 Ryback in 2014 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ryan Allen Reeves (1981-11-10)November 10, 1981 (age 44) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Website | feedmemore |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Big Guy[1] Ryan Reeves[2] Ryback[2] Skip Sheffield[3] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[4] |
| Billed weight | 291 lb (132 kg)[4] |
| Billed from | College Station, Texas[4] Las Vegas, Nevada[4] Sin City[4] |
| Trained by | Al Snow[2] Bill DeMott[5] Jody Hamilton[5] |
| Debut | 2005 |
| Retired | 2018 |
Ryback Allen Reeves (bornRyan Allen Reeves; November 10, 1981) is an American retiredprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure inWWE, where he performed under thering nameRyback.
One of the eight finalists onTough Enough 4, Reeves later signed adevelopmental contract with WWE and performed under thering names Ryback andSkip Sheffield in its developmental territoriesDeep South Wrestling (DSW),Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), andFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW). In 2010, as Skip Sheffield, he participated in thefirst season ofNXT, joined WWE's main roster as a member ofThe Nexus, and headlinedSummerSlam before being sidelined by an injury. He returned under the Ryback ring name in 2012, going on to headline multiplepay-per view events (usually as a contender for theWWE Championship) in 2012-13 and following this until leaving becoming aone-timeWWE Intercontinental Champion and competed in the tag team division with Curtis Axel before being released in 2016. He would compete on theindependent circuit for the next two years.
Ryback Allen Reeves[6][7] was born Ryan Allen Reeves inLas Vegas on November 10, 1981.[2][5] He started watchingprofessional wrestling at the age of eight, and was a guest bell ringer at a liveWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) event at the age of 13.[8][9] Wanting to become a professional wrestler, Reeves began lifting weights at 12 years old and was nicknamed "Silverback" as a teenager after a friend joked that he resembled a gorilla, later adopting part of it as his name. He excelled at baseball andfootball while attending Western High School andPalo Verde High School. He also playedbaseball during his freshman year at theCommunity College of Southern Nevada, but broke his leg and missed two seasons. He attended theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas, entering its fitness management program.[8]
Reeves sent a brief one-minute videotape of himself to become a contestant on WWE's reality television series,$1,000,000 Tough Enough, and was invited toVenice Beach with 49 others. During the first week of training, Reeves suffered frombronchitis and arib injury. He eventually became one of the eight finalists to appear onSmackDown! and the last to be voted off.[10][11] Even though he did not win the competition, Reeves impressed WWE officials enough for them to sign him to a developmental contract. He spent time healing from his injuries in Las Vegas before heading toAtlanta, Georgia in March 2005.
After training inDeep South Wrestling (DSW) for most of 2005 and early 2006, Reeves was transferred over toOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in early March. In July 2006, Reeves was suspended for 30 days due to failing a drug test as part of WWE'sWellness Program.[12] According to Reeves, he had been taking severalover the counterbodybuilding supplements, one of which caused a positive reading. The supplements he was using were later taken off the market due to this effect and, although his suspension remained in place, Reeves eventually returned to the roster after passing a second test.[13] His case was later placed on theCNN documentaryDeath Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling.
After over a year's absence, Reeves returned to OVW under thering name Ryback and won theOVW Heavyweight Championship on October 15, 2008, before losing it in the same month.[14] Soon after the title loss, Reeves was then re-signed to a developmental contract with WWE.[15] From late 2008 to early 2010, Reeves wrestled inFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) under the ring name Ryback and later Skip Sheffield.[16]
On February 16, 2010, Sheffield was announced as one of eight FCW contestants to take part in thefirst season of WWE's newNXT show,[17] where he finished sixth.[18] On the June 7 episode ofWWE Raw, Sheffield and the seven otherNXT participants interfered in the main event match betweenJohn Cena andCM Punk, attacking both competitors as well as the announcing team before dismantling the ring area and surrounding equipment.[19] The group, namedThe Nexus, would continuefeuding with Cena over the following weeks. This resulted in a seven-on-seven eliminationtag team match at the2010 SummerSlam, where The Nexus lost to Team WWE led by Cena.[20] In August, Reeves broke his ankle in three places during a match,[21] which made him undergo three surgeries and kept him away from wrestling for over a year until December 2011.[9][22][23]
Reeves returned to television on the April 6, 2012, episode ofWWE SmackDown, under the Ryback ring name as aface. He would embark on a thirty eight-match winning streak, mainly consisting of squash matches against numerous enhancement talent until his match againstCM Punk for theWWE ChampionshipHell in a Cell in October 2012, where he lost after a controversialpin by refereeBrad Maddox.[24] He failed to capture the title twice more from Punk, first atSurvivor Series,[25] and then on the January 7, 2013 episode ofRaw, both times being interfered and attacked byThe Shield (Dean Ambrose,Roman Reigns andSeth Rollins).[26]
On January 27 at theRoyal Rumble, Ryback entered theRoyal Rumble match as the thirtieth and final entrant and eliminated five superstars before being the last man eliminated by John Cena.[27] Ryback would then resume his rivalry with The Shield on the February 4Raw, when he teamed up with John Cena andSheamus to attack the stable.[28] This culminated in a six-man tag team match on February 17 atElimination Chamber, where The Shield emerged victorious when Seth Rollins pinned Ryback for the win following a Spear from Roman Reigns.[29] The following night onRaw, Ryback and Sheamus teamed up withChris Jericho to face The Shield in a rematch, but were again defeated.[30] Ryback then began a feud withMark Henry after several non-verbal confrontations led to them attackingDrew McIntyre with their finishing moves in an attempt to one-up each other.[31][32][33] On the March 15 episode ofSmackDown, Ryback defeated Henry by disqualification following interference from The Shield. Afterwards, Henry delivered theWorld's Strongest Slam to Ryback three times in a row.[34] Ryback and Henry competed in aBench Press Challenge on the March 29SmackDown, where Ryback tied Henry at 53 reps after Henry choked him with the weight.[35] On April 7 atWrestleMania 29, Ryback was defeated by Henry in a singles match.[36]
The following night onRaw, Ryback saved WWE Champion John Cena from assault by Mark Henry before attacking Cena as well, turning heel in the process.[37] The following week onRaw, Ryback explained his attack on Cena as stepping out from his shadow and getting revenge for Cena not having his back against The Shield; before Ryback got a measure of revenge later that night, by allowing the Shield to attack Cena.[38] After becoming the number one contender for the WWE Championship, Ryback continued his feud with Cena by attacking him on several occasions while also having confrontations with The Shield.[39][40][41] Ryback received his title opportunity in aLast Man Standing match on May 19 atExtreme Rules. The match ended in a no contest after Ryback rammed Cena and himself into the electric backdrop at the top of the ramp.[42] The following night onRaw, Ryback entered the arena in an ambulance and challenged Cena to anambulance match for the WWE Championship at the first-everPayback pay-per-view.[43] The following week on the May 27 episode ofRaw, Cena accepted Ryback's challenge, but announced their match would instead be a3 Stages of Hell match; the first fall alumberjack match, the second atables match, and the third an ambulance match.[44] On June 16 at Payback, Ryback won the lumberjack match, but went on to lose both the tables and ambulance matches and his shot at the WWE Championship, to end the feud.[45]
Ryback then began feuding with Chris Jericho,[46] which led to a singles match on July 14 atMoney in the Bank, where Ryback emerged victorious.[47] In August, Ryback debuted a new gimmick, where he began bullying various backstage workers.[48] Also as part of the gimmick, Ryback would back away from fighting opponents of equal size and taking advantage of smaller and vulnerable opponents.[49]
On September 15 atNight of Champions, Ryback aligned himself withPaul Heyman after helping him defeatCM Punk.[50] Despite being a bully himself, Ryback claimed he hated bullies and vowed to stop CM Punk and anyone else who acted as such.[51][52][53] On October 6 atBattleground, Ryback was defeated by Punk in a singles match following a low blow from Punk.[54] On October 27 atHell in a Cell, Ryback and Heyman were defeated by Punk in a 2-on-1 handicap Hell in a Cell match.[55] The feud ended the following night onRaw, when Punk defeated Ryback in a Street Fight match after forcing him to submit to theAnaconda Vise, marking Ryback's first ever submission loss.[56] On the November 11 episode ofRaw, the alliance between Ryback and Heyman came to an end when Heyman verbally berated him.[57] On November 24 atSurvivor Series, Ryback was defeated by the returning Mark Henry after he answered Ryback's open challenge.[58]
Ryback then began a tag team with fellow former Paul Heyman GuyCurtis Axel collectively labelled as "RybAxel", and on the December 6 episode ofSmackDown, they defeatedWWE Tag Team ChampionsCody Rhodes and Goldust in a non-title match to earn a shot at the titles.[59] RybAxel received their title shot on December 15 atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, but were defeated by Cody Rhodes and Goldust in a four-way elimination match, also involvingBig Show andRey Mysterio and The Real Americans (Antonio Cesaro andJack Swagger).[60] RybAxel received another shot at the WWE Tag Team Championship on April 6, 2014, on theWrestleMania XXX pre-show, but were defeated by defending championsThe Usos in a fatal four-way elimination match, which also includedLos Matadores and The Real Americans.[61] AtPayback, RybAxel defeated Cody Rhodes and Goldust in a tag team match.[62] AtMoney in the Bank, RybAxel lost toGold and Stardust.[63] On July 2, it was announced that Ryback and Axel would be competing for the vacantIntercontinental Championship in a 19-manbattle royal atBattleground, but neither Ryback or Axel managed to win. On August 26, 2014, Ryback underwent hernia surgery.
After a two-month injury, Ryback returned on the October 27 episode ofRaw as ababyface, returning to his old "Feed Me More" gimmick by defeatingBo Dallas. Ryback would later end his association with Axel on the November 6 episode ofSuperstars. Four days later on the November 10 episode ofRaw, Ryback appeared to joinTeam Authority forSurvivor Series after attacking John Cena, but attacked his supposed teammates after they interfered in his match against Cena, joining Team Cena the following week. Ryback was eliminated byRusev, but Team Cena won the match, putting The Authority out of power. Ryback defeated Team Authority memberKane in aChairs match atTLC. AfterSeth Rollins coaxed Cena to bring The Authority back into power, Ryback, along withErick Rowan andDolph Ziggler, were (kayfabe) fired byTriple H on the January 5 episode ofRaw as punishment for insubordination, but they were re-hired after Cena defeated Rollins, Kane andBig Show in a handicap match due to the distraction caused bySting, on the January 19 episode ofRaw. On the January 22 episode ofSmackDown, Ryback defeated Rusev via count-out to earn a spot in theRoyal Rumble match, where he was eliminated by Big Show and Kane. AtFastlane, he teamed with Rowan and Ziggler in a six-man tag team match against Rollins, Big Show and Kane, but lost.[64] Ryback participated in theAndré the Giant Memorial Battle Royal atWrestleMania 31, but was eliminated by the eventual winner, Big Show. On theRaw followingExtreme Rules, Ryback was attacked byBray Wyatt (who sent a series of mysterious promos aimed at Ryback weeks prior), leading to a match atPayback, which Ryback lost.[65]
AtElimination Chamber, Ryback won the vacantIntercontinental Championship, his firstprofessional wrestling championship in WWE, by defeatingSheamus, Dolph Ziggler,R-Truth,King Barrett and Mark Henry in anElimination Chamber match.[66] The following night, before Ryback was scheduled to make his first title defense againstThe Miz; Big Show attacked Miz and confronted Ryback, starting a feud between the two.[67] AtMoney in the Bank, Big Show defeated Ryback by disqualification after Miz attacked him; Ryback retained the title as a result. Ryback was scheduled to defend the title against Big Show and Miz in a triple threat match atBattleground, but the match was postponed after Ryback developed astaph infection in his knee; the match was rescheduled forSummerSlam, where Ryback pinned The Miz to retain the title. Ryback once again defended his championship against Big Show on the August 31 episode ofRaw, where he pinned Show after a distraction from The Miz, ending the feud. On the September 11 episode ofSmackDown,Kevin Owens, who was one of the lumberjacks, cost him a win against Seth Rollins. Three days later on the September 14 episode ofRaw, it was announced that he would face Owens atNight of Champions for his Intercontinental Championship. Owens won the match by pinfall after he raked Ryback's eyes, ending his reign at 112 days.[68] After initially failing to regain the title using his rematch clause after Owens proceeded to get himself counted out, Ryback defeated Rusev to earn another opportunity atHell in a Cell, where Ryback failed to regain the championship from Owens, ending the feud.
On the November 12 episode ofSmackDown, Ryback would enter the 16-man tournament to crown the newWWE World Heavyweight Champion, but he would lose toKalisto in the first round. AtSurvivor Series, Ryback participated in a five-on-five elimination tag team match, teaming withThe Usos andThe Lucha Dragons to defeatThe New Day, Sheamus and King Barrett. In December, Ryback started a feud withRusev after interrupting Rusev and the returningLana onMiz TV, which would lead to a match between the two atTLC, where Ryback was defeated by Rusev by technical knockout. On January 24, 2016, Ryback competed in theRoyal Rumblematch for theWWE World Heavyweight Championship as the ninth entrant, but was eliminated by Big Show.
On the February 4 episode ofSmackDown, Ryback debuted a new look, abandoning hissinglet and now sporting black trunks, where he defeatedErick Rowan, but was attacked byThe Wyatt Family. Ryback teamed up with Big Show andKane, being billed as "the titans" of WWE, to defeat Wyatt Family members Erick Rowan,Luke Harper andBraun Strowman in a six-man tag team match atFastlane, with Ryback pinning Harper for the victory. The next night onRaw, during a rematch between the two teams, Ryback walked out on Big Show and Kane, and later proclaimed that he was tired of being in tag team matches, turningheel for the first time since 2014.
On the March 7 episode ofRaw, Ryback confrontedUnited States ChampionKalisto backstage, leading to a title match between the two on theWrestleMania 32 pre-show, which Ryback lost. In a non-title rematch between the two on the April 21 episode ofSmackDown, Ryback defeated Kalisto to reignite their feud. With the win, he earned another shot at Kalisto's United States Championship at thePayback pre-show, but was again defeated; this marked his final appearance in WWE.
On May 2, it was reported that WWE had sent Ryback home from television due to a contract dispute, and he did not participate in the battle royal match for which he was scheduled.[69] The following day, he explained on hisTumblr page that he had made the decision to go home, citing a lack of equal pay for talent and creative frustration as primary reasons for his departure.[70]
On August 5, Reeves announced viaInstagram that he and WWE had parted ways,[71] though he was not officially released until August 8.[72]
Immediately after his WWE departure, Ryback began takingindependent bookings. He wrestled between August 2016 and August 2018.[73]
The Ryback character has been described as "Goldberg meetsThe Ultimate Warrior meetsRob Van Dam's tights".[12] Owing to similarities between him and Goldberg (the latter of whom was estranged from WWE at the time, due to his own failed stint with the company in 2003–2004), theportmanteau of "Ryberg" was devised for Reeves.[74][75] In October 2012, after Reeves allegedly "stole" a move used by Goldberg during a match, Goldberg would respond by stating, "now comparisons offend me".[76] Spectators at WWE events had been chanting "Goldberg" during Reeves' matches from 2012,[12] which Reeves said "never bothered [him]".[77] In response to podcast host andmixed martial artistChael Sonnen's confusion about Ryback's appeal in late 2014, former WWE writer Jon Piermarini noted that the creative staff were doing "essentially the exact same thing they did with the character when it did not work or catch on the first time" and would only continue to get Goldberg's characterover as Ryback.[78]
Reeves has garnered praise from peers such asWade Barrett, who called himself "a huge fan of Ryback".[79]WWE Hall of FamerMick Foley said Ryback "had been doing a great job" in his solopromos, and that Ryback's first verbal interaction opposite Foley in 2013 "went really well".[80]
Reeves's in-ring work as Ryback has been criticized by some writers and fans since 2012, whenIGN reporter Matt Fowler described Reeves as "green", "unsafe", and lacking in stamina.[81] This was after Reevesbotched hisShell Shocked (acradle suplex lifted and dropped into a runninghorizontal muscle buster)finishing move multiple times onTensai on the October 1 episode ofRaw, which was described by anIB Times writer as "hard to watch".[82] Reeves later attributed the error to sickness and improper technique on his part.[77] Readers of theWrestling Observer Newsletter voted Ryback the "Most Overrated" wrestler in the publication's 2012 awards,[83] and WWE live crowds went on to chant "You can't wrestle" at Reeves in 2013.[84][85][86] On the other hand, Jon Piermarini felt that Reeves had the potential to be successful under a newgimmick, stating: "I see a lot of good qualities and I see someone who can talk, I see someone that could be different and stand out... I think that there's something there".[78]
According to Mike Johnson ofPWInsider,Dolph Ziggler received aconcussion from a stiffclothesline by Reeves in a January 2014 match, with Johnson reporting that this damaged Reeves's reputation among peers along with ongoing complaints of his recklessness – a reason why his recentpushes were aborted.[87] In November 2014,CM Punk labelled Reeves as a "steroid guy" and said that wrestling him "took 20 years off" his life, while also claiming that Reeves purposely broke his ribs.[88] Reeves denied the notion that he is a hazardous wrestler, and claimed that he would not be placed in matches with top WWE stars if he were as unsafe as some have claimed.[89] Veteran wrestlerChris Jericho also dismissed the allegations of dangerous in-ring performance directed at Reeves, saying: "Having worked with [him], I've never seen those types of things... it was always fun".[89] Former WWE producerArn Anderson said he never "had an issue working with him on matches or anything. He was always very, very easy to work with".[90]
Former World ChampionMark Henry said of Reeves's reputation: "A lot of his peers look at him as difficult. A lot of his peers looked at him as dangerous." He also expressed displeasure with Reeves "talk[ing] shit" about the industry (including once labelling it "fake"), which Henry said had drawn the ire of many other wrestlers besides himself.[91]
In 2016, he petitioned the Clark County, Nevada court to change his legal name to "Ryback Allen Reeves", citing the ring name as a brand he created and wished to retain control over.[92]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | WWE '13 | Video game debut. Downloadable content |
| 2013 | WWE 2K14 | |
| 2014 | WWE 2K15 | |
| 2015 | WWE 2K16 |
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database