Bully Ray Takes Issue With WWE Treating Wrestlers 'Like Children'

Real recognizes real. And in the case of Bully Ray, the idea of a younger talent looking up to a veteran in this business is admirable, but it needs to be toned down, in his opinion. In an open discussion hours before Cody Rhodes lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre this past Friday on "WWE SmackDown," the idea of how "The American Nightmare" could potentially bounce back from this loss was on the minds of "Busted Open" hosts Dave LaGreca and Ray. But before they delved into where they think WWE should take this storyline, Ray had this to say about rising stars being taken under veterans' wings.

"I'm not a fan of the WWE treating a lot of their talent like children," the WWE Hall of Famer said. "You see it a lot, where a lot of younger talent [is] like, 'Oh, I'm just happy to be in the ring with you. Oh, this is a dream come true,' like with Lyra [Valkyria] and Becky [Lynch]. It worked, but...it's becoming a little too much where a lot of younger talent are deer in the headlights when it comes to the veterans."

What sparked this remark from Ray came from LaGreca's take that, perhaps, Randy Orton should help train Rhodes to become a three-time Undisputed Champion, similar to how Apollo Creed trained Rocky Balboa in "Rocky III." With the promise that "The Viper" is owed a future title match. Indeed an interesting proposal, Ray thought oppositely.

"I want Cody to eventually be looked at and talked about in the same light as everybody else, and not just because he becomes the same age as them, but because he becomes them and surpasses them as an athlete and a professional and as an entertainer and as a wrestler," he added. "I don't necessarily wanna see Cody have to be taken under anybody's wing. I don't want to look at Cody as a child. I wanna look at Cody as a full-blown man."

Rhodes reclaimed the Undisputed Championship from "The Never Seen 17" John Cena on Night Two at SummerSlam this past August. His second reign ended at 159 days.

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.