– Complex has released a video of Shane McMahon shopping for sneakers at Flight Club in New York City. Shane talks with Joe La Puma about his return to WWE SmackDown, his love for Air Jordans and his thoughts on Kanye West’s sneaker line.
– Bill Goldberg will be in New York City this weekend to be part of the WWE SummerSlam festivities, according PWInsider.com. Goldberg will be taking part in promotional events for WWE 2K17 and is scheduled to be backstage at SummerSlam.
– Former WWE Superstar Ryback is teasing that he could be heading to Japan in the near future. The Big Guy is releasing a new t-shirt with artwork that depicts him as “The Big Guyjin.” For those familiar with Japanese wrestling, gaijin refers to foreigners. As we’ve been reporting, he’s scheduled to make his first post-WWE appearances in September and would be free to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling after that time.
Ryback will be making his first post-WWE appearances in October. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Big Guyis charging $4,500 for indy appearances in the US. Promoters looking to book him for multiple dates are getting a better deal, but promoters without strong reputations are being charged $5,000.
No word yet on TNA talks but Ryback is in negotiations with New Japan Pro Wrestling. The talks are down to agreeing on a price and a number of dates now, so it’s possible he starts in the near future.
Ryback will be using the name “The Big Guy” and has been announced for WrestlePro events in New York in October and WrestleCade in North Carolina the next month. The Northeast Wrestling promotion announced just last night that the former WWE IC Champion will be at their 8/25 event in Pomona, NY.
– Tonight’s WWE Cruiserweight Classic episode will see the start of the second round. Matches scheduled for the show include:
Gran Metalik vs. Tajiri
Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander
– Ryback is being billed as “The Big Guy” on the independent scene. As announced on Tuesday, he’ll be wrestling for WrestlePro in October for their shows in Cresskill, NY (10/14) and Brooklyn (10/15). He’s also been announced for the November WrestleCade event in Winston-Salem, NC.
– John Cena, AJ Styles and Apollo Crews missed last night’s SmackDown as they’re in New Zealand for the WWE Down Under tour. WWE hyped their respective SummerSlam matches with these video packages:
– Fox Sports 1’s upcoming CM Punk documentary will air over four parts, beginning with “The Ground Up” on 8/15 at 9:30pm EDT. “UFC Presents: Evolution of Punk” will build to Punk’s UFC debut against Mickey Gall next month at UFC 203.
– Ryback will make his first post-WWE appearances for the WrestlePro promotion on 10/14 in Cresskill, NY and 10/15 in Brooklyn.
The ground of the Control Center is shaking under David Adams' feet! Coming to WrestlePro in October: Ryback! pic.twitter.com/tbihftg573
– WWE’s new “Attitude Era Vol. 3: Unreleased” DVD and Blu-ray hit stores today and features several rare matches, including Steve Austin vs. Triple H (3/13/98 from Anaheim, CA) and Austin vs. Undertaker (6/14/97 from Toronto):
– WWE.com has confirmed Ryback’s departure from the company:
“Effective today, Aug. 8, 2016, WWE has parted ways with Ryback and he is no longer under contract. WWE wishes Ryback the best in all his future endeavors.”
The Big Guy issued a video statement on Friday wishing WWE well in their future endeavors and hyping his new FeedMeMore.com site, which is scheduled to launch today.
– WWE Network has added several more NWA – WCW TV episodes from 1987, 1988 and 1989.
– Xavier Woods recently teased on Twitter that he may be opening his own video game arcade, saying it was a dream he’s had. Woods runs the UpUpDownDown YouTube channel with over 640,000 subscribers.
– WWE Superstar Emma, who has been out of the ring since May with a back injury, recently started working out again.
– Here’s footage from Kelly Kelly’s wedding to NHL star Sheldon Souray, featured on last night’s episode of “WAGS” on E!:
Ryback is now officially a free agent. The Big Guy posted a video on Instagram on Friday afternoon ironically wishing WWE the best in their future endeavors. From this point forward, he’ll no longer be doing business with the company, but did thank all of the Superstars he had the pleasure of working with.
This coming Monday will see the launch of FeedMeMore.com, where he’ll be selling his new clothing line and nutritional supplements. He’s also working on a motivational book that will be released soon.
As for his future in the wrestling business, Ryback revealed he plans to continue working a full-time schedule. For booking information, contact BookTheBigGuy@yahoo.com.
Ryback worked with WWE since 2004 when he competed on the $1,000,000 season of Tough Enough. Earlier this year, he was involved in a trademark dispute with WWE over his nickname “The Big Guy” and his catchphrase “Feed Me More.”
Back in April, he did an interview expressing his frustration with his spot on the WrestleMania 32 card (and the previous two WrestleManias). He made it clear at the time that he was already thinking about life after WWE.
“I’ve heard in this business hard work doesn’t always pay off,” he said. “So maybe The Big Guy has to go find another world where that does pay off.”
Over the past several months he’s been involved in a contract dispute with WWE that ultimately led to his departure from the company.
– Rhyno recently spoke to the local ABC affiliate in Detroit about his successful bid to become Michigan State Representative of the 15th district. He said he’s happy and honored to win but going into the general election, he knows it’s a different ballgame now. The ECW Original will now face Democratic challenger Abdullah Hammoud in the general election in November. He confirmed that he will continue to wrestle while campaigning:
“Wrestling is my job, you know sports entertainment. It’s a passion of mine. It’s a great vehicle where I can motivate and inspire people. Kids look up to me, adults look up to you and I wouldn’t want to walk away from that now.”
– In the video below, WWE looks at a long-standing pre-match show of respect that some WWE stars still practice – wiping their feet before entering the ropes.
– We’ve reported on how Ryback is launching a new wellness/personal website soon. He just revealed that the site will go live on Monday. While plugging his many merchandise previews, Ryback took a shot at his time in WWE with this post:
In life when glass ceilings are presented to prevent you from that illustrious brass ring there is only one way to handle it, Break It Take It! Don’t ever let anyone prevent you from your dreams. Front: The Big Guy Fist with brass ring and R logo Back: Break It Take It
After a contract dispute with WWE over the past several months, it’s looking pretty certain that Ryback will be leaving the company. Ahead of last night’s WWE Draft (in which he was not assigned to either RAW or SmackDown), the Big Guy addressed his fans on Twitter, providing an update on his ongoing health issues and when he will be officially gone from WWE.
Update for the good ones. One month left for nose before I resume wrestling/jiu jitsu/boxing regimen for return. Ear get cleared in 6 days
– WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus revealed on her website that WWE Network cameras recently filmed her at her Stratusphere Yoga HQ in Toronto. Trish discussed the women of WWE and other topics for future Network programs.
– Ryback announced on Instagram that he’s launching a new project soon at FeedMeMore.com. The Big Guy wrote:
Feed Me More is about waking up hungry and being our very best each and every day. It is about setting goals, working towards those goals and being thankful for the journey and the discipline not always the result. Than it is not being complacent and staying hungry setting new goals and once again keeping the mindset of Feed Me More! 10 percent of all proceeds through FeedMeMore.com will also go to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission to help feed the homeless.
– Randy Orton is at the WWE Performance Center this week training for his match against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Orton revealed that Wednesday was his first day getting back into ring shape and showed off what his back looked like afterwards:
Ryback recently revealed that he underwent ear surgery and and would be undergoing nose and throat surgeries to alleviate hearing and breathing he’s been battling for years. The Big Guy underwent the nasal surgery on Thursday and has throat surgery scheduled for next week.
It looks like he was feeling pretty good post-op, as he posted several interesting photos to social media. As you can see below, he hasn’t forgotten the negative things CM Punk has said about him in various interviews.
The Big Guy is still in the midst of a contract dispute with WWE and will be leaving the company when his contract expires this summer if the two sides cannot come to an agreement.
During his time away from WWE television, Ryback is undergoing ear, nose and throat surgery to address hearing and breathing issues that have affected him for many years. The big guy tweeted on Monday afternoon:
Ear, nose and throat surgery today. I have put off some serious stuff the last 11 years and it will be nice hearing and breathing normal.
Later in the day, he followed up with a post-op photo, noting that he was only able to have the ear portion of the surgery done yesterday and will need an additional procedure for the nose and throat portion.
A photo posted by Ryan Reeves (@thebigguyryback22) on
The Big Guy’s WWE contract expires this summer and we’ve heard that there’s been virtually no progress in his contractual dispute. Unless they come to a resolution soon, we could see Ryback following in the footsteps of Cody Rhodes on the independent circuit.
Posted June 28th, 2016 in WWE, News. Tagged: Ryback.
As seen below in these Instagram posts, Ryback says he’s excited about the brand he’s building for his future after WWE. As noted, Ryback is currently in the middle of a contract dispute with WWE and it’s believed he will be let go when the current deal expires soon.
Really excited about the brand I’m building and the things that I’m going for. Wrestling is just 1 part of my life and I refuse to let that be all I am or all that I’m known for. #FeedMeMore is who and what I am as a human being and greatness lies inside all of us. Don’t settle for being average. Stay hungry, set goals and reach those goals. Always say thank you and then it begins #FeedMeMore
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGsQvtby3xO/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGm9qhtS353/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGm90CsS36L/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGm_B8cy39M/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGnHHY1S3xZ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGnTvrwy38l/
Posted June 16th, 2016 in WWE, News. Tagged: Ryback.
– It looks like Neville will be returning to the ring soon. He’s being advertised for the September 9th WWE live event in Manila, Philippines from the Mall of Asia Arena. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 3rd.
– Dixie Carter “liked” Ryback’s controversial tweet about appearing in the Impact Zone during Extreme Rules. For those that missed it, he wrote: “#FeedMeMore during #ExtremeRules if you want to see Ryborg in the Impact zone…”
– Fans chanted for Cody Rhodes on the WWE Extreme Rules Pre-show tonight when his wife Eden entered the ring for introductions.
– Ryback made this interesting tweet on Sunday night, encouraging fans to chant for him at Extreme Rules and joking that he’ll show up in the Impact Zone using an “LOLTNA” ring name:
– A new “Behind The Curtain” documentary series is being planned for the WWE Network. Subject matters discussed for the first few episodes include Ric Flair’s plane crash, Bruiser Brody’s murder and the life of WWE Hall of Famer Gorgeous George.
– After filming a pilot episode at Full Sail a few months ago, the WWE Kids show is moving forward. No premiere date has been set.
– In related WWE Network news, the service recently added over 100 classic episodes of SmackDown to the vault. There are now more than 155 hours of SmackDown from 2000 – 2002.
– Ryback has had no communication with WWE since being sent home from RAW on May 2nd after failed contract talks with Vince McMahon.
While Ryback was on the internal list of potential WWE cuts last week, he was not cut and may not be released as it’s easier to let his deal expire, which is set to happen this summer.
Besides hotels paid for while on the road, Ryback also wanted road expenses covered and for his WWE deal to be guaranteed to where if he was ever released, he would still be paid in full for the duration of the contract. WWE has never gone for these type of deals, even though WCW did years back.
It looks like Cameron’s tweet in support of Ryback got her fired. She was not on the original list of names to be released but got cut anyway and her tweet was seen as a major mistake.
– Vice Sports has an article about Ryback’s contractual dispute and ‘how things really work in WWE.’
– As part of this week’s Q1 financial report, WWE announced that the WWE Network will be getting around 6,000 hours of additional content by the end of this year. This new content will include over 300 hours of original programming and over 1,500 hours of archival programming.
– WWE.com is covering the story of Kevin Owens and Tyler Breeze raising money to help with relief efforts for the recent wildfires in Alberta, Canada. The exposure from WWE will go along way in raising awareness to the campaign. After reaching the initial goal of $30,000, the extended the campaign and are now looking to raise $100,000. As of this writing, they’re raised over $45,000. To donate to the cause, visit GoFundMe.com.
– Wrestler birthdays today include William Regal turning 49 and Tito Santana turning 63.
– Former WWE star Alex Pourteau has opened a new wrestling school and promotion titled “Pro Wrestling 2.0” in Winter Park, Florida near Full Sail University. E-mail prowrestling2.0@gmail.com or call 407.470.3095 for more information.
– Big E tweeted the following today, taking a shot at Ryback’s Twitter use. Booker T also referenced Ryback’s Tumblr blog on the Raw pre-show this week, saying Kalisto had driven Ryback crazy all over the internet.
Tommy Dreamer recently spoke with with TSN. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins:
“Wait until Seth Rollins comes back. That can be (Reigns’) big heel turn.”
“It’s funny because on social media on Mondays and Tuesdays, when everybody is talking about it just like we are, (Reigns’ heel turn) is a pop culture hot topic. To me, whatever happens with the (current) AJ Styles and Roman Reigns feud, the moment Seth Rollins comes back, Seth Rollins could be the biggest babyface WWE will have of all-time. ‘Hey, I want my title back, Roman Reigns.’ Guess what? He has just turned heel because no one is going to cheer him against Seth Rollins.”
Ryback recently speaking out:
“I give him respect and props for voicing his opinion, but I look at wrestling from a regular business model. We’re here in Toronto and Jose Bautista is the big conversation. ‘They should re-sign him.’ Well, he’s batting about .220 right now and he’s 30-some odd years of age, so maybe the Blue Jays are right in not re-signing him. It’s different in that that sport is based on athletic ability. However in wrestling, it’s based upon what somebody feels – and that somebody would be Vince McMahon – about how he can draw money off of you. There is a way, business-wise, to say if we put everybody’s shirts out there, whose shirts are they going to buy? And that’s how we can make the decision. To me, if Zack Ryder is the number-one shirt seller, guess what? He should be pushed.”
House of Hardcore:
“Technically, I’m only 14 shows in, but I’ve had this much fan (support) behind me that at times I’ve gotta step back and say, ‘Wow, I’m hopefully doing this (for the long haul),’” says Dreamer. “I don’t want to compete with WWE or Ring of Honor, TNA, Lucha Underground. I just want to show my vision of professional wrestling.”
– WWE has moved all of Ryback’s merchandise to the “sale” section of WWEShop.com. In light of Ryback’s Tumblr post last week and his strained relationship with the company, the move is not a great sign regarding his future as a WWE Superstar.
– Bobby Heenan’s wife Cynthia noted on Sunday that he’s back home after spending several days in the hospital last week due to a fall.
– Fans gave this week’s SmackDown a 63% “Thumbs Up” this week, according to a WWE Twitter poll.
– Former WWE Superstar Val Venis strongly disagrees with Ryback’s Tumblr post from earlier this week, where he detailed his ongoing contract dispute with the company. Ryback argued that WWE’s pay scale favors performers who are booked to win their matches and look good on television, while people like him who lose a lot of their matches work just as hard and should be paid the same as the ‘winners.’ Cameron tweeted support to Ryback and she wound up in Val’s crosshairs as well.
Val considers them both simpletons and equates Ryback’s position to socialism – categorizing them as Bernie Sanders supporters.
— Val Venis™ (The Big Valbowski™) (@ValVenisEnt) May 4, 2016
– WWE posted a video hosted by Corey Graves looking at some of the top Superstars who lost their debut matches in WWE, including Sting, John Cena and Daniel Bryan. Check it out, there’s some surprising names on there.
– One of the top stories of the week is Ryback’s ongoing contract dispute with WWE and his Tumblr post from Tuesday about what he feels is an unfair pay structure for WWE performers. While you can be sure there are people in the WWE locker room who agree with Ryback’s positions, the only person to publicly show their support is Cameron. She tweeted:
Ryback’s WWE contract is expiring this summer and he’s rumored to be gearing up for a legal battle with WWE over the “Ryback” trademark.
– Sin Cara was unmasked at Tuesday night’s WWE Main Event tapings. The mask came off during his match against Baron Corbin. As soon as his face was revealed, Sin Cara scrambled to put the mask back on.
In light of the news breaking that Ryback (Ryan Reeves) is leaving WWE and pulled from TV pending the expiration of his contract in a few months, he poured his heart out in a blog post on Tumblr, which he shared via his verified Twitter account. Here’s the full statement:
Feed Me More
Today I sit and fly home and for the first time in years feel absolutely free. I will start by saying I did request to be taken off of WWE television until myself and Vince could get a yes or no on a new deal. This has been going on since my IC Title run and had been nothing but a major strain on my life as all I ever wanted to do was work for WWE. I was told to head home until we agree or not agree to specific terms and contrary to reports it isn’t over money or a bus that stuff was settled a while ago. It comes down to a major problem I have with not only WWE but wrestling in general.
Wrestling is pre determined, we as performers know before we go out to that ring or perform a backstage scene who is winning and losing etc or have a general idea of what we are going to say. It blows my mind how in a sport which is pre determined from a company standpoint winners are paid so much more than the losers. Every single person who works for WWE from top to bottom is absolutely just as valuable as the next. The winners cannot win unless the losers go out there and agree to lose to them.
It blows my mind that in this day and age though we still adhere to this formula. Obviously things have always been this way, but does that make them right? Times have changed and our goal as humans should be to evolve and learn from our past and the past of others so we could make this world a better place. Why is it a guy who is told he is going to go out and lose and does everything he is told be paid not only less, but much less than said winner over a period of time. Every single performer for WWE sacrifices the same amount of time from home and their families and every single man or women goes out and does what they are told. Looking at this formula though losers turn into what fans like to call jobbers and their value decreases in the companies eyes and before you know it they get released. For what? For doing exactly as they are told!
Why not pay the talent equally? The winners have more MERCH as it is or are supposed to anyways so they get that extra perk, but why make the guy who is told to and agrees to lose earn less and sacrifice spots in big pay per view match ups etc. This is one of the major problems with wrestling and WWE today. Most guys take great satisfaction in helping making other talent, the bitching and the moaning we always hear about stems from the fact they know they are ultimately over time going to make less and live in fear of being released.
I am proud to say I have never gone to change a finish and have gladly took pride in helping put over other talent. Hell look at my pay per view record of 12-26 and you will see that has been the pattern of my career. I have always been confident in my ability and work ethic to being my best every day and ultimately always felt that by doing good it was the right thing to do. Personally seeing my money go down over the years though even though I was working as much as ever and being denied magazine covers and other projects as well as watching my role diminish no matter what I did or how hard I tried takes its toll on a human. Being told no matter how hard I work or how good I get doesn’t always pay off is something I fucking refuse to ever believe in my life. I am a creative being and to be restricted time and time again is no way to live life. There is nothing I cannot do and I know no matter what comes of this situation I am going to be just fine. It isn’t soley about money, it is about commitment. Commitment to a guy who fucking cares and who loves this more than anything in the world and wants to know that his passion his efforts and his determination to constantly improve is going to be recognized and taken care of.
WWE may very well release me, which if it is the case so be it. If we can work things out a lot needs to change as I am not living in fear and creatively cannot continue to live a life that limits me creatively. I have many other interests and passions and have been very smart with my finances over the years. I thank every WWE superstar from top to bottom for their sacrifices and for working with me. The world is an amazing place and there is more than just a WWE universe there is The Universe and I will prove one way or another over time I am the greatest big guy in the universe!
Ryback is in the midst of a contract dispute with WWE that will keep him off television indefinitely, according to a report at PWInsider.com. After losing to Kalisto on Sunday night’s Payback kickoff show, he was advertised for the the battle royal on RAW to determine the new #1 contender to Kalisto’s US title, but did not appear.
Dave Meltzer spoke about the situation on Monday night’s Wrestling Observer Live, noting that Ryback met with Vince McMahon on Monday to negotiate. Ryback didn’t like WWE’s offer and the discussion ended with Vince suggested maybe Ryback needs time off. Ryback reportedly obliged. Meltzer said, “The feeling is that unless there’s a reconciliation, then that’s it.”
Ryback’s current deal with WWE expires this summer and it appears the two sides are having difficulty finding common ground as they assess his value to the company moving forward.
In recent months, Ryback has been outspoken about WWE not utilizing him properly. the way WWE has booked his character, noting that he’s not satisfied with his character’s booking. During a recent interview with Dubai radio personality Myles, Ryback said he was “absolutely not” satisfied with working the WrestleMania kickoff show, noting that “the last 3 WrestleManias have not been great.”
He’s very eager to get back to the top of the card and isn’t afraid to walk away from wrestling if he can’t achieve his goals. “I’ve heard in this business hard work doesn’t always pay off,” he said. “So maybe The Big Guy has to go find another world where that does pay off.”
