Bubba Ray Dudley Wants to Build the Next WWE Great on LFG, “Get Over or Get Out”

WrestleMania is just a few months away, giving a massive spotlight to many of your favorite WWE Superstars. That said, WWE always has an eye toward the future, and the latest example of that is LFG (Legends and Future Greats). LFG will task four of WWE’s biggest legends Bubba Ray Dudley, Mickie James, Booker T, and The Undertaker with discovering and refiniging two future greats in a tough competition that will also give fans a rare look behind the scenes and in that whole process. LFG premieres tonight on A&E at 8 PM EST, , and ComicBook had the chance to speak to Bubba Ray Dudley about what drew him to the project most, working with the all-star lineup of Judges, the young talent stepping into this competition the art of the promo, and yes, even Star Wars. In fact, we settle it once and for all, what’s the best Star Wars movie of all time?

One of the things that attracted Dudley to the project is how reality-based it is. It’s all about authenticity at every step, though there was also the opportunity to work with an all-time lineup of coaches that didn’t hurt either.

“What attracted me to LFG was the realism of the show and how this was going to be a very authentic look and authentic process into building a future WWE Superstar, into building a future great,” Dudley said. “I’m so genuine and authentic in what I do in the world of professional wrestling, especially with what I do on Busted Open. I couldn’t do anything that felt very canned or, you know, not authentic. That’s the first thing that attracted me.”

“The second thing was the coaches, because when I heard the other coaches, I was like, wow, I get along with Undertaker. I’ve worked with him. I know him on a personal level. I’ve gotten along with Booker T. I’ve worked with him. I know him on a personal level,” Dudley said. “Mickie James, same thing. But I was like, wow, how are these four going to interact on television? How are these four going to interact when it comes to actual competition? Who’s going to get on whose nerves? Who’s going to piss Bubba off first? And, you know what happens when you piss me off. So those were the two biggest, intriguing factors to me. And I gotta say, so far, it completely has blown away my expectations of what this show is going to be. I’m really, really proud of what LFG is and will turn into. And I’m, I’m a stickler, man.”

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WWE has pursued a number of avenues to find and build future stars, whether that’s the ID program most recently, signing new classes to the PC, or bringing stars in courtesy of free agency. The talent involved in LFG comes from all points of WWE’s developmental system, and the experience range differs vastly between any two people involved in the competition.

“This talent is all a part of the system in one way, shape, or form, but it’s the amount of time that they’ve actually been in the system. There are future greats here that when we started filming, were only here for two weeks, and there were some others that were here for, you know, a year,” Dudley said. “I mean, think about it. You’ve been in a part of the PC for two weeks, and now all of a sudden, there’s the Undertaker, Booker T. Mickie James, and Bubba Ray Dudley standing in front of you with cameras all over the place and like, all right, this is as real as real gets.”

“So get over or get out, and that’s what it is. This is a tough competition, and as the weeks go on, right around the middle of the season, the mood changes significantly. On this show, the honeymoon phase completely gets thrown out the window. In the beginning, you know, you got to take into account the shock value for these students. Dealing with these four Legends, there is going to be a level of intimidation. You’ve got to give them a chance to come out of their shell a little bit, but once they come out of the shell, you got to smack them upside the head and let them know that this is as real as it gets,” Dudley said.

There will be two future greats standing when the show wraps its season, and it’s important to Dudley that whoever wins those spots is someone who he can pass his knowledge and training to and will appreciate it.

“There’s one contract for the guys, there’s one contract for the girls, and the way I am about training, I don’t want to pass down my knowledge to anybody who I don’t think deserves it. I Want to make sure that I’m instilling all of the things that I learned into talent that I believe are going to help our industry and be around for a long time,” Dudley said. “LFG is going to be one of those shows that really wakes people up to the whole process.”

If you’ve been watching the various clips from LFG, you know that the art of the promo is of major importance. Some talents are more hesitant to take advice, while others seem pretty moldable overall. The importance of a good promo can’t be understated either, and Dudley can ascertain quite a bit from whatever you say on the microphone.

“To the promo, it tells me almost everything I need to know. Your wrestling ability to me is quite secondary if you can cut a great promo. A lot of the biggest-name stars in our industry, the biggest moneymakers in our industry were phenomenal promos and just good wrestlers. What? You really don’t have to be the greatest pro wrestler in the world if you can cut the greatest promo of all time,” Dudley said.

“Look at the greats that have ever existed. Superstar Billy Graham, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, blah blah, blah. Yes, every once in a while we get the Ric Flairs and we get the Bret Harts, but the majority of them were larger-than-life personalities,” Dudley said. “Great speakers and great entertainers that can command your attention.”

“And that’s what I want younger wrestlers, younger talent, future greats to be able to do,” Dudley said. “Command my attention. Make me notice you. Make me turn my head. Do something that makes me sit up and pay attention. Command my attention. Don’t beg me to like you. Don’t beg me to hate you. Make me like you. Make me hate you. Give me no choice. Say something, do something. I don’t care what it is.”

Dudley is asked a lot regarding advice for younger wrestlers, and one thing he always communicates is what worked for him will likely not work for you, so it’s important to find your own recipe for getting over with the fans.

“I have so many younger wrestlers, so many younger talent, always ask me, Bubba, what’s your best advice? And I said I’m going to tell you the same thing that I tell everybody. Get over. And they look at me and they’re like, how? I don’t know. And they say, well, how did you get over? I said, Well, I was 402 pounds, I wore tie-dye and glasses, I could dance, stutter, and juggle. Is that going to work for you? And they’re like, no. I go, well then find something that does and whatever that thing is, hone in on it, zero in on it, and do something,” Dudley said.

Now I did promise Star Wars talk, and Dudley is a big fan of the franchise. In fact, he even likes some underappreciated characters like Jar Jar (yeah I said it!), but when I asked him a question he turned the tables on me and asked one of his own.

“I love every Star Wars movie that’s ever, I even like Jar Jar Binks. I don’t have a problem with any of it. I’m a Star Wars fan. There are some movies that I just think are good, and there are some that I think are phenomenal. So I’m going to test you right now. Whether or not we talk more in this interview is going to be based on your answer. Are you ready? Otherwise, I’m just going to hang up on you,” Dudley said.

Then Dudley asked the big question. “We got the three trilogies. We also have Rogue One. We also have Solo,” Dudley said. “Yes, yes. Out of those 10 movies. I’m sorry, out of those 11 movies, which is the best Star Wars movie of all time?”

The only answer is of course…Rogue One. “Ding, ding, ding. Circle gets the square,” Dudley said. “Matthew, you want. Would you like some Dinty Moore beef stew? Would you like Rice-A-Roni or a year’s supply of turtle wax?” I went Rice-A-Roni, and without missing a beat, Dudley said, “You look like a Rice-A-Roni guy.”

LFG (Legends and Future Greats) premieres tonight on A&E at 8 PM EST.

Are you excited for LFG Legends and Future Greats? Let us know what you think of the first episode in the comments and you can also talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!