Bully Ray Assesses Relationship Between WWE & TNA Ahead Of NXT Battleground
The forbidden door, or rather the prohibited portal, has once again been opened in WWE, with TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace slated to challenge WWE NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez for her title at NXT Battleground on June 9. As WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray points out, though, one key question continues to linger – how long will this respective on-air crossover last? On a recent episode of "Busted Open Radio," Ray weighed in with a possible answer.
"I don't think we can tell by right now, and I think it's fluid ... Let's just say that the plan is supposed to end at [Battleground]. Let's say at Battleground, that's the definitive end of what they have planned, but the rating comes out this week, and NXT just happens to pop a bigger rating than the slightly over 700 [thousand] that they did last week. Now, they go back and they look at the quarter hour and they see that Jordynne Grace opening the show got a stronger number than NXT is used to any of their talent getting. Now they might reassess and go, 'Alright, let's pump the brakes, let's call TNA and see if we can arrange to stretch this a little bit.' It could be very fluid."
Following her surprise appearance on the May 28 edition of "WWE NXT," Grace returned for a singles match against Stevie Turner in the opening of this week's "NXT." Grace ultimately gained the win, and so did the overall episode of "NXT," as it reportedly recorded a nine percent average viewership increase in comparison to last week.
Five days after she challenges Perez for the NXT Women's Championship, Grace will defend her Knockouts Championship at TNA's Against All Odds event. While the identity of her opponent has yet to be revealed, it's worth noting that this title match is an open challenge, which seemingly leaves the door open for a WWE talent to potentially appear on TNA programming.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.