WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray offered a complex assessment of the latest AEW Dynamite episode on his “Busted Open After Dark” podcast, expressing appreciation for an increased focus on storytelling while delivering harsh criticism regarding specific presentation details and booking decisions, including the handling of Megan Bayne.
“I liked Dynamite tonight, and I liked it because I saw more of an attempt to tell stories,” Bully began, setting a generally positive initial tone. “I was a little confused at times, but that doesn’t matter, because I saw an attempt to string stuff together, and that’s what I liked.” He felt the show benefited from a change in pacing compared to AEW’s norm: “AEW has has programmed us to not pay attention to stories because the product travels at the speed of light. Tonight, I felt like they did a pretty good job of slowing down.”
However, Bully quickly found points of contention, starting with the opening segment featuring AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and the Death Riders. While he stated, “I like what Moxley had to say. I like how he put over AEW,” he strongly disapproved of the stable’s visual presentation: “I don’t like the fact that the rest of the Death Riders stand in the background like backup singers… If you’re the Death Riders, you’re a unit, and you should all be together as a unit.” He also voiced significant frustration over the absence of the AEW World Championship belt itself. “How do I know he’s the AEW World Heavyweight Champion? The announcers told me, because I haven’t seen that championship belt in forever,” Bully exclaimed. “I can’t be the only one out there that despises the fact that we don’t see the AEW World Heavyweight Championship… I don’t think I’ve ever seen a World Heavyweight Championship, so I’m just gonna say disrespected or not shown the proper respect. I hate it.”
Following Moxley’s quick submission victory over Katsuyori Shibata – a result Bully wasn’t “buying into” despite praising Shibata as “incredible” – the opening segment continued with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Swerve Strickland, and PAC, setting up future conflicts. Bully also dismissed Shibata seemingly no-selling Moxley’s piledriver during their brief match as simply “par for the course in AEW,” adding he was “so desensitized to it now.”
Later, Bully enjoyed the style of an eight-man tag match, calling it an “exciting, fun match” and a “crazy car crash” suitable for Dynamite, though he found the refereeing comical (“looked like a mime”). His enjoyment soured significantly at the finish, where Will Ospreay secured the pinfall. “This is where I wanted to take a baseball bat and smash it into my television,” he fumed, arguing the win should have gone to newer talents Mike Bailey or Kevin Knight, or hometown hero Mark Briscoe. “Will doesn’t need the 123, give it to Kevin. Give it to Mike… or screw it. Give it to mark Briscoe… That’s the way it should be done.” He labeled the decision “ignorant” and “uneducated.”
In stark contrast, Bully heaped praise on a segment featuring announcer Tony Schiavone discussing FTR’s recent attack on Adam Copeland. “Here’s something else I liked, small but effective,” Bully said. He felt Schiavone’s earnest, non-performative delivery (“in a very Tony Shiavone, in normal everyday life way”) added immense weight to the angle. “It really made me think and believe that what FTR did to cope was worse than what I saw, because it really bothered Tony Shivani,” Bully explained. “That’s good shit right there. That’s credible heat… he made me feel bad for cope, and he made me dislike FTR more.”
However, Bully ended his review with sharp criticism regarding the handling of Megan Bayne, stemming from her booking after losing to AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm at the Dynasty PPV. While complimenting Bayne’s star presence (“O, M, G, Holy schnikes, Megan Bayne, VA, VA, voom, that woman is impressive… The camera absolutely loves her. That woman has the it factor… Megan Bayne just screams superstar”), he was angered by the lack of a strong post-match statement. “Megan Bayne should have killed Toni Storm after the match at dynasty, and then she should have brought Tony’s that Luther guy in the ring and destroyed him too,” Bully insisted. He accused AEW of mishandling imposing figures: “Why is it that any person of size within AEW gets buried? We saw it happen with Kamille. And in some ways, I can see how Megan is even more impressive looking than Kamille.” His final plea was direct: “Her gear. Please. Tony protect Megan Bayne.”
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.
