It’s not easy being a WWE Superstar. With so much travel, media, and actual wrestling, the job is understandably taxing on a Superstar’s physical and emotional well-being. Since the advent of the WWE Network and their original programming, WWE Superstar’s are expected to compete more frequently now than ever before.

Former WWE Superstar, Ryback, has spoken out on his podcast, Conversations With The Big Guy, about WWE’s rigorous touring schedule, commenting on the promotion never having an offseason whilst their talent deal with constantly hurting whilst on the road.

“You’ve got to adapt quickly to the schedule and [you’re] hurting all the time. That’s one of the best things about not being on the road. You wake up and it is just one thing after another. Because it is never-ending. There is no offseason or nothing,” he said. “[…] It is an adjustment for talent, booking your hotels, booking your rental cars, WWE takes care of your flights. But you must be good with your money. You are not just a professional wrestler. You’re a professional driver.”

The time taken driving from one location to another for WWE tends to be done in long stints—a fact that can be dangerous, especially if you have to drive through the night.

“I’m shocked that there have not been any deaths,” Ryback said. “Driving on one-way roads with semi-trucks. There have been nights I have been driving with my head bobbing, drinking my tenth coffee just to stay awake because I’m going on 45 minutes of sleep doing media in the morning. It’s a grueling schedule for the talent.”

Ryback has been wrestling on the independent circuit since parting ways with WWE in 2016.

Thanks to Wrestling Inc. for the quotes.

Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently took part in a “Ask Me Anything” session on the Squared Circle Reddit where he spoke about various topics including his past issues with CM Punk.

The issues come from Punk’s appearance on Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast from November of 2014 where he spoke about his time in WWE. This is where he told stories about Ryback allegedly being unsafe in the ring and accused him of steroid usage.

“He has personal issues with me because his bullsh** didn’t work with me. Karma dealt with him already. You would hear more stories of me hurting people if that were the case, but it simply isn’t. His steroid allegations are out of pure jealousy. The guy has shit genetics and can’t even get abs cutting weight with MMA training. Our history is in the past and I wish him all the best out of wrestling, but his remarks were done purposely from other personal occurrences.”

With the launch of AEW (All Elite Wrestling), there has been speculation of who the promotion could sign next and getting more talent under contract. Ryback’s name has been talked about by fans. He seems to be interested in having a conversation with officials about the possibility.

“Once I’m healthy I will speak to Cody if I feel I can contribute in a meaningful way. They are going to do very well over time I believe. They have an opportunity to do wrestling the way it always should have been done.”

Ryback had some fun with WWE through Twitter after seeing a post that the company shared on social media about the “biggest acquisition in SmackDown Live history” announcement.

He had a successful run in the WWE that ended once he decided to depart from the company in 2016. During his time with the WWE, he held the Intercontinental Title.

This announcement will be made by WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon on Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live. This edition of the blue brand will feature the second night of the Superstar Shakeup.

The former WWE Intercontinental Champion took to Twitter where he trolled them by making up “Henry Healthcare” as well as bringing up how WWE doesn’t provide healthcare for talents among other things. He wrote the following:

This comes after Ryback called out top WWE officials to address the criticism from John Oliver on Last Week Tonight on HBO that got a ton of attention from fans and those in the wrestling business. In this segment, Oliver gave a critique of WWE and how they treat their talent.

With the launch of AEW, there is a ton of speculation as to which talent that the promotion will be able to sign to contracts. A name that has surfaced online that could be a possibility is former WWE star Ryback.

He had a successful run in the WWE that ended once he decided to depart from the company in 2016. During his time with the WWE, he held the Intercontinental Title.

A fan recently asked him on Twitter about the possibility of him joining the All Elite Wrestling roster. He would bring up how he needs to get two more stem cell procedures and a shoulder scope done before he moves forward with his wrestling career.

He wrote, “I’m extremely happy for all involved and have known @CodyRhodes a long time. I have 2 more stem cell procedures and a shoulder scope to get me where I need to be in January and will then evaluate everything wrestling wise. I can’t be anything less than my best ever if I return.”

I’m extremely happy for all involved and have known @CodyRhodes a long time. I have 2 more stem cell procedures and a shoulder scope to get me where I need to be in January and will then evaluate everything wrestling wise. I can’t be anything less than my best ever if I return. https://t.co/3dnSqxFrkM

— RYBACK (@Ryback) January 9, 2019

You can see an updated list of talent who are now under contract with AEW here:

• Cody Rhodes
• The Young Bucks
• Hangman Page
• Chris Jericho
• PAC
• Joey Janella w/Penelope Ford
• Christopher Daniels
• Frankie Kazarian
• Scorpio Sky
• MJF
• Britt Baker

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion jumped to defend Nia Jax from an online attack recently. Journalist, Bryan Alvarez made a comment regarding Nia Jax and the injury suffered to Becky Lynch on Monday night. Ryback then offered up his opinion in response.

Well, there you go. That was not an inadvertent elbow. She punched her right in the face. I don't want anyone to lose their job, but at the very least Nia needs to be sent back to developmental for awhile. This isn't the first, second or even third time this has happened. https://t.co/ZoVhC4buSL

— Bryan Alvarez (@bryanalvarez) November 13, 2018

Ryback then responded with the following:

Shut the fuck up. Who the hell are you to make a statement like that? You’re a fucking mark and your shit opinion is the reason a lot of people spew hate onto wrestlers. You’re a pussy who can’t do it, so you criticize those who can. Mistakes happen, your parents understand that https://t.co/zuhQt7Sbwx

— RYBACK (@Ryback) November 14, 2018

While Ryback was critical of Alvarez for offering a critique on a wrestler’s performance, Alvarez is a professional wrestler himself. He offered up the following in response to Ryback’s comments: “I started wrestling in the mid-90s. In over 1,000 matches with everyone from Buddy Wayne to Lance Storm to Rock & Roll Express and Los Villanos and Larry Sweeney and Jack Evans and everyone else, I never hurt anyone, ever. Pretty sure I’m qualified to give my opinion on working.”

Bryan Alvarez Wrestling Career

Alvarez has recently come out of retirement this year as well. In July, he teamed up with MLW’s “Filthy” Tom Lawlor in a losing effort to the legendary Rock N Roll Express.

Most recently, Alvarez defeated “Mr. Fun Size” Marko Stunt at Big Trouble In Little Crown Point for Powerbomb.TV.

Back in 2010, Alvarez defeated a wrestler by the name of “The Ideal Canadian” to qualify for TCW’s Can-Am title tournament. Unconfirmed rumors suggest the man Alvarez beat was actually Lance Storm.

Many fans are disappointed that Bobby Lashley will not be involved in the Universal title match at SummerSlam. Thus robbing them of an encounter of Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lensar.

Tale Of The Tape

Lashley and Reigns faced each other for the number one contender spot for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. Reigns would win the number one contender match to face Lesnar leaving Lashley back in a mid-card feud with Elias.

The Big Guy Speaks

Ryback gave his take on the situation involving Lashley and Reigns on Conversation With The Big Guy.

“They want Roman Reigns to be the guy to beat Brock Lesnar. You have to look at it that you are selling to the house market that a big win over Brock Lesnar does more for you worldwide than just that hardcore audience [if Lashley would have won] regardless of what they think.”

“Something like that they are going more global. You have to look at the big win Roman Reigns had over The Undertaker and other wins that he has been afforded over the years. That adds up and sells merchandise and that puts him in that sort of position.”

“The Big Guy” Ryan Reeves aka Ryback has made his opinion known of Hulk Hogan recent Hall of Fame reinstatement.

The Wrestling Community And Their Reaction

He has done all of the right things. That is not an easy thing to overcome — to deal with all of the scrutiny and criticism, and again, you can’t defend any of that by any means. It was a huge mistake on his part. I think if you take any of us in our private moments and private lives anyone can judge anyone at any given time, and granted that was as bad as it gets. There is nothing you can say to defend that, but all you can do is know that you are wrong and realizing your mistakes, and is now going out and helping other people make better decisions to not go that road, so that if somebody has a private conversation you just raise awareness to be a better human being. It was a horrible incident and I think him being back in WWE makes all of the sense in the world.

Reaction To The News

I listened to Mark Henry’s interview on TMZ; Mark is a very intelligent human being. Mark Henry loved and adored Hulk Hogan growing up, as did everyone, and I am sure he was deeply hurt by the situation, and just from the standpoint that it was one of his childhood heroes,” Ryback said. “But as stated, he is a human being, which people tend to forget about wrestling in general, but somebody of that magnitude he has created so many amazing moments in people’s lives, and kids’ lives that are now adults and what not that it is easy to forget when you put these people on pedestals up on higher levels but we forget that at the end of the day they are humans and they do everything as everyone else does, including making mistakes so I think it is a good thing that he is back. That doesn’t mean that everyone is going to forgive him, but all he can do is live a better life for his fans and for everyone that supports him

Brock Lesnar just made a splash in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) – again.

“The Beast” was cage-side for UFC 226 on pay-per-view (PPV) to witness Daniel Cormier make history against Stipe Miocic. “DC” became the second man in UFC history to hold two championships simultaneously in the promotion, now being the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion.

After the fight Lesnar came into the Octagon after being called out by Cormier. The pair engaged in a very WWE-esk shoving match and UFC President Dana White confirmed Cormier vs. Lesnar is the next heavyweight title fight on the docket. There’s just one slight issue in regards to Lesnar’s WWE career. He still holds the Universal Championship.

There’s been a ton of speculation as to if Lesnar will keep the Universal Title while he fights in the UFC, or if someone will dethrone “The Beast” before he steps away again. Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback recently took to his podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, to offer his thoughts on the matter:

“I think Brock’s in such a cool position,” said Ryback. “There’s nobody like him right now where he is literally a part-time UFCer and a part-time WWEer and he’s making probably more than anyone else who does the sport outside of maybe Conor [McGregor]. You can’t hate on anyone for that. He is living the ultimate life and he’s been proven.

“He’s a draw and he’s an attraction, and I don’t know, I think it all depends on what happens in this fight, but Brock is a lot bigger than DC, Daniel Cormier. Brock’s almost like a bully a little bit when he’s in there with [certain] guys.

“He’s one of those guys like when he’s really confident, he’s really, really hard to stop and I believe there’s been moments in his career where he was just beyond confident and he maybe wasn’t as talented as the other guys fighting but he’s so godd**n strong and such a freak athlete that if he’s able to survive the beginning, he can kind of impose his will on guys.

“When he hasn’t been able to do that is a different story. Will he be able to do that to DC? I don’t know. DC is an olympic-level wrestler. So, I don’t know. DC is… it’s an interesting matchup, but Brock is a big heavyweight. What I mean when I say that is, he probably walks around at 280, 290 and cuts down to 265, where there’s a guy like DC who’s fighting Light Heavyweight, then comes up [to 246].”

As for whether or not WWE could allow Lesnar to hold on to the Universal Title while he fights in the UFC, Ryback believes WWE would be all for it:

“I think WWE would be all for that,” said Ryback. “You’d think they would as far a publicity-wise, the WWE [Universal] Champion and the UFC Heavyweight Champion, never before been done. And he’s one of those guys they can do cross-promotion with.”

You can listen to Conversation With The Big Guy by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback recently took to his podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, and discussed how he came up with the “Feed Me More” catchphrase. He noted that he used to work at a restaurant and wasn’t making enough money to buy his own food.

Thankfully the cooks at the restaurant were nice enough to give him free food from the leftovers that were sent back to the kitchen:

“Back when I was working at a place called ‘Smokey Bones,’ I would eat so much food. The cooks knew how much I loved to eat. Oftentimes, people would take a bite out of the steak, and this would be the most expensive steak there, and for whatever reason, they wouldn’t like it, and at that time I was really struggling.

“The cooks would give me free food, but I ate so much that I had to end up paying a portion of my money by tips for food throughout the day,” Ryback said. “Oftentimes, especially during slow periods I would order a couple of chicken breasts and put them on the table and take a bite on the table as I am hustling. I would be there all day from morning until night, so I would cut the piece of the part that they bit off then I would eat the other part that wasn’t bitten.

“I would have multiple aprons and dry clean them. I would put the steaks in my apron and just take bites of the steak. Sometimes it would be so busy that I wouldn’t have time to cut the bitten part, so I would just eat the opposite end and once I got close I would throw it away.”

Ryback said that he and the cooks in the kitchen developed a good friendship, and the “Feed Me More” chants represent a time in his life where he was able to change a struggle of his into something positive:

“One of the cooks there, they took great pride into feeding me. They would cook extra stuff and hide it. There would be a half of rack of ribs in the back and I would have to find it. It wasn’t a joke because I was there from morning until night. Everyone assumed I would make it in pro wrestling, even after I had originally been fired.

“They got great pride into feeding me more. The cook one time said something like, ‘feed me more.’ So, I got the idea from that. I would say to them, ‘feed me more,’ and they would hide food for me to have to go and find it. I originally said it to them and it then became a joint thing, but on WWE TV I kept saying it so it stuck from there,” he said. “The arms, I got the idea from Bloodsport, and it looked silly, but it was different.

“I was doing this arm taunt that didn’t have words with it. After the ‘feed me more,’ I started to do it with the arms and then it just started making sense, and it just happened, but the idea came from ‘Smokey Bones.’ It has great meaning to me because I own it and the idea that the cooks would feed me when I had nothing, so it holds a special place in my heart because I created it when I was starving, both literally and figuratively.”

You can listen to Ryback on Conversation With The Big Guy by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former WWE Superstar “The Big Guy” Ryback left the WWE in 2016 and cited frustrations with the creative department as one of the reasons of his departure from the company. Ryback was loved by fans and was doing pretty well until his main-event status was suddenly ended.

Ryback talked about his career in the WWE on the recent episode of his podcast Conversation With The Big Guy. He talked about the early stage of his WWE career and what he would have done differently. According to Ryback, his loss to CM Punk at Hell in a Cell marked a shift in his career and ended his momentum.

“I could have done a million different things. When I first got put into the main event, the first thing they should have done is that I shouldn’t have lost when I did with CM Punk. I should have never been put in that position with the momentum that we had. We had that for about 7, 8 months after that. Or, you avoid putting me into that position altogether and you continue to build me up and letting the process naturally evolve. That was about it. It’s not rocket science. We had lightning in a bottle, and they decided to let it out, and that is all there is to it,” Ryback said. “That could be recaptured in the right situation again, but you have to have both sides going for the same goal. If they’re not, then s**t happens. Everything was great, and there were good moments from that run, but anybody that knows anything about pro wrestling knows that it was all by design. It is what it is, it was a great learning experience, but who the f**k cares. It’s all fake anyways.”

Ryback also talked about fans who take WWE too seriously. He believes that the company does what is needed to be done and the fans shouldn’t focus too much on a decision taken by the company.

“I only think there is an outrage with a small percentage online where everyone migrates towards each other. The noise gets louder because they are all talking to each other, and are screaming to be heard. You aren’t going to please everybody. There are trillions of people on the planet. They have a product, and are making money obviously,” Ryback said. “They have a system that they have in place where they want an emphasis on the brand and not on an individual superstar. They know what exactly they are doing. When people are hot and cold, they know what they are doing and when they are doing it and know why they are doing it. They have an exact system in place. The brand makes money and you are never going to please everybody anyways. Even when they go in a direction where they put the championship on AJ Styles, you are going to have people that are going to be pissed off. They would say that Nakamura should be champion, etc. There’s always going to be people that are going to be outraged no matter what they do.

You can check out the podcast by clicking here. Quotes via WrestlingInc.

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback was recently interviewed by The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “The Big Guy” first offered his thoughts on SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan getting cleared by WWE doctors to return to in-ring action:

“I am very happy for him. I saw him back at Rusev’s wedding last year and we were talking and it was when he had returned (I believe) he was on TV as an on air role at that time but I could see that it wasn’t fulfilling to him because he didn’t have that outlet to perform and he didn’t have that physical aspect of it.

“You’ve got to understand that when you wrestle and he wrestled for a majority of his life and I could tell you first hand that especially for myself having to back off a bit this last year that it is extremely and mentally difficult when you are used to making money with your body and being told you can’t do something is extremely taxing on the human mind.

“For him to have to still be in that environment, granted not as much as he was but to still show up to TV every week and to watch all these guys he came up with getting their opportunity to perform and not being able to do that is extremely frustrating.

“I felt for him deeply because I knew how bad he wanted to wrestle. It is really cool to see him get another chance because he was so hot when it all got taken away and I was there for that and I witnessed that on different occasions where he went through the different injuries up there and overcame them.

“So to see him return, I’d like to see him take it easy for a little bit and he seems to have thrown himself back into the mix full steam by taking an apron power bomb and doing those God damn dropkicks where he lands on his head but I would have liked to have seen him ease back in but I guess if you are going to go and he only knows one speed and that is why everybody loves him.”

He then commented on the supposed “bad blood” between himself and Rusev. Most notably, Ryback commented on one of Rusev’s live Instagram videos and teased “The Bulgarian Brute” by saying he hopes he’s not involved in Jon Bravo’s steroid controversy documentary:

“I guess there are a lot of people out there that are so smart and they know everything about wrestling and I can’t tell you how many times I talk about Rusev as one of my favorite all time opponents and one of my favorite people. What friends do is they go online sometimes and they bust each other’s balls. He’s done it to me and I’ve done it to him and it is unfortunate that we live in a day and age where people can just cherry-pick something.”

“I see he is doing an Instagram live and I click on it. He sees me, cracks a smile and says ‘big guy’. I leave a comment and he makes a comment about me which we talk about through text. He made a comment about me not being natural and I made a comment back to him that he could lose more weight and I got pegged the bad guy in that one because two friends were having fun and it was one of those things where he says me and Ryback have no beef, well nobody takes that part.

“Everybody just thinks that Ryback was blocked from Rusev’s Instagram and I can assure that I am not blocked and we were just talking earlier today. People have to understand that guys laugh at this sh*t. If I had a beef with someone the last thing I would do is go on an Instagram live and hash it out on that.”

Ryback also responded to the constant comparisons he receives to WWE Hall Of Famers Ultimate Warrior and Goldberg:

“People are always going to do that and the only thing you can do is go out and live your life and have your career. It is unfortunately that you are going to have people that they’re extremely loyal to the people that came before you and I’ve always said that and I never once tried to go out there and replicate being any of those guys. I have a bald head and I have big traps.

“They did short matches and I do longer matches but that is the role that they played and I had played that role as well doing the shorter matches but that is just what people like to compare you to in the guys that came before you. In ten or fifth teen years if another guy comes along wearing an air-brushed singlet he might get compared to me.

“It is just the way that the business is and you can’t really get too caught up in that because we are all our own individual person or wrestler at the end of the day and I think the fans that know our styles were completely different, the move sets are completely different and the characters are completely different.”

– WWE Superstar Rusev recently held a live stream on his Instagram account. Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback joined in the stream and made a comment that forced “The Bulgarian Brute” to end the stream. Ryback said the following:

“Are you involved in this steroid scandal? I can’t have you involved in my company if you’re involved in this [Jonny] Bravo stuff.”

Rusev responded by saying that he was going to block Ryback on Instagram and told fans to thank him for being the reason he is ending the stream now. It was all captured on video by “The Top Rope” on YouTube, and you can watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pf5x15SQHE&feature=youtu.be

– WWE made the decision to change the name of the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal to simply “WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.” This came after a ton of backlash towards, not only WWE, but to WrestleMania sponsor Snickers. Shortly before the name change Mars Wrigley Confectionery US, who is the parent company of Snickers, issued out the following statement on the matter:

“We were recently made aware of the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc’s (WWE) decision to honor a former wrestler during the upcoming WrestleMania 34 event. As a principle-based business that has long championed creating inclusive environments that encourage and empower everyone to reach their full potential, this is unacceptable. We are engaging with the WWE to express our disappointment”

After the name change was made, another announcement was made by Mars Wrigley Confectionery US:

“We are very pleased that WWE has decided to proceed with the name ‘WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.’”

Former WWE Superstar Ryback took to his podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, to offer his thoughts on Dolph Ziggler’s current status in WWE. You can read the highlights of “The Big Guy’s” comments here below:

Thinking Dolph Ziggler should take some time off:

“I personally think he should take a little break. I think he deserves a break,” Ryback said. “Whether he resigns or not I think he should take some time off, at least 6 months. I want to see him in the Bahamas just drinking. I say take a year off. He is still young enough.”

Why Dolph Ziggler should not to re-sign with WWE:

“I’m a big believer–when I left, and it was under different reasons, but when I left it was the best decision I had ever made because it allowed me to address my health that I put off for a long time, and physically I am in such a better place. No doubt in my mind that if I had stayed and re-signed the contract and given in to everything, I bet you my career would have been over after another year there,” Ryback said. “I would have had to of had back surgery. My back would have been done because I didn’t get MRI’s when I was there because I didn’t know how bad I was, which is a very hard-headed thing to do, but not everyone was necessarily like that, but you don’t want to know how bad you are f***ing up your body.

“Again, it was one move that really did me in, which was that back-pack stunner, but I didn’t know that, and I wouldn’t have known that had I not done the MRI’s and spoken to those who know about it. I feel that now I have a new body because of it at 36 because I took time off for different reasons, which was the best thing for me. I look healthy, lost a little weight, and I got to chill out, work out for three hours. Being that heavy takes a toll on you. I naturally have to train heavy, which I got to dial down on that and not train as heavy this year so that everything can heal up.”

Ziggler might end up regretting not leaving WWE later:

“When you are there for quite some time it’s okay to take a little break, whatever your reasons are. I always say that you work so hard in life and that everyone wants to talk about the grind, but you have to enjoy life,” Ryback said. “What is the point of making money if you can’t enjoy it? You are going to get to a point when you are 50 and realize you missed out on your best years. Not to say that you have years ahead of you, but stepping away and getting out of the bubble will open your eyes and see the light that is out there. There is always ways to make money and wrestling is always going to be there.”

You can listen to Ryback on Conversation With The Big Guy by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Ryback took a dig at Rusev on social media and it did not go well for “The Big Guy.”

As seen below, Jey Uso posted a video on Instagram of Rusev working out with The Usos.

Ryback apparently was not impressed commented on the video:

@thebigguyryback22: I would have expected more weight from “The Bulgarian Brute” ????

@thebigguyryback22: #f***RusevDay

Rusev shut him down, telling Ryback, “all natural workouts here.”

Lesson to Ryback: Don’t talk sh*t on Rusev Day.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BciCrKPhRnu/?taken-by=uceyjucey

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback was recently a guest on Colt Cabana’s podcast, The Art Of Wrestling, to talk about CM Punk’s past comments about him on the show. Ryback explained that he has no beef with Cabana over the incident, admitted that he is able to now sympathize with Punk after his own issues with WWE, and never having been good friends with Punk. You can check out the highlights from the appearance here:

Not having beef with Colt Cabana:

“I was taken aback by your even apologizing because you never – you were just there, you weren’t the one saying the things. It was never between you and me,” Ryback said. “I’m not the type of person where, just because you are friends with the guy where you aren’t the one that said it. Yes, it was your show, but it’s what it is. Not even once did I remotely think, ‘God damn, that Colt Cabana, I wish he didn’t go there with that.'”

Understanding where Punk was coming from:

“I remember when that whole thing happened, and even at the time I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but he has such a following where he made some very valid points about the company and his frustrations, it kind of all lumped into one,” Ryback said. “Till this day, his followers and fans still hate the idea of me, which sucks because once you do get to know me, they think to themselves, ‘Oh, he’s not that bad.'”

Not ever being good friends with Punk:

“I always enjoyed being around you, and you were always good to me, so it was just one of those things, and I understand after going through my own things with WWE, everybody has their own personal story and what not, but at that period in time, he and I always going along before that,” Ryback said. “We were never friends but we were always civil with one another.

“He was in his own world and I was in my own world but we would talk occasionally and everything was always pleasant. I think also when you are dealing with that atmosphere and you are talking about top positions in that company, it is a very sensitive thing. The two guys that I ‘supposedly’ didn’t get along with were the two top guys at the time, and it makes sense, I understand it, and you can’t take anything personal.”

Now being able to understand Punk’s frustrations:

“But I too understand, after going through my own back and shoulder injuries, he was really beat up too during that time period and I am a power wrestler. I remember one night giving him a simple power slam and his back was really messed up and he was hurting,” Ryback said. “I didn’t really know what to do because the one thing with Vince is, if you are a bigger guy and it looks like you are throwing fluff, there’s nothing that will kill you off quicker, but at the same time you never want to hurt a guy that really is injured, so the things he said I think he was just really frustrated too. Again, being in a top spot, I just think it all got grouped together.”

You can listen to Ryback on The Art Of Wrestling by clicking on this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former WWE Star Ryback recently appeared on Colt Cabana’s Art Of Wrestling podcast where he talked about his relationship with Vince McMahon among other things. Below are some of the highlights from his interview:

On Mr. McMahon making him wear a singlet because he thought Ryback looked fat:

“Its’ funny because [Vince] was the one that put me in a singlet because he thought I was fat at one point. I have never been fat at any point in my career but this was a real thing. Word had gotten back to me that I needed to lose 30 lbs, and this was right before I debuted as Ryback, he said. “I was in trunks, but they put me in a black singlet, which made me look like a black Big Show. I thought to myself that I had to do something with this, so I got a hold of RVD and asked him if It was cool that I airbrushed my singlet because I had to do something. I had done this the week before and everybody was like, oh that looks good, so I thought, OK, this is going to work.”

On how he responded when Officials tried to change his attire from singlet to trunks:

“I responded back that it wasn’t happening, and that he can talk to me if he wants to, but I’m wearing my singlet. I’m in control, I’m not wearing trunks. So, afterwards I started not to trust anything that was going on. Finally, everyone was pissed off so I went to the back and talked to Vince McMahon and said that we needed to talk, I went to his office, we talked, and had a conversation about the singlet. I felt that I won the conversation, but not really since he controls everything. Eventually I went to trunks because I knew I was leaving and it became a mindgame at that point. John Cena approached me later and said to me, ‘Congratulations. You won that conversation.’ Ultimately, did I really win? I didn’t win on TV after that.”

Explaining his entrance to Vince McMahon:

“One day Billy Kidman came up to me in ‘Gorilla,’ and he goes, ‘Vince was on the headset and he wants you to explain your entrance.’ I was just to the ring to bulls**t with some of the guys, and I asked him what he meant? Kidman responded that he doesn’t understand my entrance. Like, why you do the arm thing, and then all the arms, and then all your legs, I said to him that I am collecting all of the energy in the arena, feeding off the energy off the crowd. I am collecting the left side, collecting the right side and then I am collecting everything and then eject it into my quads because I go I know Vince will understand that. This is really the discussion and Kidman can hear me explain it over the headset while I explain all of this. I inject their energy into me and then I shut down, and then I wake up, it’s feeding time! I had to explain that to him, and then Kidman just goes, ‘That is just so f***ng weird.'”

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback took to his podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, to talk about a number of professional wrestling topics. During the show Ryback made yet another sexist comment, which he has done several times before, claiming that female professional wrestling fans have mental issues. “The Big Guy” explained why he wouldn’t date a female pro wrestling fan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdthUKg1qDg

“That’s how I feel about a wrestler dating a girl that’s a huge wrestling fan. I don’t know if I would…” to which Marie said, “Oh my God, did you watch the match, that’s all they would want to talk about.” to which Ryback replied, “Yea, amongst other things – mental issues. I would just…it would be scary to me.”

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback recently made an appearance on The Domenick Nati Show to talk about a number of professional wrestling topics. “The Big Guy” has been gone from WWE since last year following a contract dispute withe the company. In May of 2016 Ryback decided to go home from television due to lack of equal pay amongst wrestlers, and was given his release from the WWE later that August.

During his appearance on The Domenick Nati Show Ryback discussed his relationship with Vince McMahon and revealed if he has spoken to him since leaving WWE:

“I have not spoken to him since I left. It’s one of those deals that I wasn’t happy there, and the people that have followed my career can understand why. I had enough respect to know that he created that empire and that system and my only option at that time–they left me no other option, I had to leave. I had to get out of there. And that was it; it was really a simple decision. I’m thankful for everything I achieved there and everything I had the opportunity to do. But at the end of the day, there are some things that I believed in, and I don’t regret anything.”

Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently had an interview with The Domenick Nati Show where he talked about several WWE related topics and more. Below are some of the highlights from his interview:

If John Cena should retire from pro wrestling and focus on his acting career:

“John obviously knows what he’s doing; he’s a big boy, He’s been fortunate to have a lot of opportunities outside of wrestling where he can not take on that full schedule. He did it for a long, long time, so I think it’s great he’s doing other things outside of wrestling. I think as everyone can see, when you allow other talents the opportunity to succeed, they will always step up time and time again.”

Possibly pursuing a career in the acting field:

“I have no ambition or drive for any of that kind of stuff… Not to say that I wouldn’t do it, because I have a guy that is out looking (for acting opportunities), but it’s just not on the top of my agenda right now. Growing my Feed Me More nutrition is my number-one goal, and getting healthy”

His Feed Me More nutrition line:

“My main focus has been on my Feed Me More nutrition line, with it being on Amazon has been huge for me and I’m getting ready to launch over in the U.K. in the upcoming weeks,” he said. “It’s an every day job, but I love being home and being active on it. And letting my body heal up and rest from the years of abuse, I had some stem cell surgery. There’s a lot going on, but I’m mainly business-oriented right now.”

Quotes via WrestlingInc

– The main event of the upcoming WrestleCade Supershow has been announced. Former WWE Superstar Ryback will square off against former TNA World Champion Jeff Jarrett.

https://twitter.com/WrestleCade/status/918260619605954560

WrestleCade Supershow takes place on Saturday night, November 25th from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This is the card going head-to-head with WWE Starrcade, being held locally from Greensboro.

– Per a report from PWInsider, ex-TNA Knockout Madison Rayne has been at the WWE Performance Center this week. WWE has been showing interest in inking her to a contract for the past several months.

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback recently took to his podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, to comment on a variety of professional wrestling topics. “The Big Guy” commented on the recent Sexy Star controversy, revealed if he’d shoot on CM Punk or John Cena in a match, how the incident affects the professional wrestling industry, and WWE telling him to stop using ground-and-pound in the ring. Here are the highlights:

His thoughts on the Sexy Star controversy:

“F–k, she must not’ve been very good at the hold if she couldn’t break [Rosemary’s arm] if that’s a real thing.” Ryback said, “the good news in all of this is that she doesn’t know how to break your f–king arm, so you don’t really have to worry about [it]! You might just be in a little pain, but no true damage is going to be done by the end of it, so that might be her only saving grace, is ‘look, guys, Sexy Star likes to shoot – she’s not good though.’ That might just be… Sexy Star, you’re welcome. I just saved you some bookings. ‘Look, guys, she’s going to try to f–king hurt you out there, but don’t worry.’ Yeah, [the resulting injury will only be a sprain].”

If he’d shoot on CM Punk or John Cena in a match:

“I don’t know if they have an issue. If there is, you typically wait to go to the back to take care of that if that’s the case. That’s like if you told me, again, this is just that, ‘look, you’ve got to go out there and wrestle CM Punk or John Cena tomorrow.’ Like, in my head, I’m not going out there and f–king… you can’t, you just don’t, as a wrestler, coming in and learning everything I did coming in, it’s not even an option. You don’t do that when you have another human being’s life in your hands.”

“You don’t do that right then and there no matter what. You just don’t because the whole thing with [pro] wrestling is trust when you’re in there and that’s the only thing wrestlers have with each other when they’re in there no matter what because you’re giving your body up in different positions at different times for the sake of the match.”

How the incident affects the wrestling industry:

“You think the guys are bad, guys, women will always make things worse.” Ryback opined, “I mean, honestly, I don’t give a s–t, but it’s whatever. Like, it doesn’t belong in [pro] wrestling and that, so it doesn’t look good on all accounts.”

Being told by WWE to stop using ground-and-pound in the ring:

“I had actually a little run with the ground and pound right before I… actually, it was doing fairly well. There [were] a couple of shows that… so now ‘Ryback invented ground and pound’ is the new thing. Yep, assholes, I did. I dare you to find someone who does it better than me. And then, they, crowds were getting with it, and then they told me to stop.” Ryback added, “when I switched to the trunks, I had a little run with the ground and pound. Check it out on YouTube.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently took to his podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, to talk about a number of professional wrestling topics. “The Big Guy” discussed John Cena and Roman Reigns’ upcoming match at No Mercy, who he wants to win, Enzo Amore’s spending habits, his move to 205 Live, and much more. Check out the highlights below:

Reigns and Cena’s August 28th RAW promo and who he hopes wins the No Mercy match between the pair:

“I didn’t watch RAW or SmackDown. The only thing I watched [on RAW], because I heard a little buzz about it, was the Cena/Reigns promo.” Ryback continued, “I went and watched it after just to see and I thought it was really good. I enjoyed the whole thing. Yeah, no, I just think it was about time they do a promo on things of what people really think or whatnot, so I thought it was entertaining on all accounts and I know they mentioned something, they say they thought Reigns forgot his lines. I didn’t see in there where he forgot his lines. People pause and take their time all the time on different situations and whatnot, but yeah, no, I like Roman Reigns. Roman’s a good dude and I always got along with him really well, so I hope he f–king beats John really quickly for creative purposes.”

Cena not being able to politic his way to a win:

“John’s a creative guy. He [has] been there for a long time. He [has] been through this battle many, many times where he [has] been able to politically control it and, ah, this is one where I don’t know, I don’t know if he will. And it’ll be nice if he can’t.”

Enzo Amore’s spending habits:

“I can just tell you that [being] that early on into his [WWE] career he’s not set by any means.” Ryback added, “I’m all for living life, but you’ve also got to be a little smart with your money.”

Amore’s move to 205 Live:

“He’s on 205 Live and I think that’s a good little boost for that maybe and the hardcore people that tune into the [WWE] Network to watch it. But I guess they could still use him on RAW though. They do that with a lot of the little, small circle of guys on that show, right? Like Neville…”

Enzo’s 205 Live move probably being a punishment:

“By the way, it could be punishment to him, by putting him on that and the fact that it keeps him on the road now for five f–king days a week instead of going four where he gets to go home after RAW, where he now has to go to SmackDown. I’m telling you this right now, and everybody that is up there [in WWE] knows that five day a week f–king sucks. The four-days, it’s doable. Five, you want to shoot your f–king brains out because you’re never home. You’re home a day-and-a-half at most.”

You can check out the Conversation With The Big Guy podcast by visiting this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

New Japan has released a video which may be hinting at an upcoming debut, possibly as early as the ‘Destruction’ shows in September.

You may remember the TIME BOMB vignettes that New Japan aired before the return of Hiromu Takahashi, fans at the time believed the promo packages were hyping the debut of former WWE superstar Ryback…

Well this time fans have reason to believe that the ‘switchblade’ video is referring to none other than former NXT star Sami Callihan. Callihan tweeted a few hours after the video was posted and it strongly hints at a possible debut in the near future.

Check out the video below and let us know what you think in the comments.

https://twitter.com/TheSamiCallihan/status/898034753198333952

pic.twitter.com/jmdHWUGymh

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) August 17, 2017

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback recently took to his podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. “The Big Guy” discussed how professional wrestlers should be treated as employees rather than independent contractors, how Vince McMahon can cement his legacy in the business, and John Cena not standing up for fellow talents. You can check out the highlights here:

Treating professional wrestlers like employees rather than independent contractors:

“For publicly traded companies, I think [pro] wrestlers should be employees with benefits and company health insurance. I don’t think wrestlers should be independent contractors when they are told what to do and when to do things. Why should they buy their own health insurance when they’re working for a company that’s publicly traded. That’s my opinion.”

How Vince McMahon can cement his legacy:

“I really hope he realizes before his time on this Earth is done that, ‘do you know what? I’ve made all this money off of these guys lives and I’ve given them the opportunity, but without them I wouldn’t have everything that I have and I need to make this better before I leave.’ And I really, really think he could cement his legacy more by doing things like that and just doing what’s best for everybody.”

John Cena not standing up for other talents:

“I feel, and I wish I was even higher than I was when I did what I did because I always wished somebody in Cena’s position would stand up and actually have the balls to do things right. And if you love [pro] wrestling, you say, ‘stand up for the [pro] wrestlers.’ But he hasn’t and he never will because it’s all about the money.”

You can listen to the full episode of the podcast by clicking this link here.

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback rubbed a lot of people the wrong way after some comments he recently made on a podcast about women’s wrestling in WWE. Many began calling “The Big Guy” a sexist because he suggested the WWE’s female athletes are more valuable for their looks rather than their athletic ability:

“This is what I’ve always said the women are lacking today, is playing up to their sexiness,” said Ryback.

“They did a bodyslam and whatever but then they got on the rope and just like shaking their ass. I was like if a girl did that today, she’d be the most over Diva on the roster. That’s why I always like Melina doing the splits before. Not to be like a creep… this is what makes women different than men because the women they can do all the moves, not as good as the guys (laughs). They can’t climb ladders. We’ll talk about that. That’s a joke, guys.”

“No but like that’s the one thing they have over men, that sexuality. Men can sit there and tell their wives that, ‘No, I’m just watching wrestling hun.’ And that comes on and they get away with watching it. Like they should play up to that. They could still do all the wrestling stuff, but just throw me some sexiness in there.”

“I’m not saying they’ve all got to go shake their ass on the top rope,” Ryback explained. Just play up the sexuality a little more. It’s very subtle and I’m telling you it makes all the difference for that casual viewer.”

Those comments can be heard here:

https://twitter.com/nicolesbrianna/status/887425838341382145

The Tweet has received nearly 2,000 likes, one of them coming from current SmackDown Live star, and former RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte. Ryback responded to those who called him a sexist after his comments on Snapchat, posting the following sarcastic video in which he is talking about Charlotte during her match on SmackDown Live:

“I’m so godd*mn sexist, come on! Get up on that turnbuckle and shake that a** Charlotte! Don’t you dare do a f*cking athletic move! Shake that a** damn it!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LpBrGh7oaw

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions