Ryback as a heel

[CM Steel]

It's just been over a year now since we've seen the debut/return of Ryback in the WWE. Skip Sheffield received the push ever wrestler coming out of WWE NXT dreams about. He ran through a bunch of jobbers climbling the ladder to taking the almighty John Cena's spot at last years "Hell in a Cell" pay per-view in the WWE championship match against CM Punk after super Cena got injuried. And wrestling fans has went as far as comparing Ryback to wrestling legend Bill Goldberg. Goldberg never beat up on jobbers coming up the WCW ladder and he won their world title the first time around, something that Ryback didn't do.

Now a night after Wrestlemania 29. Ryback turns on John Cena making him a full-fledged monster heel. Goldberg was never a heel in his entire career. Ryback feuded with Cena for the WWE championship for over two months. And still hasn't won a championship in the WWE. He beat Chris Jericho at the Money in the Bank PPV. As well as some production guy backstage during the crews lunch break. The same night where Ryback would lose to John Cena in a table's match. So in which direction is Ryback headed in now?

And what would you rate the now heel Ryback in a progress report? I give him about a B+.

 

[SacredMesa]

Didn't care about Ryback when he was a face, care even less about him as a heel. The guy does nothing for me, he's boring to listen to, and boring to watch wrestle. IMO the only thing he ever has or will do worth noting in his career is be a good punching bag and stepping stone to help establish The Shield.

 

[kadroan]

I give him a B. He made the most of his situation. They needed a top heel to step up and he did it. It's just unfortunate he was matching up with Cena instead of someone like Del Rio where he would have a legit chance to win.

 

[Ashw825]

I think they ruined Ryback when they didn't have him beat Henry at Mania. Every single ppv from HIAC to Mania Ryback had absolutely no business winning. Ryback should have beaten Henry at Mania. I also think Ryback should not have turned heel as he would still get big pops from the fans and was over and pretty well protected. But I think having him lose at Mania to Henry completely destroyed him and I haven't taken him seriously as a heel since then. This is coming from a guy who really liked Ryback's face run. However, if they want him to work as a heel, I think he should play a Bully Ray like character where he basically just bullies employees backstage. I think he should start working with Vickie Guererro and be a SMACKDOWN! regular and start contending for the World Heavyweight Championship under the management and preference of SMACKDOWN! gm Vickie Guererro.

 

[rb286]

Goldberg was never a heel in his entire career.

Goldberg has been heel as far as I recall, back towards the end of WCW.

As far as Ryback's heel run has gone, he has been unfortunate considering who he has gone up against. Cena was always going to beat him and since then he has looked weaker than before. Although his push up the card was far too quick for my liking anyway, let him build himself in the midcard for a while before trying to elevate him up the card again.

He can really hone on his character/ring work/promos whilst in the midcard before giving him that eventual push. I'm just glad they didn't slap the WWE title on him prematurely otherwise that would've been disastrous for him. I would've thought teaming him up with Vickie Guerrero would've been a good idea, some alignment with her still could happen I suppose.

 

[Redemption-2012]

I have been saying this for months...Ryback is the next big thing in WWE. I know he had his chance at the WWE title and he blew it but he still has HUGE potential IMO. Just because he has no direction or feud right now, he will soon. The guy has it all, the size, the look and most importantly the charisma. I hope to see him continue building momentum, despite all the losses he took over the past year. The idiotic booking team messed up with him by having him lose to Mark Henry at WrestleMania.

They now have a blank canvas with Ryback to continue rebuilding him as a legit threat to the World championship, this time they had better make something of it. Maybe in the future, he can be one of Daniel Bryan's opponents for the WWE title. I could see that feud being interesting when Ryback has a few more wins under his belt.

 

[Mustang Sally]

He seems to have "skipped" a step. Ryback was beating up jobbers and had just advanced to a mini-feud with Jinder Mahal. After that, he made the jump to main event status when John Cena somehow stepped aside (was he injured?) and turned his Hell in a Cell match against CM Punk over to Ryback. From there, it was a series of matches at the top. In spite of the jump, I don't think it was ever intended he win the championship at that time, but that build of his at least made him appear as if he belonged in title matches, I suppose.

I've wondered what other folks in the locker room thought of this unexpected advancement. Many of them toil so hard to get to the top of the card and some never get there.....yet here was Ryback, thrust into the thick of things.

Yes, he's got the type of physique Vince McMahon loves....and when you've got the body, management often seems to forgive a lack of ring skills, which appears to be the case with this guy.

Heel or Face?.....I was surprised they brought him in as a good guy; he doesn't fit the mold. Therefore, it was no shock when they turned him bad.....honestly, he better suits the profile. He looks like a bully....and now he is one. Let's see where it all takes him.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

He seems to have "skipped" a step. Ryback was beating up jobbers and had just advanced to a mini-feud with Jinder Mahal. After that, he made the jump to main event status when John Cena somehow stepped aside (was he injured?) and turned his Hell in a Cell match against CM Punk over to Ryback. From there, it was a series of matches at the top. In spite of the jump, I don't think it was ever intended he win the championship at that time, but that build of his at least made him appear as if he belonged in title matches, I suppose.

I've wondered what other folks in the locker room thought of this unexpected advancement. Many of them toil so hard to get to the top of the card and some never get there.....yet here was Ryback, thrust into the thick of things.

Yes, he's got the type of physique Vince McMahon loves....and when you've got the body, management often seems to forgive a lack of ring skills, which appears to be the case with this guy.

Heel or Face?.....I was surprised they brought him in as a good guy; he doesn't fit the mold. Therefore, it was no shock when they turned him bad.....honestly, he better suits the profile. He looks like a bully....and now he is one. Let's see where it all takes him.

Yes Cena was injured. And they used the growing pops Ryback was getting as an excuse to thrust him into a no-win situation. When CM Punk hurt Mick Foley, walked away and turned around to see Ryback standing there, it was awesome at the time. But they should've left it there as a tease. They could've came back to it after Punk finished his feud with the Rock. Instead, well what happened, happened.

Anyways, I am liking where they have taken him since his heel turn (though the heel turn itself I believe was a mistake). After that brief, but awful, stint as Cryback, the bully heel suits him well. They haven't quite got it right yet, but it really should write itself.

If he's going to stay heel, which he should for a long while now, I would prefer him to take over Mark Henry's heel role. Just a monster who gets over by beating people up, winning the matches he should but losing to the big faces. Even beating some of them occasionally. Mark Henry beat Sheamus. No BS. Very few words. Just destroying people. It's not complicated. It's mostly a matter of proper booking and creative did a very good job of doing it with Henry, so I don't see how they should screw it up with Ryback.

 

[crippler]

After his sluggish Start and his stumbling promos when he 1st turned heel I am happy to see improvement from Ryback both in promos and in the ring.

If your grading him from start to now I would give him a C

But if it was since he turned heel I would give him a B

 

[Dirk]

It's fine that his monster push slowed down - monster pushes aren't sustainable. What bugs me is that he went from being a guy who would no-sell a lot of jobbers' offence (taking on three at a time), to a guy who would happily throw in the towel. That takes everything away from Ryback in my eyes.

What I did like very much, was when Bryan had that gauntlet-like match on Raw (where he defeated Swagger, then Cesaro), Ryback was protected somewhat by getting himself disqualified.

On Ryback's promo work... I don't know how much of what he says is scripted (I'm guessing all of it is), but the whole "say hello the Lucifer"-schtick was pretty awful. He's not the devil or even a mystic character, at that. He improved a hell of a lot in a short time and I'd rather give him a chance on the mic than have him stand there, silently, frowning and flexing his arms.

 

[LSN80]

I think he's been a complete failure as a heel, and it has nothing to do with his program with John Cena. If anything, he could have come out of that stronger, but failed to do so, mostly because of how he was booked.

Instead of making his return after his week off and becoming a destroyer, like Big Show did last year around this time, he came back as a whiner. Someone who complained about the sturdiness of the ambulance, and quit matches against both Mark Henry and the Miz because he was "injured". How does he go from the heel who pinned Cena at Payback and put him through the wall at Extreme Rules to that?

He beat Jericho with a small package at Money in the Bank, and he's not even on the Summerslam card. That, combined with mic work that has been all over the place, and he's failing badly. He needs a reboot, perhaps some time off.

 

[Ric 'The Nature Boy' Flair]

personally i think ryback is plain and does not have wrestling ability or mic skills hes just strong C+

 

[CM Steel]

Did anybody see that backstage segment on RAW with Ryback punking out the "local wrestler" in the locker room? It looked like a scene from a prison movie! Oz, Felon or something like that. Ryback is just bullying this poor man around in the locker room slapping a gym bag up outta this guys hands making him pick it back up, and forcing him towards the shower...I was so afraid for that poor guy, afraid of what my eyes might see next. The shower scene. Where Ryback tells the guy to turn the shower on. My heart started beating fast. Now Ryback goes from just being a big bully to a potential rapist, smh.

The WWE is moving in another direction for sure with segments like that one. That was beyond some attitude era shit! Ryback. BE A STAR!

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I like him as a heel. He has that stupid redneck on steroids look about him that makes me dislike him. He makes a good bully. I'm not sure who I'd have as the baby face though. Maybe Ryback needs to go through a few first before he gets beaten.

I liked this most recent bully scene btw. It was almost tough to watch, which it should be. Prison rapey stuff. I think they should really push the envelop and have him bully a diva or a kid. Or both, why not. Maybe that's Cena's return. Ryback is bullying some cancer kid and Cena saves the day.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

I am liking the evolution of this heel Ryback character. I was a big fan of FACE Ryback and believe that he will eventually turn back towards strong good guy. They'fe basically changed Ryback from a cowardly heel into this bully character who's the total antithesis of the B A Star campaign WWE runs. Where the payoff is I believe will be at Wrestlemania 30 where Ryback squares off against a returning Sheamus. This would be a great opportunity for a vintage double-switch where Ryback pushes Sheamus to the limit and the Celtic Warrior continues to beat his opponent after the match. Either way I would have Ryback go over cleanly or have Sheamus snap and brutally attack Ryback until he passes out as I believe in the long run Sheamus works better as a heel and Ryback a face.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I have to say that I'm liking this "Bully Ryback" persona that's going on. It's a very, very believable role for Ryback. I mean...shit, just look at the guy. In some way, shape or form; most people would be genuinely intimidated by someone looking like him. Like TWJC stated, Ryback definitely has that redneck on 'roids look about him. Plus, nobody "likes" a bully character no matter what, so this can lead to some good heat for Ryback.

However, when it comes to bullying someone like a kid, especially a sick kid, I think it's definitely something WWE needs to avoid. Even if WWE finds a kid and his family and go over the whole idea with them, they agree to do it & even think the idea would be a lot of fun; there'd be a TON of people downright pissed. Despicable characters abound in some of today's most popular shows like Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, & American Horror Story: Asylumn; but people get all bent out of shape whenever WWE stirs up some controversy even though the controversy is staged & scripted every bit as much as shown on those other television shows. If people get bent out of shape with Jack Swagger & Zeb Colter or CM Punk & Paul Heyman "making fun" of Jerry Lawler's heart attack, just imagine the outrage of Ryback "bullying" a sick child. It's a shitty double standard really when you take into account the critical acclaim and numerous award wins of shows like Breaking Bad, which has thrived on controversy.

 

[Christian Faith]

Ryback bullying a sick child is simply put the WORST suggestion I have ever seen on these pages!

To borrow a quote from Daniel Bryan...

NO NO NO NO NO!!!

Now back to the topic.

I found the whole segment with him forcing that guy into the shower last night a total waste of air time. I understand the need to build Ryback up as a heel but I thought he was going to bum the guy the way he was going!

Also he has gone from dressing like Goldberg to now dressing like Bully Ray whilst wrestling in RVD style ring attire!

Right now I am finding him as boring as hell.

C

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Ryback if anything if you ask me he is thriving in this bully gimmick reminding me sort of like Bully Ray in TNA with Ryback quickly becoming the most hated man in WWE like how Bully Ray has become the most hated man in TNA by being a bully and Ryback is thriving in being a bully because the heat for Ryback is legit and if anything he has the complete package for what a champion Triple H is looking for, why not build around Ryback instead of Orton

 

[MCMG]

I'm really enjoying Ryback as a heel. His backstage segments have been simple but are working in garnering heat. Some may say that he is losing momentum but his PPV record was so bad that people were losing interest. I think that the WWE have something exciting plan to stop this "bully". Hopefully it is a big surprise but I think it will be Mysterio.

So far I would rate Ryback's bully gimmick very highly and it is working very well and should help him gain some credibility back.

 

[Radical]

This is probably the best thing the WWE could do for the Ryback character. It makes sense now that he is a heel and especially now that even heel Ryback has seen losses like the face Ryback saw so many of at PPVs.

Ryback needed a reboot and this is the best way to do it in the pro wrestling world.

The key will be for Ryback to actually, FINALLY, WIN a PPV match.

I'm not sure who they will put with him first... maybe Zack Ryder? He's not doing much and still has a pretty good following. They could put it on a PPV card late or even DURING the PPV when Zack Ryder tries to stand up for himself and the GM makes a match. It would be basically a squash match with a little resilience from Ryder.

Then, when Mysterio comes back I guess they could put him in a feud with Ryback but Ryback needs to win a PPV match against him or he loses credibility again. This would be worse than Punk beating Lesnar. Mysterio could still "win" by then getting someone like Big Show on his side and winning a tag match or having Big Show as ringside help.

 

[The Eighties]

It's not been easy for Ryback, he's had 4 gimmick changes in under a year. He's went from the monosyllabic powerhouse face, to the monster heel with lots to say, to Cryback, to Rapeback, and to his credit he's put his all into each incarnation.

I actually thought they had him on the right path with the Cena feud, his promos steadily improved and even though he lost the program he pinned Cena clean and Cena never pinned him or made him tap out, however they decided to change course.

As far as the bully gimmick goes, he's certainly doing a good job but I read the other day that supposedly the merchandise people have been told to come up with new ideas for him, which apparently usually means a face turn.

I wonder if they are gonna do some corny angle where Ryback reveals that he's only a bully because he was bullied as a kid and they'll tie it in to the Be A Star campaign and he'll become the bully bashing babyface!.....Yes it sounds horrible, but just thought I'd throw the idea into the mix.

 

[torres]

I think Dr Shelby needs to be brought back to work with Ryback. Unless it ends up tying in somehow, it's extremely hypocritical of the WWE to run the Be A Star campaign while featuring Ryback as the stereotypical bully unless they plan to confront the issue eventually.

 

[Mac Attack]

The heel Ryback has surely helped his character...however he's still not been given a feud where he legitimately wins cleanly. The reason I say cleanly is because in theory he "won" the Jericho feud but he didn't really "win the feud by his terms but more because of a roll-up. Ryback surely is starting to get some of his heat back attacking the small guys however he's still not connecting as well as he should be, not beng used as consistently as he should be and just isn't where he needs to be. I am and was a huge Ryback fan. I went so far as calling him one of my favorite current wrestlers... (prior to HITC) and I think he can get there again. He just needs the feuds and more importantly the WINS.

Heel Grade C+

Debut Grade C-

 

[IT Factor]

To be honest, whether it is Skip Sheffield, Ryback face, or Ryback heel it is still the same big untalented guy who sucks to me. Give that same mega-push to better talents and they would be champion by this point. Ryback has had every single opportunity to get over with fans and show what he is capable of and each time he has failed in almost every aspect. When he was starting to get massive fan response with the "feed me more" catchphrase and the "Goldberg" chants I thought there may be some potential. But since then he hasn't done anything but manage to be an overrated annoyance on television each week while some better talents don't even get TV time. If WWE ever does a roster cleaning, Ryback should be at the top of the future endeavors list.

 

[NickRude]

yeah i agree with most of the people on here about Ryback and how all the repackaging and gimmick changes hes had..ud think hed be over at this point lol.

HOWEVER..with this new Ryback Bully Be a Star thing is finally starting to get over with me personally..i think for once hes using his size to make himself seem like a complete asshole to people, and its actually coming off decent. When he dumped the food on that guy couple weeks back was a good one, the guy in the shower segment with his bag getting wet was pretty solid too

i just hope to god he doesnt get put in the title picture again anytime soon lol..idk if hed work well in the Corp 2.0 either..i think he needs to just keep doing the ryback bully thing for a while n see if that gets him any further than the last year lol.

How would u guys feel if he was put with Heyman?