In a twist straight out of the ECW playbook, Bubba Ray Dudley has agreed to join forces with NXT Champion Trick Williams to take on Ethan Page and Ridge Holland, after initially telling Williams, “I’m good.” But it turns out that Ridge Holland’s big mouth and disrespect toward ECW—and Bubba’s beloved radio show Busted Open—were enough to get Bubba to lace up for a good old Philly throwdown at the iconic 2300 Arena.
Holland started the smack talk by lamenting his missed shot at the NXT Championship and making it known he’d gladly knock Williams off his “throne” and take the title. After Dudley initially turned down Williams’ tag team invite, Holland wasted no time, claiming that Bubba “saw the light” in rejecting it. But in a classic wrestling swerve, Bubba’s music hit, and he marched down the ramp, ready to defend the honor of Busted Open and ECW against the new guard’s blasphemy.
With Dudley in the ring, things heated up faster than Philly cheesesteaks on game day. Holland and Page threw every bit of disrespect they could at Dudley, with Holland scoffing that Dudley was a “nostalgia act” and calling ECW “overrated.” That was all Bubba needed to hear, landing a fist to Holland’s jaw before Holland could call ECW “antique.” Trick Williams stormed the ring to back up his new tag team partner, returning the favor from Halloween Havoc and officially securing this battle.
So next week, Philly’s going to witness a bout that’s part grudge match, part ECW reunion, and all-out brawl as Bubba and Williams defend everything from NXT pride to hardcore legacy.