Ryback begins today’s show by speaking about Jon Bravo’s recent claims, in which he accused several people including Lesnar, Reigns, Cena and more of using steroids. Bravo released a video this past weekend which Ryback found interesting, even though Bravo failed to provide much proof to back up all of his claims at this point. Ryback thinks Bravo’s next video might shed more light on his accusations, because it’s clear to Ryback that Bravo knows what he’s doing.
He goes on to say that he’s praised WWE’s Wellness policy multiple times in the past, but there are definitely holes in it that need to be addressed. He suspects that this whole controversy might force the company to look at these holes and attempt to patch them up. He adds that having low testosterone is actually very unhealthy and he suspects there are lots of performers on that roster that suffer from low testosterone. For this reason he’d like to see WWE alter the policy to allow talents to utilize Testosterone replacement therapy.
Ryback has admitted to utilizing steroids in his 20s and he says they’re horrible. He also understands that in a very competitive environment like WWE (where it’s common knowledge that Vince McMahon likes big bodies), people often succumb to the pressure and feel the need to utilize steroids in order to keep up with the competition around them.
Ryback comments on the rumours from this past week which suggested that he has heat with Rusev. These rumours stemmed from Ryback cracking a joke about Rusev’s weightlifting, and Rusev responding in a manner which made fans think there was heat between the two men. Fans then lashed out at Ryback, thinking that he was attacking Rusev. He says he loves Rusev and considers him to be one of his best friends. Ryback thinks it’s too bad that two friends can’t have a laugh with each other anymore without people freaking out about it.
Ryback comments on the end of Tony Schiavone’s popular podcast. Reports are circulating that Schiavone decided to end the show because certain people were taking clips from the shows and sending them to his employers, trying to get him fired from his job.
Ryback thinks that’s very unfortunate. He listened to a few episodes and thought it was a great, informative show, and he can’t imagine Schiavone saying things that would necessitate that type of action from fans. Ryback thinks it’s unfortunate that some of these people have the power (or think they have the power) to affect people’s livelihood like this.
Ryback comments on the rumours that Bobby Lashley might return to WWE to work with Braun Strowman at WrestleMania. He points out that WWE loves to have surprises at WrestleMania so that might occur. He also notes that it’d be a cool WrestleMania moment for Strowman if he were to win the Tag Team Titles by himself on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Ryback points out that Cena versus Undertaker seems to be the direction WWE is headed for WrestleMania. He thinks the buildup for this match has sort of been all over the place with Cena cutting some confusing promos, but he’s well aware that the writers at WWE are often under strict time constraints. They’re often forced to just get something on paper for RAW and Smackdown, and then they get up the next morning and try to make some sense out of it.
Ryback comments on Jeff Hardy’s recent DUI. He says this news sucks because Hardy has been through things in the past and he seemed to be getting some control over his demons. He points out that people shouldn’t judge others, but there’s also no excuse for getting behind the wheel intoxicated.
Ryback also points out that Hardy has been home injured, and when you’re sitting around with nothing to do it’s a lot easier to make mistakes. He says Hardy is a great guy and everyone makes mistakes, so he hopes things work out for him in the future.
He says that Matt Hardy is a great guy too, and it’s great to see him enjoying himself on WWE television where he’s earning a nice living for him and his family. He notes that the “Broken Universe” mightn’t ever be exactly what Hardy wants in WWE because he’ll always have to answer to a higher power there, but hopefully he can be happy with what they allow him to do.
A listener writes into the show and asks Ryback how he got into wrestling. He points out that he watched wrestling when he was really young but then he got out of it. When he was around 10 years old he started to watch again because his friends were huge fans. The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were huge at that time and he became a big fan of the product.
That decision to start watching wrestling again changed his life because he decided to pursue a career in the business years later. He’s very thankful for the business, despite what some publications might claim.
Another listener writes into the show and asks him who he enjoyed working with most at WWE. He says he loved working with everyone there, but he really enjoyed his matches with Rusev and Seth Rollins. He also loved working with Dolph Ziggler, and he wishes he could have worked with him more.
Ryback informs that winning the Intercontinental Title for the first time was a very memorable moment for him because when he went back through the curtain he got a standing ovation from his peers. He points out that having the respect of your peers is one of the most important things in the wrestling business, and he felt very good in that moment.
Speaking about the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, Ryback says he’s happy that all of WWE’s Female Superstars will be able to wrestle at WrestleMania. He notes that it’s often impossible to get everyone on the show given the time constraints, so at least a match like this allows everyone to be involved.
That sums up this week’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!
