10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 2012
4. Ryback Was A Draw
They shouldn't have booked it, in hindsight. Not unless they were prepared to pull off one of the more shocking pivots in company history at this point.
When John Cena went down hurt ahead of his pay-per-view clash with CM Punk, WWE looked around and decided to put the undefeated and red hot Ryback in instead.
It worked too well. Cena was a perfect Autumnal feud for Punk because either could be bought as The Rock's Royal Rumble 2013 opponent. Ryback was such a wild card curiosity in the title scene that Hell In A Cell drew the company's best B-Show buyrate since Brock Lesnar returned at Extreme Rules. It outdrew the prior year's show too - one that featured both Punk and Cena in the titular main event.
Ryback ruled, and he was the reason.
"Feed Me More", he yelled. Audiences vocally agreed and did the same with their wallets, but Vince McMahon persistently refused the request. Showing crowds the cook book without baking the dishes, McMahon moved Ryback into a quality programme with the debuting Shield at the Survivor Series that sadly left him looking far too normal.
'The Big Guy' wasn't ever as massive again.