Bully Ray Weighs In On Grueling 60-Minute AEW Dynamite Match

This week's edition of "AEW Dynamite" featured two of the promotion's biggest stars, Will Ospreay and Maxwell Jacob Friedman, battling over the AEW International Championship for almost an hour before MJF picked up the win. The lengthy match sparked plenty of conversation over the last few days, including on "Busted Open Radio," with co-host Bully Ray offering his opinion on the title bout.

"Tonight wasn't your typical Ospreay match in which he's moving at a million miles an hour for the majority of the time," Bully said. "I enjoyed the pacing of the match. ... Once they got to about the 55-minute mark, they really started to hit the gas."

Wednesday's match began slowly as Ospreay and Friedman paced themselves while exchanging offense. The contest came to an end as MJF used his infamous Dynamite Diamond Ring on Ospreay to put the Essex native down for the three-count with just two seconds left before a draw.

Addressing a common complaint online about promotions putting PPV-caliber matches on TV, Bully stated that it didn't bother him in this instance. That's partially because AEW CEO Tony Khan is in a position where he must deliver strong ratings as the company negotiates its next media rights deal. In that regard, the match was a success, as Wednesday's "Dynamite" saw a significant bump in viewership, especially during the MJF-Ospreay match.

Bully's comments weren't as glowing as his co-host, Tommy Dreamer, who called the match "a masterful piece of art." However, while an hour offers plenty of time for performers to make mistakes, Bully didn't find much to take issue with.

"I watched these guys go for an hour tonight; I was really, really impressed with the match," Bully continued. "I loved the psychology of the match. I loved so much of what they did."

The WWE Hall of Famer had just one notable complaint, and it's something that Bully also took issue with in the acclaimed Kenny Omega-Kazuchika Okada bout from Wrestle Kingdom 11 in 2017 — a referee who is too lenient on wrestlers leaving the ring. Ospreay and Friedman fought outside the ring, and in the crowd, for an extended period of time during their hour-long match. According to Bully, that kind of lackluster officiating can damage credibility, but it's more of an issue with the match's structure rather than the referee.

"One of the things that can happen in any match ... is a double count-out," Bully said. "Be smart enough to work around it or don't do it at all."

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.