Bully Ray and Tyrus sat down to discuss the nature of politics in wrestling.
Tyrus is somebody who has been very transparent about his political views. He is a regular panellist on Fox News and even recently interviewed Donald Trump on TV.
Tyrus and Bully Ray discussed this topic during Maintaining with Tyrus. The former NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion began by explaining that his politics aren’t an issue, because people who complain online aren’t the ones that buy tickets anyway.
“When I decided to get back in after the pandemic and it was with NWA, there was all this talk: ‘What about his political beliefs? Isn’t that going to be an issue in wrestling?’ I always laughed at that,” Tyrus said. “First off, I’m a heel—so whatever helps them boo me, I don’t care. Politics itself has never really been a thing in wrestling unless it was part of an act. Sgt. Slaughter was the king of that.
“But it’s different now,” Tyrus continued. “People will say, ‘How can you wrestle for a company when all these people hate you?’ And I’m like, ‘You’re talking about the six or seven hundred people on social media who don’t like me? I don’t care. They don’t buy tickets. Both sides watch wrestling. They love it. It used to be that you never talked about anything but wrestling. I never went out in wrestling and talked about any political stuff because that’s not what the place is for. Wrestling isn’t a platform to push your political beliefs. Wrestling is its own thing, and you respect it when you’re in there.”
Bully Ray: I’m A Common Sense Guy
Bully Ray spoke about his view on politics and sees himself as a “common sense guy”.
“I think that if you waste your opinion for either side, it’s an indictment on you,” Bully Ray said. “Everybody is so judgmental about what side you’re on—to the point where it’s like, ‘I can’t like you if you like somebody I don’t.’ I mean, come on.”
“This is beyond ridiculous. I’m all about common sense,” he continued. “When it comes to pro wrestling, life, or politics. I’m very much a common-sense guy. When your producer asked, ‘Are you afraid to talk about anything political?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ He asked, ‘What’s your political view?’ and I said, ‘Common sense.'”
The pair continued to discuss how they work with people across the political spectrum in the wrestling business. They made it clear they wouldn’t not talk to somebody based on their political views and named people like Dave Bautista who were left-wing, but still their close friends.
