**MERGED** All Ryback Discussion (Keep all of it in here!!)

[Jack-Hammer]

Not only does Ryback hardly have a "streak" beating almost exclusively jobbers

The vast majority of wrestlers that made up Bill Goldberg's streak were jobbers as well, yet some people think of Bill Goldberg as a friggin' god because of it.

If there does turn out to be some sort of feud between Punk & Ryback, it'll be a brief one I believe. If anything, they'll put Ryback into things while John Cena is out recovering from elbow surgery. At house shows this weekend, CM Punk is claiming responsibility for Cena needing to undergo the surgery in the first place. Even though Cena is saying that he'll be out for at least 6 weeks, that might just be part of a storyline as it was initially reported that he'd be cleared in time for the HIAC ppv. The WWE could be going the route of Cena claiming that he's not medically cleared but insisting that he challenge Punk for the title at HIAC with WWE not being "responsible" if Cena suffers further "injury". Why would WWE go this route? Because there's nothing but upside. We can all completely buy into Cena being so determined to take on Punk that he ignores medical advice. It's the sort of head strong, crazy brave thing people have come to expect from the ultimate babyface wrestlers. Cena takes on CM Punk at HIAC and CM Punk gets the win over a John Cena that's still "injured", thus giving Punk another major win while simultaneously protecting Cena by giving him a legit way out.

If Cena really is taking some time off, then this feud has something of a novel feel to it because it's come completely out of left field. It's one of those feud ideas that could turn out to be quite good or a horrible choice. If Ryback shows that he has good chemistry with Punk, then this could possibly lead to bigger things later down the line. Otherwise, it'll show that Ryback is someone that might need even more work than many of us already believed.

If Ryback does step in for Cena, I expect him to face Punk at HIAC. In which case, there'll be some sort of definitive winner otherwise it'll just be one major clusterfuck that'll piss people off. After all, I'm sure this match would take place at HIAC and HIAC always has a winner no matter what. I don't see that changing. I don't see Punk dropping the title to Ryback, he's just not ready for that in my opinion. That means Ryback's streak will end but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Thus far, aside from The Miz, Ryback hasn't really faced anyone that would be thought of as a star, so his streak hasn't become so interconnected with his career as Goldberg's did. If WWE can successfully follow up on Ryback's first loss, then they potentially have a long term star in the making.

After all, there's only so far that Ryback can go with the streak angle and still be all that interesting. People are already wanting to see Ryback in long term feuds and competetive matches that go longer than 3 minutes. There's long term money in Ryback only if WWE can develop his character further after he suffers his first loss.

In short, Ryback should not beat CM Punk right now. He shouldn't be WWE Champion. He's not ready to be WWE Champion. But that doesn't mean that Ryback still can't come out of this situation, if there is indeed going to be a brief feud with Punk, smelling like roses.

 

[thebarber]

didnt know they were feuding, WWE having Ryback there was solely to have people tune in next week to see why and what is happening. Burying Ryback to Punk now is idiotic to contemplate. Having Ryback side with Punk, turn hel and join Heymans guys is a great idea. Slow build Triple H/Batista stykle until Ryback is ready to go solo and a main event run and have him go over Punk in 12-18 months time, that is a fantastic way to build a characyer and Punk could pull it off and elevate Ryback better than anybody on the roster. With the uncertainty of Cena's immediate in ring future, WWE are testing the waters, very obvious. There is no PUnk/Ryback fued, whatsoever, but down the track yes, maybe a possibility.

 

[vampirek]

I don't there will be a feud at all, its more like teasing Ryback into feuds and making him more relevant and built up over time. Ryback is simply giving the message to Punk his time will come. However I don't see it yet, they still have to feed him the usual suspects of Kane, Big Show, Henry first.

 

[Richard]

So right now I'm gonna believe this was a test by Vinnie Mac, his reaction didn't warrant a WWE title match, & we won't get Ryback/Punk atleast till 2013.

That part wasn't shown to the crowd, that's why it was dead in terms of reaction so you can't really say that it doesn't warrant a WWE Championship match because of a reaction that was impossible to get.

I feel that it was just a once off thing with Ryback to protect Mick Foley. Perhaps one day down the line but not soon.

They could easily have a non title match on RAW or something and have Foley help Ryback to win a match against Punk but nothing title wise.

 

[Wald]

Could just be a way of getting people to think of Ryback as someone who belongs with the likes of Punk, doesn't have to instantly transition into a feud and I hope it doesn't.

Simple blow off for now would be for Punk to be in the ring on Raw, running his mouth about Cena being injured and for Ryback's music to hit. The crowd will pop for that, but as he makes his way to the ring have the Miz attack him from behind, setting up a beatdown into a comeback scenario where Ryback cleans house on Miz and Punk before they hightail it.

That puts heat on the Miz vs Ryback feud, and adds a storyline for further down the road with Punk vs Ryback

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

After the ending of last weeks Raw and Cena being gone for the next 2-6 weeks I guess, it makes tonight's show very interesting. Do the continue with Ryback and Punk? or Does Punk start something new, and against who?

This could be a key show for the WWE as it may get some on the fench people to tune in and see what happens with the main event scene next. WWE has been putting on better Raw's the past few weeks and this could be a crucial show to continue that trend.

 

[rge2010]

A lo of people suggesting Ryback 'turned up' for that last segment as a possible replacement for HIAC if John Cena cant make it.

Has anyone suggested the man on the floor - Mick Foley? HIAC is his play ground. CM Punk vs Mick Foley - Main Event at HIAC? I would buy into that.

 

[theBec2101]

I really dont want to see it. I guess it would be alright if he ended up joining Punk. Haymans Guys against another stable. I rather see that then a match right now. I'm just not into the Ryback gimmick right now.

Heymans Guys HHH Guys
Punk Randy Orton
Ryback vs Goldberg(or Sheamus)
Lesner Batista (or HHH can wrestle)

 

[closet_fan]

So much for that. They didn't even mention an ounce of it last night. Even Punk didn't talk about it when he was talking about beating up Foley.

 

[SuperKick36]

Everyone:

I just merged SEVEN Ryback threads into this one. I think that's a clear sign that we need a thread like this.

KEEP ALL RYBACK DISCUSSION IN HERE. Any new Ryback threads will result in an infraction for the thread creator for Duplicate Topics. For more information, read the rulebook.

Okay, really short here, but basically the title says it.

Ryback cannot lose yet if they want to build him up to be this incredible beast that they have been trying to so far. They need to TEASE the quick-title win, or getting the shot, but Ryback keeps missing (barely) his chance at just a title match.

I hope Cena is healthy enough to wrestle, so Ryback does NOT earn a title; then I hope Ryback almost gets another shot, but loses the chance somehow, not by his own fault.

Then another. And another... and another... all for stupid reasons that somewhat screw Ryback. Have him slowly beat bigger and bigger stars cleanly as this goes on.

Then finally, he gets the shot at a pay-per-view. This, in my view, would put the crowd behind him. They would get hungry to see him get just a title shot. They would be behind him, and to be honest this is classic face support/building.

FYI- I prefer Ryback to Skip Sheffield (who I once called a mix between Kurt Angle and Hornswoggle). I also like Ryback (so far) and am glad the WWE has a monster/muscle guy again.

Thoughts? What do you think of this idea? Do you think someone ELSE could be pushed like this, perhaps the "next face of the company" instead of Ryback?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There's a very, very slim chance that Ryback will be a World Champion anytime soon. Ryback is just now starting to really make a big connection with the audience. Putting the title on him right now would be like expecting your 3 month old baby to walk before it knows how to crawl.

I think that WWE is mostly just setting this up as a tease for something that "might" take place at a later time. They're testing the waters a bit and they've probably moved this up significantly ahead of schedule due to Cena's injury and the reports coming out about how banged up he is physically.

According to reports, Michael Hayes is wanting to keep WrestleMania season "simple" by not tryng to turn things into a complete cluster. Hayes thinks that CM Punk should drop the title to The Rock at the Royal Rumble next year and for Rock to drop it to Cena at WrestleMania if officials are hell bent on going with Cena vs. Rock II. There's a huge possibility of that happening I think. Punk is money for WWE right now, his segments are consistently the highest drawing on Raw right now, along with John Cena, and they need Punk to stay strong going into next year as the company is hoping for big paydays for both the Rumble and WrestleMania. They need Punk for that, so Punk will either be the guy that ends Ryback's streak or their feud will be pushed back a bit until Punk drops the title.

 

[Fansince1992]

I don't know how many others didn't watch Smackdown last friday. Maybe it's just me but i decided for this week to not watch it, however i saw in the spoilers on this site that Ryback had fought in a Handicap match against Primo and Epico. I wanted to see Ryback's match because he is the ONE i want to watch at the moment.

I didn't care for any other content on Smackdown only Ryback. He just has this intensity about him that i just have to watch.

People might say im only interested in Bodybuilder, Oiled up, musclemen, and maybe Kevin Nash is right when he ranted about Bigger Wrestlers, Ryback is one of those larger than life superstars that most want to watch.

I'd like to see Ryback mixing it with The Punks, Cena's, Sheamus's, Orton's. I'm sure WWE can work something out for him to fued with the best WWE have but keep him undefeated. No need for Ryback to hold one of the 2 top straps yet, but keep him up there in the mix.

It's quite tough for WWE creative right now as we can clearly see they don't want Ryback talking, but they want him around the main event.

 

[smizzy]

I agree with the point you're trying to get across.
But I'm quite sure the title picture only has three men in it until Wresltemania; CM Punk, John Cena and The Rock. Ryback, even he does get a title oppurtunity will not win it and it will only be the one match.

Punk likely holds the title til Rumble; drops it Rock. Rock defends at Wrestlemania vs. Punk or Cena.

No Ryback in that equation.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Do not give Ryback the title, ever. That would be as bad as when David Arquette was WCW Champion. Ryback is completely talentless. He isn't worth the money they spent on his singlet.

 

[Teddy Irving]

I am not a huge fan of Ryback to begin with. I am not sure what it is but I am just not as high on him as everyone else seems to be. He is ok in the ring and I like the fact he is solely based on power moves and he does have the look to do that. But he has been fighting jobbers for far to long for my liking. He went against Tensai recently and the 2 matches weren't bad but in the raw match he didn't seem able to lift Tensai up for the finish and I feel with a guy his size he should be able to do so if he is a man who is meant to be an absolute powerhouse.

Either way don't have him in a title match yet let alone win it. He is just not ready. He may have a big streak of wins behind him but how many of them are against opponents who are generally winners? I know people wont like the idea of comparing him to Goldberg here but bear with me a minute... Goldberg had a huge streak but just look at who he was beating on his way to the title, everybody. Ryback has beaten guys like Primo and Epico, Jinder Mahal basically nobodies. He needs to beat more credible opponents in my opinion.

Also lets not forget that a champion (especially WWE or WHC) is expected to be able to talk and cut a promo on nearly a weekly basis at this stage. Other than saying 'Feed Me More' Ryback hasn't done any talking to my knowledge and if he has it hasn't been live or in front of a crowd, so I feel that is another reason not to give him the title unless he is given a mouth piece.

 

[HereComesThePain53]

I want Ryback as Champion asap. At least he won't attack fans all day and plus, he isn't materialistic and greedy. Furthermore, I know that Punk is a heel and all, but he's getting on my nerves with everything he says and his cowardly behavior. Where is the iconoclast, recalcitrant Punk that was present during the summer? Now he's a coward. He's got to the level of Vickie (Hate her the most - just get outta WWE already you screaming pathetic swine). So, WWE SHOULD give Ryback the title and continue building him as an indomitable superstar. Ryback would make a credible champion - he would be a face, but he'd be ruthless. Ryback = new CM Punk.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

It's highly unlikely that he would get the title anytime soon. Vince is high on him but I dont think that he would be that big yet. He has yet to prove until they put a strap on him. Stranger things had happened(for example Sheamus first win of WWE championship over Cena) but I think he has yet to prove to be somewhat relevant to be WWE champion.

I agree it's too early for that. They build him properly as monster face but it's still early to put the big strap on him. With proper build perhaps next year but not right now. He is not yet "mainevent" ready.

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

I want Ryback as Champion asap. At least he won't attack fans all day and plus, he isn't materialistic and greedy. Furthermore, I know that Punk is a heel and all, but he's getting on my nerves with everything he says and his cowardly behavior. Where is the iconoclast, recalcitrant Punk that was present during the summer? Now he's a coward. He's got to the level of Vickie (Hate her the most - just get outta WWE already you screaming pathetic swine). So, WWE SHOULD give Ryback the title and continue building him as an indomitable superstar. Ryback would make a credible champion - he would be a face, but he'd be ruthless. Ryback = new CM Punk.

Did you REALLY just say that? Are you serious? What the fuck has Ryback done to deserve a title shot? Who the fuck has he beaten that's actually BEEN champ? I like Ryback but he doesn't deserve a title shot yet. He hasn't been there long enough and he hasn't won any titles yet to deserve it. And don't get me started on your last comment Ryback=Punk? Punk is miles ahead of Ryback as far as mic skills go and as far as skill Ryback is no match for Punk. Ryback is strong but that doesn't make him better. Not by a long shot. His cowardly behavior? He's a fucking heel! What do you expect?

 

[Theo Mays]

I could talk about Ryback all fucking night if you let me. I'm all for Ryback getting a title shot or even the title in general. The crowd absolutely popped when he came out for the save during the McMahon/Punk match. The guy is getting over with the crowd and it is only a matter of time before he is huge. Wrestling fans are always calling for something different, well guess what...here it is. Ryback is a fresh face in the main event scene. Sure you can knock his in ring skills, but they are keeping the matches short to show Ryback as an utter machine that destroys what is in his path. The guy is gonna be a star and it is only a matter of time. If he gets the title now, fantastic. Though I'm all for holding off a bit. I've pegged him as the Rumble winner with him going onto WM to fight for the WHC against whoever the champ is come that time.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I could talk about Ryback all fucking night if you let me. I'm all for Ryback getting a title shot or even the title in general. The crowd absolutely popped when he came out for the save during the McMahon/Punk match. The guy is getting over with the crowd and it is only a matter of time before he is huge. Wrestling fans are always calling for something different, well guess what...here it is.

I think his pop has something to do more with a new Face or Angle at the WWE Title than actual support for him. Personally I am all for Ryback getting a title shot just to "test the waters" but I would like to hold things off before actually giving him the title.

 

[Syborgg]

There's a very, very slim chance that Ryback will be a World Champion anytime soon. Ryback is just now starting to really make a big connection with the audience. Putting the title on him right now would be like expecting your 3 month old baby to walk before it knows how to crawl.

I think that WWE is mostly just setting this up as a tease for something that "might" take place at a later time. They're testing the waters a bit and they've probably moved this up significantly ahead of schedule due to Cena's injury and the reports coming out about how banged up he is physically.

According to reports, Michael Hayes is wanting to keep WrestleMania season "simple" by not tryng to turn things into a complete cluster. Hayes thinks that CM Punk should drop the title to The Rock at the Royal Rumble next year and for Rock to drop it to Cena at WrestleMania if officials are hell bent on going with Cena vs. Rock II. There's a huge possibility of that happening I think. Punk is money for WWE right now, his segments are consistently the highest drawing on Raw right now, along with John Cena, and they need Punk to stay strong going into next year as the company is hoping for big paydays for both the Rumble and WrestleMania. They need Punk for that, so Punk will either be the guy that ends Ryback's streak or their feud will be pushed back a bit until Punk drops the title.

The problem is, Punk ending Ryback's streak would make ZERO sense. It would only serve to destroy all that they've put into Ryback in the recent months. I agree with you that putting the title on him right now would be a mistake. I know the easy comparison is Goldberg, but really his rise to the top should be something similar to the way Goldberg's went. He needs to win a mid-card title, then defend it alot while working his way to the main event. I kinda hope he wins the WHC before he wins the WWE Championship, but even then that should wait a bit.

 

[DJS92491]

As CM Punk's reigns have proven, being a champion in WWE doesn't mean anything if the higher ups see you as bigger than the title.

As Triple H says, the title doesn't make the guy, the guy makes the title.

I still disagree with this mindset, but really Ryback holding gold doesn't hold any real significance other than just a next step in the evolution of his character. Am I saying he should become WWE Champion? Personally, I say no since I still believe that the champion should be the top guy in the company, but at this point WWE probably would. I want Punk to break Cena's record, but I would not be surprised if Ryback took the gold away from Punk in a kind of Goldberg taking the gold away from Hogan moment.

Sure, it definitely is too soon. Ryback still is too green to be safe to work with in the ring. However, if the crowd loves repetition and routines enough to buy all that is Ryback, then WWE will do it.

 

[TheLoneCharles]

I'm suprised no one has mentioned this scenario...

Ryback gets the title shot. He is kicking Punk's ass and just as it appears he is going to win Brock Lesnar takes him out. If they want to make Ryback a huge star, this would open up the possibility of a Ryback VS Lesnar or Ryback VS Punk....either one possibly at Wrestlemania.

Hell, why not have Brock finally put over someone that can actually use it? Because Cena and HHH really don't need more matches with him (although another HHH one is likely inevitable)

 

[DJS92491]

I'm suprised no one has mentioned this scenario...

Ryback gets the title shot. He is kicking Punk's ass and just as it appears he is going to win Brock Lesnar takes him out. If they want to make Ryback a huge star, this would open up the possibility of a Ryback VS Lesnar or Ryback VS Punk....either one possibly at Wrestlemania.

Hell, why not have Brock finally put over someone that can actually use it? Because Cena and HHH really don't need more matches with him (although another HHH one is likely inevitable)

Would Brock Lesnar feel safe in Ryback's hands? I don't think he would. Not to mention that Ryback isn't anywhere as good in the ring as a guy as hyped as he is should be. If I were Brock, I'd give the rub to someone else for safety reasons.

 

[avi01]

This is the latest episode of "shove it down their throats".
Come on. The guy has ZERO advertised PPV appearance, has a 'streak' where he mostly defeated jobbers(who turned out to be more entertaining than him)and he is thrown into the WWE title picture? Don`t give him the title yes but what the hell is he doing in there anyway?
You want to give something new, oh there are tons of other talents who has been building slowly and shown more? Apart from vs. the Miz, where is Ryback`s reference match? He has shown no dimension and the character looks just ******ed to me. Why the hell is he considered main event material?? Is he even safe to work with? If anything, it shows the desperate state of WWE right now. They had to fast track this one cause they could not build a proper face to use when Cena is injured.
He is getting good pops right now,well do you expect people to stick up to that feed me more thing for long?? The moment he gets against someone semi-popular, it is only a matter of time before people turn on him. Why? He is simply not relatable...there is massive work to be done with him. People will by into this food chain crap for only little amount of time before they ask themselves wtf is this? Not funny, not intense...just dull.
Am not saying he can`t be good, but this is terribly built and people will throw this back to WWE eventually. Ryback is no Lesnar or Goldberg. He won`t win the title, no way...he shouldn`t.