Is Ryback Coming Back To WWE?

We haven’t seen Ryback in WWE since he was released in 2016, but there have been recent rumors that he may be making a return. Is Ryback coming back to WWE?

Introduction

As of late, there have been a lot of rumors circulating that Ryback may be making a return to WWE. However, it is important to note that these are just rumors and nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

That being said, there are a few things that could point to Ryback making a return to WWE in the near future. First and foremost, it was recently reported that WWE had filed for several trademarks on the name “Ryback”, which could indicate that they are planning on using the name again in the future.

In addition, Ryback has been active on social media recently and has even been liking tweets from fans who are hoping for his return. Of course, this could simply be Ryback trying to stay relevant and keep his name out there, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.

At this point, only time will tell if Ryback will indeed be making a return to WWE. However, with WWE filing for trademarks on his name and Ryback staying active on social media, it seems like there is a good chance we could see him back in a WWE ring sometime soon.

Ryback’s WWE Career

Ryback was a WWE Superstar from 2012-2016. He was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and his real name is Ryan Reeves. Ryback was released from WWE in 2016 and has been wrestling on the independent circuit since then. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Debut

Ryback made his WWE debut on the June 18, 2012, episode of SmackDown, defeating local wrestler Curtis Axel. He quickly began a winning streak, defeating Alex Riley, Tyson Kidd, and Jimmy and Jey Uso in singles competition. On the August 6 episode of Raw, Ryback defeated Chris Jericho. The following week’s Raw saw Jericho get his rematch against Ryback, which he lost after interference from Kane. After the match, Kane choke slammed both Jericho and Ryback.

Intercontinental Champion

In late 2012, Ryback started a winning streak on WWE’s main roster, which resulted in him becoming the Intercontinental Champion. He held the title for two months before losing it to Big E Langston at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. The following year, Ryback won the Slammy Award for Breakout Star of the Year. He was then drafted to Raw as part of the 2014 WWE draft.

United States Champion

Ryback was a United States Champion in WWE. He won the title on the November 18, 2012 episode of SmackDown by defeating Kofi Kingston, and held it until January 27, 2013, when he was defeated by Antonio Cesaro.

WWE Tag Team Champion

Ryback is a former WWE Tag Team Champion, having held the titles with Curtis Axel. The pair won the titles at WWE Payback in 2013, and held them for a total of 71 days. Ryback has also had several singles runs with the company, most notably as Intercontinental Champion in 2015. He has not been with WWE since 2016, but has expressed interest in returning to the company in the future.

WWE Championship

In August 2012, Ryback won a Triple Threat number one contender’s match against CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship. However, at Night of Champions, Ryback was unable to defeat WWE Champion CM Punk for the title. The following night on Raw, Ryback was defeated by Punk in a rematch for the title. On the October 1 episode of Raw, after winning a tag team match with WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Daniel Bryan against Dolph Ziggler and The Miz, Ryback issued a challenge to Punk for a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell. At Hell in a Cell, Ryback was again defeated by Punk when he failed to retrieve the WWE Championship suspended above the ring.

Departure from WWE

On August 6, 2016, it was reported that Ryback would not be renewing his contract with WWE, which was due to expire in August. He later confirmed his departure from the company on his official podcast, Conversation with The Big Guy. In the podcast, Ryback cited WWE’s creative direction and pay structure as primary reasons for his departure.

Return to WWE?

Ryback has not been in WWE since 2016. He has wrestled on the independent circuit and made a few appearances in other promotions. While Ryback had some beef with WWE before he left, it seems like he has patched things up. Ryback recently teased his return to WWE on social media, so let’s take a look at the possibility of him coming back.

Rumors

It has been heavily rumor that Ryback is making a return to WWE. This is mostly due to the fact that he has been posting a lot of things on his social media accounts that have to do with WWE. For example, recently he posted a photo of himself with The Miz and Maryse and captioned it, “Miz and Mrs., much love”. This led many people to believe that he was backstage at WWE’s Raw taping.

Potential

Ryback has teased a potential return to WWE in recent months, and there is reason to believe that he may actually make his way back to the company.

First and foremost, Ryback’s contract with the WWE expired in August of 2016. It is now nearly October, and Ryback has yet to sign a new contract with any other wrestling promotion. This could be because he is simply taking some time off, but it could also be because he is waiting for the right opportunity to come along.

Another factor to consider is that Ryback has been openly critical of WWE’s booking decisions in recent months. He has even gone so far as to say that he would not return to the company unless things changed. This could simply be posturing on Ryback’s part, but it could also mean that he is leaving the door open for a potential return.

Finally, Ryback teased a possible return to WWE on social media recently. He posted a photo of himself wearing a WWE shirt with the caption ” Never Say Never.” This could be interpreted asRyback hinting at a potential return to WWE sometime in the future.

Only time will tell if Ryback will actually make his way back to WWE, but there is definitely reason to believe that it could happen.

Conclusion

It seems that Ryback is not currently scheduled to return to WWE TV anytime soon. However, this could always change in the future. For now, it looks like WWE fans will have to enjoy Ryback’s work on his podcast and on independent wrestling shows.