Bubba Ray Dudley On Who Was The Breakout Star At WrestleMania 36
WrestleMania 36 did not disappoint Bubba Ray Dudley a.k.a. Bully Ray. The Busted Open co-host began his interview on WWE's The Bump, by applauding WWE and it's Superstars, for putting on such a successful two-night event.
"I enjoyed it over the two days. Personally, for me, a seven-hour event can get a little long. That's my personal opinion," Dudley stated. "But, breaking it up into two days because of the situation we have going on out there, I thought it was a great idea, and it made for better television, a better pay-per-view and for a better entrainment experience. It wasn't crammed into one night. We got it in two.
"I think the WWE did a great job this year. I said this on Busted Open. I put the company over not because I had to, but because I wanted to. The WWE as a company, and more importantly, every single wrestler, talent, Superstar and performer who did what they do out there, deserves a round of applause and a thumbs up from the entire WWE Universe. It's not easy to perform in front of nobody."
When Dudley was asked which match was his favorite this past weekend, at first, he said he had two matches that stood out to him. But, as he spoke on about it, he was able to narrow it down to one match.
"So, I had two. When you talk about a typical match that happens in the ring, I thought about it a little more," Dudley informed. "If I had a gun to my head and had to pick one. [Dudley backtracks his initial statement] So, the two [I had picked] were Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens and Rhea Ripley/Charolette.
"But, Seth and Kevin's got restarted, and it turned into a No DQ match, where it wasn't as traditional. Rhea and Charolette was traditional. It happened in the ring. It was about the spirit of the fight, and about the credibility of a championship. I felt like I was watching two Amazon warriors going to battle. I've got to give the match to Rhea and Charolette, as far as the best match overall in the two nights."
The last time that Dudley was on The Bump, he mentioned that when he thinks of a future WWE Superstar, he thinks of Ripley as one of them. In his current interview, he iterated that he still feels that way. To back up his initial claim, he explains in detail why she was the breakout star from WrestleMania.
"It's easy, it's Rhea Ripley. [It was her] first WrestleMania, her first big match and you've got to get in there with Charolette," Dudley noted. "There were so many things that I liked about that match that was so untypical. There were so many things in that match that reminded me of things that Bret Hart would do and I call it the in-between, or the little things that happen in between the moves that you're trying to give another. These women made each other learn every piece of offense that they've got. Nothing was given away; nothing was easy. It was a fight that took place within a good wrestling match, and that's what I enjoyed.
"Rhea stepped up to the plate. She was not intimidated by Charlotte. It's very easy for a 24-year-old girl like Rhea Ripley to step in the ring at WrestleMania against Charlotte and freeze in an instant, because it happens. I've seen it happen to people. She was there, she was ready to go and she fought hard. I think that even in losing, people will remember the fact that Rhea Ripley gave Charlotte one hell of a fight. Both of those women looked impressive in the ring, and they fought impressive in the ring. For me to say that was the match that stood out to me as the best pure magic over the past two days, [Dudley begins to clap] good job women."
You can view Dudley's full interview above (starts at the 37:27 mark). If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE's The Bump with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.