WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has described TNA’s Slammiversary as a “great night” and an “off the charts night” for the promotion, but he also questioned the controversial finish to the main event. Speaking on Busted Open, Bully Ray detailed a backstage conversation he had at the event and broke down the difficult decision TNA faced in the main event between Trick Williams and Mike Santana.
Slammiversary was a historic event for TNA, drawing a record-breaking crowd of over 7,600 fans to the UBS Arena in New York. Bully Ray noted the positive atmosphere and the significant social media buzz the show generated. “Loved all the pictures that I saw from the arena, those deep shots that show you how full the place is,” he said. “Before the show started, I was in a private room… and I was talking to one of the senior management there, Ross Forman… I said, ‘Ross, you got to run with this. You have to. You caught lightning in a bottle tonight. You’re trending number one.'”
A Disappointing Finish for a Hot Crowd
Despite the overall success, Bully Ray pointed out that the finish of the TNA World Championship match, which saw NXT’s Trick Williams retain his title over hometown hero Mike Santana, left many fans unhappy. “Last night was an incredible night for TNA, but people were not excited about the finish. There were a lot of disgruntled fans out there,” he stated.
Co-host Dave LaGreca agreed, expressing his shock at the outcome. “I thought the night was set… biggest TNA show of all time, and it ends in a downer, because Trick Williams retains that TNA World Championship,” LaGreca said. “That crowd was ready to explode for Mike Santana to get the victory last night.”
The “Professional Hat” vs. The “Feel-Good Moment”
Bully Ray acknowledged the desire for the feel-good moment but argued from a business perspective, suggesting that delaying Santana’s big win could lead to an even bigger moment at the company’s next major pay-per-view, Bound for Glory. “You can’t play to the city. I understand why, trust me, I get it, but you have to take the fandom hat off, and you have to put the professional hat on,” he explained. “If I had to bet $1, I’d say we’re going to get Trick and Mike at Bound for Glory.”
He posed a hypothetical to illustrate his point. “Would you rather see it happen in front of 7,600 people in New York? Or would you rather see it happen in front of 10,000 people in Boston?” He added, “People are saying, ‘largest crowd, largest crowd, largest crowd.’ They’re going to break that record at Bound for Glory. They’re going to break their own record very quickly. I believe.”
LaGreca admitted it was a “tough decision” for TNA, weighing the immediate satisfaction of the live crowd against the long-term story. “I’m all in on Mike Santana… that would have been one of the greatest feel-good moments of all time in TNA history,” he said. “But do you go with the story, with Trick Williams, and there’s got to be big plans in store for Trick and this championship moving forward.”
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.
