Ryback is joined on today’s show by his co-host, Phoenix Marie.
Ryback says that he loves wrestling and it’s always going to be a part of his life, but there are several parts of the business that really concern him right now. He points out that he saw a match recently where someone was Powerbombed in the middle of the match and it meant absolutely nothing. He’s concerned that some of these younger indie wrestlers aren’t even sure of what they’re supposed to be doing, and he fears that these guys will be too beat up to keep working before they ever even have an opportunity to make any money.
He points out that finishing moves are so whored out in the wrestling business right now and he thinks this has gotten out of control. He points out that if you don’t protect your finishing move, you basically have nothing as a performer. That’s the reason nobody ever kicks out of the Shell Shock once he hits it.
He also thinks that a lot of younger performers are blind to the fact that professional wrestling is a very dangerous profession. He notes that if one move is delivered incorrectly there can be catastrophic results, and once you’re done you’re done. This is why he’s so passionate about limiting big moves so that when you hit them, they actually mean something.
A listener writes into the show and asks Ryback if the wrestling rings stink at the end of every show. Ryback says that the rings don’t really stink, especially in WWE because they change the canvas quite frequently. He also adds that he liked wrestling in the live event rings more than the television rings because there were more layers of canvas on the live event rings.
Ryback says he’s very intrigued by the Brock Lesnar situation in WWE, as well as the current steroid scandal that implicates Roman Reigns. He thinks this is going to be a much bigger story than most people think. According to Dirty Sheets, WWE is apparently uninterested in bringing Lesnar back after his contract expires because they feel as if they’ve done all they can with him.
Another rumour states that things got heated between Lesnar and WWE officials during a recent meeting with Lesnar lashing out verbally at Triple H, accusing him of steroid use. Ryback points out that he has no idea what’s going on there nowadays, but it’s common knowledge that Triple H used steroids years ago.
Ryback comments on the recently announced 50-man Royal Rumble that will be taking place in Saudi Arabia. He points out that WWE is a global business and he thinks it’s good anytime WWE can have a massive event like this in another country. This type of thing just further’s WWE’s global reach which is always a good thing.
Ryback talks about John Cena’s expanding schedule, pointing out that Cena’s booking in WWE for the last 15 years has granted him several opportunities outside the wrestling business. To Cena’s credit, he’s taken advantage of each and every one of those opportunities. Ryback points out that as long as Cena’s happy that’s the main thing, and he’s sure WWE’s door will always be open for Cena in the future.
Ryback comments on the rumour that WWE will be introducing Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles for 205 Live shortly after WrestleMania. He points out that from a business standpoint, more Titles is a good thing because they can monetize it through merchandise.
From a content standpoint, WWE definitely has to be careful as to not over saturate their product with Titles, especially if there isn’t enough depth to support it. He’s not really sure why WWE decided to go this route instead of introducing Women’s Tag Titles first, but he’s unsure if the Women’s roster has enough depth to support tag Titles either.
Ryback says that it wouldn’t surprise him at all to see Alberto Del Rio back in WWE at some point in the future. Anybody at anytime can randomly show back up in WWE. It’s always been that way and he doubts that’ll ever change. He adds that it’s good for competitors to get away for a while from time to time, in order to allow their character’s to breath.
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!
