Bully Ray Talks About Why He Reinvented Himself

In an interview with USA Today, Bully Ray spoke about changing his character over the years and why he’s reinvented himself. Here are highlights:

On changing things up: “When me and D-Von went our separate way six years ago, I knew I had so much left in the tank. There was no reason for me to sit back on my past history and rely on that. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. I’m sure people want something different. The band KISS goes out there every night and they give you enough of what they’ve done in the past along with the coolest things they do now. They are always reinventing themselves.”

On being a heel: “Bully Ray is Bad Guy 101. I did not reinvent the wheel. I just stuck to the plan of being an effective bad guy and I just put my own little twists on it. … I became that heel that I knew I could be.”

On his time with Ring of Honor: “From my point of view and from my relationship with the rest of the locker room and my relationship with the fans, things cannot better. The first night here at the Hammerstein (in New York), I said I’m not coming in to be one of those veterans who is looking to take somebody’s spot or come in and grab a quick payday. I said I was coming in to be a full-time guy with Ring of Honor and a legit part of this locker room and that’s exactly what’s happening. Nobody understands what it’s like to be part of a company like Ring of Honor more than I do, especially being in ECW. I understand what drives these guys, their passion and their willingness to put their bodies on the line and steal the show every night. I also understand the other side. I’ve wrestled in front of 100,000 people at WrestleMania. I’m trying to help them as much as possible to become better versions of themselves.”

On how the six-man tag is different from normal tag matches: “It’s pretty much the same. Me and D-Von were tagging for so, so long that it became a well-oiled machine. We were two guys working together as one with probably the greatest tag team finish in the history of wrestling. With the Briscoes, they are an entity unto their own. They are like me and D-Von on speed. They are crazy and amped up at all times. Doing the six-man thing with them has been nothing but exciting and entertaining just for me to watch them half the time. I’m in awe of some of the things they can do. They are badasses after my own heart but still can work in the ring.”

On what will happen with the Broken Universe in WWE: “I think that they will get the best of both worlds. They can milk this Hardy run for every dime it’s worth and then they can evolve into a version of the Broken Universe that the WWE sees fits. WWE is not going to allow creations that got over someplace else to come in and rule their world. It’s not going to happen. It didn’t happen with the Bullet Club and it’s not going to happen with Matt Hardy’s Broken Universe. They are going to have to put their stamp of approval on it and have their creative input.”