WWE/ROH News: Bully Ray announces retirement from in-ring competition

What's the story?

After a bad bump on the head from ironically a table at Death Before Dishonor in September, Bully Ray's career has been in question. And now Bully Ray has confirmed his in-ring retirement on Busted Open Radio.

Some WWE loyalists might only know him as Bubba Ray Dudley, but that name was left with Vince McMahon and company when they parted ways. Bully Ray entered the fray in Ring Of Honor at Manhattan Mayhem in March 2017.

In case you didn't know...

Whether you know him as a Dudley Boy or a member of Team 3D, Bully Ray is one of the most decorated wrestlers in pro wrestling history and carved a path for countless other performers to emulate.

The 46-year-old Bully Ray's body took a ton of damage through the years as he participated in some of the most brutal matches you could imagine while putting plenty of opponents through tables in the process.

The heart of the matter

Bully Ray's final tag team title was held in ROH with The Briscoes but that partnership turned sour and eventually lead to the sad announcement of Bully Ray's retirement.

After they lost their ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championships, Bully Ray took a table shot to the head when Jay Briscoe turned on him to announce that they didn't need a third member. But it would turn out to have disastrous effects in the end.

Bully Ray needed to be taken to a medical facility and his doctors advised him against any kind of activity which would involve loud noises or bright lights. Bully Ray had suffered a concussion and it was a rather bad one.

The former tag team champion from just about every major pro wrestling company in the modern era spoke to Busted Open Radio about his retirement and his future intentions with ROH.

“I’m still under contract to Ring of Honor. I actually will be at Ring of Honor on Friday for [Philadelphia Excellence] down at the ECW Arena. … I’ll be doing an autograph signing. I’ll be meeting fans. Honestly, I plan on being at the front door. The minute they open the doors at the ECW Arena, I am going to do my best to shake everybody’s hand that walks into the ECW Arena that night for Ring of Honor. That way, I can look everybody in the eye and tell them thank you.”

Bully added that he can hopefully stay on the road with ROH and do fan meet and greets while helping out in a backstage capacity. He went on to say how he was willing to do whatever he could to help Ring Of Honor move forward because he believes in them so much and sees it as a special company.

What's next?

Bully Ray will never be forgotten for the impact he made in the pro wrestling business. He coined the phrase "get the tables" and if he wasn't the first to scream it, he certainly made it unforgettable.

Then again, just about everything Bully Ray did throughout his entire career has been unforgettable and he's not done influencing yet. He still runs Team 3D Wrestling Acadamy and intends on sticking with ROH doing whatever he can to help them achieve greatness.

It might have been the last time you see Bully Ray wrestle a match, but this isn't the last we've seen of the former Dudley Boy. Especially if WWE can eventually convince him to take a well-deserved spot alongside his brother D-Von in the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Author's take

It's a very sad day when one of your favourite pro wrestlers has to retire. Even though I've made it through so many at this point, but I still get a case of "the feels."

Bully Ray will always be rememberd as an incredible entertainer and an unforgettable force in pro wrestling. So let the trending of #ThankYouBully on Twitter begin.