Feed Me Less!

[Mustang Sally]

Have to admit Ryback's change in ring gear is impressive. It shows off his great physique and makes him look more dangerous than ever. He had developed a nice little pot belly that was mostly disguised by his singlet; nothing his tremendous size couldn't accommodate, but still something that would have detracted from him appearing bare-chested.

To achieve the weight loss, he must have done some 'slim-fasting' in anticipation of the move. Good for him for achieving it.

The question is......why the change? What purpose was there in Ryback and his employers altering his look if there was nothing behind it? I figured he would be getting a singles push to go along with his improved appearance. He won last week's match on Raw, making me think it was happening......but last night's events made me doubt it again. He lost cleanly to Bray Wyatt and got stomped by Bray's family afterward, which was hardly indicative of a push.

Yes, we know Bray has to be made to look strong in anticipation of his coming PPV altercation with Brock Lesnar......but why was Ryback the victim? Plenty of other people could have been used, no?

What do you think? Is Ryback due for something big, as indicated by his improved appearance in the ring........or did they change his look for no particular reason?

Is he damned to remain one of those poor midcard schnooks who look great and appear highly dangerous before the match starts.......only to be used strictly as a stepping stone for young people on the way up?

 

[MTL722]

I think the ship has sailed on The Ryback. This tends to happen with Vince's "Pet Projects". Push them to the moon, make them main eventers, and then job them out.

The Ryback never did anything for me. Big dude, strong moves, catchy phrases, and absolutely no substance or legitimate backstop. This is where WWE continues to fail. Who is The Ryback? Where did he come from? Why is he so fucking hungry?

Also, I HATE his voice. It just sounds like it hurts for him to talk.

 

[OYDK]

Well, I think they changed his gear because it was hideous. He literally had the worst ring gear in the company in my opinion.

Last nights booking of Ryback should tell you all you need to know. He was pinned cleanly in the middle and didn't look necessarily strong in his outing. They've tried and tried with Ryback and it's always hit and miss. Sometimes he gains momentum and the crowd starts cheering, but most of the time they're pretty silent. Maybe if Ryback can hang around for a while without being completely jobbed out, he can make another comeback down the line. But it just seems like he's going to keep getting passed on at this point.

Also, what is it with you and guts Sally?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It reminds me of when Ziggler was in a funk (while still with Vicki) and suddenly cropped his hair and dyed it brown... it went over for about 2 weeks and then he changed back quickly.

Sometimes talents figure, "all I can change is how I look" and do that. Remember Ryback was allegedly "pitching" an angle for Mania a month or two back, so it could have been a way to try and get them to go there or to be in their minds before the Battle Royale, as a new look, better cut Ryback could be pushed as a top contender/winner of it...

Now what IS interesting, is the way the Wyatts seemed to switch to him... so if the Braun/Taker idea is off the table... then it could be Braun v Ryback while Bray takes on Brock potentially.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

I think it's in a similar vein as when Jericho ditched his pants for trunks in 2008. I remember reading a Jericho interview where he said something along the lines of Vince approaching him and asking him why he covers the legs. The difference here is that Ryback isn't in the midst of a huge push.

When Ryback was working his Skip Sheffield gimmick he wore similar tights as he does now. The singlet was always about distancing Ryback from Goldberg. I think the slight change in ring attire is that enough time has past since the last Goldberg chant that they're feeling confident in dressing him in Vince's preferred speedo.

Goldberg, Austin, Rock, Triple H, and post-2008 Jericho have all been world champions and worn the short trunks. The difference here is Ryback isn't being pushed and I doubt he's being groomed for a push.

The battle briefs serve one purpose - they make Ryback look more like a legit competitor. He's more than likely being fed to the Wyatt family at Fastlane and destined for the Andre battle royal at Mania. I wouldn't look too far into it.

Fun note - notice this change wasn't debuted on Raw? I only watched the Daniel Bryan part last night, but didn't he only appear on Raw in a vignette? They're clearly holding off debuting the new look on live TV.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

Last nights booking of Ryback should tell you all you need to know. He was pinned cleanly in the middle and didn't look necessarily strong in his outing.

I disagree with this. Ryback DOMINATED Wyatt last night which was a major surprise. The only time Wyatt was on the offense was when Ryback got distracted outside heading into commercials and after commercials Ryback was back dominating.

I wish there were more info out about what Ryback went to Vince and discussed. I assume it must have been something big for Ryback to be training/improving this much in the ring and to change his ring gear as well. I dont feel like "the ship has sailed" with Ryback, but I do feel like it will be harder for wwe to push him into a more prominent role if they have plans to.
Though all this could be for nothing if wwe doesn't decide to get behind him. Ryback was down in FCW stuck in limbo for years, so I guess instead of waiting for his turn, he's changing and improving. He may not be the best but I certainly respect his spirit to want to better himself.

 

[enviousdominous]

I think Ryback is a long lost Shane Twin, check the family resemblance:

Spoiler

Ryback is as one dimensional as a performer could ever be, I think he may be less than one dimensional even. Maybe like 3/4 of a full dimension. He can't really branch out because being a grunting brute has always been his thing. He has a few fun things that he does to get the crowd to play along, but I don't mark out in any way when his music hits.

Changing his ring gear is something, I suppose. Kind of like putting a potted plant into a room to give it some character. I'm not excited about it, but at least they're trying something.

 

[Bischoff's Knob Slobberer]

No one cares about Ryback. He jobbed to to a fat loser in Bray Wyatt. All that muscle and physique and he loses to a fat jobber. A clean win by Bray with no help from the other Wyatt's. That's all you need to know about Ryback. End thread.

 

[Mustang Sally]

The battle briefs serve one purpose - they make Ryback look more like a legit competitor. He's more than likely being fed to the Wyatt family at Fastlane and destined for the Andre battle royal at Mania. I wouldn't look too far into it.

That's a good point and might provide the entire answer to my question. As someone else stated in this thread, the only thing a competitor can change is his look. Presumably, Ryback had to run his wardrobe change by the powers-that-be before showing up in the ring with it, but it might be interesting to know how much input a WWE performer gets as concerning alterations to his own character. Obviously he/she has to pitch gimmicks or persona changes before daring to try one..... no one auditions in the ring without having run it by Creative....yet what I've been perceiving as a 'change' for Ryback may be no more meaningful than a minor fix, amounting essentially to nothing.

Still, the guy looks damn good right now....and I really do feel he slimmed down a bit in the midsection to achieve it.

Looks do count, y'know......but maybe not for Ryback.

 

[pipebomber]

I think it's in a similar vein as when Jericho ditched his pants for trunks in 2008. I remember reading a Jericho interview where he said something along the lines of Vince approaching him and asking him why he covers the legs. The difference here is that Ryback isn't in the midst of a huge push.

I think you got that mixed up. If Im not mistaken what I heard is that Jericho was joking around and tried on some short trunks when Vince came in the locker room and told him to cover his Chicken legs. Seeing as he was going heel he figured "well, if vince hates it surely the audience will hate it."

to the point of the OP, I think it's ok an ok look, but did you notice he got his first Goldberg chant in a while now that he is in trunks? I think he just went backwards. but like others said, I think the ship has sailed with ryback, he needs to totally reinvent himself if you ask me.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Ryback suddenly looks like he ate the old Ryback with his new look. The guy already looked jacked with the singlet on, now without one he looks like Goldberg on steroids. It's a shame they really couldn't build him with some Goldberg-type squash matches to go with his new look, make him look ultra powerful by smashing no names in a minute or two. Bray Wyatt came along and reminded everyone why Ryback is where he is. Good for Wyatt. Not so good for Ryback. Throw Ryback in the tag division with Apollo Crews and call them Muscle Heads.

 

[L@RISANO]

The likes of Ryback, Miz, Del Rio, Sheamus and Ziggler are all high-end jobbers to the new wave of guys the WWE is interested in pushing such as Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose, Wyatt, Strowman, Styles, Owens, etc.


At points those guys will be kept relatively strong, but they will never reach the heights they did before as their time has quite simply, passed.

 

[World Class Mark]

Well, he ditched his Ryback Van Dam tights for Oldberg tights.

Still can't wrestle worth crap. That may not matter, but...
Still can't work a match past a squash work crap.
Still has no mic skills whatsoever.

Those three (two) issues still matter. So the change from RVD-looking is irrelevant to me.

The ship also sailed on him long ago anyway, so at best he's just a weak mid-carder changing his look to keep him relevant as a mid/low-card guy.







.

 

[therockiswwf]

I feel bad for the (big) guy. He is someone who is clearly trying to improve (his podcast with Austin is well worth the listen). He is trying to expand his moveset despite being someone who could just do a bunch of power moves and get away with it. He got white hot at the worst possible time (Rock had to beat Punk for the title so he couldn't win and The Shield couldn't lose at the time either).

I think this was his original look on NXT. I think talent is also responsible for their own gear so this might have been his decision. While he looks even more like a monster now, he lost a bit of uniqueness by ditching the singlet. That tradeoff is not worth it. No other active guy wrestles in the type of singlet he wore. I do not think this was part of a bigger plan, just a simple change in appearance.

 

[Headman]

I think you got that mixed up. If Im not mistaken what I heard is that Jericho was joking around and tried on some short trunks when Vince came in the locker room and told him to cover his Chicken legs. Seeing as he was going heel he figured "well, if vince hates it surely the audience will hate it."

to the point of the OP, I think it's ok an ok look, but did you notice he got his first Goldberg chant in a while now that he is in trunks? I think he just went backwards. but like others said, I think the ship has sailed with ryback, he needs to totally reinvent himself if you ask me.

Actually vanilla midget's account is the accurate version of the story according to Jericho. Vince made a weird comment about "Why have you been hiding those legs!" which would have been enough to convince me to wrestle in Matt Hardy's JNCOs for the rest of my career.

Anyway, I think the answer to the OPs question has already been stated. A wrestler can only control so many things and their look is one of them. I've heard the WWE encourages wrestlers to pitch ideas and keep trying to work on their character even though ideas are often shot down this is likely Ryback's way of saying "Hey guys, I'm invested in this!". Good for him for doing so.

 

[Rayne]

No one cares about Ryback. He jobbed to to a fat loser in Bray Wyatt. All that muscle and physique and he loses to a fat jobber. A clean win by Bray with no help from the other Wyatt's. That's all you need to know about Ryback. End thread.

Let's break this down.

No one cares about Ryback.

I am quite sure that the irony of stating this in an active thread where people are discussing Ryback has, again, gone over your head.

He jobbed to to a fat loser in Bray Wyatt. All that muscle and physique and he loses to a fat jobber.

Not entirely sure you understand what the term 'jobber' is. Most 'jobbers' don't get put into Wrestlemania programs with Brock Lesnar one year and The Undertaker the year before that. If that's what we're calling a "jobber" these days, sign me right the fuck on up.

A clean win by Bray with no help from the other Wyatt's.

It should be mentioned that not one day after hauling out the 'hur hur, you must believe professional wrestling is real' trope, that your biggest criticism on a guy is that a script said that he should lay on his back for three seconds on a Monday night, but all those muscles and physique meant he should have won.

But hey, at least we know that you admire the man's body.

End thread.

Didn't you learn yesterday that you're just not the kind of personality with the stroke to call things "ended" and have it work?


You and I, Joe, we're gonna be BEST friends.

 

[Pedigree1]

Yup Ryback is a Schnook all right. Not only has his ship sailed it got hit with a cannon and all the calls for a S.O.S went unheard. I give him credit though,his physique is impressive But to answer the question,yes he is stuck in the midcard equation not a bad spot to be,actually. Pretty good payday if you don't mind it actually.

Its his voice sounds like he's getting over like a cold or something.. He will eventually be a stepping stone for younger guys coming from NXT and such. No more title reigns for the Big guy I'm afraid

 

[Piss Bucket]

If everyone said he's a Goldberg wannabe wjhen he wore a singlet, they'll say it even more now that he's wearing trunks, elbow pads and black gloves, pretty similar to what Goldberg himself used to wear, only difference is Ryback doesn't have the tribal tattoo on his right shoulder than Goldberg's got.

 

[ShinChan]

I hope he remains a mid-carder atleast. He has really expanded his moveset and surprised us with moves like Middle Rope Dropkick. He has really impressed me. Although It felt awkward on initially seeing his new attire as he surely resembled Goldberg, Yet it gave him a much more decisive and offensive look. I am all happy for him as a midcarder.

​

 

[akathelaw]

Changing ring attire is a good step for Ryback, because the colored singlet had simply worn out its usefulness. When he began the Ryback gimmick there was a "Machine" aesthetic that was a part of the early version of the character. The airbrushed designs depicted either a robotic metallic physique or mechanical muscles. As his character evolved away from that, the effectiveness of the airbrushed singlets wasn't as strong. I remember a few time when Ryback wore a pink singlet with a heart and it was just a confusing look that was incongruous with his behavior and physical appearance. The last few months his ring attire looked the worst I'd ever seen, almost looking like a box of crayons by incorporating too many primary colors.

Switching to black trunks puts out a more generic message, but also a more effective one. He's showing off his chiseled physique, he looks no nonsense and intimidating. He looks less like a Saturday Morning superhero but more like a WWE main event wrestler. I would prefer it if he were currently working as a heel against Reigns, Ambrose and AJ Styles. Coming off of a lukewarm face run as Intercontinental Champ, he ought to spend some time near the top of the card putting over faces and resorting to heel tactics. It would be fun to see him as a fairweather friend to Kevin Owens, possibly tag teaming againstthe former Shield guys.

 

[midgensa]

I like the gear change for sure.

And, I must admit, I have always been a fan of Ryback. I don't know why. I find a ton of his promos cringe-worthy (I remember the awful time he kept pointing at the Titantron). I think he seems a little forced.

But, I really enjoy his entrance. Enjoy his energy. Like seeing him in the ring. And think he tries really, really hard . For some reason, I like him.

I am hoping this little change in appearance gives him a little shove back into the U.S. or Intercontinental Title picture at least.

 

[Sean Valjean]

It's amazing how much more seriously I take him with the new look. Before, he looked like he landed into a box of random wrestler attires and took a piece of everything (RVD singlet, Goldberg gloves, armbands, random assortment of bright ass colors).

The dude has a GREAT body. Whenever he took the straps down to show it, I always thought it was a shame he covered that up. The new look is a step in the right direction for him, but, as Monday showed, it won't mean jack if the booking doesn't back it up.

Ryback is victim #475 of the endless loop of midcard talent that spins its wheels in meaningless matches where they win as often as they lose and get MAYBE a story or two (if they're lucky) a year. It's especially depressing from him, as he's clearly trying to improve and WANTS to be one the best. He's among the few guys that could be elevated to the main event, even as just a token challenger at a B/C level PPV.

Unfortunately, Ryback has to contend with the major hurdles of inept booking and the idiotic fans who chant "Goldberg" whenever he does gain momentum. You know, because being a bald guy that wrecks people is all it takes to make you nothing more than a carbon copy of Goldberg, even though Ryback sports a slew of unique offense and mannerisms.

 

[TDFG]

One thing I like about Ryback is that he tries, he's not great but he tries, the change in look isn't going to actually do anything.

Ryback is like Ziggler, they get a push and just when it looks like they're going to go that extra mile they get kicked back into the pack.

US/IC Title material is as far as I see Ryback going, it's nothing to be gutted about, but the stop/start push has happened for so long now it's got to the stage now where it's hard to believe that he can actually challenge for the World Title.

 

[kadroan]

Only thing could save him perhaps is another heel turn. It sucks for him to be enhancement talent.

 

[SHAGAMANIA 3:16]

Such a same I was hoping for a match with Goldberg.