Wrestling Media Blasted for Disrespecting Mariah May During AEW Run

Bully Ray is still fired up over how Mariah May was treated in AEW—and he’s calling out the wrestling media directly for what he says was flat-out disrespect.

While reacting to May’s surprise debut on the June 3 episode of WWE NXT during Busted Open: Dark, Bully Ray shared a personal moment that still sticks with him: an AEW press conference where Mariah was completely ignored by every member of the media in attendance, despite being heavily involved in a major storyline with Toni Storm.

“Mariah looked smoking. But that’s what Mariah does. I got a soft spot in my heart for Mariah May because I couldn’t stand how the dirt sheet press treated her at that AEW press conference that one time.”

He went on to explain just how upsetting the moment was, pointing out that not a single question was directed at her—something that made him want to give her the spotlight she deserved.

“Not one person had a question for Mariah May. And I was so happy to have Mariah on Busted Open so we could give her the time that she deserved as a champion.”

Then Bully took the gloves off and delivered a blunt message to the so-called journalists in the room that day.

“All those press… go to hell, you phony wannabes.”

The veteran didn’t just criticize AEW’s media presence—he implied that the promotion failed to position May as a legitimate star, and the media followed suit. That silence, in his eyes, was louder than any praise.

Now that Mariah is in NXT, Bully sees a stark contrast. WWE, at least in his view, is giving her the attention and respect she should’ve gotten all along.

It’s worth noting that Ringside News was not in attendance for these AEW press conferences. We want to make it very clear that our team was not part of the media scrum in question—because AEW banned us from attending. Why? Because Ringside News refuses to sugarcoat coverage or suck up to that promotion. Our coverage has never been about playing politics—and that’s exactly why we weren’t there.