Bully Ray Surveys WWE's Place In Popular Culture

Over the course of WWE's long history, there have only been a few times the promotion has seemingly stepped out of its niche and into the mainstream. For many, right now is one of those times, as the promotion has seen hikes in popularity, attendance, and exposure over the past few years, in large part thanks to deals with Netflix and the infusion of celebrities into the product like Logan Paul, Bad Bunny, Pat McAfee, and others.

This has led to conversations regarding WWE's place in pop culture at the moment, especially in comparison to other high points like the Attitude Era of the 90s and the first wrestling boom in the 80s. On "Busted Open Radio" last week, Dave LaGreca pondered if WWE was more mainstream now than ever, something that two-time Hall of Famer Bully Ray, a product of the Attitude Era, wasn't entirely on board with.

"I get where you're coming from, and Mark [Henry] brings up the point of the Bad Bunny's and the Pat McAfees," Bully said. "I think pro wrestling has welcomed a lot of outsiders in to broaden the scope of who we reach. 

"Like, we always talk about getting new eyes on a product. I'm sure there were a s**t load of Bad Bunny fans out there who had never watched pro wrestling that started to watch pro wrestling because Bad Bunny was on. Or maybe a McAfee person, or especially a Logan Paul guy, who's got a gazillion followers who might not have been wrestling fans, but might now tune in for Logan Paul. Back in the Attitude Era though, I felt that wrestling was cool and that it spilled out into the mainstream, as opposed to WWE bringing in the mainstream now, to thus perpetuate its coolness."

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