Bully Ray Breaks Down Finish Of 'Heavy-Handed' AEW Dynamite Main Event

The main event of Wednesday's "AEW Dynamite" saw Samoa Joe successfully retain the AEW World Championship against HOOK. While discussing the title clash on "Busted Open Radio," WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray spoke about HOOK's valiant effort in the match, kicking out of Joe's signature moves and failing to tap while being choked out.

Bully ultimately questioned the booking of Joe's offense in his first AEW title defense against the up-and-coming star, mentioning that the "Samoan Submission Machine" had to "pull out his entire arsenal" to finish off the reigning FTW Champion. He wondered what lengths Joe would have to go to now against a more experienced member of the AEW roster.

In the end, Joe retained the belt by forcing HOOK to pass out to the Coquina Clutch. After the bout was over, HOOK managed to get back up to his feet before Joe took him out. HOOK stood up again after that beating, but "Hangman" Adam Page ultimately intervened to save him from another attack. "I was not a fan of how 'easily' HOOK was able to get up after the match, get out of the ring on his own, walk up the ramp, walk back down the ramp," Bully explained. "No help. No nothing. On one hand, we have Joe hitting HOOK with everything but the kitchen sink. The kid got choked out, and I don't know many guys who get choked out, and then after they get choked out, they're just totally fine and walking up the ramp and down the ramp, no assistance. I would have liked to have seen HOOK [get] helped out ... Last night was very heavy-handed on HOOK. I felt Taz was heavy-handed on HOOK on commentary early in the match, almost like, 'I'm trying to get my kid over.'"

Bully went on to say that there's a way to execute the Joe vs. HOOK title clash, where the FTW Champion still comes out of the bout with "the heart of a lion," without blasting through all of Joe's offense. Ray asked "Busted Open" host Dave LaGreca how he would have felt if HOOK had been helped to the back by Taz, his father, following that championship encounter.

LaGreca felt that moment would have "grabbed everyone by the heartstrings" if AEW had signed off "Dynamite" with that. Bully later said that AEW would be foolish if they didn't build on HOOK's memorable performance on Wednesday night. He then spoke about a potential rematch between Joe and HOOK.

"After everything that I saw last night, if HOOK and Joe were to have a rematch, HOOK could not be beat by any of [Joe's] moves now," the multi-time tag team champion said. "He's already proven that Joe couldn't beat him." Moving forward, Bully wants to hear from the reigning AEW World Champion, because he believes Joe can get HOOK over more than HOOK can. Ray explained, "If Joe says, 'That kid's got heart. That kid took everything I had and he...' Remember when Tony, Apollo Creed's trainer, told Apollo — I'm getting goosebumps, man — when he said, 'Champ, that man, you hit that man with everything you had, and he kept coming back.' ... So if Joe says it, in a Joe, heel, bad mothertrucker way, wow. Now the kid's over."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.