In an interview with Myles, a Dubai radio personality, Ryback revealed that he was disappointed his match with Kalisto for the US Title wasn’t on the main card at Wrestlemania 32. Instead, it was a part of the Kickoff show. Ryback was asked if his loss to United States Champion Kalisto was still an amazing Wrestlemania moment, his answer was very candid.
“To be quite honest, absolutely not. The last 3 WrestleManias have not been great. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail on that but it would’ve been nice to have been on the show where both of us belong. The US Title definitely belongs on there. Hopefully next year, if there is a next year, that it will be a better experience.”
Ryback made it clear that he wants to get back to the main event spot in the WWE. However, he also hinted that he may need to look elsewhere if his role doesn’t change.
“I’ve heard in this business hard work doesn’t always pay off. So maybe The Big Guy has to go find another world where that does pay off.”
Ryback also claims to be the best big guy in the world and that there is nobody in professional wrestling like him. The entire interview is posted below.
– This week’s WWE SmackDown drew 2.355 million viewers with a 1.70 rating, down from last week’s 2.444 million and 1.75 rating.
– As announced on Friday, Triple H and Shane McMahon are joining WWE’s ongoing overseas tour. Triple H’s opponent will be Dean Ambrose at the following shows:
April 20th in Newcastle, England
April 21st in Brussels, Belgium
April 22nd in Paris, France
April 23rd in Malaga, Spain
– Paige congratulated Scottish women’s wrestler Nikki Storm for being part of the new class of recruits at the WWE Performance Center:
– After Tuesday night’s SmackDown tapings, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns hit the Dudley Boyz with their finishers to end the show. Former WWE Diva Maryse was backstage for the show:
There’s still no love lost between Ryback and former WWE Superstar (turned UFC fighter?) CM Punk. Punk revealed earlier this week that he would be undergoing back surgery, which would delay his UFC debut once again.
It dates back to Punk’s bombshell podcast with Colt Cabana from November 2014. In talking about the injuries that plagued the final months of his WWE career, Punk singled out Ryback as somebody he believed to be reckless to work with. Punk’s knee had been bothering him and he had spoken to Ryback already about protecting his knee. Punk was determined to put their past differences behind them, knowing they were going to be working together again. Punk told Cabana,
“First night out, Gorilla Press through a table…fucking misses the table. Dumps me on the concrete fucking ground. Tilts my fucking pelvis, fucks me up for weeks.”
“I’m compensating because my knee is still fucked, both my knees, you know what I mean? The one I just had surgery on six months ago and the one that was fucking torn up and I refused to have surgery on. I just wanted to rehab it, which I did. And now it’s at the point where I walk up to him and I go, ‘You can’t tell me you didn’t do that on purpose because you’ve done it so many times now. You either tell me right now you’re dumb as fuck and you suck, or you did it on purpose.
And he was like, ‘I’m dumb as fuck. I’m sorry.’”
Ryback clearly hasn’t forgotten Punk’s comments and sent him the following message this week regarding his latest surgery:
Ryback recently spoke with Title Match Wrestling to promote the Royal Rumble. Here are the highlights:
– He’s pumped for the Royal Rumble and plans to walk out as WWE Champion. He feels that he belongs at the top of the WrestleMania 32 card, not on the pre-show, but that’s a discussion for another day.
– Regarding the talk of New Japan Pro Wrestling stars coming to WWE, Ryback is on board with WWE’s decision to scout the best talent in the world. He’s known Doc Gallows for a long time and it’s good to see him get a second chance in WWE. He hopes all of them are successful in WWE and thinks they will be if they continue doing what got them to the dance.
– Ryback thinks the new Social Outcasts stable has a chance of getting over. He spoke to Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, Heath Slater and Adam Rose and told them not to take this opportunity for granted.
– Ryback said Triple H is doing great things with the NXT brand and the athletes are ‘hitting home runs’ with the opportunities they’re given.
Posted January 11th, 2016 in News, WWE. Tagged: Ryback.
Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback recently took part in a media conference call to promote WWE SmackDown moving to the USA Network this coming Thursday evening. During the call, “The Big Guy” spoke about the evolution of WWE’s former developmental territories into the full-fledged stand-alone brand that NXT has become. He also touched on the possibility of WWE SmackDown becoming a more wrestling-focused show with the possible inclusion of NXT talents, and who from NXT he would like to work with if that were to happen.
On the evolution of the WWE developmental system to the NXT brand and the possibility of NXT getting their own cable TV deal:
“What Triple H has done with NXT is absolutely incredible. Myself, personally, I’ve been in all the developmental systems from Deep South Wrestling to Ohio Valley Wrestling to Florida Championship Wrestling and then being a part of the initial, inaugural NXT with Daniel Bryan and guys like Wade Barrett and Heath Slater and Darren Young and guys like that. And to see the show go from that to taking WWE developmental and putting it on the map like Triple H has, it’s absolutely incredible and the sky is the limit with NXT. And essentially, it is the WWE. It’s a WWE brand, but we’ve put a different flavor on it and a different spin on it and the WWE Universe has been very receptive towards that, so with the WWE Network specials with NXT, those have been a huge hit.
“The NXT brand keeps expanding and traveling the way that they are, they’re selling out every venue they go to and they’ve been a huge hit. I think it’s only a matter of time before they decide to bring it to somewhere like the USA Network and do a television special to get even more eyes on the product because these kids down there, they can deliver, they can go, they now have eyes on them, and they have stepped up to the plate, and they’re hitting home runs. So I say absolutely [NXT programming could be broadcast on television]. It’s definitely something that is a possibility.”
On SmackDown possibly becoming a more wrestling-focused show with NXT stars mixed in, and who from NXT he’d like to work with:
“You look at the NXT roster and you’ve got guys like Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, and Finn Bálor, the NXT Champion. I’d love to be in the ring with all three of those guys and someone like Finn Bálor, you’ve heard such great things about, he goes out there and delivers night in and night out. And I feel my best matches are with having that different style, having what I bring to the ring with a guy like Finn makes for some great, amazing match ups. There are still things that the WWE Universe have yet to see from me and I think having a guy like him doing such innovative, cool things and having that bring that out of me in a natural way in front of the fans, I think would make for tremendous TV.”
Last night on RAW, Lana returned and reunited with her real-life fiancé, Rusev on MizTV. Their segment was interrupted by Ryback, who delivered a line about Dolph Ziggler informing him that he “went all the way” with Lana during their time as a [fictional] couple.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Rusev and Lana were not told about that line in advance. It was in the script for RAW, but Lana was caught off guard by it in what Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez called a “double cross.”
As we’ve been reporting for several weeks, there’s been a lot of heat on Lana for revealing on social media that she and Rusev were still an item while they were at odds on television, as well as her social media beef with Paige.
– WWE Superstar David Otunga noted on social media that he will begin filming the independent movie “What Happened Last Night?” this week. In the film, Otunga plays a bartender named Tiny.
– Stephanie McMahon, Sin Cara, Kalisto, Ryback, Sasha Banks, Tamina Snuka and Naomi visited children at The Children’s Hospital Of Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center ahead of tonight’s WWE RAW at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh this evening. Below are some photos:
– John Cena checked in on Twitter today with the following tweet. Cena is scheduled to remain off of WWE television for at least two more weeks, after the TLC pay-per-view.
I never mind analyzation, but it's tough to process complaining. Identify the issue, work towards a resolve. #nevergiveup
– In the “holiday spirit” department, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, along with longtime top WWE Superstar and the star of the new FOX reality show “American Grit,” John Cena, posted the following Thanksgiving messages on Twitter today.
Today is the day to truly remember what we’re thankful for in life. Happy Thanksgiving to the WWE Universe.
– In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, WWE.com is running a poll today asking fans which WWE Superstar they are the most thankful for. The options include Roman Reigns, John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Charlotte, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, The New Day, Dolph Ziggler, Paige, The Dudley Boyz, Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, The Usos, Kane, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Ryback, Natalya and “Other.” Leading the pack with 17 percent is The Undertaker, followed by Roman Reigns (14%), Dean Ambrose (12%), John Cena (10%), Cesaro (7%) and The New Day (7%).
– SEScoops.com would like to wish everyone a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!
– The Usos have been working out in the ring at the WWE Performance Center for the last week and are expected to return to WWE television in the near future. Jey Uso in particular has been out of action with a shoulder injury since the spring.
– Ryback is the guest on the first of two “Steve Austin Show” podcasts this week. On this week’s “Family Friendly” edition of the show, “The Rattlesnake” talks to “The Big Guy” just before his match against Kevin Owens at Sunday’s WWE Hell In A Cell pay-per-view. The official description for the show, which you can download at PodcastOne.com reads as follows:
“Ryback had a great conversation with Steve Austin just before his “Hell In A Cell” match on Sunday. They talked about growing up in Vegas, playing high school football and baseball, why Ryback is the guy to replace John Cena (when the time comes) at WWE, Ryback’s workout philosophy & strategy, why he doesn’t believe in “cheat days” when it comes to diet, what “The Secret” did for his pro-wrestling career, how Arnold Schwarzenegger motivated him back to the ring, and his “Tough Enough” experience. You’ll also hear about Ryback’s relationship with Vince McMahon, why he prefers to travel solo, and how he continues to improve his own in-ring performance.”
– WWE announced a match between NXT Champion Finn Balor and “Mr. Money In The Bank” Sheamus for the November 4th stop in Dublin, Ireland during their European tour. WWE tweeted the following about the match today:
Ryback spoke with AZCentral.com this week to promote Tuesday’s SmackDown taping at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ. During the interview, the Big Guy commented on how much control he has with his character.
“I can say that for me, personally, I 100 percent have been able to do anything I want to with Ryback,” Ryback said. “We’ve talked about things and certain elements, but I’ve been allowed creative control to do what I want to do. If Vince (McMahon, WWE CEO) doesn’t like anything, he would tell me and we’d correct.”
He also commented on how much he is like his on-air Ryback character.
“I’m ultra-aggressive, really intense,” he said. “The thing I have in the ring is how I apply myself in real life. I like to win. I like to be my best. Here’s an example. At camp a few months ago, there was a pingpong table. I love pingpong. Since I was a kid, I’d always play pingpong. Now, Jimmy Uso and Adrian Neville both kicked my ass playing pingpong. I played them 10 games each. I couldn’t let it go. I wanted to keep getting better. That’s the kind of intensity and focus I have. When I step foot in the ring, it’s still there.”
– Saturday’s WWE live event in Mexico City, Mexico saw Adam Rose kept out of the ring. Rose was benched due to the scare he had in Merida on Friday night. Sheamus replaced Rose, who squashed Fandango. As previously noted, a Fandango kick on Friday night left Rose to be stretchered out of the arena. A fan took to Twitter with concerns for Rose’s well being, Rose thanked the fan and confirmed he was fine.
– Fans will get a chance to hang out with Cameron on Tuesday, October 27th in Sherman Oaks, California. Cameron will be at the Stir Lounge from 8:00pm until midnight for anti-bullying month. Cameron has an anti-bullying campaign, “Wrong #” which she will be promoting during the month of October.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens was not on leave from live events this weekend as originally speculated. Owens only missed Saturday’s show in Lubbock, Texas. Owens was back in action at last night’s event in Abilene, Texas, where he retained his Intercontinental Title though he lost by disqualification to Ryback.
– As seen on RAW this week, Ryback came out with his Susan G. Komen custom pink “Feed The Cure” ring gear. “The Big Guy” took to social media to show off the following additions to his special pink gear.
https://instagram.com/p/8yubHMy35s
– WWE has released new “Superstar Socks,” which are now available at FYE and Walmart locations. Below are some photos of the new product courtesy of WWE’s official Twitter page.
– Former WWE Divas Jackie Gayda-Haas and Alicia Webb (aka Ryan Shamrock) were the guests on this week’s edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast. You can download that episode right now at PodcastOne.com.
– Ryback responded to a fan who talked trash about him on social media during WWE RAW on Monday night. The fan wrote, “@Ryback22 is hot garbage dude has zero skill in the ring or on the Mic. He it’s the worst wrestler in the business no questions asked if.” After seeing the criticism, “The Big Guy” responded with the following comments.
I hope 1 day you put as much effort into something positive as you do in hating me. Be better than this dude. https://t.co/XwloueWzq8
– Speaking of fan criticism coming out of last night, Paige had the following to say in response to a fan who told her that the pink Susan G. Komen Foundation gear doesn’t match her “hardcore goth” look.
– Summer Rae posted the following storyline comments on Twitter in response to Rusev saying that he wants WWE gold before putting gold around Summer’s finger.
Alright then. Game on.
@RusevBUL wants gold around his waist before I get gold around my finger. Game on. #WomanOnAMission#RAW
– This coming Wednesday (September 30th) at 5pm EST, WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens will be joining Renee Young on a new episode of ‘Unfiltered’ on the WWE Network.
The synopsis for the episode reads: “Renee Young and Kevin Owens discuss everything from his anti-Canadian views on beer and sports, to his pets, to his debut against John Cena!”
– Also on the WWE Network on Wednesday, a brand new episode of “Table For 3” will premiere at 4:30pm featuring Daniel Bryan, Ryback, Dolph Ziggler.
The synopsis for that episode reads: “Daniel Bryan, Ryback and Dolph Ziggler share tales of the Intercontinental Title, as well as hilarious, never-before-heard road stories!”
In addition to former NXT World Champion Kevin Owens defeating Ryback to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion, former NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte defeated Nikki Bella to become the new WWE Divas Champion, ending Bella’s 301-day record-setting reign as champion.
Charlotte’s father, WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair joined Paige and Becky Lynch in the ring to celebrate the victory, as both Charlotte and Flair had tears in their eyes during what was a very emotional moment for the Flair family.
– You can add WWE Hall Of Famer Scott Hall and decorated tag-team The Young Bucks to the list of guests who were backstage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Sunday night for WWE’s “Night Of Champions” pay-per-view event. As previously reported, Chris Jericho, Kane, MVP and Stevie Ray were also backstage at the event.
– In the opening match of WWE Night Of Champions on Sunday night, former NXT Champion Kevin Owens won his first main roster title, as he defeated Ryback to become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion.
Nikki Bella broke AJ Lee’s record as the longest reigning Divas champion in WWE history on Monday night when she managed to retain her title when Charlotte won by disqualification at RAW. Stephanie McMahon announced a rematch between Nikki and Charlotte for the Divas title at this Sunday’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view.
Also announced for Sunday’s pay-per-view on RAW is a WWE Intercontinental Championship match between Ryback and Kevin Owens.
Make sure to visit SEScoops.com on Sunday, September 20th for the best WWE Night Of Champions live results coverage on the web!
– As noted recently, Ryback has been training boxing in his spare time. The WWE Intercontinental Champion recently posted the following video of himself with his boxing trainer on social media.
https://instagram.com/p/7b23N5S32N
– The following matches were taped on Tuesday night for tonight’s edition of WWE SmackDown:
* Cesaro vs. The Miz
* Paige vs. Sasha Banks
* The New Day vs. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Jimmy Uso
– The WWE Shop website has released a new “Rise of Vigilance” t-shirt for Sting. You can order the shirt at Shop.WWE.com.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback has been taking boxing lessons with Ramon Montano during his off-time. Ryback tweeted the following comments and photo of himself with Montano.
Big thanks to @ramon_montano for coming out and giving me 8 rounds on the boxing mitts after a Big Guy arm workout! #Goals#FeedMeMore
With WWE SummerSlam in the rear view, we’re already looking ahead to WWE Night of Champions, which takes place on Sunday, September 20th.
On the latest installment of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed two matches that are already being planned for the show. After retaining the Intercontinental championship last night at SummerSlam, Ryback looks to be putting his gold on the line against The Miz. Also, there is talk of having a mixed tag match featuring Dolph Ziggler and Lana vs. Rusev and Summer Rae.
Following his win at SummerSlam, Seth Rollins now holds the WWE World Heavyweight championship and the Untied States Championship. We’ll see the matter addressed tonight on RAW, but we’ll see how long Seth holds on to both titles. Other titles that will be up for grabs include Nikki Bella’s Divas Championship and The New Day’s tag team titles.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is in town for WWE SummerSlam weekend. Flair is there primarily to watch his daughter Charlotte wrestle at SummerSlam, and apparently other members of the Flair family are also in town for the show. Former WCW star David Flair is among those from the Flair family that made the trip.
– WWE taped the following matches for tonight’s edition of WWE SmackDown:
* Ryback vs. Big Show
* The New Day vs. Los Matadores and El Torito
* Neville vs. Bo Dallas
* Brie Bella vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch
* Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Cesaro vs. Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Kevin Owens
– WWE posted the following video of Triple H looking at the new Ultimate Warrior book, “Ultimate Warrior: A Life Lived Forever.”
WWE SummerSlam Week in New York City officially kicked off on Wednesday with several WWE Community events. WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback, Eva Marie, Charlotte and Fandango participated in a charity softball game at MCU Park with the Brooklyn Cyclones:
WWE taped the SummerSlam “go-home” edition of SmackDown on Tuesday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Below are complete spoiler results of the show.
– This week’s edition of WWE SmackDown kicks off with pyro exploding. From there, we head straight to the ring for our first match of the evening.
– Ryback & Big Show fight to a Double Count Out in the opening match of the show. The action spilled out to the floor where Ryback clotheslined Big Show through the barrier at the timekeeper’s area. The match would go on to end via Double Count Out.
– The New Day def. Los Matadores & El Torito in six-man tag-team action in the second match taped for this week’s SmackDown. The finish of this one saw Big E. hit the running splash on Torito. Woods then tagged in for the pinfall victory.
– Dolph Ziggler and Lana make their way down to the ring for a promo segment. Ziggler talks about how he has missed Lana. The first thing she told him when he came back was to “crush those bastards.” The two start making out. A big Bulgarian flag with Rusev’s face drops down in front of them. Rusev comes out and says he’s going to break Ziggler in half at SummerSlam. Ziggler says he’s going to knock Rusev’s teath out.
– Neville def. Bo Dallas with his Red Arrow finisher in the next match taped for this week’s show. This match was kept quick. Stardust and King Barrett appeared on the big screen and cut promos on Neville and Stephen Amell about this Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.
– Alicia Fox cuts a promo with The Bella Twins about Nikki Bella’s WWE Divas Championship reign. Brie Bella rips the “Diva Revolution.” Team B.A.D. comes out. They talk about how they are going to win this Sunday. Becky Lynch and Charlotte come out as well. This leads to a triple-threat match.
– Brie Bella def. Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch in triple-threat Divas action. The finish saw Brie roll Becky up for the pinfall victory.
– Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Cesaro cut promos backstage about each of their SummerSlam matches scheduled for this Sunday.
– Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Cesaro def. Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper & Kevin Owens in eight-man tag-team action, which served as the main event of this week’s edition of SmackDown. The finish saw Ambrose get the hot tag, clean house, and then blast Harper with his Dirty Deeds finisher for the 1-2-3. The babyface foursome celebrate to close out the final major show before this Sunday’s pay-per-view.