Vince McMahon used legendary 10-time WWE champions as 'stepping stones', according to Hall of Famer
A WWE Hall of Famer recently revealed how Vince McMahon used a legendary tag team as 'stepping stones' during their time with the company. Bully Ray, famously known as Bubba Ray Dudley, shared why he stopped working for WWE after their second stint there from 2015 to 2016.
The Dudley Boyz are one of the most legendary tag teams in wrestling history. They won 10 tag team championships in WWE alone and more for different promotions such as ECW, NJPW, and TNA Wrestling. However, their second stint in WWE was unsuccessful, since they barely won matches as a team.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Master's Class podcast on Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray explained why he stopped working for WWE as part of the Dudley Boyz. It was due to Vince McMahon using him and D-Vod Dudley to put over other tag teams.
"This is why I couldn't do the Dudley thing anymore. Vince used the Dudleys as a stepping stone for other talent as opposed to letting us stay at the top and pull other talent up," Bully Ray said. [From 13:19 – 13:30]
Bully Ray added that it's not about refusing to put over talent, since they have no problem with it. They just wanted to get some wins first before elevating the stars they were up against and bringing them to their level, which was being Hall of Famers, an honor the Dudley Boyz received back in 2018.
Bully Ray praises Natalya for keeping up with young WWE talents
In the same episode of The Master's Class podcast, Bully Ray also praised how Natalya keeps up with the young roster. He points out how Nattie stays in shape and looks younger at the age of 42.
"Natalya does a phenomenal job of keeping up with herself. Natalya is a veteran; she's up there in age. I'm not saying she's old; she's older than most of the girls in the locker room. She looks like a spring chicken, phenomenal shape. Always changing up her ring gear. Natalya's a beautiful woman. You put them in a lineup; she looks like she belongs." [From 8:09 – 8:35]
The entire episode of the podcast discussed the importance of having good veterans alongside a bunch of young talents. It's all about having a harmonious locker room, wherein veterans keep their spots in the company while elevating the future stars.