Plans for Ryback if he fails in current run

[Crayo]

There has been speculation that Paul Heyman aligning with Ryback will lead to a Ryback vs. Brock Lesnar match but word is that this is more of an end game for WWE.

If things don’t go as planned and Ryback fails in the new role with Heyman, it will be easy for WWE to write him off for the time being and have Lesnar destroy him.

One problem with this is that it could draw a major babyface reaction for Ryback, possibly something bigger than anything he has experienced so far. There are plans for a Lesnar babyface turn but not until after WrestleMania XXX so if they would do the Lesnar vs. Ryback match before then, it could be with Ryback as the babyface and Lesnar to be heel.

 

[Brad.]

I called it at NoC.

Lesnar has to put Ryback over though.

 

[Shadie T]

Would not watch that match.

 

[Leo C]

Well, it makes sense to use Lesnar to put young guy like Ryback over. But his current stuff with Heyman is pretty good.

 

[Lockard 23]

In regards to Brock turning baby face, I'd rather they not go there. I guess they'd like to explore it some before Brock's contract runs out at Wrestlemania 31, though (assuming he doesn't sign an extension.)

Anyway, I had the feeling that Ryback/Lesnar could possibly occur at some undetermined point in the future after seeing the Ryback/Heyman pairing. Partnering up with Heyman means Ryback is one step away from sharing screen time with Brock, and I can't resist feeling that the 'E may have them meet up at some point. The match would have that Big Man aspect to it that WWE likes. I also pondered this match being a slight possibility for Wrestlemania 29 if they really wanted to get Ryback over. He could have been the reason Punk retained at Hell In A Cell last year (Heyman is afraid of Ryback destroying Punk for the belt, and so he calls upon Brock to help), which could have been the catalyst to build towards Brock/Ryback for Mania. Didn't happen, of course.

If they are really intent on turning Brock face after Mania next year and the Ryback/Heyman affiliation is a success, then they could always go at it at Summerslam 2014 with the back story being that Heyman has found a new and improved monster to watch his back in Ryback, who he has target and attempt to destroy Lesnar.

 

[Messiah1]

I called it at NoC.

Lesnar has to put Ryback over though.

There is no way this is going to happen. Lesnar is not going to put over Ryback.

 

[Swift]

Wouldn't be a fan of this at all, Ryback just isn't very good. Keep him as a silly bully (in a comedy type of role) and just have him beat up jobbers. The only thing he has going for him is his dumbass facial expressions :happy:

 

[BrockLesnarFanForLife]

Ryback wont fail hes a decent wrestler, his mic skills are coming along and he deserves to stay in the spotlight

 

[Brad.]

Wouldn't be a fan of this at all, Ryback just isn't very good. Keep him as a silly bully (in a comedy type of role) and just have him beat up jobbers. The only thing he has going for him is his dumbass facial expressions :happy:

This!

I wanted bully Ryback to win the US title and just mess with people.

 

[Danielson]

I'd prefer to see Punk vs Lesnar again. Ryback can feud with axel.

 

[Nice Person]

Just put them both in a steel cage, no holds barred, no disqualification, tables, ladders, chairs match....

 

[Wacokid27]

I don't see a logical way to turn either Ryback or Lesnar babyface at this point. It would take some serious storyline twists to mitigate that sort of change.

Besides, so far Ryback's interactions with Heyman have been solid. I suppose that, if told just right and built just right, Heyman could use Ryback as a "replacement" for Lesnar, eventually having Ryback attack Lesnar during a confrontation with Heyman, which would make Lesnar the de facto face in the feud, which could build to Mania XXX, but fan reaction would be chancy on that, at best.

Of course, they could do it and base the continued feud on crowd reactions.

:happy:

wk

 

[Crayo]

Honestly, I don't see it being that hard turning Ryback face. He was well over as a face when he turned on Cena after Wrestlemania which looked like Ryback being the anti-hero badass face we've wanted for a while, but they instead opted to use that to turn him heel. Still to this day don't understand that damn logic.

 

[Snowman1]

Honestly, I don't see it being that hard turning Ryback face. He was well over as a face when he turned on Cena after Wrestlemania which looked like Ryback being the anti-hero badass face we've wanted for a while, but they instead opted to use that to turn him heel. Still to this day don't understand that damn logic.

Oh, nostalgia, how I love you so... #wwelogic

One of those cases where they should have called an audible. They had a week to think about it, and given Cena's crowd reactions at the time face Ryback was the way to go. All this did was kill his credibility, his face heat, and gave us a main-event angle that gave the fans nobody to root for. Surely they could have messed with the feud (could have even kept the matches almost the same) and even done that... But Cena would still win the feud, so part of the same problem will still be happening.

You brought up how to fix the problem before. Just write the dude off TV. It's amazing what a few months off can do for a character... hell, think of how much fresher it would be to see Cena pop up on Raw this week.

 

[Lockard 23]

Honestly, I don't see it being that hard turning Ryback face. He was well over as a face when he turned on Cena after Wrestlemania which looked like Ryback being the anti-hero badass face we've wanted for a while, but they instead opted to use that to turn him heel. Still to this day don't understand that damn logic.

That crowd seemed to me like the typical post-Wrestlemania crowd that pops big for everything. Even Michael Cole noted on commentary after the attack happened that these fans have been cheering all night. Ryback didn't seem that over leading to that moment and if he had been, the various crowds would have continued to cheer him in spite of him being a heel (the way they did with Punk, Bryan, etc.) I do agree that it would have been more interesting story-wise to keep Ryback face and have his reasoning for attacking John Cena be the result of him snapping due to his recent string of losses/bad luck and tryong to make up for them by going directly after the WWE Title, but as Rainman pointed out, that only would have been followed up by another loss. However, they could have played that so that he snapped and left the show for a few months (think I also remember speculating about how that would be helpful for him...)

Either way, I like where Ryback has ended up now as a heel and with Paul Heyman... even though he just took another loss last night...