Former WWE Superstar Ryback to appear at Rock ‘n’ Roll Wrestling show in Wollongong

The 35-year-old will appear at Rock ‘n’ Roll Wrestling’s professional wrestling show on Saturday (August 5) at Wollongong Snakepit.

American performer Ryback, also known as ‘The Big Guy’ will headline the ‘Feed Me More Tour’, named after the ex-WWE fan favourite’s catchphrase. 

The six-foot-two, 285-pound (129kg) performer was born Ryan Reeves. 

The Mercury sat down with ‘The Big Guy’ ahead of his appearance in Wollongong. 

Q: You became a wrestling fan as a kid, and even rang the bell at a WWF (now WWE) event. What was it about wrestling that you loved so much?

A: It was one of those things, my first memory I can recall is as a kid my parents took me to an event in Las Vegas. I remember the yellow tights of Hulk Hogan and the black singlet of Andre the Giant. And that was my first wrestling experience.

Then when I was about 11, 12 years old I found it again through a couple of my buddies in Las Vegas, growing up at the time... I just got hooked. I remember seeing Bret Hart and Undertaker, guys like that, and it was just something that was captivating to me. There was nothing like it. Watching Razor Ramon on the weekends on TV. Larger-than-life superheroes, but they weren’t cartoons – they were real people.

Q: When did you realise, ‘hey, I could do this for a living?’

A: I didn’t think it was a possibility. I played real sports like baseball and football and soccer growing up. As I got a little older I saw it on TV and they had those Tough Enough contests. I was like, ‘I’m going to send a video in to see what happens’, ‘cause I was trying to get my degree first. I sent in the video and they liked what they saw I guess, and that was kinda my introduction into wrestling. 

But it was just one of those things, just gotta do it, just gotta go for it. It was like, ‘what do I have to lose? I’ll try it out’. And I never looked back after that.

Q: You left WWE last year. What have you been up to since then?

A: It was a decision, I was unhappy and I’m very thankful for everything that I had there, but a lot of things didn’t go my way over the years as my fans had seen. It was one of those things I had to get away for a while and do my own thing. And there was some other issues going on behind the scenes, just with my name and trademarks and things that I’d created while I wasn’t there that I didn’t want to give up. 

It was a decision I made to leave a lot of money on the table, but to take a chance and to just do it. I started my own supplement line, Feed Me More Nutrition, wrote a motivational book, Wake Up! It’s Feeding Time, and started a podcast on iTunes, Conversation With The Big Guy, with my best friend and manager Pat Buck. We get listens from all around the world and it’s growing each and every week. And my supplement line is taking off.

It’s just doing other things I’m passionate about while still wrestling. But those opportunities weren’t there for me while I was there, and rather than being a slave to the system I decided to stand up for myself and walk away. It’s the best decision I ever made.

Q: Do you ever see yourself returning to WWE?

A: I would never say never on any of that, but I’m not one to… There’s been a lot of negative press on me in the past year, along with positive. But people like to take things out of context. I’ll speak very honestly about things that happened while I was there, and I’m not afraid. I don’t live in fear.

So there was a lot of good there, but there was also some bad, that would take a phone call between Vince (McMahon, WWE chairman/CEO) and myself, and probably Hunter (aka Triple H) at some point. And also to sit down and talk. But there’s not a lot of trust between me and them, as far as on my end. I’m happy doing what I’m doing right now, I don’t need to go back there. 

But for the fans that I have, I get my fan mail every week and I’ve got a PO Box. The kids not understanding why you’re not there is probably the hardest part of all that. Because adults tend to understand a little more, they know what’s going on. Kids don’t see you any more and they don’t really know the intricacies of everything going on. Never say never, but it would take a lot probably.

Q: You’ve also spoken about performers in the WWE system being “independent contractors”, and you believe they should be employees and have health insurance. Do you see wrestling being unionised at some point?

A: I don’t know. I think over time everything evolves, and it would be nice for them to catch up with everything else. It’s 2017. I’ve mentioned that before with Vince, before his time on this earth is over… He’s become a billionaire off of other men, and putting them to work. A lot of people say we don’t have… (that) WWE’s nothing without the wrestlers and the wrestlers aren’t anything without WWE. But it goes hand in hand. But I would like to see him make a few wrongs right before he goes. 

Tickets are available from www.rockandrollwrestling.com or at the door.

Find out more about Ryback here. 

READ MORE: Former WWE Superstar Ryback to appear in Wollongong