WWE Night of Champions gave wrestling fans plenty to talk about, but despite the controversy surrounding the locale, most of the criticism has been directed at the creative decisions. Bully Ray, specifically, pointed out some issues he had with the Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez Street Fight, in an episode of “Busted Open Radio.”
“The whole table situation left a bad taste in my mouth when it came to Rhea and [Raquel],” Bully noted. “Yes, wrestler’s safety is very important, but you’re telling me the wrestler’s safety is very important in a Street Fight to the point the referee has to hold the table so it’s not shaking, so the women can execute the move? It’s glaring to me.”
“It screams that what we’re doing is nothing more than, you know, a show; it’s entertainment. And what I’m talking about specifically is the referee holding the table on the top rope so both women can go up there and do, you know, Rhea’s finish,” Bully explained, asking for a valid reason why referees seem to be stabilizing tables and ladders in modern wrestling. “If you can’t do a stunt like that without the help of the referee, either find a way to do it, or don’t do it at all!”
‘I would never want a referee involved in the safety of the spot’
Despite Bully Ray’s objections, his co-host Dave LaGreca suggested that the fault should lie on production instead for getting the referee in the shot, but the veteran rejected his argument. “How am I not supposed to see it? And listen guys, everything I say here is based from my experience using an ungodly amount of tables, an ungodly amount of ladders, chairs, the whole nine yards!” he said. “I would never want a referee involved in the safety of the spot, because I think that takes away from the credibility of the spot!” Bully then instead criticized the wrestlers, noting that the wrestlers need to know they can do spots before actually trying to implement them.
“I don’t think a referee should ever be involved in anything. I think referees are involved in entirely too much stuff today in pro wrestling; period,” Bully added, pointing out how pro wrestling wants everything to be credible like other major sports yet no other sport would let a referee or umpire get involved in the action. “They do these things; fans just cheer and ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ — they’re not affected by it — and they just keep moving forward.”
“What do we always talk about on this show, what Vince McMahon taught us? ‘The only thing that they remember is the finish’ Well, the thing that I remember from that finish is the referee having to hold the table,” Bully concluded.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
