Bully Ray Assesses Potential Of WWE's Giulia After First NXT Match

Giulia has arrived in "WWE NXT," besting former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Chelsea Green in her "NXT" debut this past Tuesday. On "Busted Open Radio," WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray said the company still has a long way to go with the former STARDOM star.

"I know what my eyes saw. I know what my ears heard. I thought it was a good first-night introduction for Giulia," Bully Ray hedged. "I did not leave that segment going 'Holy s***, this is the future of the WWE.' I thought it was a good first night for her."

Bully refused to go as far as "great" or "excellent" like his co-hosts, but still praised the former NJPW STRONG Women's Champion's presentation. That said, Bully doesn't understand the hype around Giulia at present.

"I wasn't expecting better from her because of where she came from. You can't expect somebody who's spent time in Japanese wrestling companies to come here and master the WWE style," Bully said. "I thought she did a good job [adapting]. I think Chelsea helped get her there. Would I have liked to see more emotion from Giulia? Yes."

Bully said the "NXT" broadcast team did a good job of informing the audience what Giulia was about and where she was from, but that nothing clued Bully into the Japanese star's potential. The former tag team champion thinks that the debut was a step in the right direction, but the hype has yet to meet the substance.

"There's nothing wrong with [buying into the hype]," Bully explained. "That's the subliminal manipulation that the WWE is great at ... That's what wrestling is, it's smoke and mirrors."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.