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Bully Ray seems to be on yet another career resurgence in the world of professional wrestling. It's been quite a remarkable ride so far. We've seen Bully steal the show several times during a career that's spanned four decades. Of course, it all started with the name Bubba.
When fans hear the name Bubba Ray Dudley, their minds bring forth a variety of incredible tag team matches. One-half of the legendary Dudley Boyz, Bubba Ray is an icon in the business, especially if you're a fan of tables, ladders, and chairs.
Whether you know him as Bubba Ray Dudley or Bully Ray, the man has imprinted himself on the business in several ways. Whether it was the way he and the ECW originals changed the game back in the 90s, or his work with various up-and-comers at the 3D Academy, it's impossible to watch a show nowadays and not be reminded of him.
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At 51 years of age, he's still going strong in two separate promotions, while also running his school and undertaking co-hosting duties on Busted Open Radio. We'll be looking at some vital moments in his career, some of the ways he's impacted the wrestling world, as well as what he's doing today in NWA and IMPACT Wrestling.
"He looks like a Bubba"
Bully Ray was a guest on Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions last year and got the Rattlesnake laughing when he revealed that he wasn't a fan of how his ECW career began. There were two things that he didn't want to happen while pursuing a career as a wrestler.
He didn't want to shave his head and didn't want the name "Bubba." Well, he'd already shaved his head after Paul Heyman asked him to do so. He mentioned the time when he was about to show up with the rest of the Dudley Family, and wrestlers began tossing out names.
"'What are we gonna call him? He looks like a Billy Joe. He looks like a Bobby Sue. He looks like a Bubba.' And I went 'Oh no, please tell me Paul didn't hear that.'"
Despite two of his biggest fears hitting him in the face at the start of his career, Bubba Ray Dudley was born. He took the opportunity that was given, afraid he might never have another chance like it. Cut to 2023, and he's a Hall of Famer in two different companies and has held 36 championships around the globe. All in all, it wasn't a bad price for that kind of career.
When opportunity knocks, you answer. It’s a lesson the man himself has preached on many occasions, and it’s served him well in life. Bully Ray said in the same interview that he initially thought Aces & Eights was terrible.
“I felt the same way about being the leader of a motorcycle gang as I did about shaving my head and having the name Bubba.”
Again, despite hating the original idea, Bully Ray decided to take the opportunity at hand and make the best of it. Thanks to that, he was elevated to a two-time TNA World Champion working alongside the likes of Hulk Hogan, Sting, and other legends at the top of the business.
Bully Ray and Team 3D Academy
It's in the best interest of any business for the veterans to reach down and assist the next generation. Bully Ray, along with D-Von and many guest trainers, do this with Team 3D Academy. Based out of Danbury, Connecticut, the school is responsible for quite a lot of young faces that have started to appear on camera in recent years.
NWA World Women's Champion Kamille recently defended her title against KiLynn King at NWA Alwayz Ready. Bully Ray worked the commentary desk for the match, which was special for them as both women were trained by Bully. In an interview with Colin Tessier of WrestleZone, Kamille mentioned how emotional a moment it was going to be for them.
"He trained me and he trained KiLynn, so he's going to have that kind of extra special knowledge of what we're thinking in there and be able to give the fans a really good inside look during the match. So I think that's going to be not only special for myself and KiLynn, but special for the fans." h/t WrestleZone
Kamille also mentioned that Bully made sure his students knew the importance of a thick skin in the business.
Speaking to WrestleZone's Bill Pritchard, KiLynn King spoke about the intensity Bully had and how he instilled it into his students.
"I feel like when Bubba was there, it was almost like he was trying to make sure that there was intensity in us at all times, because if you watch Bubba's work, he doesn't do a crazy ton of stuff. But what he does do is always, just, you feel it. It's intense. You can feel the pain that he's causing his opponents." h/t WrestleZone.
KiLynn went on to say that Bully and D-Von were a great one-two punch in training, as D-Von gave them the fundamentals and little things to get right, while Bully helped the emotional aspect of the match.
None of this comes across as shocking, as he's mentioned many times that he prefers wrestlers slow things down to let moments breathe rather than a 90-mile an hour spot fest. It's a sentiment many in the business share, whether some fans agree with it or not.
Bully Ray's unique Busted Open feud and IMPACT Wrestling
What Bully Ray has managed to do over the years, especially since the Aces & Eights storyline all the way back in 2012, is blend reality with fiction. Bully joined Busted Open as a co-host in 2018 and has used the platform to elevate his feuds in recent years.
Listeners to the program have heard Bully build up heat with the likes of Flip Wilson, Matt Cardona and more. But it's his bitter and hateful story with fellow co-hosts Tommy Dreamer and Mickie James that have caught fire more than anything else.
In October 2022, Bully returned to IMPACT Wrestling to win the Call Your Shot Gauntlet. It was clear that he was being pushed towards current world champion Josh Alexander. While we did get a vicious Full Metal Mayhem match between the two at Hard to Kill last month, it was the story between himself and Dreamer that pushed everything along.
Both on IMPACT Wrestling and Busted Open, Dreamer repeatedly stated that he put his neck on the line to bring Bully back into the company that he'd nearly destroyed with Aces & Eights a decade ago. They spent a month trying to build trust between Bully and that locker room, just for Bully to spit in Tommy's face and revert to his old ways.
If you only watched this unfold on IMPACT Wrestling's weekly product, you missed out on some intense dialogue between him and Dreamer. The two promised to keep things professional, but it hasn't stopped either man from taking shots at one another. It's gotten so intense that Dave Lagreca, the man responsible for Busted Open, put his foot down on an episode of their Master's Class Podcast.
Mickie James entered the crosshairs of Bully last month, standing up for Dreamer and demanding he leave the company. Since then, the resentment and vileness of Bully has spread to other members of the locker room like poison. Jason Hotch and Jon Skyler, The Good Hands, as well as Masha Slamovich have all seemingly sided with Bully Ray.
And every time he gets one over on Dreamer or Mickie, it's a guarantee that the story picks up the very next day, 9 AM ET, on Busted Open. In just four months, Bully has found himself at the center of the most heated feud in the company and seems to be bringing the next generation along with him.
Getting involved in the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship match at Nuff Said
It's not just IMPACT Wrestling where Bully Ray's stirring things up. We saw him appear a handful of times in NWA last year in-ring. At Nuff Said on February 11th, Bully got involved in the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship bout between Matt Cardona and champion Tyrus.
Originally, nobody was allowed at ringside for this match. When the referee was accidentally taken out by Tyrus, it opened the door for Rolando Freeman and Mike Knox to interfere on Cardona's behalf. Bully Ray was at the commentary desk for this match-up, however, and prevented Knox from grabbing the ring bell.
Cardona got into a heated shouting match with Bully, giving Tyrus the chance to catch him in the Tongan Death Grip and slam him to retain. After the bout, Bully praised Tyrus, claiming that people may not like him but they must respect him. In response, Tyrus told Bully he could have a match whenever he wanted.
We're only two months into 2023, and Bully Ray has already fought for one world title and may be set for another in the near future. At the age of 51, the WWE and TNA Hall of Famer seems to be on the rise again.
Given his performance against Josh Alexander, we could very well see Bully Ray with the Ten Pounds of Gold sometime this year. Before that, though, he’ll have to handle Matt Cardona and his goons. Bully has already butted heads with the Cardona Family in 2022, but it feels like things are coming to a head between himself and the former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion.
Bully has started 2023 strong, and one must wonder what’s in store for the legend. And to think, we wouldn’t be here if he’d refused to shave his head.
What are some of your favorite Bully Ray or Bubba Ray Dudley moments? What's something you're hoping to see from him in this next leg of his career? Let us know in the comments below!
