Bully Ray Addresses The 'Shock & Awe' From WWE Bad Blood 2024

One of the most shocking things to come out of WWE Bad Blood didn't happen when the cameras were rolling, as fan footage posted to social media captured Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes being punched by Kevin Owens, following the champion's main event win with Roman Reigns over the Bloodline. Rhodes and Owens' relationship had been strained in recent weeks after Rhodes agreed to team with Reigns, which Owens wasn't happy about after years of fighting the "Tribal Chief."

The encounter was discussed on "Busted Open Radio," and WWE legend Bully Ray said it worked because of the "shock and awe" factor. He argued that more people were talking about it than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's return.

"There's been animosity. Kevin's been a bit perturbed by Cody lately. It came to a head after Bad Blood was over," he said. "Kevin confronted Cody outside of his tour bus, and Kevin took a swing, basically laid it in on Cody and fans saw it, fans picked it up on social media, fans ran with it, and I loved how they shocked wrestling fans all over the world."

Fellow WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry said it's best to blur the storyline. Ray added that the beauty was in the build-up to the first punch, comparing it to watching a bar fight escalate from a verbal confrontation to an all-out brawl. He highlighted that what he liked most was the realness of it.

"You didn't have to hear a damn thing," he said. "People are like, 'Oh my god, are they arguing? Wow, Kevin looks really mad, I think Kevin's gonna ... ' And before you know it, wham, there's that punch."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.