WWE HOFer Bully Ray Takes Umbrage With Goldberg/Gunther Booking
WWE legend Bully Ray isn't pleased with how the Gunther-Goldberg match was set up, following the latter's return on "WWE Raw."
Ray pointed out a few issues with the segment during a recent episode of "Busted Open," criticizing WWE for not being thorough in how they set up the match.
"The guy comes back and he gets in Gunther's face, the segment ends, and approximately 10 minutes later, we get a graphic and the match has been made. So, last night, Nick Aldis filled in for Adam Pearce. So we had a fill-in GM, the fill-in GM is just there because Adam Pearce needed a sick day or something. This substitute teacher allowed Goldberg to just show up and tell the World Heavyweight Champion that he was next, and all of a sudden, this match is miraculously made. Who made the match? Why did they make the match? What's the logic behind them saying 'yes'?"
He questioned whether Nick Aldis approved the match, while later touching upon a comment made by WWE CCO Triple H, who had claimed that he didn't want to insult the intelligence of the audience. Ray argued that such a storyline does exactly what "The Game" said he didn't want to do.
"A storyline like this, to me, is insulting because it just ramming something down your fanbase's throat and expecting them to consume it, just like politicians ram stuff down voters' throats and expect them to consume it," said Ray.
The WWE legend believes that WWE could have done a better job of making the storyline more coherent.
Ray points other issues in the segment
Bully Ray further analyzed the segment and stated that it would have more logical sense for Gunther to issue an open challenge and it being answered by Goldberg.
"Did Gunther issue an open challenge?" asked Ray. "We've seen that [an open challenge] in the past, we've seen champions on many levels issue open challenges. So if the world champion issues an open challenge and Goldberg just happened to be in the arena visiting somebody, and Goldberg turned around and said, 'Hit my music,' and Goldberg's the first one out, I can buy that. It's still a connecting of the dots. It's something."
Aside from answering an open challenge, Ray thinks that another possibility could have been Goldberg telling Gunther "he's next" followed by a backstage interaction with acting Raw GM Nick Aldis.
"'I'm [Aldis] the substitute teacher for today. You can't just go around making these matches. You don't have the authority to do that.' And Goldberg can back Nick Aldis up to a wall in an intimidating babyface way, not say a word, and Nick Aldis just looks at Goldberg and says, 'You know what, mate, you're right. You're next.'"
Ray bemoaned how the segment didn't have continuity or logical sense. He wonders if he and his tag team partner D-Von Dudley can pop on next week's "WWE Raw" and challenge tag team champions The New Day for a match. Gunther and Goldberg will face off for the first time ever at the next Saturday Night's Main Event, which will take place on July 12 in Atlanta, Georgia.