ironworks
04-19-2013, 02:17 AM
Feed Source: Bleacher Report
Ryback and John Cena's feud will be a mistake and failure if it ends in handshakes, raising of hands and “passing the torch."
This feud needs to be the welcoming and solidification of Ryback as a top heel for WWE.
Ending the rivalry with both being faces only works if Cena was passing the torch and getting ready to leave from his top spot in WWE. Cena isn't going anywhere anytime soon and passing the torch isn't relevant anymore. The torch just comes back on a part-time schedule for a WrestleMania payday.
The reality is Ryback got forced into the main-event picture when Cena got injured and stayed there when CM Punk got injured a month later. He hasn't won a big pay-per-view match yet. If he was a face, it would be a glaring issue that Ryback hasn't done anything to deserve being the top challenger for the WWE title. He hasn't won any big matches, and he used Cena as his scapegoat for why he hasn't, which I thought was a great move.
WWE took the right steps this past Monday regarding Ryback; they pre-taped his promo. If it would have been live in the ring, they would have had less control and there's a good chance, given how much material there was to cover, that he would ramble. The crowd also would have been a potential distraction, getting restless and filling the time with “Goldberg” chants.
The promo was long but necessary. The use of video flashbacks to get his point across of blaming Cena was needed. I also like the “Ryback Rules” tagline. It should replace “Feed Me More”, which is a face chant. The Ryback Rules came off, to me, as what he was using as his logic regarding how Cena has screwed him over all of these months. It can be used as his logic and explanation for the way he does things. Simple to understand and execute.
I also agree with not having one definitive moment being the heel turn for Ryback. He clotheslined Cena two weeks ago, but that didn't mean he was a heel. It raised the question, but his motivations and intentions were still unknown. The Shield's attacks on Cena and Ryback not helping was another good move.
If a leg drop or major turn is done for a heel turn, it can put a lot of pressure on the character. It also does something in one week that could be drawn out over several weeks while cliffhanging the audience. With six weeks in between WrestleMania and Extreme Rules, there is no need to rush.
There is talk of CM Punk being out for a while to rest. Dolph Ziggler is a heel, but for how long? Brock Lesnar isn't around every week. Wade Barrett and Antonio Cesaro lose every non-title match they're put in. A new heel that WWE could rely on is needed. Ryback can always go back to being a monster face when he and WWE are ready.
The best part of Ryback as a heel? It should eliminate having to see him Shell Shock all three members of 3MB at least once every month. That's what Zack Ryder is there for now.
Ryback and John Cena's feud will be a mistake and failure if it ends in handshakes, raising of hands and “passing the torch."
This feud needs to be the welcoming and solidification of Ryback as a top heel for WWE.
Ending the rivalry with both being faces only works if Cena was passing the torch and getting ready to leave from his top spot in WWE. Cena isn't going anywhere anytime soon and passing the torch isn't relevant anymore. The torch just comes back on a part-time schedule for a WrestleMania payday.
The reality is Ryback got forced into the main-event picture when Cena got injured and stayed there when CM Punk got injured a month later. He hasn't won a big pay-per-view match yet. If he was a face, it would be a glaring issue that Ryback hasn't done anything to deserve being the top challenger for the WWE title. He hasn't won any big matches, and he used Cena as his scapegoat for why he hasn't, which I thought was a great move.
WWE took the right steps this past Monday regarding Ryback; they pre-taped his promo. If it would have been live in the ring, they would have had less control and there's a good chance, given how much material there was to cover, that he would ramble. The crowd also would have been a potential distraction, getting restless and filling the time with “Goldberg” chants.
The promo was long but necessary. The use of video flashbacks to get his point across of blaming Cena was needed. I also like the “Ryback Rules” tagline. It should replace “Feed Me More”, which is a face chant. The Ryback Rules came off, to me, as what he was using as his logic regarding how Cena has screwed him over all of these months. It can be used as his logic and explanation for the way he does things. Simple to understand and execute.
I also agree with not having one definitive moment being the heel turn for Ryback. He clotheslined Cena two weeks ago, but that didn't mean he was a heel. It raised the question, but his motivations and intentions were still unknown. The Shield's attacks on Cena and Ryback not helping was another good move.
If a leg drop or major turn is done for a heel turn, it can put a lot of pressure on the character. It also does something in one week that could be drawn out over several weeks while cliffhanging the audience. With six weeks in between WrestleMania and Extreme Rules, there is no need to rush.
There is talk of CM Punk being out for a while to rest. Dolph Ziggler is a heel, but for how long? Brock Lesnar isn't around every week. Wade Barrett and Antonio Cesaro lose every non-title match they're put in. A new heel that WWE could rely on is needed. Ryback can always go back to being a monster face when he and WWE are ready.
The best part of Ryback as a heel? It should eliminate having to see him Shell Shock all three members of 3MB at least once every month. That's what Zack Ryder is there for now.