Bully Ray Addresses How Vince McMahon Would Handle CM Punk And Adam Page's Backstage Heat
Former WWE superstar Bully Ray has a direct solution as to how to settle any backstage heat between CM Punk and Hangman Page. Speaking on Monday's "Busted Open Radio" the WWE Hall Of Famer put the responsibility at the very top when it comes to making sure the story stays in the ring and not behind the curtain.
"This is up to Tony Khan now," Ray said. "He holds the pencil. It's up to him to get these people in a room and first and foremost, help to iron out every difference and set the record straight and go, 'Guys, we're doing business here. Our business is in the best interest of anybody, not just one person. We can't go into business for ourselves.'"
"Mark, you know what I'm talking about," Ray said, referring to his fellow former WWE star Mark Henry, who was also on the show. "If a similar situation like this goes down in the WWE, you get sat down quickly." Ray noted that in WWE, such a sit-down would be done by someone high up, if not by Vince McMahon himself.
"It's very easy to fix this crack as ownership, as top guy, you sit everybody down. Or maybe this goes down to a senior member of the locker room," Ray recommended, citing names like Henry, William Regal, Dean Malenko, and Billy Gunn.
'It's Not Page's Fault For Not Going Out There'
Punk's impromptu challenge to Page was reportedly done completely without AEW's knowledge, and as a result, Page did not appear, as he wasn't scheduled to do so. Ray said that in Page's place, he would have gone down to the ring, even if it was unplanned, and put his hands in the air to let Punk know that he's ready for anything.
"Just like Mark said, at least come through the tunnel," Ray said. "That's all Page would have to have done. Come out through the tunnel, put his hands in the air and go, 'I'm here.'"
That said, Ray also understood the situation Page found himself in. "It's not Page's fault for not going out there because he is probably being taken off-guard in the back, but I'll be damned, when Punk came back through that curtain, if I wasn't the first one waiting on that side to welcome him and greet him so we can have a 'nice, polite, gentlemanly conversation.'"
Ray also believes Page must address this situation in front of the camera to keep his credibility with the crowd.
"As a fan, I want to see him respond as quickly as possible," he said. "Even if it's to come out to the ring and just stand in front of CM Punk and say, 'Now what?'"