It was often believed that Ryback was working stiff, particularly when he would kick, use forearm smashes, or his signature Meat Hook. However, this isnt anything new; Hardcore Holly mentioned that many top guys, including HBL, Chris Jericho, and Kurt Angle, all stiffed him. While Bob Holly in particular had no problem with this, due to the fact that he is incredibly tough, the same cannot be said for others in todays WWE locker room. It is possible that one of his opponents complained to WWE management that Ryback was being too rough with his opponents, and someone in WWEs top brass interpreted that stiffness as sloppiness. And if theres one thing that the WWE absolutely cannot have, its someone being sloppy in the ring, considering that these Superstars are putting each their health and well-being in each others hands. So for Ryback, it seemed that it was too much of a risk to take. Despite Vince wanting to push Ryback to the moon as a true top guy, he couldnt put his faith in a guy who risked hurting one of his employees in a serious way. Ryback shouldve simply been more careful in the ring, and maybe, just maybe, the loss of his push would never have happened. But of course, working stiff in the ring pales in comparison to other factors that ended Rybacks push, such as
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
