Mark Henry Takes Issue With Bully Ray Over WWECW Comments
Bully Ray is not afraid to voice his opinion, and he had one to share about WWE's version of ECW on "Busted Open Radio." Bully was talking to co-host Dave LaGreca about his upcoming deathmatch against Matt Cardona, set to take place at the original ECW Arena in Philadelphia. He noted that Cardona was a part of that WWE version of ECW and called it the "most botched, bootlegged version of ECW that ever existed."
"It was awful," Bull said. "I don't care who was involved with it. It should have never been done again, but Vince [McMahon] was milking every last drop he could get out of that brand."
This prompted Mark Henry, who wasn't scheduled to be on "Busted Open" on Tuesday morning, to call in, saying that Bully's comments were uncalled for.
"I felt disrespected because I took a lot of pride in being the ECW Champion and I wrestled the cream of the crop of the guys that came from ECW. The Tommy Dreamers, the Eddie Guerreros, the Chris Benoits, and there was a bunch of guys on that roster that couldn't hold my jock," Henry said. "It ain't got nothing to do with Bully, but you gotta be respectful with the words that you use when it relates to people that took a lot of pride in their work.
"For me to wake up and turn the show on and hear the 'watered-down version of ECW' was very Ryback-like," Henry said.
I'm An ECW Original, I Was In The Ring'
Bully Ray stood by his words, but clarified what his intent when it came to the wrestlers involved in the brand.
"WWE's version of ECW was a watered-down mess," he said. "I'm an ECW original, I was in the ring, I was behind the scenes. I'm a pillar of the company. If anybody can say that the WWE version of ECW was a water-downed mess, it's me. I didn't say you were a watered-down mess, I didn't say any talent was a watered-down mess. I said that the brand was, because Vince McMahon took something and he drained it of every last ounce of money that he could get out of it."
Henry pushed back at Ray's designation. "I was the most happy when the WWE acquired it, because I was a fan," he said. "The words have a lot power, and 'watered-down,' I'm never gonna accept it."
"[Vince] made himself the ECW Champion," Bully responded. "That is a watered-down version."
Henry, however, continued to express the sentimentality and pride he took in being a part of WWECW.
"Once it was acquired, it became a part of my family," he said. "I welcomed it in and treated it like my own, which is the way we all should be doing."
WWE's version of ECW ran from 2006 to 2010 and featured several ECW originals, while also introducing new stars like Cardona, Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, and CM Punk.