Bully Ray (aka Bubba Ray Dudley) was interviewed by TV Insider about his surprise appearance at ROH’s Manhattan Mayhem.
Bully Ray is well known to fans of TNA Impact Wrestling, and as Bubba Ray Dudley, he's one half of one of the greatest tag teams in WWE and ECW history, The Dudley Boys. So what made him sign a contract with Ring of Honor?
“I’ve been a fan of Ring of Honor since they started. The number one reason I liked the company is because it reminded me of ECW. Wrestlers in the company always had a passion to put on the best possible matches and product they could. The fans are also extremely passionate, as well. Ring of Honor is known for having a great energy and great vibe attached to it. I knew at some point in my career I wanted to be a part of it. This was a perfect opportunity for me. I’ve had a lot of offers come my way in the past couple of months. Nothing was a perfect fit. Then I started speaking with Ring of Honor, and it went really good.”
When he showed up at Manhattan Mayhem, it was a huge surprise, something that was never rumored and something that no one expected.
“We gave them something to talk about. In the past couple of years, I think I am one of the only people to pull off some of the biggest surprises. Nobody knew I would be in the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia. That was a huge surprise. Me and Devon coming back to Monday Night Raw, that was a surprise. Then me showing up at the Hammerstein Ballroom for Ring of Honor. That was a huge surprise. On the way to the show I started experiencing this nervous energy. I thought, ‘Wow, I haven’t felt this in a long time.’ It was those good butterflies where you are looking forward to doing what you are about to do because it’s new, it’s different, it’s fresh and people will be talking about it. There was definitely this anticipation backstage to the time I went out there.”
Bully Ray seems to genuinely want to make the company better and he's very excited about working with the guys on the ROH roster.
And he thinks he can bring a lot to the table (no pun intended).
“I legitimately want to work with the entire company in the ring and behind the scenes. I would love to get in there with guys like Jay Lethal, Briscoes, and have some really great matches and tell some strong stories fans can invest in, which I think would be new and exciting for Ring of Honor. Outside of the ring, I want to help guys with character development. One thing that I have learned through the years from Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon is that it’s all about characters and storytelling and emotional investment. If we can get these guys from Ring of Honor to bring their characters forward a bit more and have them tell better stories, their matches are going to be more. I kind of equate right now to what Terry Funk did for ECW in 1995. By no means am I comparing myself to Terry Funk, the legend and far greater than had I hoped to be. However, in 1995, he lent ECW his name and helped move the company forward and take steps to be viewed by more fans. That’s what I want to try to do.”
