Bully Ray Discusses Picking Up Wrestling Psychology From Raven, Terry Funk And Other ECW Stars

Bully Ray, better known as Bubba Ray Dudley, discusses picking up professional wrestling psychology from some of the masterminds at ECW.

Bully Ray has often said that he believes psychology is the most essential part of professional wrestling. Now, he’s opening up about where he learned the craft of pro wrestling psychology. In a new interview with Maven, recorded for a video on D-Von Dudley’s YouTube channel, the former TNA Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion explained that he picked up everything he knows about psychology early in his career by eavesdropping on discussions Raven was having and working closely with figures like Paul Heyman. He also credited Terry Funk as a mastermind.

“I would eavesdrop on guys like Raven and the Sandman, who were, in my opinion, masters, masters at the art of smoke and mirrors and how to make something seem bigger, and the art of layering the run-ins and how to stack a match, the highs, the lows, the when to do something and when to lay out. D-Von was never exposed. It’s like never being able to learn something. So if we were going to be in a match where wrestling was the number one thing that we were going to do in the match, I relied on [D-Von], ‘Go out there and wrestle. Go, go do the things that I can’t do.’ I never learned the right way. But when it came to the psychology aspect of it, which, in my opinion, is the most important part, that’s where I excelled.

“When you are exposed to the psychology that we were exposed to in ECW, learning from the Paul Heymans was the veterans that came through the territory. We had Terry Funk at our disposal. That name alone is a master of psychology. One of the greatest of all time, some would say the greatest of all time, Terry Funk, because he was just amazing at what he did. So I was able to pick the brains of Paul Heyman, Terry Funk, listen to Raven and Sandman, and other veterans that came through the territory, and then I would tell it back to him, and then he would execute it the way I said, and it worked.”

Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley recently retired from wrestling after wrestling The Hardy Boyz at TNA Bound For Glory. Learn more here.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit D-Von Dudley’s YouTube channel in addition to linking back to this article and giving Fightful credit for transcription.