Conversation With the Big Guy Recap – Logistics of Competing in A Royal Rumble, Why Reigns Should Have Won, Origin of “Wake Up” Catchphrase, More!

Ryback is joined on today’s show by his co-host Phoenix Marie.

A listener writes into the show and asks Ryback how he deals with performance anxiety prior to big matches. He says that he dumps two ice-cold bottles of water over his head before matches because that gets his blood flowing and wakes him up. That’s actually where his “Wake Up!” catchphrase came from.

Another listener writes into the show and asks Ryback about the process of booking a Royal Rumble match. Ryback informs that Rumble PPVs are hectic days with things being figured out right until the last minute. He has never booked a Rumble but he’s competed in a lot of them. He doesn’t think the Rumble matches that he was involved in were very good because there’s never enough time to put good matches together.

He recalls the 2014 Rumble – which was won by Batista – being booked and organized two matches into the live PPV that evening. He points out that as a performer you usually talk to the performers who are entering/exiting the match before and after you, and then the match sort of takes on a life of it’s own from there. There is simply no way that 30 guys are able to sit in a room together and work out the match from start to finish.

Ryback comments on the return of the XFL. He points out that ratings are down in the NFL right now, so this is a prime opportunity for someone to step in and challenge them. He also points out that McMahon will have sole control over this venture now, and won’t have to answer to any partners or networks like NBC. He thinks the XFL has a much greater chance at success now than it did in the early 2000s.

Speaking about this year’s Royal Rumble event, Ryback says that he would have booked Roman Reigns to win his second Rumble match in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia crowd still hates Reigns, and booking him to win in that city again would have caused an uproar and plenty of controversy. He thinks WWE missed an opportunity to bring even more attention to one of their top stars. Nonetheless, he likes Nakamura and he wishes him the best.

Ronda Rousey debuted at the end of this show, confronting Charlotte, Asuka and Alexa Bliss in the ring before moving to the outside of the ring and shaking Stephanie McMahon’s hand. He thinks that Rousey may have a tough time transitioning from MMA to professional wrestling, but he hopes that she can prove him wrong. He points out that making a transition like this is very tough, and there are only a few examples in the history of sports where athletes successfully made this kind of transition.

Ryback comments on the news that The Dudley Boyz will be entered into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018. He says that The Dudleys are great guys who certainly deserve this induction, and along with Goldberg, they’re ensuring that the Class of 2018 will be a memorable one.

WWE signed former Impact official Jeremy Borash recently, and Ryback thinks this was a good signing by WWE. He points out that WWE appears to be signing everyone in the business recently, furthering their monopoly on the industry. Regardless, Ryback thinks Borash is a very talented guy who will make a positive impact in NXT or WWE, wherever they use him.

Ryback speaks about Enzo Amore’s recent release from WWE. He points out that Amore is a great entertainer, but he was facing very severe accusations and WWE can’t take those types of things lightly. Amore’s accuser doesn’t appear to be the most trustworthy person, but even if she’s lying, Amore should have been smarter than to put himself in a dangerous situation like that. It’s simply an unfortunate situation all around in Ryback’s opinion.

That sums up today’s episode of Conversation With the Big Guy. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!