Ryback Negotiating With Bellator MMA
Is The Big Guy ready to feast at a different table?
In this week's most bizarre piece of wrestling news (it's still early!), former WWE superstar Ryback - who legally changed his name to Ryback so he can continue to perform under that moniker - is not only accepting bookings with independent wrestling organizations, he is now also rumored to be in talks to join the world of mixed martial arts via Bellator MMA.
During an interview with X1075 in Las Vegas, Ryback revealed that he's open to the idea of competing in MMA and has been in negotiations with Bellator.
For those who don't follow the sport closely, Bellator is the TNA to UFC's WWE, a Viacom-owned promotion that airs free events on Spike TV. While the company does have an impressive, yet small roster of homegrown talent, their most notable fighters are UFC cast-offs and past-their-prime legends still searching for one last taste of glory. The company made headlines this past week when they announced the signing of former UFC star and legitimate huge draw Chael Sonnen, and now they may be looking to make another newsworthy acquisition with "The Big Guy."
Much like CM Punk, a man with whom he's had personal issues with in the past, Ryback has no formal combat sports experience outside of his time in the squared circle of pro wrestling, but he has spent some time in the gym recently training for what could amount to a career change.
Bellator is no stranger to pro wrestling crossovers, with both Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and Rampage Jackson having made appearances for TNA, and the current TNA world heavyweight champion Bobby Lashley competes for both companies.
A fight between Ryback and Lashley would be quite the spectacle and make sense from a box office standpoint, but "The Dominator" is far more experienced and Bellator would be hard-pressed to find a legitimate athletic commission that would sanction it. However, this is the same promotion responsible for Bellator 149. That event was infamous for a bout between Kimbo Slice and Dada 5000, two street brawlers who never should have been medically cleared, and Royce Gracie taking on Ken Shamrock in a fight between men who competed in the first UFC event back in 1993 and stepped into the cage at a combined age of 101-years old.
It'll be interesting to see if these negotiations go anywhere, but Bellator is not above signing fighters while prioritizing name recognition over skill. We'll keep you updated if any further news breaks on this front.
Will Ryback find his next meal while being fed more in a mixed martial arts cage?