An ECW original, Bully Ray — otherwise known as Bubba Ray Dudley, one half of the Dudley Boyz — became a fixture of Impact Wrestling in the 2010s. While he started as a tag team specialist alongside his regular tag team partner D-Von Dudley (or Devon), Bully Ray ended up really breaking out as a singles star in the Impact Zone.
Now that he’s back in Impact Wrestling, some modern fans might not know much about the veteran performer. So let’s take a look at the career of Bully Ray, including not only his Impact Wrestling exploits, but also his time as a tag team specialist in both ECW and WWE.
10 An Addition To The Dudley Family In ECW
As many die-hard ECW fans may remember, Bubba Ray Dudley (or Buh Buh Ray Dudley) was not an original member of the Dudley Family. The Dudleys had already been around for a handful of months before Buh Buh Ray Dudley showed up as the family’s stuttering, dancing comedic sidekick. D-Von was a later addition as well, showing up in spring 1996 and originally feuding with the rest of the Dudley Family. However, after getting rid of several family members, D-Von would end up aligning with the Dudleys alongside Buh Buh Ray.
9 Became The Main Dudley Boyz With D-Von
In the now-streamlined lineup of the Dudley Boyz, Buh Buh Ray Dudley and Devon became the main representatives of the group, and proved to be a dominant force in ECW’s tag division. By the end of their ECW run in 1999, the Dudley Boyz ended up holding the ECW World Tag Team Championship an impressive eight times, with some of their memorable rivals being The Eliminators, Raven and Tommy Dreamer, The Gangstas, and Rob Van Dam and Sabu.
8 WWE Run
In WWE, the Dudley Boyz’ tag team success continued, with the renamed Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von capturing tag belts 10 times in the company. These wins not only included the classic World Tag Team Championship, but the WWE Tag Team Championship created for SmackDown after the brand split and the WCW World Tag Team Championships that were brought in during the Invasion storyline.
At one point, the Dudleys ended up on different shows, and Bubba Ray Dudley was forced to go solo as he became an 11-time Hardcore Champion. However, the two were eventually reunited and continued to amass titles in WWE.
7 Became Brother Ray Of Team 3D In Impact
After leaving WWE in 2005, The Dudleys made their way to the Impact Zone, showing up on TNA Impact’s Spike TV premiere. Now known as Brother Ray and Brother Devon, the renamed Team 3D were able to capture the NWA World Tag Team Championship, the Impact World Tag Team Championship twice, and even the IWGP Tag Team Championship at one point. Notable rivalries during their tag team run included the Latin American Xchange, America’s Most Wanted, The Nasty Boys, and The Motor City Machine Guns.
6 Turned On Devon And Joined Immortal
Brother Ray and Brother Devon had their differences in the past, but in 2010 the big split finally happened, with Ray turning on Devon during a retirement ceremony for Team 3D. From there, Brother Ray became Bully Ray, and a full-on feud ensued between the two, with Bully Ray beating Devon in a Street Fight at Against All Odds 2011. Shortly after the victory, Bully Ray continued his heelish nature by joining the faction Immortal, helping them feud against Fortune.
5 Two-Time Impact World Heavyweight Champion
As 2011 went on, Bully Ray continued to rise up the ranks as a singles performer, feuding with Immortal teammate Mr. Anderson, competing in the Bound For Glory series, and even challenging for the World Title on several occasions. At Lockdown 2013, Bully Ray ended up defeating Jeff Hardy to capture his first major world title, the Impact World Heavyweight Championship, holding it for 130 days. He lost the belt to Chris Sabin, but regained it about a month later for a second run lasting 66 days.
4 The Leader Of Aces & Eights
The arrival of the villainous Aces & Eights biker gang caused Bully Ray to turn face, earning the respect of Impact boss Hulk Hogan, the hand of his daughter Brooke Hogan in marriage, and the Impact World Title. However, after winning the belt, Bully Ray revealed that he was actually the leader of Aces & Eights.
While Bully Ray’s reign of terror as champ would be ended by AJ Styles, the faction would be ended by a former member and former Bully Ray rival. Mr. Anderson defeated Bully Ray in a match with Aces & Eights' existence on the line, forcing the group to disband.
3 Returned To WWE In 2015
After over a decade away from the company, Bully Ray and Devon would return to WWE as The Dudley Boyz in late summer 2015. Their first major rivalry back in WWE was with The New Day, often with New Day’s Tag Team Championship on the line. While they were unable to capture the belts during this run, the Dudley Boyz notably turned heel at one point, refusing to cater to fan nostalgia to the point where they even stopped incorporating table spots into their matches.
2 Had A Run In Ring of Honor
After a return to the indies, Bully Ray showed up in Ring of Honor in 2017, initially aligning with the Briscoe Brothers and capturing the World Six-Man Tag Team Championships together. Both of the brothers would turn on Ray, resulting in a tag team street fight alongside Tommy Dreamer at Final Battle 2017. Otherwise, Bully Ray’s time at ROH is mostly remembered for a strange incident where Bully Ray took a fan backstage to confront him after the fan heckled The Allure.
1 Returned To Impact Wrestling In 2022
Early October 2022 not only marked Impact’s biggest show of the year, Bound for Glory, but also the surprise return of Bully Ray to the Impact Zone when he was revealed as an entrant in the Royal Rumble style Call Your Shot Gauntlet match. Ray would emerge victorious by eliminating Steve Maclin, earning the ability to challenge for any title he wanted. Since then, suspicion surrounding Bully Ray’s kayfabe intentions have ensued, although Ray insists he is a babyface playing by the rules.