Did you agree with WWE’s decision to put the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship on CM Punk at this past weekend’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event show at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah?
A widely-respected WWE Hall of Fame legend did not.
During the latest episode of Busted Open Radio, WWE and TNA Wrestling Hall of Fame legend Bubba Ray Dudley (aka Bully Ray) of The Dudley Boyz (aka Team 3D) explained why he disagreed with the decision to put the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on CM Punk in a quick, forced hot-shot style of situation.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the episode where he touches on this topic and shares his thoughts.
On how this past weekend’s WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event show was not the right occasion for CM Punk to be crowned the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion: “It didn’t fit. Listen, everything went fine. Everything was good, everything worked out. No problems. They put the championship on Punk. There’s no negative to what they did. But it just didn’t feel like a big deal. Yes, the fans were happy; yes, the place popped. But it just didn’t feel like a a win that really, really mattered. It felt like a win because they had to do something based on what happened to Seth [Rollins]. And I think subconsciously that’s in the back of everybody’s minds. It felt like this moment was to come down to him and Seth Rollins again. We never expected the injury, and then this to come down to Jey vs. Punk, two babyfaces. Two guys that kinda like each other. So there wasn’t that. I mean, it was a good wrestling match.”
On the babyface vs. babyface aspect of the match: “No matter if it’s Jey Uso vs. CM Punk or any other babyface vs. babyface match, it’s not easy to go out and do. Because when it’s babyface [vs.] babyface, not every guy is going to be loved by every person in the arena. There will be a couple more CM Punk fans than Jey Uso fans, a couple more Jey Uso fans than CM Punk fans. But from what I understand about pro wrestling and what I grew up on, and what I know works, is in every babyface vs. babyface match? Eventually one of the babyfaces gets frustrated and relies on a heel tactic. Now unless I missed something, I didn’t see anybody do anything very heelish in this match. I would’ve loved to have seen Jey Uso assume the heel role. Because then, Punk is overcoming something. Then Punk is playing by the rules, and having to get back at a guy who did wrong by him. That didn’t happen. We got a straight-up match, we got a straight-up winner. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s totally fine. But then you get the reaction that you got, which was good. It was a good reaction to CM Punk winning. And now, [nonchalantly] ‘Okay. CM Punk is our champion. Moving on, moving forward.”
Congratulations, @CMPunk!!!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jBwLljRXLp
— WWE (@WWE) November 2, 2025
WHAT A MOMENT.@CMPunk is your NEW World Heavyweight Champion! 👊 pic.twitter.com/GWlvx1oR3Z
— WWE (@WWE) November 2, 2025
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes.)
