10 Recent WWE Character Turns That Didn't Make Sense

7. Ryback

Ryback John Cena Raw April 2013
WWE.com

Do you remember when Ryback was considered the next major superstar and fans debated whether he could replace John Cena as the face of WWE? No, it's not a joke, that actually happened and WWE definitely had something with Ryback in late 2012.

The Big Guy debuted to a series of "Goldberg" chants due to his look, size, and move-set, but it wasn't look before those jeers turned to cheers. Many fans soon rooted for the newcomer to dethrone long reigning WWE Champion CM Punk in the Fall of 2012. The company had a chance to anoint a new champion in Ryback as he seemed to be on the verge of something big as a babyface.

While the title win didn't happen, WWE did go to lengths to protect The Big Guy as they still had major plans for him. Those plans came in the form of a sudden heel turn and a post-WrestleMania program against John Cena. While that's a position most superstars would kill to be in, it was only a temporary boost and, in 2013, was all but guaranteed to follow with a significant slide down the card.

Indeed, Ryback's value sank faster than Yokozuna in quicksand and the bygone days of fans considering Ryback as next face of the company seemed light years away.

Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.