Bully Ray

WWE reportedly wanted to use Bully Ray for a one-shot booking at the May 15th NXT live event in Philadelphia but an appearance he made for TNA caused WWE officials to change their mind.

WWE wanted to use Bully because he would have received an easy pop in Philadelphia but ended up giving the role to Tommy Dreamer, who lost to Baron Corbin that night. WWE lost interest in using Bully when he appeared on the May 8th TNA Impact Wrestling episode to special referee a World Heavyweight Title Match between Eric Young and Kurt Angle. It should be noted that Dreamer has also been working backstage and on TV for TNA.

Even though Bully recently returned to TNA as their new authority figure, The Wrestling Observer Newsletter points out that he is still pitching for another run in WWE. Bully spoke with The Fight Network this past weekend and talked about another WWE run, noting that he and Devon are in their the best shape in 15 years.

Bully Ray Quits TNA Again

July 24, 2015 – Bully Ray has quit TNA Wrestling again, per a report from PWInsider.com.

As previously reported, Bully Ray, or to ECW and WWE fans, Bubba Ray Dudley, recently returned to TNA Wrestling to appear on IMPACT WRESTLING as an authority figure. According to the report, he’ll no longer be appearing on the show past the number of episodes that have already been filmed with him in that role.

PWInsider.com reports that Bully Ray was not called to work the current set of IMPACT WRESTLING tapings, which will take the show into November, should it remain on television that long. With the wrestler living in Orlando, Florida, where the program is filmed, this reportedly didn’t sit well with the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

“Bully Ray, who JUST returned to TNA TV as the new GM brought in by Dixie Carter, is already gone from the company. Ray hasn’t been at any of the TV Tapings that are currently being held in Orlando, Florida (where he lives) and when people started asking where he was (since he lives locally in the area and the Team 3D Wrestling Academy is located there as well), word began making the rounds that he was gone.

The story I heard this morning is that Ray told the company he was done as he wasn’t happy with the current state of affairs of the company and felt it was better to distance himself. Obviously, he was working on a per appearance deal and wasn’t under contract.

Nonetheless, it has to be seen as a negative when TNA spends an entire week building up his return on TV and then he almost immediately quits the company. How they will handle his departure from a creative standpoint remains to be seen.”

Bully Ray and his on-air brother Devon have openly expressed their desire to return to WWE for one more run in the tag team division in recent months. They believe that they can add some legends to the fold, and spark some interest in the division that only has two credible teams built in it currently.