Bully Ray Explains Why Wins And Losses Don't Matter In Professional Wrestling
It might shock some readers to learn that professional wrestling is not entirely on the up-and-up. The predetermined nature of the sport has led many fans and wrestlers alike to wonder if wins and losses actually mean anything, and WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has answered that question with a resounding no. "Paul Heyman told me and D-Von years ago that he built us in a way where we could lose every night and not lose an ounce of steam," Bully explained on the latest "Busted Open Radio," "and that wasn't something unique to us, that was something unique to good heels. A good heel who's worth his money in drawing power can lose every single night and not lose an ounce of steam because they can get their heat back on the microphone the next night." Bully says that this method only works for heels that have been "built the right way" and can handle their own.
"That's why wins and losses don't matter," Bully continued. "Every once and a while they really do, but good heels? Yeah they can lose every night, and strong babyfaces can lose every night." Bully remembers an argument in ECW between Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman over the result of a match.
"I watched Dreamer and Sandman legitimately argue about who was going to lose," Bully recounted, "because they knew in losing they got over more. It's an amazing detail of our industry that is almost lost." Bully goes on to compare good heels and babyfaces to the lost cultures of the Aztecs and the sunken city of Atlantis, saying the methods and philosophy of preparing professional wrestlers for success regardless of outcome have been lost to time and neglect.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.