Generally speaking, I don't really see Bully Ray as actually being a bully. To me, he seems more like a cocky heel under the surface of a not so polished exterior. He doesn't run around wearing expensive suits & watches, which is a nice touch, but he's still every bit as arrogant as Bobby Roode. When push has come to shove, like most heels, Ray shows his cowardice more often than not. There are some aspects of the bully in Bully Ray's character, such as trying to come off as very tough with a bragadocious swagger and a loud voice, but how often have we seen Ray tuck tail & run when things get hot?
When I think of a heel character that comes across as a "bully", Mark Henry is the guy that springs to mind. He has the kind of presence and his work on the mic doesn't have the same sort of exaggerated swagger as Bully Rays, he doesn't use catchphrases, he doesn't have any good things to say about anybody and he actually...well, Henry actually has "bullied" people over the course of his current run. That doesn't mean that that we don't see a bit of a yellow streak pop up now and again that we always see some heels show at some point or another, but it's not what's most associated with his character. Henry is a big, menacing, 400 pound powerhouse that often uses his superior size to intimidate an opponent before beating the piss out of them. Henry is believable in this role and the WWE has kept it relatively simple, which has worked extremely well. Henry is one of the rare heels in wrestling that has made fans sort of "worry" about their favorites once they get into the ring with him as he's been consistently portrayed, since this past summer, as someone that can beat and/or hurt anybody on the WWE roster. And, that's made him one of the most entertaining guys to be WHC in the WWE.
Do you think a bully character would make a good/great Heavyweight Champion?
Mark Henry has proven that a believable bully heel can be a great World Champion.
If a bully character became Heavyweight Champion, how long do you think his reign could last before the character itself became stale as champion?
I'm not sure really. A lot depends upon consistent portrayl of the bully heel and the situations he's placed in. I'm a little surprised in WWE how over and fresh Mark Henry's character still is. If the guy playing the role of a bully, whether in WWE or TNA or wherever, is good enough then there's no assuming that he would get stale. That's sort of a problem, however, in wrestling today. Even if a wrestler is doing a great job in his role, whether it's heel or face, while carrying a title, there are always going to be fans, especially internet fans, that will soon start calling him stale or boring.
Or do you want to see the character Bobby Rhoode portrays to continue his reign as champion.
Bobby Roode is a great overall wrestler, but I'd never buy him as a "bully". To be a "bully", I do think that a legit physical presence and sense of intimidation has to be a huge factor. Roode is a good looking guy and in great shape, but he's not really someone I look at and see as a "badass" pushing people around & worrying the fans that he's gonna kick the crap out of their favorites. I do think a few tweaks here and there could help Roode in the long run. For instance, no matter who you are, it never looks good for your reigning 35 year old World Champion to tap out to his nearly 53 year old on screen boss. I do think they could make Roode a bit stronger and it would be nice to see his feuds with his title contenders to have some heat instead of having 99% of the heat these past several months be between himself & Sting.
