Levin: WWE Fails To Get Ryback Over. Again.

In another attempt to sell Ryback as a force to be reckoned with in WWE, the “Big Guy” will face Kalisto in a match at WrestleMania 32 for the WWE United State Championship. I suppose the McMahon Family hasn’t learned its lesson about trying to force fans to like a wrestler, regardless of how many times the company pushes them toward the top of the mountain. This time, it is assumed Ryback will win the title in his new role of heel with a possibility of facing Roman Reigns down the line for the company’s biggest prize.

Can we stop the madness, please?

If WWE honestly believes Ryback can be a huge success as a heel, then I ask them to consider the case of Wade Barrett.

Ryback has the look of a beast and the desire of a champion, but is lacking in fan support due to his stale gimmick. And no change in appearance is going to make a difference in how he is viewed by fans and the critics who think he is nothing more than a poor man’s Goldberg.

A while back I wrote about Ryback for another website, questioning what in the blue hell is being done with Ryback’s character. There is some real potential in what Ryan Reeves could be. But failure and lack of direction have led to change after change and injuries in between those changes (when he was WWE Intercontinental Champion) did not make matters any better.

The fact the WWE had to push the big man along faster than maybe they would have like because of injuries to other wrestlers (John Cena) speaks volumes about how the company cares for its performers and characters. Ryback is one of those characters we may always wonder, “What could have been.” He is not anything like Goldberg and is not even close to mirroring someone like Batista. He is actually more like Mason Ryan than he is a top superstar.

If Ryback chasing titles was more out of necessity than anything else, is it because the company firmly believes he can be a threat to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship? I’ll leave that one right there and let it sink in. With a roster that includes Dean Ambrose, AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt and Brock Lesnar, Ryback is the one they want to chase gold.

What happens to the Big Guy in the next few weeks will impact his future in this company. Should he beat Kalisto and go on some rampage, then the company may be on to something huge. If not, it becomes another failed attempt at trying to recreate the wheel. WWE cannot keep going back to the drawing board and repackaging this guy. All it does is defeat the purpose. Most of all, it basically tells a decent talent he is not ready to hold the brass ring. In truth, he may never have been ready in the first place.