Ryback: ‘Big Guys’ Are Punished In WWE’, & More

Ryback discussed being a big guy in WWE and more in the latest episode of his Conversation with the Big Guy Podcast. You can check out the audio and some highlights below:

On his early financial struggles: “Financially, I had to sell my truck. That’s why, when I got back to WWE my first year, doing pretty good, I went out and bought a truck to kind of get back what I had lost, because I have always loved that Nissan, and got a Dodge Ram, that was hard for me. Gas prices were really expensive in Louisville. I remember freaking out trying to make my gas last from going to the gym and then making it back home, and not being able to go that much further after that; it was frightening. Eventually I had to go to an Altima–which was more gas efficient.”

On his meditation regimen: “I meditate for an hour, each and every day. It truly has changed my life and has given me control over my thoughts. It’s not to say I don’t get angry or frustrated, but it’s allowed me to sleep like a baby at night because I am able to quiet my mind, and meditation has played a huge part in all that. But, in the early point and time, those circumstances in my life that happened had overwhelmed me; and even in my sleep where I couldn’t escape it. That is the kind of–even drinking during the day, not even my sleep was safe. Eventually, Luke Gallows, who was Festus at the time in WWE. He got wind that things were not going well for me. All the guys were talking, because for him to come into Smokey Bones, he would never come in there. I think he wanted to see me, so I believe he came in there for a reason. In Deep South Wrestling we lived right next to each other, and we were the first two down there. We both tried out for the Million Dollar Tough Enough, so that was our introduction to each other, you know, in the wrestling world it is a small community, and guys that you know. We would go for long periods not talking to each other, and it’s like, we wouldn’t miss a beat, as far as like, we are the same two people for when we started and he’s a character as everybody knows, and he likes having fun also, that is what has always been our thing; we like to have fun. He came in though, and he ordered and was having lunch, and he goes, I hate seeing you like this. I go, like what? I was in denial, and telling him that life is great, I’m good, and he goes, no it’s not. You need to be wrestling. You belong in wrestling. You are a wrestler, and I was like, I don’t know what to do right now, I can’t get by, I have to work. At that point in time, he was having a rivalry with the Undertaker as Festus, for him as far as the Festus character, that was kind of a high point during that. He said that he just read this book called The Secret, and he goes, it has changed the way that I think; it has helped me a lot, so he left me a tip for $25, or $30, and there was a bookstore across the street, and he goes, I want you to go get this book as soon as you can, so after work I went across the street to buy it, and then I read that book, when I read it and went through it, it was so overwhelming because it made me realize just how negative I was being. Like, a positive thought was so much, like, oh my God, what was that? I was so negative and defeated, I was ashamed of myself. Reading the book was hard the first time I read it. I actually went out and bought the DVD, and used a coupon to have enough money to purchase the DVD. I watched the DVD every night, and I was still drinking heavily at this time; but, I remember reading at home. I was really trying to absorb the information, and watch the DVD to subconsciously have it reinforced every single day, and it was a really tough process to look in the mirror to see how F’d up my life was at the time. There are parts in the book where people would look at the book and laugh at it, but it’s a mindset. It’s not like, oh, I believe that I am going to make a million dollars, and then the million dollars are just going to fall into your lap; it’s a mindset, and when your mind believes something, the work ethic will truly follow if you believe in it, but I bought it, and I think that if you buy something it will work. If you buy anything and give it your heart and soul, it will work.”

On big guys being punished in WWE: “That is one thing that really bothers me with WWE. So, in the UFC, you have weight classes and you have them for a reason. You put Conor McGregor in the ring with Brock Lesnar, you know, that’s a huge difference. The whole illusion of wrestling is that it’s real, and now it is, I feel like one part of the psychology we have thrown out. Now, it’s like being bigger there is almost a punishment on certain levels with certain guys. Like, look at Sheamus. Everyone has their opinion on Sheamus, but Sheamus works his ass off, and I like Sheamus, me and him talk occasionally. If he has ever been tired, I’ve never seen it, he just gives it his all. We always talk about how we never really got to have a real program on TV. You have guys out there, he’s a huge guy, and he’s violent and vicious, and I have worked with him, how many times and has never hurt me once, and have always enjoyed working with him. So, you have him go out there and it’s almost like, size doesn’t matter anymore, but it should, and that is one thing that really bothers me.”

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