WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray shared his thoughts on TNA Wrestling’s record-setting Slammiversary event, praising the night as “off the charts” but also expressing reservations about the finish to the TNA World Championship main event.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray called Slammiversary a historic night for the company, which drew over 7,600 fans to the UBS Arena in New York—TNA’s largest domestic crowd since its rebirth. He highlighted the show’s electric atmosphere and surging online presence.
“Loved all the pictures that I saw from the arena, those deep shots that show you how full the place is,” Bully said. “Before the show started, I was in a private room… and I was talking to one of the senior management there, Ross Forman… I said, ‘Ross, you got to run with this. You have to. You caught lightning in a bottle tonight. You’re trending number one.’”
Despite the overall success, Bully Ray criticized the main event finish, which saw NXT’s Trick Williams retain the TNA World Championship against New York’s own Mike Santana.
The result left many in the crowd disappointed. “Last night was an incredible night for TNA, but people were not excited about the finish. There were a lot of disgruntled fans out there,” Bully said.
Co-host Dave LaGreca agreed, calling the decision a shocker. “I thought the night was set… biggest TNA show of all time, and it ends in a downer, because Trick Williams retains that TNA World Championship,” LaGreca said. “That crowd was ready to explode for Mike Santana to get the victory last night.”
Bully Ray, however, offered a long-term perspective, speculating that TNA may be holding off on Santana’s big moment for a future payoff—likely at Bound For Glory, which was recently announced for October 12th in Lowell, MA.
“You can’t play to the city. I understand why, trust me, I get it, but you have to take the fandom hat off, and you have to put the professional hat on,” he said. “If I had to bet $1, I’d say we’re going to get Trick and Mike at Bound for Glory.”
“They’re going to break their own record very quickly.”
He added: “Would you rather see it happen in front of 7,600 people in New York? Or would you rather see it happen in front of 10,000 people in Boston? They’re going to break that record at Bound for Glory. They’re going to break their own record very quickly. I believe.”
The Challenge
LaGreca concluded by acknowledging the challenge of the decision: “I’m all in on Mike Santana… that would have been one of the greatest feel-good moments of all time in TNA history,” he said. “But do you go with the story, with Trick Williams, and there’s got to be big plans in store for Trick and this championship moving forward.”
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more news on TNA Slammiversary fallout and the road to Bound for Glory.
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
