Ryback Talks About His Frustration Over Creative Decisions Made Surrounding His Heel Turn

Ryback was one of the top babyfaces in 2013 for the WWE until turning heel the night after Wrestlemania 29 where he turned on John Cena. A move like that would make one think that one of the top babyfaces in the company would easily slide into becoming one of the company’s top heels.

Instead, the heel turn seemed to mark the beginning of the decline of Ryback who had a mixed bag of success following the conclusion of his feud with John Cena over the WWE Title. On his Ryback Show podcast, the former WWE Superstar talks about how Vince McMahon sold Ryback on the idea of his heel turn and how he felt the process didn’t help his credibility and the lies he felt he was told to convince him this heel turn would be good for his career.

“They brought me into the production meeting. After the meeting was over, it was Vince, Hunter and Stephanie at their table. They brought me in. I sat down and they explained to me that they wanted to turn me heel, which at the time I was in the top babyface discussion being used and I was red hot. I didn’t understand. At that stage of the game, you do what’s told to you. But they worded it where they said, ‘You are essentially going to be very figured into this company for a long time. We want you to work as a top heel and get that experience calling matches and being more in control as the heel.’ The way they presented it sounded very good. That was, I want to say 2 or 3 months in advance (of the heel turn). That was the direction we were going to go. Then at the end of the Mark Henry match (WM 29), that was for me to get some real steam before I turned heel on Cena. Then days before WrestleMania, Fit Finlay was the agent and he said, ‘You’re falling on your face with Mark Henry on your back.’ I said, what? I couldn’t even get a hold of Vince. I couldn’t find him. I had a meeting with him at WrestleMania that day in gorilla where he explained that this was going to be the big moment that you fail as a babyface on WrestleMania. You fell on your face and that’s where the aggression and anger will fuel the heel turn with Cena who was the top babyface. But the way it was presented to me was what was going to win the championship. So as a talent, why wouldn’t I go do this even though this doesn’t feel right because I botched my own move. That’s what he wanted but it was promises that weren’t delivered. None of that makes any sense from a creative standpoint to lose and then be the number one contender the next night. How? This is why I have the issues I have with them with the lies because you go out and do business and your professional and then they are not professional. That bothered me a lot because none of that made any sense.”

Vince McMahon changes his mind on the fly, so it definitely seems to fit his style that plans would change from the first time he talked about the heel turn with Ryback. However, the frustration over his creative direction from it certainly seemed to start the beginning of his end of his time with the WWE.

h/t to Wrestling News for the quote

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