Bully Ray Character Almost Debuted In WWE
As Bully Ray, Bubba Dudley became a headliner and world champion for TNA. That character almost made its way to WWE, as Bubba revealed during a recent interview.
Speaking with SI.com as part of its "Extra Mustard" feature, Bubba — who just signed with and made his debut for Ring Of Honor — revealed that he was "one day away" from bringing the Bully Ray persona in WWE.
“We came one day away in August from debuting Bully Ray in WWE,” he said. “At the last second, the decision was made to not go forward with it. Bully Ray was ready to go, but that’s all I can tell you. We were one day away, and they had to pull the plug on it.”
Teaming with his longtime tag partner D-Von, the Dudleys spent several weeks last summer on a losing streak in WWE, with most of the defeats caused by miscommunication between the two. The night after Summerslam, the Dudleys bid farewell to WWE, as their one-year contract had expired and the two sides had decided not to renew. D-Von remains with the company in a backstage role as an agent.
ROH is billing him under the Bully Ray moniker and last night, at the ROH 15th Anniversary pay-per-view, he teamed with the Briscoe Brothers in a six-man tag match against Hanson, Raymond Rowe, and Davey Boy Smith, Jr.
“Ring of Honor is a bunch of fresh guys,” Bully told SI. “Fresh personalities, fresh stories. The possibilities are endless for Ring of Honor for me and the company. Bully Ray versus Adam Cole for the championship? That sounds cool. Bully Ray and the Briscoes teaming up for the six-man championships? Bully Ray versus Jay Lethal? What if we thought outside of the box and you had me and Tommy Dreamer wrestle the Young Bucks, and then have a crossover match in House of Hardcore? There are so many possibilities. I look forward to working with all of those guys and helping them raise their game. That has nothing to do with me putting myself over, it’s about working up to a different level. That’s when fans get a better product.”
Click here to check out his complete "Extra Mustard" interview.
