Decorated Retirement

Mark LoManaco also known as Bully Ray, Bubba Ray Dudley, and Brother Ray who was known for his partnership with Devon Dudley or Brother Devon as part of one of the most decorated tag teams in professional wrestling history the Dudley Boyz or Team 3D in the companies: ECW, WWF/E, TNA, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, announced he was retiring from in-ring competition after suffering a concussion at Death Before Dishonor XV.

He’s been apart of some of the best moments in wrestling history such as ECW when wrestling was taken to the Extreme with many violent and hardcore matches in history back in Extreme Championship Wrestling. Buh Buh Ray Dudley as he was known back in ECW with D-Von used to put people through tables, sometimes through flaming tables, which lead to his catchphrase “D-Von get the tables!” in WWE. They also won the ECW World Tag Team Championship many times in their tenure with ECW. He also part of innovated tag team wrestling with the Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian back in the WWF/E with their clashes in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches they had during the WWE’s most well received period of wrestling known as the Attitude Era winning the WWE Tag Team Championships many times during their tenure. They also had success in the independent scene such as TNA and New Japan Pro-Wrestling capturing the IWGP Tag Team Championship and TNA World Tag Team Championship at the same time during TNA and New Japan’s partnership. Then Ray would reinvent himself as the heel, Bully Ray, who would go to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship several times as well during the end of his tenure with TNA. Then he returned to WWE for one last run with the company which him and D-Von had a good run feuding with the New Day and the Wyatt Family; however didn’t capture any gold in their last run with the WWE. After that he went to Ring of Honor without D-Von, where he joined up with the Briscoe Brothers to capture the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champion. Then he would lose it and challenge the Bullet Club for the titles at Death Before Dishonor XV, where Jay Briscoe turned heel on him and threw a table at him where his head hit the edge of it causing him to get knocked out and take the pin. He was then taken to a hospital where it was found that he had suffered a concussion. Then this past weekend at ROH Global War’s he announced that he was retiring from in-ring competition and thanking the fans for his long journey, and would continue to be with Ring of Honor to help the young wrestlers.

I still remember watching many of his matches in ECW, WWF/E, TNA where he had many great matches, and I feel like there is nothing left to accomplish for him in his career as he’s a very decorated wrestler who’s innovated tag team wrestling and managed to reinvent himself. So I feel his retirement is sad, but well deserved, especially after his concussion history which has put many out of careers early and has made some wrestlers do some bad things in their life. Maybe he’ll return to WWE one day and do one last “Devon get the tables!” and put someone through a table on a reunion show as D-Von is in WWE as a producer. Maybe he’ll also reunite with Edge & Christian and the Hardy Boyz who all currently work for WWE with D-Von.