10 Times TNA Succeeded Where WWE Failed
2. Bully Ray
Repackaging an established tag team act as a singles star is one of the hardest feats in pro wrestling. While countless tag team specialists have flopped as singles in the past - from Bart Gunn to Road Warrior Animal - a select few have gone on to become stars in their own right, with Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart as the two ultimate examples.
As such, when Brother Ray and D-Von went their separate ways in TNA, few predicted that either man would flourish without the other. With Team 3D being such an established tag team, it was going to take a lot of work to get them over as a singles commodity.
WWE had tried and failed at this in 2002 with the original WWE draft. Bubba Ray Dudley was a floundering mid-card act on Raw while Reverend D-Von was a floundering mid-card act on SmackDown. Inevitably WWE gave up on the split and reunited the team a year later. Thankfully, TNA were far more steadfast in their approach.
Bully Ray was born out of the ashes of Team 3D and would go on to become one of the best heels in the business. With two reigns as World Heavyweight Champion, Bully Ray rose to the occasion and surpassed all expectation, achieving unrivalled career success in the process.