On Busted Open After Dark, WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray shared his thoughts on Vince McMahon’s appearance in TMZ Presents: The Real Hulk Hogan and speculated that it could be “opening the door” for a potential on-screen WWE return.
Bully Ray admitted that McMahon’s first major interview since departing TKO was an emotional moment for him personally.
He said, “For me, it was a little emotional to see Vince. Vince was always very good to me and D-Von.”
Ray continued, “Vince has this father figure… type of feel to some of us… seeing Vince kind of reminded me about those stories that Shane used to share with me, and it was a little emotional to see Vince. And I’m not trying to push all the stuff that’s going on with Vince to the side. That’s a completely separate issue. I’m just sharing my feelings of seeing Vince for the first time in a long time.”
He also pointed out that WWE’s own Hulk Hogan tribute video featured a shot of McMahon raising Hogan’s hand, a small but deliberate choice, in his view. “Some of you might be saying, ‘well, it’s just one image in a montage of hundreds of images,’ but it all starts somewhere, and we saw a lot of Vince tonight… Have we seen the last of Vince McMahon in the WWE? Do you think putting Vince out there tonight opens the door just a little bit?”
The former multi-time tag team champion speculated on McMahon potentially reprising his iconic “Mr. McMahon” heel persona. “Could you imagine if Vince ever came back as a character trying to take the place back over again?… I got Emperor Palpatine vibes off of him… there’s never been a bully heel like Vince McMahon. Vince generated so much heat… Austin needed McMahon.”
A caller then suggested that McMahon could return at John Cena’s farewell match in December to congratulate him, an idea Bully strongly supported. “I think it’s a really good idea… Vince is the guy that gave John his opportunity… If Vince were to come out in that moment to give John his final farewell, I think the people would like to see that, or would embrace it… maybe for that moment in time, forget about all of the things going on in real life with Vince.”
Bully closed by noting that WWE and TKO will likely monitor fan reaction closely to gauge whether an on-screen McMahon return could work. “The wrestling business is very calculated. I definitely think that the WWE and TKO will sit back and monitor social media tonight and tomorrow to see just what kind of response Vince McMahon got for being on this documentary.”
Check out the complete show below:
