Mason Ryan's return

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

Mason Ryan recently worked at a WWE Live Event, squashing Brad Maddox as a face, and has been competing in NXT, eliminating 11 superstars in an 18 man Battle Royale, before being eliminated by Adrian Neville. The signs are pointing towards WWE starting to build Mason Ryan as a monster face, similar to Ryback last year, and there is a possibility he may be getting repackaged in my view.

In my opinion, Ryan has improved immensely during his tenure in the New Nexus, and it'll be great to see him in action again. WWE are kind of lacking in the monster department at the moment apart from Langston (who's just lost his title) and Ryback, with Henry and Show away, Big Zeke being AWOL, Khali being unable to pose a legitimate threat/wrestle, Lesnar being part-time and lol at Brodus and Tensai. We haven't heard him in the mic yet either, and with his return, maybe he'll get a chance to show his mic skills.

As for how and when he should return, I can maybe see him feuding with Jack Swagger when he comes back. With Ryan being Welsh, and Swagger under his current "Real American" gimmick, it could be useful to use Swagger as enhancement talent for Ryan, seeing as Swagger isn't going back into the main event any time soon. This could be useful to give Ryan a push to feud with someone in the upper mid-card, like Sheamus or ADR.

I think this guy, like Ryback did last year, has a lot of untapped potential, and it'll be worth giving him another shot as a solo star.

Your thoughts?

 

[das1234]

i would have him tag team with alex riley, i think they fit well together and were together a few times on superstars i think.
there is no reason to go overboard with him, i would have them get over as a team and see from there.

 

[Dirk]

When Ryback had his program with Punk and the Shield, there were lots of times when he'd just stand somewhere, grimacing. They could do this with Mason Ryan, so he doesn't have to talk.

 

[i'm a cm punk girl]

Mason Ryan sucks. They should just have him & Big e as Partners (since WWE needs more teams anyways)or put him in midcard feuds for IC title

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Mason Ryan honestly they should have had him as Paul Heyman's newest client instead of Curtis Axel, it would have been better for Mason Ryan to be Paul Heyman's newest client because Paul Heyman could serve as Mason Ryan's mouthpiece but also Ryan just by associating himself with Heyman his career could have then truly taken off

 

[TempestH]

Mason Ryan should be in a tag team with Ezekiel Jackson.

Either that or he should be an enhancement talent. Ryan isn't that good, but at least use him to job so that more talented workers with bigger upsides don't have to job as much. If Mason Ryan is putting people over, Alex Riley doesn't have to.

 

[I'm A Vince Russo Guy]

The thing is with these big guys, you have to either send them straight up to the main event pretty quick or nothing at all.

With the prevalence of smaller wrestlers in comparison to 10-15 years ago, when a big guy like Mason Ryan or Ryback comes in now they really stand out from the crowd. Nobody takes them seriously if they're only hanging around the mid-card, fighting for 3rd rate titles. Because whatever you think about such guys, there has to be a level of realism in the product.. it's alright putting a guy like Mysterio in the main event, but when you put a big guy in the mid-card it just looks ridiculous.

Look at Rob Terry in TNA for example. He has become a laughing stock, working comedy gimmicks, and it's impossible to take him seriously. Same with Great Khali in WWE. When Mark Henry was in the mid-card, nobody gave a fuck about him, etc. Matt Morgan suffered from this for years in TNA too, but it looks like they're rebuilding him.

So if he is coming back soon, expect to see him rising up the card pretty fast.

 

[edgehead113]

The answer to Mason Ryan is pretty simple to me. Put him in a face Euro Tag Team with (a turned) Cesaro. Have Regal serve as the mouthpiece of the group. Build them up as powerful Euros out to prove they're tough enough to hang with the best. They can challenge the Shield. Mason Ryan vs. Roman Reigns would be a clash of titans.

I wouldn't recommend it, but they could have Santino as a 3rd wheel and have him go after Ambrose's US Title. Then they'd be able to do 3 on 3 matches too and keep the Euro stable thing going with Regal.

 

[supernatural1981]

The thing with Mason Ryan is he can still have a reasonable run in WWE as he is still unknown enough that they could bring him in and just let him squash the undercard ala ryback and go from there.

I remember his short nexus run and seeing him in a VIP box (no known reason) but apart from those two cases he is a unknown entity to me.

He was green as a leaf last time i saw him but if he has been training while away hopefully he can come back and do something. Ive never read any bad reports on the main site about him or any negative backstage rep stories so maybe he still has a chance to make a name for himself as a WWE superstar.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

He certainly can't have gotten any worse. The fact that Ryan didn't get a monster push in WWE but was, instead, sent back down to NXT is, in my eyes, another example of how the general strategy for creating stars in WWE has changed since Triple H took over Big Johnny's position. Ryan has the look that probably had Johnny Ace seeing dollar signs despite the fact that he simply couldn't wrestle.

I've seen some footage of Ryan as of late and he's certainly far better than he once was. However, squashing Brad Maddox is hardly any sort of endorsement that Ryan is on his way to a big push. As far as his role in NXT, given his size, I'm not at all surprised that he's played the role of a near unstoppable monster in battle royals. Given his look and size, that's probably the best use for him in those kinds of matches. He looks dominant by eliminating a ton of wrestlers on his own before being eliminated himself, thereby making whomever eliminated him see all that much more formidable. However, as we've really begun seeing, especially over the course of the past several years, the mind set of a lot of fans is changing. Ten years ago, the idea of someone like Daniel Bryan or CM Punk going over someone like Batista would have seemed ludicrous. As others have pointed out, however, many of the best talents in wrestling who have emerged have been wrestlers who are smaller and have a more "normal" look to them. Guys like Punk or Daniel Bryan might not have the physical presence of someone like Batista or Mason Ryan, but their personality, in-ring abilities, understanding & use of in-ring psychology are all more than enough to make up for that particular shortcoming. If Batista popped back up in WWE, frankly, I think most fans would be upset at the idea of him going over Punk or Bryan at this point.

I think that Batista saw the writing on the wall when it comes to the changes in who would be getting pushed in WWE. He's stated that he didn't like the direction the company was going and even mentioned the PG stuff. However, the problem with Batista's statements is that he seemingly had no problem whatsoever with the PG rating or general direction of WWE as long as he was one of the top guys frequently in main event spots wrestling for World Championships. Compared to a lot of the guys in WWE right now, and some on their way up, Batista simply can't compete with them when it comes to promo or in-ring work.

As far as Mason Ryan goes, it's hard to say what his future is. He's only 31 years old but the fact of the matter is that he's a professional bodybuilder turned pro wrestler. Just because he has a great physique doesn't mean he ultimately has what it takes to make it as a pro wrestler. He had several years experience working in Europe before signing a developmental deal with WWE in 2009. If I was WWE, I'd start him off with teaming him up with a veteran mid-card guy, someone who can help cover for his shortcomings while he works on them. Maybe team him up with someone like R-Truth, build them into a solid team, have Ryan turn on Truth eventually and have that be his first feud. Depending on how he looks and how the matches of their feud go, decide where to go from there.

 

[MCMG]

The answer to Mason Ryan is pretty simple to me. Put him in a face Euro Tag Team with (a turned) Cesaro. Have Regal serve as the mouthpiece of the group. Build them up as powerful Euros out to prove they're tough enough to hang with the best. They can challenge the Shield. Mason Ryan vs. Roman Reigns would be a clash of titans.

I wouldn't recommend it, but they could have Santino as a 3rd wheel and have him go after Ambrose's US Title. Then they'd be able to do 3 on 3 matches too and keep the Euro stable thing going with Regal.

I like the idea of the European stable with Regal as the mouthpiece. Regal is wasted not being on TV and I'm not entirely sure if Mason Ryan can deliver a promo. Santino as the third member is weak. He will always be a comedy figure in my eyes and I can't see him stepping up to feud with the Shield. Keeping with the European theme I guess there is only Drew Mcintyre, Wade Barrett and Sheamus. McIntyre would be a good choice- he is going nowhere in the 3MB in terms of actual success but I think this would be a good change for him. Barrett is the IC champ so that i a no-go unless they wanted to unify the belts. Sheamus would the obvious choice as he has had previous and a feud for the US belt between him an Ambrose would be enjoyable.

Back to Mason Ryan: I think he initially needs to be in a stable. He is not quite ready to be a single's competitor and I like the idea of a European stable. Even a British or indeed a British and Irish stable ( The Lions tour is currently which could act as an act of bonding and a catalyst).

Ultimately, I think Ryan should be in group with Regal as the manager, Drew McIntyre as his tag-team partner and either Cesaro, Barrett or Sheamus as the man to challenge for the US title. This could be a heel or face stable but choosing the latter ( with Sheamus involved) gives the potential for a heel turn and a feud with Sheamus. Simply, he is not ready to go it alone.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

I actually like your idea of a European stable with Regal as the manager/part-time wrestler and then Mason Ryan the enforcer who could be Regal's tag team partner with Sheamus as the main-event calibre superstar who is always in contention for the World Title and then you have McIntyre as the crown jewel of the stable the young lion of the stable by breaking him away from 3MB

This would look like a European-style Evolution style group with Regal being the Flair of that group, Ryan being the Batista of the group, Sheamus being the Triple H of the group and McIntyre being the Orton of the group

 

[ramblinroy682]

I agree that Mason Ryan should be in a tag team. And I definitely think he'll need a mouthpiece. Regal seems to be a pretty good choice. But, I think the partner he needs is down in NXT...

My choice, Adrian Neville. I know Ryan isn't British, he's Welsh, but I could see a team like the British Bulldogs. Ryan is the Power Guy and Neville is the high flyer. Neville is really small and more than likely isn't ever going to be "the man" in WWE. At least, not anytime soon. Ryan is still missing something, but putting them together would allow for them to cover each others flaws.

If not Neville, then my other choices for his tag team partner would be...

Justin Gabriel.

or

Tyson Kidd.

Same reasons as mentioned above. Kidd is almost too talented in the ring for this, but you'd get two guys over instead of one. And, you'd be adding to the tag team division which needs some new life.

 

[LionheartCJ]

Ryan is British, Wales is in Britain. I think he could work well as a lone powerhouse, as long as the WWE doesn't get too stuck on the idea that he needs to talk all the time. Talking has completely ruined Ryback for me. I'm never a big fan of the big muscle guys who cant do a lot in the ring, but Ryback had a gimmick that was getting over pretty well, and for no real reason they turned him heel and got him to never shut the hell up. let Ryan be similar to Ryback, admittedly there would need to be some changes, like not necessarily putting a massive focus on the streak, and certainly don't thrust him into main event status too fast.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Yes push Mason Ryan as the next big powerhouse face of the WWE like pushing him towards Ryback status by pushing Ryan to the moon as a babyface by developing an undefeated streak for Ryan through re-debuting Ryan and bringing him back up engaging in a few squash matches, get that on his belt before having his undefeated streak be even more legitimate by going over mid-carders and upper mid-carders before bringing Ryan into the main event

 

[Miz_America]

I feel like I've seen this thread a million times. Heres how it goes down: Ryan debuts on Superstars (whatever) wins a bunch of matches against a bunch of guys nobody could care less about, he will not get cheered... again. He will not get over....... again. He will be shipped back to Orlando................... again. WWE, stop trying to make Mason Ryan happen! It's not going to happen!

 

[HBsam31]

This come up in the thread with Ezkiel Jackson, and I think they should put Mason Ryan into a tagteam with Big Zeke. I am guessing that Ryan has been training and hopefully getting better, and the tag division could use a monster face team to go up against The Shield. Just like Zeke I am not a fan of Mason Ryan as a singles star, but as a tag team like i describe I think he could be of use.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Thev botched with Ryan by giving Cesaro the "rugby player kicked out of the league" gimmick. It would have been perfect for Ryan as Wales is known for rugby and he looks the part.

Rightly or wrongly Ryback seems to have failed, so its Ryan's turn. His problem is he is too Batista like as himself and the accent will always be hard for americans to understand. Personally I'd repackage he and someone like Jesse White into a new Demolition style team, maybe even bring the gimmick itself back with Ax and Smash passing the torch...

 

[TempestH]

Thev botched with Ryan by giving Cesaro the "rugby player kicked out of the league" gimmick. It would have been perfect for Ryan as Wales is known for rugby and he looks the part.

Rightly or wrongly Ryback seems to have failed, so its Ryan's turn. His problem is he is too Batista like as himself and the accent will always be hard for americans to understand. Personally I'd repackage he and someone like Jesse White into a new Demolition style team, maybe even bring the gimmick itself back with Ax and Smash passing the torch...

Mason Ryan would fit as a dominating power team, but "The Man They Call Jake Carter" doesn't look the part for that kind of role. Vader's son is kind of big, but he looks more like someone who would be as an explosive speedster that can plow people over with a mix of power and agility (similar to Roman Reigns or Alex Riley). If there's anyone Mason can be paired with, I still think it should be Ezekiel Jackson.

I don't think Ryan is good enough for a sustained push, but he would be good as a warm body to put other talents over, an enhancement talent that can dominate little guys for two minutes only to get caught in a flukey roll up pin.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Mason Ryan would fit as a dominating power team, but "The Man They Call Jake Carter" doesn't look the part for that kind of role. Vader's son is kind of big, but he looks more like someone who would be as an explosive speedster that can plow people over with a mix of power and agility (similar to Roman Reigns or Alex Riley). If there's anyone Mason can be paired with, I still think it should be Ezekiel Jackson.

I don't think Ryan is good enough for a sustained push, but he would be good as a warm body to put other talents over, an enhancement talent that can dominate little guys for two minutes only to get caught in a flukey roll up pin.

Which is exactly how classic teams like the Demos, LOD and Bulldogs worked. Ax was the powerhouse and Smash exactly how you describe Carter... Much of his offense was off the ropes! Hawk was more of the same and for all the gymnastics the Bulldogs worked cos they had bigger guy with the speedier one.

I think Ryan needs a partner who is new to fans and Carter would work well. it's clear they are not gonna play too much off the Vader connection... Paint them or mask them but Ryan has far more chance that way than as Batista-Boyo...

If you go The Bulldogs route then they need to rehire Harry Smith for it to work and even then I'd rather see Paul Burchill or Doug Williams with Smith.

 

[#IndyRules]

Might sound weird but can't wait till his repackagement is complete.
The guy is built for Vince. Though he's not especially tall, he has the build of a McMahon pet project and this guy whether we like it will be in the World title hunt someday but as for when he immediately returns ? A tag team with Alex Riley as Faces would be great and is a way to get Riley back involved, when he is a singles competitor, i think william regal as his manager would do wonders for him, though regal is still ok to compete i think his talents may be best served as a manager as much as i want him back for one more run.
Mason Ryan = Monster !