyss??

Why is it that everyone can easily see why TNA is failing and the powers that be, continues to ignore advice? This is going to end badly for TNA. Its only a matter of time.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

This move did not surprise me, as it seems to be the method for most TNA ideas as of late. Creative must think that just because an idea did not work in the WWE, it doesn't mean it won't work for TNA. Bubba or Brotha or Bully Ray should never see the main event of a wrestling match, unless its from a front row ticket. Would it have been too daring to use a TNA original? Is it not possible free a heel from one of the ridiculously long and pointless on-going feuds? Where the f**k is Abyss??

Why is it that everyone can easily see why TNA is failing and the powers that be, continues to ignore advice? This is going to end badly for TNA. Its only a matter of time.

I don't agree with your post. Look who else could they have brought in? Abyss «injured» and when he comes back he is going to fight Crimson anyways, so no. Hernandez no feuding with Matt Morgan.Pope no feuding with Samoa Joe. Rob Terry no, 1. is not ready 2 feuding with Scott Steiner, Matt Hardy, well you know the story so not now. Jarrett no feuding with Angle. Gunner&Murphy, no 1 Immortal needs a tag-team 2 Anyways Gunner is TV champ. So you see Bully Ray was the only option left.

 

[MB1025]

I see Bully Ray as the modern day Big Boss Man or his character in WCW Big Bubba Rogers. A guy who goes out there to be in a title match on Impact and lose. Some one who floats around the ME scene, but loses to the better and younger talent. He is a very smart wrestler and is in the group of people that actually get it. He is definitely a fresh face in the ME scene and as long as he doesn't get put over his character will be money.