It’s no secret, over the past few years WWE has done a less than stellar job of building up new stars. Between some obvious missteps in booking and some unforeseeable talent relations issues, Vince and company have wound up with a main event picture that all too often begins and ends with former champions and part-timers while suffering from a lack of new blood. So it stands to reason that if WWE had an up and comer on the roster with a physique like Atlas and a marketable catchphrase that the fans were already eating up, they should hot shot that guy to the top, right?

    Wrong.

    The up and coming powerhouse wrestler I’m talking about is, of course, Ryback. The Big Guy. Mr. Feed Me More. Now, I make no bones about it, I’ve never been a Ryback fan. I didn’t like seeing him main event pay per views during his Goldberg-esqe run in 2012 and 2013. When that run fizzled and Ryback found himself in “Rybaxel” working dead end tag matches with Curtis Axel I was a bit relieved to see him out of the main event picture. Then, just when it seemed like we were past the issue and the Ryback window had closed, we come to Survivor Series 2014 and Ryback reemerges as the most sought after “free-agent” for the main event elimination match. Much to my chagrin, people seemed happy to see him. While his showing at Survivor Series was less impactful than I expected, I have little doubt that WWE is going to try and push Ryback again in an attempt to make a star out of him. Why wouldn’t they? “Feed me more” is getting over, and everyone knows that Vince loves the larger than life superstars. My personal feelings aside, it would be silly to NOT push the guy if he was “best for business” as folks like to say. But the fact of the matter is, he’s not. It would be a foolhardy waste of time and resources to give Ryback the push that seems to be on the horizon, so they just shouldn’t do it.

    It’s particularly appropriate they we should be addressing Ryback now. Unless you live in some internet-less cave, I’m sure you’ve heard about the harsh words CM Punk had for the Big Guy on Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling Podcast, giving a description that made Ryback sound like at best a dangerous liability in the ring and, at worst, a malicious brute who deliberately cracked Punk’s ribs. Obviously, if this is true, Ryback shouldn’t even be in the ring at all. The business depends on guys being able to trust one another, and taking liberties of that nature is as unacceptable as it is unprofessional. That being said, I don’t want to spend much time on what Punk said. There’s two sides to that story, and it wouldn’t be fair to throw that all on Ryback without hearing his full rebuttal. Yet even without calling into question ring safety, there is still plenty of ammunition to prove that Ryback isn’t the guy.

    Once you get past the look and the catchy slogan, the holes in Ryback’s game become big enough to swing a human wrecking ball through. To put it in the bluntest terms possible, Ryback is one dimensional and extremely limited in every facet of the business. The more I see of him, the more plain those facts become. Look at his ring work and try to determine what he brings to the table that hasn’t already been seen. Sure, he’s a big, strong, powerful guy who can toss around just about anyone on the roster, but so can Big Show, Kane, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, and Big E and I would argue that at least most of those guys have more in-ring ability and range. Every Ryback match is just like the last, a string of throws followed by an over-hyped clothesline and a gimmicky finish that is more show than substance. Don’t get me wrong, Shellshock is an impressive looking move and is believable in the sense that I’m sure it would hurt, but have you ever noticed it’s always done the exact same way? He always picks up his opponent in the same place, he always marches around the ring in the same way, and he always drops the move at the same point. While the RKO can famously be hit from “outta nowhere” Shellshock can only happen in the center of the ring. The formula of a Ryback match, no matter who he is working, will get very old, very fast, and we’ll be left with a string of pay per view matches that look like the one before it and the one that will come after it.

    Then again, maybe Ryback can still be a star and a huge draw even with a limited move set. It worked for Hogan, it worked for Cena; couldn’t it work for Ryback? In the words of the late, great Gorilla Monsoon – highly unlikely. Hogan and Cena were both able to throw down a promo to create hype. Maybe they weren’t the best promos ever delivered, but Hogan’s “say your prayers and take your vitamins” and Cena’s rapping “Hustle Loyalty and Respect” not only pulled in fans but they created at least some room to build depth of character. “Feed Me More” doesn’t do that at all. Ryback is a flat, dead pan eating machine. Why should anyone care about that? To make matters worse, Ryback’s general promo delivery is more reminiscent of Snitsky or Heidenreich then anyone who made a lasting impact on the company. We’ve all seen talented performers like Kofi Kingston or guys that WWE wanted to push to the moon like Sheamus hit a wall because they didn’t have the opportunity or the skill set to develop their character or their programs through mic work. It’s only a matter of time before Ryback comes to that same dead-end. Of course, maybe WWE could try pairing him with a mouth piece manager. . .oh wait.

    Aside from the shortcomings that exist in Ryback’s abilities, there’s one more elephant in the room that should be addressed – Roman Reigns. WWE has made it clear that they have big plans for the former strongman of the Shield, and the top of card isn’t big enough for two face powerhouses. Reigns might have some of the same weaknesses as Ryback, but his upside is still better, and more importantly the company has been grooming him for a longer time. Now that Reigns is back from his injury, you can rest assured that the company will strap a rocket on him. Trying to push Ryback at the same time in the same way is only going to stifle them both, while taking up precious time that could be given to someone more talented. Ultimately, this will serve to further fuel the problem we’re looking to solve; the lack of a deep, diversified roster.

    Ryback is not the new blood that we need to see pushed. There is no way it can end well for the company or for the WWE Universe. We deserve better and the product can be better, and there are plenty of other options that would be better for everyone. So do your part: don’t feed the chants, don’t feed the hype, and most of all, DON’T feed Ryback.

    Do you agree with me? Do you think Ryback deserves his upcoming push? Let me know in the comments.

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