Val Venis’ first match in more than four years should’ve been about a 55-year-old climbing back into a wrestling ring. Instead, social media turned it into a roast session. Ryback saw the reaction—and he wasn’t letting that slide.
After clips from Venis’ comeback started making the rounds online, the comment sections quickly filled with body-shaming, insults and people mocking the former WWE Intercontinental Champion for getting back in the ring.
Ryback took to Twitter and looked at the exact same footage and came away with a completely different takeaway. He pointed to the crowd and definitely not the comments. For Ryback, that’s the entire point. The fans inside the building were cheering. The people online were tearing Venis apart. He says those are two completely different realities.
“Congratulations to Val Venis on getting back in the ring at 55 years old. What I think is important is to watch that clip and listen to how people are reacting and interacting in that arena in the real world, as opposed to how people choose to act in the comments. There’s the real world, and then there’s social media.”
Ryback doubled down in his tweet, making it pretty clear that his message wasn’t about politics or even Val Venis specifically. He argued that social media has become a place where a loud minority chooses hate over support.
“This isn’t about politics or any one person. It’s about human behavior. Spend enough time on social media and you’ll see two completely different realities. In the real world, people gather, laugh, cheer, support one another, and enjoy shared experiences. Online, a small but very loud group often chooses criticism, jealousy, anger, and negativity.”
Ryback didn’t sugarcoat what he thinks is happening. According to him, many of those comments have nothing to do with Venis at all. He also had a final message for anyone spending more time in the comments than in the real world.
“Social media is not the real world. It’s often where people project their own fears, insecurities, and frustrations. Protect your energy. Focus on what builds you up, not what tears others down.”
The debate over Venis’ comeback probably isn’t ending anytime soon. But while plenty of people online were busy taking shots at the former WWE star, the Big Guy was making a very different argument: the people who actually bought a ticket to watch him wrestle told a much different story than the comment section ever could.
Whose side are you on—do you agree with Ryback that social media isn’t the real world, or were fans just calling it like they saw it? Let us know below.
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