Ryback On Why WWE Should Use Today's Stars With The Legends On RAW Reunion Next Monday
As seen in the video above, Wrestling Inc.'s President Raj Giri was featured on Ryback's Conversations With The Big Guy show this week to discuss the results of WWE Extreme Rules. There was an advertisement during the pay-per-view this past Sunday that hyped up a RAW Reunion special for next Monday, and it will include superstars like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. For Ryback, he believes that it's going to take stronger long-term booking to really make a difference in the low ratings WWE has had as of late.
"We'll see how [RAW Reunion] goes," Ryback said. "I don't know, the ratings are definitely important to them with everything with FOX coming up too. As long as they're thinking of ways – [I feel like] it's going to come down to long-term booking and making marquee names once again. People tune into wrestling because they want to see celebrities, but [their own] home-grown celebrities through wrestling if that make sense. So that's something they need to do a better job at and maybe they will reformat their way of booking and thinking moving forward, because I think they can get the casual audience back just by flipping a switch, if they truly wanted to. But I think bringing those names back, I mean, I always enjoy seeing those guys."
Raj noted that after a similar special called RAW 25 was held last year, it felt like WWE had focused solely on the one-night event instead of investing in any potential long-term stories.
"I felt like with RAW 25, they missed a golden opportunity to shoot a big angle and something else, because you're getting all these people coming and shooting something huge that gets people to tune in next week as opposed to treating it like a one-off," Raj said.
Ryback's suggestion is using those top WWE Legends and Hall of Famers to really allow the rising stars in WWE to shine for the night. He used his own experiences as an example, reminding audiences that he was immediately posed as a threat in WWE because he was holding his own against stars like CM Punk, John Cena, and Chris Jericho. He believes that AEW will struggle with making stars this way.
"You have to use today's talent with those [classic superstars on RAW Reunion]," Ryback explained. "This is why I talk about AEW is going to have a real issue making stars, it's like me when I got to working in the main event scene working with CM Punk. I had wrestled nobody up until that point but when you put me in the ring with CM Punk, it elevates me instantly because I'm getting the rub of being in the ring with this famous guy and hanging with him. And then you see me in the ring with Chris Jericho, and John Cena, and all these other big names, so that's what happens with other guys. It's harder when you don't have those big, marquee names to help elevate the new guys.
"What they can do is that today's talent, you can put a Finn Balor in the ring with a Stone Cold Steve Austin, or you put Razor Ramon in the ring with Elias, or whoever and you use them in a good capacity with those guys," Ryback continued. "It elevates them and I think, especially if the guys are able to work, you're able to do it even better when you can pay it off with a match. But that's the whole celebrity thing in wrestling that's missing that's very, very important. So hopefully they make some changes on that and do something big."
Raj gave a creative alternative to a typical storyline that audiences may see at RAW next Monday, one that would ultimately help elevate the rising faction, The Club.
"Right now, WWE, what they would traditionally do is have DX take out Elias, right?" Raj asked. "But instead, if you have The Club beat up DX and take them out violently, you get a bunch [of heat] on The Club and you elevate them."
You can watch the full episode above. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Conversations With The Big Guy with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.