Bully Ray Calls This AEW Dynamite Match 'Sloppy,' Cites Lack Of House Shows

This past Wednesday, on the go-home edition of "AEW Dynamite" before Dynasty this Sunday, the show opened with an explosive mixed tag team match that saw Swerve Strickland and Willow Nightingale slap a big "L" on the foreheads of AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and his strong-arm partner, Marina Shafir. With several holy, you-know-what moments, including Nightingale sending Moxley crashing through the table, veterans of the sport like Bully Ray enjoyed the excitement the match brought to fans in Peoria, Illinois. Yet, he still labeled it as "sloppy." He shared his thoughts on why during "Busted Open After Dark."

"There are certain talents in the ring tonight, like Willow and, like, a Marina Shafir, who don't get to work all the time," the Hall of Famer first stated about the women involved in this past Wednesday's mixed tornado tag team match. "The only way to become a great professional wrestler is to wrestle all the time. These talents don't have that luxury. Maybe, if you're lucky, they're working one day a week. Willow doesn't work every week. Marina sure as hell doesn't work every week. So, you're not going to be as accurate or as on as you need to be. You're going to be rusty. It's not like AEW runs house shows...The match was a little wonky, but still, the match was fun."

In his opinion, Ray noted that this match reminded him of "trying to go around the block when all you need to do is cross the street." Essentially, there are easier ways to execute certain moves efficiently and without much strain, such as when Shafir slammed Nightingale through a table with a powerbomb. Given that Nightingale and Shafir compete sporadically and do not participate in numerous matches each week, he strongly suggests that both female competitors maintain consistency (both in ring and off, such as on social media), even if they are not frequently called to wrestle, so they can stay sharp and prepared for any match that may come their way. He recommends that they take notes from WWE's 14-time Women's World Champion Charlotte Flair, who continuously trains for her next contest, even when she isn't scheduled to wrestle weekly. 

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.