Ryback: Another Missed Opportunity by WWE

Ryback is done with the WWE, but he is another example of someone who the WWE could have done great things with instead of the inconsistent booking he had.

While Ryback might not have been everyone’s favorite wrestler on the WWE roster in recent years, there was something unique and special about this athlete. His time with the company has come to an end as he has made an announcement on social media wishing WWE the best in their future endeavors.

There’s a good chance that if Ryback decides to sign with another wrestling company or goes to another country like Japan or Mexico, he might find better opportunities at reaching his full potential as a professional wrestler. He has a lot of athleticism for being a larger athlete and he is someone who does have good presence on the microphone. He’s not going to wow fans like some top names, but he has his own unique charisma.

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Ryback is just another example of how the WWE has missed an opporunity with someone who could have been a main event player in the company. But like Wade Barrett and Alberto Del Rio, the WWE hasn’t properly booked Ryback in a consistent manner that affected his chances of the fans being able to consider him a serious contender for a world heavyweight championship.

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Let’s go back to how the company brought Ryback to television. The man who was once Skip Sheffield from the first season of NXT and a member of the Nexus faction would begin a transformation in Florida Championship Wrestling as someone acting like the Terminator – looking as if he barely felt pain. Ryback was brought to SmackDown in 2012 as someone who would destroy the “local competitors” in squash matches with impressive shows of strength that led to him carrying multiple men on his shoulders to deliver the “Shell Shocked.”

Sure, he was getting “Goldberg” chants while going on an undefeated streak similar to Bill Goldberg from WCW in the 1990s. However, he was getting over with fans joining him as he yelled “Feed Me More!” This led to him having a match with CM Punk for the WWE Championship in late 2012. His efforts would be cut short due to third-party interference. Shortly after the initial push, he was then falling down the card and losing matches.

A heel turn in the summer of 2013 led to him continuing to fall down the totem poll in WWE. He was teamed with Curtis Axel in a tag team that barely won matches. His booking was inconsistent, despite including a brief reign as the WWE Intercontinental Champion as a face. He would eventually drop the championship to Kevin Owens and went back to being a heel who was unable to win the United States Championship from Kalisto at WrestleMania 32 and Payback in May.

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That was the last time we saw Ryback in the WWE. He wasn’t happy with a number of things and it was understandable when you look at his how his character had “evolved” since 2012. He was someone who was looking like the next big thing, but the creative team didn’t follow through on the efforts. It’s the same fate that many like fellow Nexus member Barrett struggled with during his time in the WWE.

The likelihood that Ryback has a long career in front of him is a little low. He’s 34 and had three surgeries for an ankle injury from 2011; he’s also had hernia surgery about two years ago. His health could be an initial factor in earning a long-term contract. The independent booking route might be the best option for him; possibly a trip to Japan.

One of the best examples for someone who reinvented his career overseas was Albert – who became a huge star in Japan as Giant Bernard. Ignore the fact he went back to WWE and quickly fell into a dancing comedy gimmick and think about how successful Ryback could be if he followed a similar road to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Only time will tell, but Ryback already seems to have a plan for his future with his new website FeedMeMore.com.

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