Former WWE Superstar on rumors that Brock Lesnar beat him up in real life
Ryback has dismissed rumors that he and Brock Lesnar once became involved in a real-life altercation backstage in WWE.
In 2012, a report emerged (H/T Bleacher Report) that Lesnar left a WWE arena early after a physical confrontation with Ryback before a show. At the time, it was unclear if the rumor was an internet hoax or whether the incident really happened.
Speaking on The Ryback TV, the one-time Intercontinental Champion confirmed that the alleged fight never took place. Ryback also clarified that the eye injury he sustained in the summer of 2012 was given to him by former WWE star Camacho:
“It [the rumor] was done to try to hurt my credibility with the fans that, ‘Big bad Ryback isn’t so big, bad and tough.’ That altercation never even happened. Me and Brock get along great. I got hit in my eye by Haku’s kid Donny Marlow [Camacho], as I know him as in Florida Championship Wrestling.” [47:36-47:56]
Ryback rejected a new WWE deal in 2016 and decided to leave when his contract expired. Although he was part of the same WWE roster as Lesnar for four years, the two men never crossed paths on television during that time.
Ryback didn't know about the Brock Lesnar rumor for a long time
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Camacho became the first person to knock Ryback off his feet in a match when the two men went one-on-one at Over The Limit 2012. The Big Guy emerged with the victory, but the two-minute contest is best remembered for the heavy forearm that Camacho delivered to his opponent.
Ryback further stated that rumors about Brock Lesnar injuring him were simply untrue:
“He [Camacho] had to knock me off my feet in a pay-per-view match, and he forearmed me and it got me straight in the eye. It blackened up. From that, I got the black eye, the red eye. Someone came up with a story that I got beat up by Brock Lesnar. I didn’t even know that story was going around for the longest time with any of that.” [48:05-48:29]
Ryback was left with a bloodshot left eye and purple bruising after his match against Camacho. Two days later, he returned to in-ring action to defeat two enhancement talents in a handicap match on WWE SmackDown.
Please credit The Ryback Show and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.