History was made when WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) announced that they were entering into a multi-year partnership.
The former rivals revealed that they were now working together and allowing wrestlers to crossover onto TNA and WWE NXT respectively.
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Needless to say, this is a great way for wrestlers from NXT to develop even more and for TNA wrestlers to get more exposure on WWE.
However, one WWE Hall of Famer who has had extensive tenures with both companies is worried this could end poorly for TNA.
During a recent appearance on the "Busted Open" podcast (h/t Wrestling Inc.), Bully Ray, known as Bubba Ray Dudley in WWE, shared his concerns that WWE could "take over TNA's creative."
"My concern, if I have to look at this from the other side, is will the WWE allow TNA to do business their way?" Ray asked. "Will they just say, 'Listen TNA, you run your creative the way you want to run it.'"
"Because one of my concerns when we had the conversation a year ago, is that when we first saw the relationship was if the WWE were ever to buy TNA or be involved with it too much, would their creative now just take over TNA's creative?"
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WWE has been known to throw its weight around in the past. And depending on how this partnership goes, there is a future where TNA could just become another part of WWE instead of its own entity.
Still, there are plenty of reasons to be happy about this partnership, and Bully Ray recognizes that.
"I hope to continue to see [TNA] do their things on their own," Ray said. "Then if WWE goes, 'Hey, this girl Jordynne Grace, she looks amazing. She's doing great in the ring. We'd like to bring her in for the Royal Rumble. Oh, by the way, she did great at the Rumble. We'd like to continue to use her,' blah, blah, blah, that [is a] working relationship with that."
At the moment, TNA and WWE working together seems like a net positive. Hopefully, things don't take a turn for the worse in the future.
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