Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently discussed Roman Reigns and why he hasn’t turned heel during the latest edition of his Conversations With the Big Guy podcast. You can check out some highlights below:
On his thoughts on under-utilized talent in WWE: “Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, and Luke Harper are three that are figured in as far as being on TV, who I think can be used in better roles. And then, they never really… they’re hot and cold too often, like a lot of guys are, but they’re just three extraordinary talents.”
On how Rusev is underused: “Obviously, Rusev, we’ve seen, as of late, had not been used to the best of his ability compared to what he has been in the past. He’s a great heel for them and generates great heat. And I feel like he should always be protected to a degree and always figured in to a degree. He doesn’t always have to be the champion. But they have a really bad habit of just doing stupid things.”
On his thoughts on Curtis Axel: “Curtis Axel is one guy, the only guy I could think of off the top of my head who is not on TV, like, at all. I know he’s on live events, but I never see him on TV. And I don’t know what it is. And there has always been something against him from giving him that name, Michael McGillicutty, never letting him use the Hennig name, and it just sucks. He’s one of the nicest guys up there and he’s respected by everybody and he’s beyond talented. I used to always come up with things for him. I’d call him ‘The Ax Man’, which is where that [came from] and then his finisher was ‘The Ax Hole’. And it makes sense, but they don’t do anything with it.”
On why Axel hasn’t gotten pushed more: “He [has] given them pitch after pitch after pitch and they just… I don’t know if it goes back to Mr. Perfect and something that he might have done. I know he was a big ribber and if they’re just pissed off and it’s their way of getting back, by, like, not letting him [advance]. He should be on TV every week in some capacity and they give him silly things.”
On WWE being heavily against Axel using the Hennig name: “They would make more money instantly letting him do that and just being on TV every week. Whether they use him in a great capacity or not, they would make more money off of him that way and allow him to make more money, but they’re just so hellbent on not letting him do that. And he’s a good soldier. He’ll never speak up and say anything bad, but I will. And I just think they need to do something with him. It sucks.”
On why Roman Reigns hasn’t been turned heel: “If you remember correctly, fans were cheering the f–k out of him when he was part of The Shield. So here’s another theory, and like, fans though… the more successful you are, the more people hate you. But, I do feel, like [Ryback and podcast co-host Pat Buck] talked about, you have to acknowledge them on a certain level, but the reason, if they haven’t done it yet, it’s probably because of the merchandise numbers that he’s pulling in [are] probably very, very strong. Oh, I know so. I would guarantee it, guarantee it. And that’s by design. They know that they’re marketing to the masses with him, that audience. They could turn him heel and play to that small part, but then you’re going to lose out a little bit on the merchandising end on him and stuff.”
On how a heel turn for Roman Reigns could ultimately turn Reigns into a bigger babyface: “I look at it though, if you did acknowledge them and turn him heel at the right time, you could make him an even bigger babyface. You could get those people to actually really like him if you did that and took a step back, which they might do. You never know. He’s in their little inner circle, so anything’s possible with him. I love Roman. I think he’s awesome.”
