10 Best 'Meet The REAL Villain' Moments In Wrestling History

8. Bully Ray Was Behind Aces & Eights

Shawn Michaels It's Him
ImpactWrestling

Even TNA thought the story convoluted enough that the next episode of Impact after the reveal was dedicated to a serialised account of how Bully Ray managed to pull off such a grand hoax, but it was still one of the stronger twists the company ever orchestrated.

A months-long swindle saw lost-in-the-shuffle heel Ray go from top title outside bet to Hulk Hogan's babyface son-in-law and finally TNA World Heavyweight Champion all thanks to a storyline that was far greater than the sum of its individually analysed parts.

There were weeks where the group were complete buffoons, then others where they were so deadly that police really should have intervened. Nonetheless, what TNA did most successfully was round the edges off nine months of television (with provisions made for the inevitable plot holes - the former Dudley noted how he needed a "Plan A" and "Plan B") in order to present a strong pay-per-view payoff.

World Champion Bully Ray didn't change the industry anymore than Aces & Eights lifted episodes of Impact from ratings oblivion, but the group served at very least to heal the shattered perception of long-thought-dead brand.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett