Looks Like There's A New "Paul Heyman Guy"

[Jack-Hammer]

At NOC, CM Punk managed to get his hands on Paul Heyman and delivered a fun beatdown, after eliminating Curtis Axel. Just when it looked as though CM Punk was gonna finish Heyman, Ryback pops up out of nowhere and delivers a badass looking spear through a table. He then pulled Heyman on top of Punk, allowing Heyman to score the win.

In the grand scheme of things, if WWE intends for this feud to last as long as Survivor Series, which was a rumor, then someone fresh needed to be injected into things. With Brock Lesnar only popping up now and again, Paul Heyman needs a big mountain of intimidating muscle and Ryback fits the bill perfectly. I'm not saying that this is going to elevate Ryback into the stratosphere or anything, but it's a big step forward. Heyman is easily one of the best talkers in wrestling and Ryback seems like an ideal guy for Heyman to be a mouthpiece for.

 

[Eyebrows]

It makes sense. Everybody has been saying that Ryback needs a mouthpiece and they've given him the best possible guy. It's a tried and tested approach - give a monster heel who has an intimidating look but about average mic skills (I don't think they're THAT bad) someone to talk for them. It keeps things fresh with Punk too.

I'm curious as to where this leaves Axel, though. I'm assuming he'll stick with Heyman for now too though wonder if they were teasing a possible face turn by hinting that Heyman might not fully believe in him.

 

[Slash-LN]

I kind of see this leading to Heyman dumping Axel probably turning Axel face and feuding with Ryback.
Heyman gave his speech earlier in the night about how Axel has a bad standing with Hunter right now and Heyman can fix all that but not if he gets hurt in their match. Axel got eliminated and that left Heyman alone. Axel couldn't get the job done. I'm sure Heyman will come out and talk about how he had an insurance plan in Ryback and Ryback is a guy who can get the job done. Ryback will probably attack Axel.

I don't really want to see another Ryback and Punk feud at this point but it wouldn't make sense for Punk to randomly drop out of the feud with Heyman so I'm sure he and Ryback will have some matches.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Axel was no longer a credibility in defending Heyman. As such, this left Heyman in a corner's end should this feud have continued without what happened tonight at NoC.

Ryback being in Heyman's arsenal now is too grand. It's the perfect trade. Heyman gets the much needed ruthless muscle he's been lacking against an angrily vengeful Punk, and Ryback gets the exposure his aggresive bullying has been leading up to.

Ryback's addition adds the nostolgia this feud has been lacking. Curtis Axel may not look like the credible figure to take down Punk but Ryback is the complete opposite. Ryback's got a strong character: what he can do for Heyman is actually terminate Punk's vendetta should Punk not be careful. Ryback's size and muscle power alone strike intimidation. This being Punk's opponent bridges to what seems to be a nice add-on to the Punk/Heyman feud going on.

Not to mention it seems that Heyman's got a soon-to-be stable going on for himself. How dandy.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

This is definitely a good move, Punk and Ryback work well together and had some good matches 2012. Punk's is someone who can carry Ryback and help him get over to the main event level. This also continues the Heyman/Punk saga and keeps Punk out of the WWE title picture for now. As for Ryback I could see him being alligned with Heyman over the next few months and eventually they can have a falling out and they can turn Ryback face again. I personally would like to see Ryback vs Brock Lesnar at next years Wrestlemania. They could dubb it "The Battle of the Beasts".

 

[chicagokmc]

Has potential to be good set up for present and future plots. For now, you have Punk/Ryback different this time around because face/heel is reversed. As said earlier, it sets up Axel/Ryback possibly for later and if being a Heyman guy elevates Ryback properly it sets up the big payoff of Lesnar vs Ryback down the line.

 

[zwbruno]

I think this is a great move and can be taken in 100 different directions, all very interesting.

"The Battle of the Beasts" with a face Brock would be epic. A stable with either one other guy (a heel Tyson Kidd?), or a tag team (Kidd and Gabriel?) would be great. I could see Curtis Axel turning face, renouncing his "new" name and finally... And the Rock means Finally, taking the Joe Hennig mantle (although I don't really mind Curtis Axel). Brock could come back and still be on heymans side and Heyman could appear virtually unstoppable, enter Cena. Cena's had huge issues with Ryback and he is the face of Anti-Bullying. Cena/Punk v Lesner/Ryback at Mania sells some tickets. The point is, the options are endless and no matter what, because it's Punk and Heyman, it'll be good. Nuff said.

WM30 tangent/stream of consciousness

Cena/Punk vs Lesner/Ryback (w/ Paul Heyman)
WWE champion Daniel Bryan v COO HHH
The Shield v The Undertaker
World champion Dolph Ziggler v IC champion Joe Hennig
Add in all the great tag teams in WWE and NxT, the Wyatt's, Sami Zayn and the plethora of other talent. Things are looking up, not just for Ryback, but the entire WWE.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I don't think Ryback needs a mouthpiece. I think he has enough personality on his own. Still, being with Heyman should elevate him to the position I think he should be. Ryback isn't a schmoe like Axel. He's somebody with serious headline potential.

If this works out as it should Lesnar vs. Ryback will eventually happen. And Ryback will be a credible opponent for him when it does.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

As a fan of all involved I don't see this as a bad thing. Heyman can help Ryback get back to the main event. Working with Punk will help cement Ryback's character. I figured they would introduce another "Heyman Guy" shortly. I was hoping for Corey Graves from Nxt, but it's not to be. This raises a lot of questions. Can Ryback & Axel co-exist? IF they insist on bumping Dolph Ziggler back to the mid-card at the moment I'd like to see a feud between he and Axel for the IC title. Axel has been the best IC champ in quite some time. His promo work is getting better and I like how even though they're both heels HHH and Heyman/Axel are not on the same page. Also, the more "Heyman Guys" the better.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

If it turns out Ryback is another Heyman Guy, then it's good move no matter how you choose to look at it.

Bottom line, Curtis Axel isn't getting it done. Think about this, in the past year, CM Punk has feuded with the likes of Chris Jericho, John Cena, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Brock Lesnar.......and now we have Curtis Axel. That's a big step down in quality of opponents.

And while Ryback is no Brock Lesnar, he's a noticeable upgrade from Axel. Plus, you have to remember, Punk and Ryback have a lot of history together, so Ryback has PLENTY of reasons to want revenge on Punk. Storyline wise, I'm sure Heyman will spin things to make Ryback believe it was CM Punk, who orchestrated the Maddox low blow at Hell In A Cell and The Shield attacks to constantly screw Ryback out of the WWE Championship.

Ryback is still in need of a boost/momentum swing. The bully persona has provided a nice spark, but aligning himself with Heyman is the better option by far. Heyman is an instant heat magnet, and there's no doubt Heyman's presence will finally steer Ryback in the right direction again.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I don't think Ryback is a Paul Heyman guy at all. I'm going to argue that he's a Triple H guy.

Ryback has been used in recent weeks by Triple H against Dolph Ziggler and assisting The Shield. So why would Triple H help Heyman?

When Paul first approached Hunter about his match with Punk on raw, Triple H said, no matter the outcome, Triple H wins. Obviously, he would take delight in Heyman being annihilated, so how does he win of Heyman does?

CM Punk has stated that once he's done with Heyman, he's going after the WWE Title. I think Ryback interfering is going to eventually be revealed as the doing of Triple H to keep Punk out of the corporation's hair, by having him willingly running around in circles with his personal vendetta against Heyman.

 

[Mac Attack]

I can only see one clear direction for this. Ultimately Punk will win the feud, however Ryback will come out of this like a million bucks. Ryback vs Lesnar in my books now MUST happen. Two of the biggest guys in the WWE both being in Heyman's corner seems like a good setup for a match between the two. If Heyman can elevate Ryback and make him popular again, then I'd guarentee WWE will do the smart booking and somewhere make Ryback-Lesnar happen which I will without a doubt pay to see.

 

[MCMG]

This is a good move for all involved; Ryback gets a mouthpiece to complement his in-ring skills, Heyman receives a new client to develop and Punk has a new opponent to feud with. Ryback/Punk have worked before and I can't remember it being awful which is good news. The Curtis Axel situation is interesting: where does he go from here. Turn face? Stay with Heyman as IC Champ? Stay with Heyman and drop the IC belt? There are options for Axel and Ryback but first and foremost it should be this feud with Punk. If they can get another 2 PPV's from this, they can allow Punk to move on before Lesnar is re-introduced to finish it off.

Ryback can only benefit from working with Heyman and while success might not be immediate, I'm sure he could become a World Champ. It wouldn't be ridiculous to think that Ryback becomes the World Heavyweight Champion in the upcoming months because I think the WWE do like him and there are several options for him as a champ. For example, Ryback/Sheamus for the World title is a better option than Del Rio/Sheamus.

 

[That Zon Kid]

I think axel is going to leave Paul and turn face. There's no room for both of them

 

[The Eighties]

I'm not sure about this, once again Punk and Heyman are working with a guy who isn't over, all he gets are the mocking Goldberg chants that are done in a sarcastic manner, and the "You can't wrestle" chant, so Heyman has a lot of work to do to try and get Ryback real heat.

As for in the ring, Ryback is hit and miss as he can be sloppy and cumbersome but Punk should be able to guide him through I guess.

On the plus side there is storyline history here going back to this time last year and IF Punk and Heyman can get him over it doesn't hurt, plus Punk could use a guy to beat and Ryback has only actually been pinned cleanly once when Henry fell on him, so tapping that galoot out would be a good momentum builder for Punk.

One thing I really don't want to see this leading to is Ryback vs Brock, I'd much rather see Punk vs Brock II. The idea of Ryback winning the WHC and feuding with Sheamus when he returns has potential though.

 

[XXJJ]

A big negative to this is Punk and Ryback put on a shit show inside HIAC last year.

The positive to this is they can extend the Heyman/Punk feud. IMO Axel looked like he didn't belong. He needs to go back to wrestling midcarders. Ryback at least can be an intimidating force and Heyman will carry the mic work.

If they are eventually setting up Ryback vs Brock at WM that will be a mistake. If Brock eventually turns face, I rather see him wrestle someone like Orton. I think Ryback and Brock would be a god awful match. I don't think their styles will mesh well together.

 

[dansaint]

I like it. Ryback needs a mouthpiece and also needs something to do. Heyman could talk this guy up into being a complete monster. Punk and Ryback could have some VERY physical matches for the next couple PPV's.

 

[ChicagoMade Punk]

I think axel is going to leave Paul and turn face. There's no room for both of them

Punk and Lesnar coincided for a good long while before they broke into this feud. I love Punks work. I am a huge fan of Punk and Heyman but this feud lost me when Punk was handcuffed. I just can not believe that Axle is any viable threat for Punk, and he's a big part of this feud.

 

[XXJJ]

The more I think about it Ryback has to go over. I know this will piss off the IWC, but Ryback has done nothing so far. He hasn't had 1 big win. In fact he has lost most of his ppv matches. That is awful when you factor in he is suppose to be a powerhouse.

If they are serious about pushing Ryback he needs to beat Punk.