10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Oct 22)

1. Ryback Wanted To Train MMA For A Feud Against Brock Lesnar

Dude Love Vince McMahon
WWE.com

Departing the promotion earlier this year, Ryback has since changed his name legally to the same one he used as a character in WWE. A popular guest for podcast interviews, Ryback granted one to Busted Open Radio recently. That was when the former WWE Intercontinental Champion lifted the lid on one idea he pitched to Vince McMahon.

Desperately seeking the chance to face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, Ryback told McMahon that he should leave WWE for around six months. In that time frame, he would train at a genuine MMA camp and sharpen his fighting skills. Then, when the time was right he'd return to the promotion and challenge Lesnar on the biggest stage WWE can provide.

McMahon didn't really understand where Ryback was coming from, a fact which led the wrestler to wonder just how out of touch his boss was. In Ryback's mind, a match tinged with MMA believability would have led to millions of dollars in pay-per-view revenue for the promotion.

Vince wasn't interested, meaning the entire concept was thrown out before it had any chance to get started.

What other big wrestling facts did you learn this week? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below!

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.