Former WWE champion "was paralyzed by fear" after exceeding allotted TV time; thought he would get fired

A WWE Hall of Famer recently revealed a difficult period in his career when he feared losing his job after exceeding his allotted television time. The name in question is Bully Ray (aka Bubba Ray Dudley) who recounted a time when he was intimidated by the former CEO of the Stamford-based promotion, Vince McMahon.

On a recent edition of the Busted Open Radio, the former multi-time WWE Tag Team Champion reminisced about his experience working with the Right to Censor faction at the legendary Madison Square Garden. During the event, The Dudley Boyz initially pretended to join the RTC group, only to betray them.

The 53-year-old WWE legend stated that this was an unplanned twist and that he had gone five minutes over his allotted time on live TV. This grave error typically results in immediate dismissal, but Vince McMahon, recognizing the segment's exceptional quality, spared Bully Ray.

"We went five minutes over. If you go one minute over on live TV, you're getting your a** chewed out. Five minutes over? You're fired. Vince looks at me, and he says, 'If you ever go five minutes over on my live television show again ... it better be as good as that,'" he said. [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]

However, this incident instilled a profound fear and respect for Mr. McMahon in Bubba Ray Dudley, preventing him from repeating the mistake. The former eight-time Hardcore Champion added:

"That was the first time I ever froze in the wrestling business. I don't think it ever happened again. I was paralyzed by fear. This was real." [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]

Check out his comments in the podcast below:

---

Bully Ray was in action at a recent WWE show

The November 6 episode of NXT featured Bully Ray's return to the WWE ring. The legendary wrestler made his comeback at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, a venue synonymous with his career in ECW.

At the show, Bubba Ray Dudley teamed with the reigning NXT Champion, Trick Williams. Despite being fan favorites, the duo lost their tag team match against Ridge Holland and Ethan Page. Following the match, Bully Ray and The Anointed One powerbombed Page through a table that was brought to the ring by D-Von Dudley.

Only time will tell if the WWE Hall of Famer will make another in-ring return to the Stamford-based promotion in the near future.