4 months ago
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Bron Breakker continued his dominant main roster run this past Monday on "WWE Raw"' with a victory over Ilja Dragunov. The end of the match featured some confusion, as referee Aja Smith began counting Dragunov out before stopping and ruling Breakker the winner via decision. Speaking on "Busted Open Radio," Bully Ray gave an in-depth explanation as to why the finish bothered him.
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"Bron is in the ring, Ilja is selling on the floor near the entrance ramp," Bully said. "The referee is talking to Bron in the corner. The referee turns around, she sees Ilja selling on the floor. The referee immediately jumps out of the ring and throws the match out, or awards the match to Bron Breakker because Ilja cannot continue. All I want to know is this: why didn't the referee just count him out?"
The radio host hasn't just taken issue with the officiating in WWE, as it was also Bully's only criticism of the recent MJF-Will Ospreay match from "AEW Dynamite." In both matches, Bully's problem was not with the referee, but rather how the match was constructed. It was clear that the finish was due to the company attempting to "protect" Dragunov in the eyes of fans, but WWE did not offer any reason why the referee stopped the ten-count and called for the match's end.
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Bully stated that the officiating in AEW is more obvious in its flaws, but both major companies have issues with the enforcement of rules in matches. According to the WWE Hall of Famer, it comes down to the decisions wrestlers are making while putting their matches together. If the performers stick to the rules and logic of a standard professional wrestling match, then the referee won't find themselves in a position where they have to break those rules to get to the match's conclusion.
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.

