Former WWE star says Bray Wyatt didn't want to squash him in under a minute
Bray Wyatt was one of WWE's most beloved superstars during his 13 years with the company. In a recent YouTube video, Ryback recalled how WWE's higher-ups once wanted The Eater of Worlds to defeat him in quick fashion.
Wyatt beat Ryback on the February 8, 2016, episode of RAW after hitting his Sister Abigail finisher. Following the match, The Wyatt Family (Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Erick Rowan, and Luke Harper) continued to attack The Big Guy at ringside.
On Ryback TV, the former Intercontinental Champion said WWE management wanted to punish him on television after he refused to sign a new contract:
"Me and Bray Wyatt were scheduled to have a singles match, in which they cut the time throughout the day and they essentially wanted Bray to squash me in under a minute on TV, which, if you know anything, we were not gonna let that happen," Ryback said. "Bray knew what was going on, I certainly knew what was going on, and we'd had enough." [0:45 – 1:02]
Ryback spoke up to Triple H and Vince McMahon backstage on the day of the show. In the end, the match lasted six minutes and 51 seconds.
Ryback wanted to face Bray Wyatt in a Steel Cage match
The February 8, 2016, episode of RAW is best remembered for Daniel Bryan announcing his retirement. WWE's creative team originally planned for a Steel Cage match to take place that night, but the idea was nixed at short notice.
Ryback said he and Bray Wyatt wanted their feud to culminate inside the cage. However, they were told to compete in a regular match instead.
"I expressed very professionally that we should have that match in a steel cage, which we never had one problem ever putting any talent over on that, but give us time, allow us to go tell a story, and let's go get something out of it," Ryback continued. [1:59 – 2:13]
Behind the scenes, the former opponents had a good relationship dating back to their days in WWE's Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) developmental system.
Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda, passed away on August 24 after suffering a heart attack.
Do you have any memories of the Bray Wyatt vs. Ryback feud? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Ryback TV and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.