10 Precise Moments Wrestling Bookers Lost Their Minds

8. Bully Ray

Vince Warrior Thumb
New Japan World

The very reputable Fightful reported, in April 2019, that Delirious had lost control of the booking pencil and Bully Ray and Joey Mercury grew in influence as a sort of shadowy committee had formed. The first show on which "signs" of this were "evident" was the ROH/NJPW G1 Supercard.

Bully Ray disputes this.

That sentence can be interpreted in more than one way, of course, and, provided that the credible and prolific Fightful's report was accurate, Bully Ray lost his mind on the very first night of the job - which went about as well as an apprentice ordering some tartan paint from the wholesaler.

ROH's input into the G1 Supercard was a total disaster. While Bully just might have booked himself to lose, that Street Fight was an overlong, artless mess. If he didn't book the show, then it's some coincidence that his then-missus Velvet Sky turned up as part of the debuting, poorly-received 'Allure' faction. Another overlong match held for the ROH World Title - a ladder bout in which very little climbing or attempts to win happened - saw Matt Taven get the nod over the vastly more popular Marty Scurll (who had chased for ages after losing the previous year).

"That's heat, you stupid mark! Those blue dots on the seat map are gonna be out for Taven's blood!"

The whole thing was so bizarre. Not that it scans as any great shame at all, post-2020, but ROH was desperate to not strap Marty up, failed to do it twice, and then give WWE main roster money and the book.

These brain geniuses make Vince Russo look competent.

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!