Wednesday night’s episode of WWE NXT took place at Philadelphia’s famed 2300 Arena, the historic home of ECW, marking Bully Ray’s first match in a WWE ring since summer 2016.
Teaming up with NXT Champion Trick Williams, Ray faced off in a hard-fought but ultimately unsuccessful match against Ethan Page and Ridge Holland.
Reflecting on the experience on Busted Open Radio, Ray shared his perspective on the show and collaborating with the next generation of wrestlers.
“The most important part is the shine given to the younger talent,” Ray stated. “I’ve seen people talking over the last day or so and even into this morning, saying things like, ‘Oh, this person should’ve been there last night, or this ECW talent.’ I completely disagree.”
Ray underscored that NXT was the main focus of the evening, not ECW. He explained that the appearances of himself, D-Von Dudley, Rob Van Dam, and Francine on the show made sense given the venue and their past WWE connections.
He pointed to other moments in the show, like Dawn Marie’s role as special guest referee in a Hardcore Match between Jaida Parker and Lola Vice, and Nunzio’s unsuccessful North American Championship challenge against Tony D’Angelo, as examples of this natural alignment.
“If you bring in all of these other names, then ECW casts a shadow over NXT,” Ray commented. “The focus shifts to ECW.
NXT was the focus here, and the fact that it took place in the ECW Arena with a few ECW originals there to lend support and share the spotlight with the NXT talent was just the right balance.”
