Bully Ray Lays Out How He Wants Former NWA Champ Kamille To Be Established In AEW

The most recent "Blood and Guts" edition of "AEW Dynamite" saw the official debut of former NWA Women's Champion Kamille. Her  launch was largely well-received by fans and critics alike, including Bully Ray, who called her a "Chyna-esque presence" on a recent episode of "Busted Open: After Dark."

"Great to see Kamille. High hopes for Kamille," Ray praised. "We saw what she's [done] in the NWA, brought credibility to that [women's world championship]."

Kamille had an impressive reign as NWA World Women's Champion, with her single reign lasting 813 days — over two years. She was dethroned in August 2023, when Kenzie Page beat her at NWA 75.

"Always nice when you're a one-time champion, because that means you've never lost the championship before," Ray added. "I'm a 24-time tag team champion, you know what that means? That we've lost 23 times. We sucked," Ray joked.

Now that Kamille has fully transitioned from an NWA staple to an AEW rookie, Ray emphasized the importance of building Kamille as a legitimate threat, especially among rumors of a renewed Baker-Jamie Hayter alliance.

"I want to see Kamille get established first," Ray cautioned. "I want to see Kamille established the same way Chyna was established back in the day, or whenever you wanna establish somebody and take them seriously. "

While Bully Ray was largely optimistic about Kamille's early positioning, he expressed disappointment in her timeline to arrive at AEW. Kamille first became a free agent in January 2024, and initial reports of a contract between her and AEW were made in March 2024. Ray criticized the months-long waiting period for her debut, especially as it related to the lack of crowd reaction following her debut.

"If somebody were to tell me that they hold off this long, because this was exactly the plan, I would've said you held off too long," Ray said. "Because Kamille's been out of sight, out of mind for a while, and despite the fact that I was extremely excited to see her tonight — and a lot of people were — when she hit the ring, there wasn't a tremendous response in the arena. Because the only real exposure she's had so far is the NWA, and ... honestly, it's just minimum exposure."

Ray finished his thoughts by suggesting Kamille's future, specifically as it relates to Mone, who she has been protecting since her AEW debut.

"Hopefully, AEW brings everybody up to speed on Kamille and what she has done, and her levels of credibility. And like I said, they establish her as a bada**," Ray said. "Nobody should get their hands on Mercedes Mone, and I mean nobody. Not Britt Baker, not one woman in that AEW locker room should be able to lay a hand on Mercedes Mone, and if they get too close, Kamille should just kick their heads off the way she did to the Good Doctor, Britt Baker, tonight."