Despite Ryback’s loss at WWE Hell In a Cell, WWE is still committed to pushing him as the company’s new main event babyface monster.
Following his controversial loss to WWE Champion CM Punk at Hell in a Cell, new details have come out regarding what WWE had originally planned for the match finish.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the original plan was for Ryback to pin CM Punk in the middle of the ring clean and win the WWE Championship. Ryback would then hold the belt through Survivor Series and would eventually drop the belt in a multi-man gimmick match at TLC, where he wouldn’t have to be pinned or submitted. This was the scenario Vince McMahon had settled on until Thursday 10/25, just 3 days before Hell in a Cell.
The following day (Friday), Vince made the call to keep the belt on CM Punk because Punk’s long title reign was more important than Ryback’s undefeated streak, which isn’t really necessary to portray him as a monster. WWE has spent so much time focusing on CM Punk’s long title reign that it would be better to keep the belt on him past the 1-year mark so his eventual match with The Rock at the Royal Rumble would have higher stakes.
Once the decision was made to keep the belt on Punk, WWE spent the entire weekend figuring out how to cost Ryback the match while keeping him strong. WWE considered a wide range options before settling on crooked referee Brad Maddox, including run-ins from Brock Lesnar, Big Show, Mark Henry and even Vince McMahon himself.
* Picture of THE ROCK Dressed Up As The Incredible HULK For Halloween
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)