Make Ryback a star

[rge2010]

Ryback was way over in late 2012 and early 2013 - white hot on some shows and this cannot be denied. Some people didnt like his gimmick, some people dont think he can wrestle and some people think he lacks charisma.

My own personal opinion is creative dropped the ball and failed Ryback BIG TIME. Ryback was rushed. Cenas injury played a big part in this and Ryback was propelled to Main Event status where he ultimately went on a horrible losing streak.

Here I tell you how I would have booked him and made him a star.

Smackdown 12
Ryback beat jobbers every week, sometimes two in a handicap match. He then fueded with Jinder Mahal. I had no issues with this. Was a good way to slowly build him and make him dominant.

Hell In A Cell 12
Ryback vs The Miz - The Miz was the IC Champion at the time so Ryback should have challenged him and gone into a programme. Ryback wins the IC Belt here.

Survivor Series 12
Team Foley vs Team Ziggler - Ryback was originally scheduled for this match but was pulled. He should have stayed in this match and gone through Ziggler, Del Rio, Sandow, Barrett, Otunga as the sole survivor. Roman Reigns at 2013 got a nice rub and Ryback should have had this in 2012.

TLC 12
Ryback vs Wade Barrett - A credible opponent for Ryback here and Barrett was in the IC Title picture.

Royal Rumble 13
Royal Rumble Match - Ryback finished runner up as Cena dumped him over the ropes to set up his big rematch with The Rock, but what should have happened is a stand off behind the two, some back and forth and then both men hitting the outside at the same time ala Bret and Luger. Ryback is still undefeated and can now challenge for the World Title which is held by Big Show after beating Del Rio.

Elimination Chamber 13
Ryback vs Mark Henry - I would have brought this match forward 4 weeks. Henry was a great tune up match for The Big Show at Mania 29. Ryback could have destroyed him instead of dropping him on his head.

Wrestlemania 29
Ryback vs The Big Show - Champion vs Champion. Ryback continues his streak and adds another legit superstar in Big Show and is the new World Champion AND current IC Champion.

2013 onwards
Ryback could relinquish the IC belt and carry on as World Champion. By this stage he is dominant, undefeated and a Champion so he is already made in my opinion. All streaks come to an end eventually so Ryback could drop the belt maybe at Summerslam to Daniel Bryan which immediately puts Bryan back on the map.

After this defeat, his first one, have Ryback 'disappear' for a month or so to collect his thoughts. Have him return as a heel and put him with Paul Heyman. When Ryback was teamed with Heyman, he was already dead in the water. Giving Heyman a legit and credible bad guy who actually wins matches really could have taken him to the next level. Heyman is a great mouth piece but with poor creative he doesn't stand a chance. Ryback returns and Randy Orton is the World Champion which means he has no rematch clause so can keep him away from the World Title picture.

I would say by Wrestlemania 30, Ryback is a top star and could maybe take Brock Lesnars place as the one ending the streak. Ryback has the tools to get over, he was white hot and his 'feed me more' chant was also over - he just needed the correct creative direction in my opinion.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Much of Ryback's problem stemmed from alleged problems backstage. Various reports suggested that multiple wrestlers claim Ryback is extremely stiff and reckless in his matches. Not saying that he is, but it's just what's been reported. There are also allegations that he'd been asked numerous times to work on things he needed improving in, but he didn't comply. One thing that's been verified, however, is that Ryback doesn't like interacting with fans or doing media interviews to help promote WWE. There are numerous reports of Ryback acting like a prick to fans at meet & greets or acting like he'd rather be doing anything else in the world than being there. That's just not gonna cut it. If you're a top guy in WWE, then there are gonna be trade offs for the big pushes, the money and the titles, such as going that extra mile to hype the company. Vince wants guys who're truly committed as the biggest stars in his company and if you don't demonstrate that willingness in his eyes, then that's just it.

MAYBE things can change for Ryback in the future, but I doubt it. Once you lose Vince's trust, it's damned hard to get it back. If the allegations of his behavior backstage are true, then his ship has probably sailed.

 

[rge2010]

Much of Ryback's problem stemmed from alleged problems backstage. Various reports suggested that multiple wrestlers claim Ryback is extremely stiff and reckless in his matches. Not saying that he is, but it's just what's been reported. There are also allegations that he'd been asked numerous times to work on things he needed improving in, but he didn't comply. One thing that's been verified, however, is that Ryback doesn't like interacting with fans or doing media interviews to help promote WWE. There are numerous reports of Ryback acting like a prick to fans at meet & greets or acting like he'd rather be doing anything else in the world than being there. That's just not gonna cut it. If you're a top guy in WWE, then there are gonna be trade offs for the big pushes, the money and the titles, such as going that extra mile to hype the company. Vince wants guys who're truly committed as the biggest stars in his company and if you don't demonstrate that willingness in his eyes, then that's just it.

MAYBE things can change for Ryback in the future, but I doubt it. Once you lose Vince's trust, it's damned hard to get it back. If the allegations of his behavior backstage are true, then his ship has probably sailed.

That is a fair point I guess. I didnt know of these reports.

This is the reason why Dolph Ziggler never succeeds. I have met the guy twice and he is a ignorrant CUNT. Arrogant, uninterested and dam rude. He was with Kofi who had time for the fans who pay his meal ticket. Ziggler just doesn;t want to be nice and when I told him I had seen him at the show and enjoyed his match he simply said 'Oh' and looked the other way.

I remember reading about that band who did his music a few years ago meeting him backstage. They told him they were the band responsible for his theme music and he said 'Oh' and walked off.

Rant over.

 

[laodaron]

Honestly, when I look at Ryback and I watch a Ryback match, I don't believe that he's a star. The dude is jacked, and if it's natural, then it's even more impressive. He's got the build and the look...but he just isn't any good in the ring. He's really stiff, and I don't mean he's a stiff worker, I mean that his body doesn't move very well, probably because of his bulk. He's terrible on the mic. I just don't perceive that guy as a real contender.

 

[grantedisme]

Ryback was booked TERRIBLY in my opinion. He squashed anonymous jobbers for entirely too long, and it seems their knee-jerk response to that revelation was to throw him the WWE championship before he had any development or any real experience in the major league. Since then, Ryback has never come out on top in a feud, whether he was face or heel.

From what I remember, he lost feuds to CM Punk (twice), the Shield (about 38 times), Henry, Cena, and until very recently, every single tag team on the roster. He was briefly given a Bully gimmick, and he did a good job of it in backstage segments with it in my opinion, but since then, the poor guy hasn't gotten any time on the screen to show any personality.

He has a power-move arsenal that would work for casual fans, he has shown that he can be entertaining on twitter (to me, at least, but I can see how others might disagree with that), and it almost seems inhuman how big he is. I truly think that his fumbled run thus far might be one of the biggest blunders in WWE creative history next to Nexus.

 

[RicSpade]

I was a fan of the face Ryback but yeah its true Ryback isn't really one of those guys who wanted to spend all his time around fans, probably picked the wrong business...

Rybacks problem is he keeps getting chances to do something and squanders it. I feel as a heel he is gettiing better mic wise and his commentary on RAW was actually amusing but they are doing this tag team push they have gotten this month because of the work ethic and respect for Joe Henning not for Ryan Reeves. Unless something has happened to Ryback in the last 3 weeks no one backstage is talkin about I don't expect this to last long,

 

[LSN80]

This is the reason why Dolph Ziggler never succeeds. I have met the guy twice and he is a ignorrant CUNT. Arrogant, uninterested and dam rude. He was with Kofi who had time for the fans who pay his meal ticket. Ziggler just doesn;t want to be nice and when I told him I had seen him at the show and enjoyed his match he simply said 'Oh' and looked the other way.

I remember reading about that band who did his music a few years ago meeting him backstage. They told him they were the band responsible for his theme music and he said 'Oh' and walked off.

All of this may be true, but reports that I've seen is that Ziggler demands what he wants, when he wants it. Not a current main event star? Well, I'm going to Vince's office and demanding meeting after meeting until I'm pushed as one. And for a time, he was, but he's got a case of the Christian's, in that he's had far too many concussions. Perhaps he thinks he's a bigger celebrity than he is, because he was 'Inside Amy Schumer'(See what I did there? ) for awhile, and she's a far bigger celebrity than he.

Personal experience for me was that maybe I caught him on a good day, as when we were waiting to go inside for the Royal Rumble, he signed for quite a few of us with a smile on his face. He seemed quite sincere in wishing us to enjoy the show.(Which, if anyone remembers recent history, we did not. )

It was the case of too much, too soon for Ryback. If they were going to put him in the Cell with Punk, he should have beaten him. Once that loss came, they kept coming. He lost at Survivor Series, though he didn't take the pin. He lost at TLC in the 6-man pinfall/submission TLC match, though again, without taking the pin. He then lost the TLC match to Punk, then was eliminated last at the Rumble by Cena(although top 2 in his FIRST Rumble is nothing to sneeze at. Ask Roman Reigns.). He lost in the 6 man alongside Sheamus and Cena at EC, then he bafflingly lost clean to Mark Henry at Wrestlemania. He dominated Cena in their LMS match, but all he could get was a draw. After he lost the Three Stages of Hell match at Payback, he was done as a main-eventer.

Like JackHammer said, I read reports of both major attitude problems, and wrestlers flat-out refusing to work with him because he was so stiff. He's settled in nicely as part of RybAxel, and that's a better spot then the main event for him. His inflated ego after rising so fast got him humbled just as quickly, and I never saw him as main-event material. Once it was announced Rock was getting the title shot at Royal Rumble, there was no one he was going to fight but Punk. But because he reckless again, he injured Punk when he put him through a table, so doing a title switch then doing a screwjob to get the title back on Punk was pretty much out, and of Ryback's own doing.

Then after his push faded, the rumors of ego and a bad attitude came across too, and this was less then a year after reports of him being stiff. If it was your wrestling company, would you want to make a guy like that a star?

Not me.

 

[No Count Pup]

Ryback will get a monster push again. He's got the look Vince McMahon wants and tons of natural charisma.

Attitude is something that will improve with time. Randy Orton had issues, but is still around. Triple H betrayed McMahon's trust with the whole Kliq/MSG thing. Now he's a WWE exec. Both were young; both were given second chances. Ryback is getting the "Hog Pen Match" treatment right now in the sense that WWE is testing him. How long can the man be humbled without cracking? He's lucky though. In the TV-14 Era, he'd be driven through thumbtacks.

All in all, this process will pass.

It's all about money. Ryback has the makings of a cash cow. WWE will cash in.

 

[Aquaman6686]

That is a fair point I guess. I didnt know of these reports.

This is the reason why Dolph Ziggler never succeeds. I have met the guy twice and he is a ignorrant CUNT. Arrogant, uninterested and dam rude. He was with Kofi who had time for the fans who pay his meal ticket. Ziggler just doesn;t want to be nice and when I told him I had seen him at the show and enjoyed his match he simply said 'Oh' and looked the other way.

I remember reading about that band who did his music a few years ago meeting him backstage. They told him they were the band responsible for his theme music and he said 'Oh' and walked off.

Rant over.

I have to disagree about Ziggler. I've met him twice as well and both times he was extremely polite, personable, and the second time I actually got to talk to him for several minutes, and I'd rank him among the most personable celebrities I've ever met. I'm not saying what you said is wrong, I'm just pointing out that maybe you caught him on two bad days. It's equally possible that I caught him on two good days. Now if you want to talk about celebrities who are nasty to fans, I'll tell you all about the nightmare that was meeting Adam West. But that's a story for another day.

Anyway, as for Ryback...no. He does not and never had the makings of a top star. He's a generic musclebound guy that you can find a dozen of at any gym across America. He has no mic skills, his ring work is stiff and dangerous, and he has no charisma whatsoever. His catchphrase got him over for a while, but even if they hadn't turned him heel, his push still would have fizzled out at around the same time.

 

[cmedge]

I really enjoyed Ryback. He was one of my favourite superstars in 2012/2013. It sucks to see him get such a bad push. I really and truly believe he is the full package, enjoyable to see in the ring, great on the microphone (look at his promos when he was feuding with John Cena), he had a good catchphrase and was extremely over. My only issue is how the WWE handled him they pushed him too early and too fast then they all of a sudden let the guy out to dry allowing him to lose to everybody. I hope Ryback gets a push soon I could take him seriously as a top guy.

 

[FeeltheBANG16]

Ryback and Axel are fine as a tag team honestly. Neither guy is great on the mic and they actually have good chemistry together. I hated "Rybaxel" at first but surprisingly, they're growing on me. Why split up a tag team that's actually getting some good air time just to have both guys fade into obscurity? I understand the post is make Ryback a star but I just don't see it, however, he has the potential to have a good career as a tag team wrestler, and maybe in the unforseeable future, he will get a singles run again. Right now WWE has Big E., Rusev, Batista, and Brock Lesnar who play the part better than Ryback.

 

[JJ15776]

So what do you do when the fans just don't care about Ryback, other than doing his "feed me more" chant, no matter how many matches he wins? Or, worse, what do you do been the fans get sick of having him shoved down their throats and start booing the guy who you want to be your top face? And I'm not talking about mixed reactions like Cena, I'm talking legitimate universal hatred like Rocky Maivia. Turn him heel? When and how? And what do you do when the fans stop booing him and just stop reacting completely after he does turn heel? What do you do when you can see the crowds hitting the concessions(and not to buy his merchandise, which all sits in a warehouse unsold) when he comes out, and the numbers show you the ratings drop when he comes on, and the only thing people ever say about him on Twitter is they're completely sick of him beating guys he has no business being in the ring with?

I'm not saying that's what would happen, but I want to provide a little perspective. It's just not that easy to make a star. Contrary to popular belief, the WWE doesn't make stars. The fans do. If the fans aren't behind a guy, it doesn't matter what the WWE does. All these ideas of things that should be done or how to fix people are fine on paper, but if it doesn't get the fan reaction required, it's all meaningless.

At the end of the day, you're either a star or you're not. Either you can make the crowd react to you or you can't. Not much the WWE can do about that. And, so far, Ryback hasn't shown the ability to connect with the crowd in a big way for a sustained period of time...which can only lead you to assume that the monster push you laid out wouldn't have worked.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Ryback was great on commentary the other night. His initial cyborg-machine gimmick was a forced thing, so was his over-the-top 8th grade bullying stuff, now he's basically being himself which is a goofball douche and its funny.

I haven't written the guy off. Just because he was pushed to the top right off the bat and is now in a tag-team, doesn't mean that 2 years from now he can't be a top guy again.

 

[evolutionfan4life]

Ive just created a story on my wwe2k14 and this was my story its the night after mania and cena is champ then out comes sandow who has been on a winning streak and just defeated big e Langston in a #1 contender match so now its er and cena is taking control then out comes ryback who helps sandow win the title next night sandow is cutting a promo saying brains need brawn to be successful anyway this goes on for a few months with ryback helping sandow to victory each time now this is when the build begins sandow stars saying how great he is and how no one can beat him and how ryback wouldn't be as successful without him which starts annoying ryback so in a non title match between sandow and Bryan sandow then ordersryback to clothesline Bryan

 

[evolutionfan4life]

Ive just created a story on my wwe2k14 and this was my story its the night after mania and cena is champ then out comes sandow who has been on a winning streak and just defeated big e Langston in a #1 contender match so now its er and cena is taking control then out comes ryback who helps sandow win the title next night sandow is cutting a promo saying brains need brawn to be successful anyway this goes on for a few months with ryback helping sandow to victory each time now this is when the build begins sandow stars saying how great he is and how no one can beat him and how ryback wouldn't be as successful without him which starts annoying ryback so in a non title match between sandow and Bryan sandow then orders ryback to clothesline Bryan just when ryback is about to clothesline Bryan he instead clotheslines sandow which completes his face turn and sets up a fued for the title which ryback wins and sets him up as a big face

 

[jaredsmith83]

Having just gotten back into WWE, I had read the stories about talent complaints about Ryback, so I had written him off as the musclehead guy who doesn't quite get wrestling. And to an extent, that's what his ring game shows me. But, after watching a bit and listening to him, he's not as bad as I wanted him to be. His commentary was actually pretty good on RAW this past Monday. I do believe he should stay in the tag team for a bit. It seems to be working and there's no pressure to be the star of the show.

 

[smizzy]

One thing that's been verified, however, is that Ryback doesn't like interacting with fans or doing media interviews to help promote WWE. There are numerous reports of Ryback acting like a prick to fans at meet & greets or acting like he'd rather be doing anything else in the world than being there. That's just not gonna cut it. If you're a top guy in WWE, then there are gonna be trade offs for the big pushes, the money and the titles, such as going that extra mile to hype the company. Vince wants guys who're truly committed as the biggest stars in his company and if you don't demonstrate that willingness in his eyes, then that's just it.

This is a surprise to me. I'm not trying to disprove what you're saying, but I for one witnessed Ryback being very friendly with fans at a house show in August, 2012; after the show, I walked around to the back of the arena where the wrestlers were parked, several of them would walk around the roped off area where about 50-100 other fans were standing, and they'd sign autographs and talk briefly. Ryback walked out of the building to a huge cheer and pumped his fist for the fans. Before he drove away, Ryback stopped his car near a large group of fans and signed from his car for a good ten minutes. He then honked playfully for everyone and drove off.

But of course that's one instance and doesn't reflect how he is all the time, but it certainly developed my opinion of him on a personal level.

However, at this point in his career, I don't see him ever getting near the level he was for Hell In A Cell '12. And I'm okay with that because the guy does not have it. Certainly has the look but the intangibles are missing. That's why guys like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, who can't touch Ryback in the weightroom, are the bonafide stars and Ryback is doing whatever it is he's doing in the midcard.

 

[StingerSplash22]

Ryback just doesn't have it, it's that simple. He is very mediocre, stiff and clumsy in the ring which makes him dangerous. His mic skills are just terrible and he just doesn't scream star to me at all. While I do agree that WWE screwed up his initial push by not letting it slowly build up over more time, I also think that the reason they haven't gone back to him is because they realize that he just isn't that good. I doubt he ever approaches the level that he was initially pushed to again because it simply is too much for him. He has his place in the business and eventually I think he could U.S. title or IC title material. Keep him away from main events because he doesn't belong near them at all.

 

[oldschool26]

Ryback just needs to get his attitude back stage in check.
Easy to place him back with the main eventers with his
Feed me more face character

 

[kadroan]

I'd give him time. I don't expect a push for him anytime soon unless a huge injury bug comes around and people like Cena and Reigns get hurt at the same time.

He looks like he's improving in the ring though.

 

[The Eighties]

He's found his level as a midcard act, his dumb as a box of rocks Biff Tanen personality is a good fit for a mid card guy, he hasn't got any of the tools bar being jacked that would make him a main eventer, and WWE have several better prospects to add power and size to the main event scene.

 

[Hem]

The one thing you've got to realize is that although creative failed to push Ryback the correct way, Ryback himself failed to carry himself the correct way. The guy does not give off the "next Goldberg" vibe that he was meant to give off. Sure he was made to seem like he was the next Goldberg but what about him besides his physique made him seem like the next big thing, nothing.

Ryback is just a meat head who is huge. He lacks in ring skills and is really just a man of 5 moves of doom, a la John Cena, which takes away from his credibility.

He used to squash guys on SD! like a piece of cake but really did it help that the guys he often squashed were twigs? Or that they were guys who were almost non existent to the casual wrestling fan.

WWE tried to manipulate a audience reaction towards Ryback in the same what that Goldberg organically gained his because he was a hell of an athlete for his size.

I'm not saying Ryback can't or shouldn't main event, I'm just saying I don't see him as being worthy of a superstar status like Randy Orton, Batista, Cena, Goldberg etc.,

Ryback can be the John Cena of the IC title scene and hell have him be a dominant singles force on SD where he was when he started getting over with some crowds.

 

[Im4Ryback]

I also believe that the booking of Ryback was crap he was over in 2012 and early 2013.
After the numerous jobber matches he had then they tossed him into the ring with cm punk in 2012 at Hell in a Cell and they should have let him win the title or make him win a lower card title they should have let him win it. Then if he had either the US, IC or the world title and have a good run with weather of those titles. Maybe by Wrestlemania 29 he would get a shot at the wwe title and win it off the rock and had a good run. He never got a real chance with any of the top stars like Orton,the Rock, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns (in singles competition not in the shield getting speared and punched) and the Undertaker. He only had feuds with Cena, punk and Henry and that dumb feud with the Shield that he had no chance in. They should have given Ryback more of a chance to succeed they didn't prepare him for big challenges very well at all thanks Vince.
As for what Jack Hammer said about the heat we don't know for certain that Ryback was unhappy around fans and he dominates in his matches but since becoming a heel has not gelled in his matches and I don't blame him for lashing out of he did at all because he was booked horribly and the thrown into crappy, pointless tag team matches that have no meaning so he had gone from being a top guy to be a mid card guy in like 3 months and that was feud as a Heyman guy was not necessary after a bad feud with cena and the bully gimmick. So I hope things change around here very soon wwe have stuffed up many a superstar and I know people don't like Vinces ideas all the time and who can blame then I applaud CM Punk for walking away and think he has great guts to do so. Ryback needs to be top star otherwise he is wasted on the roster.bring back the Feed Me More chants and this is the last chance I'm giving wwe to start over if it's you have to maybe give him a month off then bring him back at payback and make him dominate then give him lots of momentum going into money in the bank he gets in a money in the bank match for the wwe world title wins and has a shot wins it at battle ground of summer slam give him dominance right up until Wrestlemaina then he has self confidence that he can succeed wwe needs to come to their senses and use him right cause he definitely has potential and can be a top guy in this business. FEED ME MORE.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I don't fully agree with the booking that the threadstarter suggested, however I do think Ryback would have been a much bigger deal if he had been booked better. Everything went fine up until he got rushed into the WWE Championship feud. He should have remained in the squashing role for a bit longer. Ryback could have gone through midcarders and tag teams up until Hell In A Cell, by then he was ready for a midcard champion. So he could have and should have won the Intercontinental or US Championship first and continued his domination, as a champion. Rushing him straight to a world title feud and losing consistently is where they went wrong with him.

I do agree with the threadstarter in that he should have been a sole survivor in a Survivor Series match. He could have kept retaining his midcard belt through Wrestlemania 29, thus we miss out on that awful match he had with Mark Henry. This is where it gets hard though. He has to lose that belt at some point and lose his streak, since I don't agree with him still holding a midcard belt upon entering a world title feud. If they had built up a credible challenger who needed the momentum coming from ending Ryback's streak and if he had been booked very strongly as champion, losing the midcard belt wouldn't hurt him. He could have been ready for the 3 Stages Of Hell match with John Cena by that point and been seen as a bigger threat, considering he wouldn't have been through a long string of PPV losses going into the match.

Regardless, Ryback could have been a star. Not Austin/Rock or even Cena levels of stardom, maybe closer to Batista, and that's assuming WWE had properly booked him. I realize I am over-estimating here. It's fun to speculate on though, had it happened. WWE messed it up big time by making him lose so many big PPV matches. He went from seeming unstoppable in 2012's first half to appearing to losing constantly in WWE Championship matches he wasn't ready for, to losing to Mark Henry at Wrestlemania, to doing nothing relevant anymore after feuding with Cena that summer. He's headed nowhere now with the Rybaxel team, but it's better than him being in world title matches he's not believable in winning. I don't see him ever becoming a star in the future. Rybaxel getting a tag team title shot someday is about as good as it gets for him looking forward.