How Vince McMahon reacted when ex-WWE star requested a push in their first meeting
Bully Ray, formerly known as Bubba Ray Dudley, recently revealed that he immediately asked Vince McMahon to push him after he joined WWE.
In wrestling, someone receives a push when they feature prominently in a storyline for a prolonged period of time. The term is also used when someone becomes a title contender or moves into the main-event scene.
Speaking on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions show, Bully Ray reflected on his first meeting with Vince McMahon in 1999. Discussing the details of that conversation, he said the WWE Chairman gave an abrupt response when he asked about a push:
“We’re talking, going over a bunch of stuff, and I remember saying to Vince, ‘Can we talk about the push?’ Because remember back in those days you talked about your push. He said, ‘Bubba, there is no such thing as the push. There is, however, opportunity.’ That was a big learning moment for me right there, as far as what the WWE is going to be like," said Bully Ray.
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The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) made their name in ECW between 1996 and 1999, during which time they became eight-time Tag Team Champions. They defeated fellow ECW legends The Blue Meanie and Stevie Richards in their WWE debut on Sunday Night Heat in August 1999.
When Vince McMahon gave The Dudley Boyz their first WWE push
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Given that The Dudley Boyz won the WWE Tag Team Championship nine times, Vince McMahon certainly gave the duo their fair share of pushes.
Bubba Ray and D-Von’s first WWE Tag Team Championship victory came at No Way 2000 when they defeated The New Age Outlaws. The duo then became involved in a long-term rivalry with The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian, leading to their famous TLC matches.
The Dudley Boyz left WWE in 2005 before returning for another one-year run as in-ring performers in 2015. The legendary tag team joined the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.
Please credit Broken Skull Sessions and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.