Athletes from all walks of life are stepping foot within the ring with hopes of incomes main profession alternatives throughout Season 2 of WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats). Premiering June 22 on A&E, the competitors present sees 16 new and returning faces endure grueling psychological and bodily exams with hopes of securing a WWE NXT contract. They’ll be damaged up into groups led by Corridor of Fame coaches The Undertaker, Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley and Michelle McCool.
The inaugural season ended with Olympic gold medalist Tyra Mae Steele of Group Undertaker and imposing faculty soccer standout Jasper Troy of Group Booker T standing victorious. Undertaker secured the primary WWE LFG title belt with the very best general rating among the many coaches.
Bubba Ray Dudley, one-half of the embellished tag group with D-Von Dudley, hopes to convey one in every of his personal all the way in which and earn that strap this time round. The street received’t be simple within the high-stakes surroundings underneath the attention of WWE SVP of Expertise Improvement Inventive Shawn Michaels. Right here Dudley breaks down what’s to return and what it’d take to convey the Dudley Boyz collectively for a match.
What was your mindset going into Season 2 of WWE LFG?
Bubba Ray Dudley: I feel the mindset going into this season was similar to Season 1. I feel Season 1 was a great, spirited competitors amongst the Future Greats with it culminating with an enormous ultimate alternative at Madison Sq. Backyard. I feel Season 2 goes to be a continuation of Season 1. I do know 4 individuals went to the finals. It was Zena Sterling and Tyra Mae Steele. There was additionally Jasper Troy and Shiloh Hill. Jasper and Tyra each obtained these NXT contracts. They moved on. Shiloh and Zena are again for Season 2. You’ll additionally see a minimum of two new faces filling in for the Season 1 champions. There are some from the previous season who fell off, so that you’ll see some new faces. I’m excited for the continuation of most of the Future Greats tales from Season 1. Clearly, I’ve an amazing quantity of funding in who I consider ought to have received Season 1 in Zena Sterling.
Anthony Luke and Bubba Ray Dudley (A&E)
She grew and developed a lot throughout the course of. That’s enjoyable to see as a viewer. What did you consider the choice to convey again these from the previous season relatively than usher in a very new crop of expertise?
At first I assumed there could be a model new crop of Future Greats. Then once I came upon they had been bringing some again, I requested why. It was due to the emotional funding that the viewer has within the Season 1 Future Greats who didn’t make it. There have been some individuals there that began to evolve on the finish of the season. The primary identify that pops out for me is Elijah Holyfield. Elijah Holyfield, the son of Evander Holyfield, was very shy and reserved throughout the first half of Season 1. He then got here to life. I’m hoping to get to work with Elijah Holyfield. He has a lot potential. That could be a modern-day Clubber Lang simply ready to return out and take the wrestling world by storm
So simply because somebody was in your group final season doesn’t imply they’ll this season, proper?
Appropriate. However I’ll politic in addition to I might to ensure Zena is all the time by my facet.
Are we going to see BJ [Ray] this season?
You’re going to see BJ this season. I do know everybody desires to know what sort of interplay there will probably be with BJ Ray and Bubba Ray Dudley. Issues had been tense final yr. Right here’s what I hope for this season. I hope he realized from Season 1. BJ has plenty of potential and a lot charisma and character. He generally is a home-grown Logan Paul for WWE. However you’ve got to get it, and you’ve got to have the ability to get it within the ring. All the suggestions you heard from myself and different legends was, yeah BJ, you’ve got it on the character facet, however within the ring, you’re simply not getting the job accomplished. Hopefully, he can put the 2 collectively and enhance and evolve within the ring and switch into the model of BJ Ray I feel all of us hope he can flip into.
What’s it like having Michelle McCool added to the teaching group and stepping in for Mickie James? It’s an fascinating dynamic when you’ve got her husband The Undertaker additionally within the combine.
Michelle brings a distinct opinion, perspective, totally different set of eyes. I assumed the connection between myself, Booker T, Undertaker and Mickie James was nice. When WWE and A&E first approached me concerning the present and I noticed the 4 legends’ names, I knew we had been all pleasant and labored collectively. We had a great relationship, however I didn’t know the way these 4 personalities would come collectively on TV and the way we’d be capable to gel. From the very first minute of the very first episode, the 4 of us had chemistry. I feel that chemistry carried out all through all the season. Michelle has now changed Mickie. I feel Mickie did an outstanding job in her function.
Michelle has to fill Mickie’s footwear. We don’t need the following Mickie James. We wish the primary Michelle McCool on LFG. Michelle was simply inducted into the WWE Corridor of Fame. That makes it 4 Corridor of Famers, 4 legendary Corridor of farmers on LFG. Michelle has to take what she has realized from her days within the WWE. Michelle has to take what she has realized by being the associate, spouse of The Undertaker. I’m positive Michelle has realized from simply conversations with The Undertaker she most likely by no means realized whereas in WWE simply on her personal. Completely different views. I’m excited to see how the 4 of us will work collectively and the way the Future Greats take to Michelle. Will it’s the identical manner? Those in Season 1 checked out Mickie James as a mom determine. Will it’s the identical manner with Michelle? We’ll must see.
You will have form of teased a bit that that is an intense and severe season. How does it evaluate to the final one?
I don’t assume there may be something totally different this season apart from the Future Greats from Season 1 now have a yr underneath their belts. Now they do perceive the seriousness of this. In the event you return to Week 12 of Season 1, I checked out all of them and stated, “Ah, you all simply had your second. The lightbulb went off for all of you. You realized that is severe, and that is actual. You walked in WWE, thrown on TV, thrown on this present and well-liked in a single day and individuals are in your social media.” At that second, they realized a few of them had been getting lower and a few of them had been going to get dwelling and received’t get to proceed on with the competitors. I feel who didn’t make it to the finals in Season 1 now understand the job at hand. That is very severe. I perceive it’s a TV present. I get it, however it’s a severe competitors. WWE is legitimately on the lookout for their subsequent Future Nice, who possibly sooner or later will presumably flip right into a legend. I feel Jasper Troy has what it takes to develop into a really huge deal in WWE. Jasper had an unbelievable match with Oba Femi final week on NXT. There may be going over and getting over. Jasper Troy, regardless of dropping the match, obtained over and put his identify on the map.
WWE
You’re additionally spending extra time down in Orlando on the WWE Efficiency Heart and speaking to expertise for “Busted Open After Darkish” on Sirius XM. Speak about what you’ve been seeing down in NXT.
Since November 2024 I’ve been capable of go all the way down to the Efficiency Heart and witness how NXT is run. I’m proper there from begin to end, a fly on the wall. Whether or not it’s filming LFG, doing “Busted Open After Darkish” or hanging out in catering speaking to expertise, this I can say for positive. Shawn Michaels runs one of many best-oiled machines I’ve ever seen in wrestling. It’s tight. The communication is unbelievable. The way in which it’s presupposed to be, so when it will get to your TV at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday nights on The CW, you’re getting the very best product you may get. They dot the I’s, cross the T’s. Shawn has a imaginative and prescient.
That imaginative and prescient is carried out from the inventive group to the producers, from the producers to the expertise. The phrase that’s so key to all of that is communication. There are such a lot of totally different ranges with Uncooked, SmackDown, and NXT. It’s true with each nice wrestling firm on this planet. You want nice communication on all of the totally different ranges via the chain of command. Shawn actually has all people doing an outstanding job. If you recognize something about Bubba Ray Dudley, I don’t blow smoke up anyone’s ass. I put you over once you should be put over. Shawn and that crew at NXT deserves to be put over.
Anybody down there at NXT that has actually shocked you otherwise you’ve been impressed by watching the present?
The whole ladies’ division I’ve to present credit score to. I give them credit score each Tuesday throughout the “Busted Open After Darkish” present. I feel the NXT ladies’s division is the perfect ladies’s division in all {of professional} wrestling and sports activities leisure. Now thoughts you they simply misplaced three heavy-hitters in Roxanne Perez, Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer. All of them moved as much as the principle roster, which is nice information for each different girl in NXT. It presents alternatives. Now it’s a must to step up and take it.
I like what Jordynne Grace is doing. I like what Jaida Parker is doing there. I like what I’m seeing with Jacy Jayne, the brand new NXT Girls’s Champion. You possibly can rattle off each girl’s identify in NXT and I can inform you one thing optimistic about them. Additionally, Oba is doing nice on prime. The D’angelo household has nice storytelling with everybody understanding their function very nicely. I really feel like I’m watching The Sopranos taking part in out in a wrestling ring. Je’Von Evans, my boy Trick [Williams], who has discovered his inside heel and Uncle Bubba couldn’t be happier.
We noticed the Dudley Boyz assist Trick Williams some time again. Are we going to see Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley in a WWE ring once more sooner or later?
Would you wish to see the Dudley Boyz in a WWE ring sooner or later?
After all.
I feel all the WWE Universe would like to scream, “DVon, get the tables” one final time. If it could be as much as me and Devon, it could be sure, we’d like to do it one final time. It needs to be with the precise group standing throughout from us. It needs to be on the proper venue, metropolis and proper occasion. Hell, I ‘d like to do it at AT&T Stadium, Texas stadium with 101,000 individuals screaming one final time, “Devon, get the tables.”
WWE LFG Season 2 premiere, June 22, 10/9c, A&E