Bully Ray Questions Critics Of Kevin Owens And Randy Orton's WWE SmackDown Piledriver Segment

The pile driver is one of the most notorious moves in professional wrestling, likely due in part to WWE banning the move for a number of years. However, on Friday's edition of "WWE SmackDown," the pile driver came back into play, with Kevin Owens delivering the move to Randy Orton in the middle of their brawl.

Speaking on "Busted Open Radio," WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray shared his enthusiasm for the segment and how the pile driver was utilized in it. The radio host and wrestler believes there is clear logic behind the use of the maneuver, with it likely leading to a No Holds Barred match between the two performers. Because of all that, Bully was confused upon seeing a negative reaction to Friday's segment in some circles of social media.

"A lot of people [were] like, 'Oh, my God. How could they do it? And it was so forceful, and the intensity [with] which he did it,'" Bully said. "I thought it was great. Great storytelling, great execution of the move."

Bully credited WWE, Owens, and Orton for using the pile driver exactly in the way it was intended to be used — as a "big deal." Going on to discuss its use on TV, Bully acknowledged that the pile driver has resulted in past injuries, perhaps most famously during a match between Owen Hart and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin that broke Austin's neck.

"To me, it makes the pile driver that Kevin Owens gave to Randy even worse," Bully continued. "Because it's not a part of storyline, it's part of reality. The boys stay away from the pile driver because nobody wants to end up like Austin, on the bad end of a mistake. So, knowing this, Kevin Owens still did it to Randy Orton, and that aspect of it right there, you can go even farther with."

The Hall of Famer then suggested WWE bring Austin in to have him cut a promo about Owens using the pile driver. Something like that would only help push Owens into becoming one of the company's biggest heels, which Bully feels that the wrestler is already well on his way to becoming.

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.