Bully Ray & Mark Henry Critique Tribal Combat From WWE SummerSlam 2023
Two days have passed since WWE SummerSlam, but many still have thoughts on WWE's "biggest party of the summer," especially the main event between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. The Tribal Combat match, which saw Reigns retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Title and the title of Tribal Chief, has been discussed plenty, from it's length to its ending, which involved Jey being betrayed by his brother, Jimmy.
It was only natural,then, that the "Busted Open Radio" crew would weigh in on the situation. On the latest episode Monday, Bully Ray and Mark Henry had some criticism for the main event. Henry, for one, was struggling to comprehend how the rules of the match didn't seem to line up with what occurred onscreen.
"The thing that threw me off was not that I didn't think he was going to win, even though I knew he wasn't going to win," Henry said. "But the rules were not described to me enough that I was able to understand why Solo was able to do anything. I thought it was about honor. I thought it was about not being involved, that you forfeited the chance to be the Tribal Chief by interference, or anything like that. I also didn't get enough understanding of why Jimmy would help. Why?"
Bully Ray Thinks The Tribal Combat Match Should've Featured An Elder At Ringside
As for Bully Ray, he felt the match didn't live up to its Tribal Combat stipulation, instead coming off across more as a glorified No Disqualification match with a special name. As for what he would've done to improve the situation, Bully offered numerous suggestions, perhaps the most interesting being the presence of an Elder, or another member of the Fatu/Anoa'i family, making a ringside appearance.
"If there was one Elder there that night at ringside ... could you imagine if Rikishi was sitting at ringside and had been sent there by the Elders to make sure that Tribal Combat was upheld and respected?" Bully said. "But then when the match went the way it was, and the Tribal Combat was not upheld and respected, we would've seen Rikishi stand up and shake head his head in disapproval, and walk away. I'm getting goosebumps right now, guys, because I know that idea is a good idea. It would've added another layer to this, where now, where is Rikishi going? He's going back to report his displeasure in what he just saw."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription