10 Ludicrous Things In Wrestling We’ll Tragically Never See
7. Bully Ray, WWE Superstar
Subject to the highest praise from countless names in a glowing DVD profile, Bubba Ray Dudley and partner D-Von were welcomed back with open arms to the WWE family in 2015 despite a slightly contentious exit ten years earlier and failed battle to legally use the Dudley name for the duration of their run in TNA.
Their summer return was predicated by a one-off appearance in the Royal Rumble by Bubba, which led to chants for his half-brother as WWE awkwardly inserted R-Truth as a surrogate to allow fans a glimpse at a greatest hits selection of spots on The Miz.
Ultimately, the return proved to have two clear motives, but sadly neither involved anything creatively satisfying for either man. Alongside shifting the aforementioned DVDs and other nostalgic merch, The Dudleys were brought back as credible and established utility players, gamely playing foil for the likes of The Usos, The Wyatts and Enzo & Cass.
It was a perfectly acceptable veterans run, but WWE seemed typically deaf to fans' desperate calls for Bubba to redeploy his wicked 'Bully Ray' persona he terrorised TNA with during the latter stages of his time with the struggling Orlando outfit.
As a pr*ck heel, faux-babyface and eventually the positively wicked leader of the 'Aces & Eights' stable, Ray got in peak physical condition and excelled in matches and promos. The character unfortunately didn't interest Vince McMahon, and only reappeared upon Bubba's return to the independent scene.