Bully Ray Blames Record Low RAW Viewership on WWE’s Failure to Build Second Tier Talent, Not Letting Talent Be Talented

On a recent edition of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray discussed RAW doing record low viewership this week, blaming the low ratings on WWE’s “mild” programming and their failure to build up second tier talent. Highlights are below.

On how WWE’s failure to build up second tier talent is being exposed now: “During these times, you can’t afford to be mild, that’s why you’re getting a mild rating, and I don’t like to talk about the ratings. This rating is not about, ‘Oh my God, they did a 1.6!’ This is more indicative of how WWE used to build everybody up, and now they only build certain people up. And now all of a sudden you have a situation where you can’t have those people on TV all the time, and your second tier talent needs to be up there. Back in the day, if you go back and watch, all at one time, Stone Cold, Rocky, Triple H, Cactus, Taker, Kane, they were either gone or hurt or off TV, whatever, what did the WWE do? They relied on their second tier talent who was able to step right up, they were just waiting in that batter’s box, ready to get up there, and they were swinging away, and the WWE never dipped. Now we’re seeing a massive dip.”

On WWE not letting talent be talented: “This is why, when you only allow certain people to get over, and you quote, unquote, hold others back and never let them flourish, when you don’t let the talent be talented, this is what happens. I find myself watching a bunch of people, when I sit back and watch Zelina Vega and her crew, I know that Austin Theory is a talented wrestler, I know that Angel Garza is a talented wrestler, I know Aleister is a talented wrestler, I know they’re all talented, but I know that they are far more talented than what I’m getting on my TV. Let the friggin’ pigeons loose on this product. You have to do something different. You have to do shake some stuff up. Now I say have to, Vince doesn’t have to do anything, it’s his bat, it’s his ball, it’s his game, and you have to play by his rules, and that’s just what it is, I’m just talking about this rating.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Busted Open Radio with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.