Ryback is joined on today’s show by his co-host Phoenix Marie.
Ryback opens today’s show speaking about fans being distracted on their phones at wrestling events. He points out that cell phones have resulted in quieter fans, and it surprises him that promotions haven’t banned them yet. He also realizes that promotions love social media activity, so perhaps they love it when they see fans on their phones.
He loved the Wrestle Kingdom 12 match between Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega. He thought they both did a great job and he points out that he always had a great relationship with Jericho. They were always able to work well together, and he was nice to see this match work out well for him, Omega and everyone else involved.
A listener writes into the show and asks Ryback if he misses working for WWE. He says that he loves his position in life right now, but he does miss a lot of the guys and the friendships backstage. There were positives and negatives about working for WWE, but unfortunately the negatives are always highlighted by news websites.
He simply had to get away from WWE when he did, and he’s glad he did because his back was in miserable shape at that time. He would have never got an MRI if he continued working for WWE, and his back would have continued to deteriorate to a point where he would have required surgery and that would have ended his in-ring career.
Another listener writes into the show and asks Ryback if he considers it disrespectful when fans refer to him by his real name. He informs that he’s had people call him Ryan and Mr. Reeves in the past and it never really bothered him.
Another fan asks Ryback how he feels about Goldberg trash talking him during a recent interview. Ryback says he never knew anything about this but if it’s true, he thinks it’s unfortunate because he considers Goldberg to be a better person than that. He informs that he never liked the Goldberg comparisons, but he always talked kindly about him in interviews.
However, he remembers one interview he did very early on in WWE career when he was asked about the comparisons. He mentioned something about him being a better athelete than Goldberg, and he thinks that’s when Golberg started to have some issues with him.
Ryback points out that Goldberg would probably say that he’s a better athlete than he is because that’s what top athletes do. He is sorry that Goldberg spoke out negatively about him recently because he feels that he could probably get along very well with Goldberg if they ever met. Nonetheless, he doesn’t care about what other people are saying about him at this point in his life.
Ryback thinks the Mixed Match Challenge is a great business move by WWE. They’re expanding their social media presence with this move, as airing matches through Facebook allows for a whole new set of fans to potentially discover the product.
From a wrestler’s perspective things aren’t nearly as positive. This show is just another thing on the plate of these wrestlers, and all this extra work could be frustrating for some of them. He’s sure WWE will do whatever they can to ensure that these talents aren’t overworked on RAW or Smackdown Live on the same night that the Mixed Match Challenge gets taped.
Ryback comments on Curt Hawkins finally getting a shirt in WWE. The shirt is commemorating and celebrating his losing streak, and while Ryback is glad Hawkins finally got a shirt, he’s not sure this is the exact way to get a talent over.
Ryback talks about WWE talents continuing to use the “Too Sweet” hand gesture. He considers this brown nosing in a sense, and it’s like these guys are acting like little boys when they do that gesture. At some point these talents have to grow up. He informs that he and Dolph Ziggler often do it together sarcastically, making fun of the talents who continue to use it today.
That sums up today’s episode of Conversation with the Big Guy. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!
