On the “Busted Open After Dark” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray shared his reaction to seeing Vince McMahon in the “TMZ Presents: The Real Hulk Hogan” special, and speculated that the appearance may be “opening the door” for a potential return to the company in an on-screen capacity.
Bully Ray began by explaining that seeing McMahon in his first major interview since his departure from TKO was a powerful moment for him personally. “For me, it was a little emotional to see Vince. Vince was always very good to me and D-Von,” he stated. “Vince has this father figure… type of feel to some of us… seeing Vince kind of reminded me about those stories that Shane used to share with me, and it was a little emotional to see Vince. And I’m not trying to push all the stuff that’s going on with Vince to the side. That’s a completely separate issue. I’m just sharing my feelings of seeing Vince for the first time in a long time.”
Testing the Waters
He believes that McMahon’s appearance in the documentary, as well as a brief shot of him in WWE’s own tribute video to Hogan, was a calculated move by the company. “In the video package that the WWE put together honoring Hulk Hogan, they did show an image of Vince McMahon raising Hulk Hogan’s hand,” he pointed out. “Now, some of you might be saying, ‘well, it’s just one image in a montage of hundreds of images,’ but it all starts somewhere, and we saw a lot of Vince tonight, and it just got me thinking… Have we seen the last of Vince McMahon in the WWE? Do you think putting Vince out there tonight opens the door just a little bit?”
This led Bully to speculate on the possibility of McMahon returning as an on-screen character, reprising his role as the tyrannical “Mr. McMahon” persona. “Could you imagine if Vince ever came back as a character trying to take the place back over again?” he asked. “I’m seeing Vince sit there. I don’t know about you guys, but I got Emperor Palpatine vibes off of him, I really did… there’s never been a bully heel like Vince McMahon. Vince generated so much heat… Austin needed McMahon.”
A Pitch for Cena’s Retirement
A caller to the show then pitched the idea of McMahon returning at John Cena’s final match in December to congratulate him, a scenario that Bully enthusiastically endorsed. “I think it’s a really good idea,” he said. “It’s going to be a very emotional night… And Vince is the guy that gave John his opportunity… If Vince were to come out in that moment to give John his final farewell, I think the people would like to see that, or would embrace it, and maybe for that moment in time, forget about all of the things that are going on in quote, unquote, real life with Vince… I think they could ride that wave of positivity.”
Monitoring the Reaction
Bully concluded by stating his belief that WWE and TKO will be closely watching the public’s reaction to McMahon’s appearance as a way to gauge the viability of a future return. “The wrestling business is very calculated. I definitely think that the WWE and TKO will sit back and monitor social media tonight and tomorrow to see just what kind of response Vince McMahon got for being on this documentary,” he said.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Busted Open Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
