A few weeks ago Bully Ray took a table shot to the head during a ROH event, and he was later hospitalized. In the days that followed he implied that things weren’t looking bright for his in-ring future, and at ROH Global Wars over the weekend he told fans that he had broken his last table.
Bully Ray opened up about his retirement on Busted Open Radio, and he said that he’s not sad because he’s had an incredible career (H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription).
“Most definitely. As far as what I said in the ring, what you heard me say is about as legit as it gets. There’s more to it than just the injury. One of the reasons I don’t think I’m going to be making it back in the ring is because when you have an injury like this, you have to take a significant amount of time away. Ring rust sets in really quick, and if you’re 30 years old and you have an injury, it’s easy to come back, but I’m 46, so it takes a bit longer to come back. I know the amount of ring rust that will end up setting in because of my injury, and I don’t know if I want to start from zero again and get moving. I want to be able to perform at a certain level, and if I can’t perform at that level, I don’t want to perform anymore. So, it’s kind of lining up to be the time to step away, so that’s why you heard what you heard, and it is what it is. I’m not sad, I don’t want anybody to be sad. It’s been… ‘thank you Lord for thinking about me, I’m alive and doing fine.’ It’s one of my favorite lines from a Tesla [cover] songs, and I’ll quote it on social media sometimes, I really feel that way. I’ve had an incredible career, I’ve had an incredible life and I have a bright future in front of me.”
In regards to what’s next for Bully Ray, he said that he’s going to focus on Busted Open Radio, Team 3D Academy, and he hopes to stay on the road with ROH.
He also noted that it won’t be hard for him to stay out of the ring because he’s had such a great career.
“It’s not going to be that difficult because I’ve had such a great career, there really is nothing left for me to do. I’m so happy… the last thing I said the other night in Chicago was ‘thank you God for allowing me to be in a Ring Of Honor ring’ and I meant that. Listen, I planned on staying a lot longer, looks like it’s gonna get cut a little short. I’m OK with that. Things happen. There’s nothing I can do about it. Hopefully I can stay out on the road with Ring Of Honor and I can do some meet and greets and help some of the guys in the back. I have such a great relationship with a lot of these guys. I’d like to help them become better versions of themselves, maybe help create some new personalities and do whatever I can to move a company forward that I truly believe in. I don’t just say this; Ring Of Honor is a special company. From the shows they put on, to the talent in the back to the fan interaction, and they by far have the most over act on the planet right now.”
