Mason Ryan

Thought I'd pitch in with an article.

I found myself, for the first time in ages, watching RAW last night and whilst I thought on the whole, that the show was complete gash (John Laurinaitis threatening to take his jacket off being a personal low) I couldn't help but be impressed by Mason Ryan.

It's historical knowledge that Vinny Mac loves him a big guy, just look at Ezequiel Jackson, Big Dave Batista, Test, Prince Albert...At all times in WWE's long history, there's been a swell of big, muscley guys who's job has been to sell intimidation and power.

Of the current crop, I can't help but be impressed by Ryan, yes, he's probably smashed so many steroids that his member's shrivelled to the size of a KP's honey roasted nut, but by lord does he do his job well. I personally thought that he sold the intimidation, the big moves and the power superbly and am of the belief that he can have a big future. Obviously I haven't heard him on the mic and it's debateable whether the precious IWC will take to his welsh lingo, but on a competitive basis, he definitely looks like one for the future.

I hope he doesn't get wasted because as it stands, the WWE need a credible big guy, and I think Mr. Mason Ryan (Goliath) can fit the mould perfectly.

I pose it to you guys; What do you make of him? Does he have a chance? Am I just talking rubbish?

The ball is in your court.

Batista 2.0. Its actually scary how comparatable they are. Could have a bright future.

But then again, he IS Welsh, and we know how the WWE treat the Brits.

I think he is a complete dud and by the time Mania season rocks around Vince will forget all about him, he is so green it's scarey, I'm amazed he hasn't crippled anyone yet, after he nearly killed Drew McIntyre on Superstars he should have been sent back to development ASAP

Yes the WWE does need a credible big guy but i dont think that Ryan is that guy.

I agree that he sold the intimidation factor but he's far to wooden in and out of the ring and his mic/promo skills are non- existent.

I hope he can build a solid career in pro wrestling but i think this mid card push will result in nothing more than a token us title win before dropping back down to obscurity. In fact i wouldn't be surprised if creative run out of ideas for him within 18 months and he is future endeavored

Are you not of the belief that they should help him then?

I know this is the WWE but if they want credible talent that stretches beyond Cena, Triple H et. al, they need to give people like Ryan as much help as possible, I think there's definite potential there anyway.

Yes they should try and help him but he is a long long way away from being able to work so all that help should be done as far away from TV camera's as possible, showing a guy up for what he can't do isn't the way to do things

If I am being honest I think he is worse than Big Zeke and that is saying something, he could very well improve but he looked so poor against JTG on Raw and I just find him boring

agreed... if he can become more fluid and develop some promo skills, he could have a future

You could be the most athletic guy (shelton) or have the most impressive physique (chris masters) but if you dont connect with the viewers/fans you will have no longevity. Wrestlings current 'era' rarely produces decent gimmick based, charismatic entertainers, you need to be more than just a big guy or talented in the ring to get over and its always been that way. Dusty Rhodes, The Rock, HBK et. al, produced performances that transcended the fighting that really took hold of the audience and entertained them in and outside of the ring. I want to see more chris jericho's and steve austins than Jack Swagger's and Evan Bourne's of this world, i want character, personality and gimmicks back in wrestling and mason ryan is a great example of poor and lazy talent development

He is the greenest guy I have seen come in for a long, long time. Although this is through no fault of his own (i'm sure he has admitted to being green before? though I may be wrong). Has potential obviously, but it just depends how they handle him. In my opinion he is being pushed too fast.

I think he's got a bright future. He's definitely green though. Sometimes he seems to forget what move he's doing mid-flow, which is a bit worrying. He went to Cardiff University though - so he and me are alumni bretheren. So I'm going to back him all the way. I agree with Saint - I think he could be an immense "big guy". And he sells intensity very well.

I've just watched his match with JTG on YouTube and, I have to say I was quite impressed. People talk about him being green but, for me, he dominated the match well, hit his basic moves well enough and pulled off an impressive-looking finisher whilst keeping his opponent safe. Job done. He needs to work on his smoothness in the ring and his selling but given time that will come.

What price a spot for 'Wolf' in the next series of NXT????

I don't think anyone can deny ryans ability to deliver a move, he could probably pick up a car! But in terms of him becoming an established pro wrestler or a top draw star I have to go back to character development! He has no character, he has no charisma, he has no personality, he is just a generic freak of nature/roid abuse. In his current format he will have no future in this industry.

Batista didn't really have a character, but that didn't get in his way. As Sainty rightly said; VKM loves a big man and Ryan's no different than Batista when he started out. Charisma and personality are a bonus, but when you're 6'6" and built like a brick Poopie-house then you've always got a chance in the 'E.

I don't think I've ever seen him on the mic MtotheC. Has he got no character because WWE are not giving him a chance to show it?

I would hardly say he keeps his opponents safe, he almost killed Drew McIntyre, and he's now doing fool proof moves to compensate for the fact he is so green, he should be nowhere near TV

How's that then Gaffer - howd he kill Drew? I'm not familiar with this story.

he botched a move and dropped him flat on his head, it nearly snapped

I'd agree that the finisher was verging on dangerous and the belly-to-belly suplex earlier also looked a little messy, but then they're both reasonably technical moves that require a lot of strength and timing. He will get better and he's got most of the tools to be a success already.

He shouldn't be doing them unless he is ready though and even then he should be perfecting them before he gets on TV, it wasn't even that technical, after he has him up all he has to do is make sure he tucks Drews head in, he didn't do that and is lucky he got away with such a basic error

In all fairness Gaff, he probably said sorry. And a few weeks back Jack Swagger dropped Evan Bourne on his neck on live TV. A week or so later Nash did the same to Triple H - and they are seasoned experts who know each other better than anyone. Should they go back to FCW?

I've seen Swagger make a fair few errors over the years, and he's someone I rate and a guy who's been wrestling ever since his teens! You'll always get mistakes but in fairness McIntyre was lucky he wasn't injured. The point is though that Ryan COULD go all the way, but only time will tell...

I'm not disputing that accidents will happen, but when guys are put on TV years before they're technically ready then that's when accidents become negligence.

I disagree with the opinion Ryan will be a star, again you're right though, only time will tell but for me he'll be dropped when Vince loses interest which seems to be every couple of months with his projects

He has the look but not a lot else at the minute.....

I don't agree with people who says he's got no charisma simply because he hasn't had time to develop, maybe he has maybe he hasn't.

if I was a betting man I'd guess he'll be about as succesful as Big Zeke

SCSW wrote:Batista didn't really have a character, but that didn't get in his way. As Sainty rightly said; VKM loves a big man and Ryan's no different than Batista when he started out. Charisma and personality are a bonus, but when you're 6'6" and built like a brick Poopie-house then you've always got a chance in the 'E.

I wouldnt say that Batista didnt have a character, infact he always had charisma, thats what helped him get over in the first place. His heel run at the end of his wwe run was one of the best heel performances in recent years and i cant ever imagine ryan being able to produce anything anywhere near that standard of performance. I know that im generalising but i believe that talent is not developed in the right way anymore.

Being built and 6'6" is not an automatic pass to stardom, the likes of test, albert, Khali, Snitsky, kozlov, chris masters etc can all testify to that. Batista was not only a believable character but was talented in the ring and in 2005, PWI awarded him wrestler of the year as testament to his natural abilities. Sure being a big guy and arousing vince will get you a chance and thats what ryan has now, but he just doesn't have what it takes to get over unless he can compensate for his obvious drawbacks with some kind of charisma and character.

Brady12 wrote:I don't agree with people who says he's got no charisma simply because he hasn't had time to develop, maybe he has maybe he hasn't.

I wasnt saying that he hasnt had time to develop, more along the lines of that he appears to have had no development in the areas that mater.

Why is there always the assumption that if wrestlers are big ripped-up guys that they must be pounding the 'roids? I'm not saying that it doesnt happen (and i'm sure it does) but it is possible to get impressive physiques and gain size and strength quickly without touching them!

Getting the diet right (especially the amount of protein), a good workout plan and the right (legal) supplements can work wonders. I'm loving my supp stack at the moment, getting some wicked gains quickly and none of it is 'roids. Nowhere near Mason Ryans size, but i'm happy with them nonetheless

As much as I am impressed with the guy's physique, he still needs to refine his mat work. Maybe a new finisher might help. I was hoping he would attack Kofi because then at least he could the lunatic side even more!

Longrange, I definitely see where you're coming from but I think the key phrase is 'workout plan', I'm not sure if being on the road 4 days a week gives him enough time to have a dedicated scheduled workout plan, for a structure like his I'd expect him to have to do about 2/3 hours per day 5/6 days a week, something that with the constent travel isn't always possible, also with their schedule you often hear Wrestler's say they live off fast food which isn't always the best source of protein

Batista was 100 times better than Mason Ryan. When you put it into perspective, Batista wasnt actually that bad. His matches at Mania against HHH, Cena and Taker were very watchable.

Mark my words, Mason Ryan will never main event a PPV in a singles match.

I know a few pro body builders and id be amazed if these bigger guys arent on steroids at some point, even someone with the perfect workout plan and dietary valance can put on a stone of muscle in 2 weeks on steroids.

Mr H - Batista may be 100 times better that Ryan but he's had at least 10 years more experience! There's absolutely no reason, except V Mac's impatience, why Ryan couldn't reach Batista's level or exceed it given that sort of timescale.

Even steriods arent miracle workers though, these guys still need a tough workout plan to even maintain the bodies that they have. The videos i have seen of Cena and Rock on youtube in the gym are nuts! Wrestlers are on the road a lot but they can go to the gym whenever. There are plenty of 24/7 gyms out there. Wherever they may be.

Is there some sort of supplements deal going on with some of the big companies and WWE where they supply them protein shakes, bars and other supps for free..or at least at a discount? Even if they dont, the money these guys make they should be able to afford them..if i can they can! I remember Batistas house on Cribs and in his fridge he had a whole load of boxes of protein bars for snacks.

I'm not denying that steroids havent been used by any of these guys, i'm sure they have at some point, but everything else still needs to be in place. They may have even got the bodies before they started on the WWE schedule due to previous sports, lifestyle or whatever. I just think its far too easy to instantly assume 'roids for some of these big guys sometimes, thats all.

Batista started out training to be a pro-wrestler at the WCW Power Plant Training School in 1997 before joining OVW in 2000, by 2003 he was in Evolution and won a World Title in the main event of Wrestlemania in 2005.

From scratch it took him eight years to reach the top.

Mason Ryan began training to be a pro-wrestler in 2006. He wrestled around the world and toured with Sheamus before signing with the WWE in 2009 and going to FCW to be trained by Roddy Piper. He debuted on TV in January this year.

From scratch its taken him five years to be where he is right now.

Do you really think that in three years, when its been 8 years since Mason Ryan started out, that he'll be Main Eventing Wrestlemania and winning a World Title like Batista did after 8 years of being in the business? I think not.

Yes Batista was HHH's gym buddy but Hunter gave him the ball, it was down to Batista to run with it, and thats exactly what he done. Lets get things straight though, Batista isnt exactly Kurt Angle but he's in a different league to Mason Ryan.

Given that Mason Ryan was put with CM Punk in Nexus and that disbanded quickly. Had Evolution not ran for as long as it had, doubt Batista would've reached the top. Let's be honest here, HHH and Flair were Batista's voice for a good year before Orton got the break and Batista started to break out. It is difficult for someone like Ryan to came out on his own given that fan response is 'meh' at the moment. Having him heel would help massively.

Had Ryan stayed with Punk, it might have worked and his progression would've formed. Look at Nash, had he not been with HBK wouldn't have done much. Had Rhodes not been with Orton, again another future endeavoured.

Rhodes wasn't propelled by Randy Orton, Legacy did nothing for anyone apart from Orton, Rhodes and DiBiase where a lot more entertaining before Orton became the leader and Pricele$$ became an afterthought, they where the best WWE Tag Team in a long time

Legacy did a lot for Rhodes and DiBiase. The Priceless thing was god awful!! Look at us and our dads. Just dreadful. Legacy actually gave them an edge. Rhodes carried on with it after he left and DiBiase, well. What a shame.

I disagree completely, their Pricele$$ gimmick was far superior, it was actually Legacy who where all about 'look at me and who our dads are' that was the premiss of Legacy

Pricele$$ where one of the best WWE manufactured Tag Teams in a long time and they where getting plenty of air time by themselves too before they got landed with Orton, by the time it finished both Rhodes and DiBiase where after thoughts

Dashing Cody Rhodes wasn't some progression from his Legacy character, it was a completely different gimmick on a different brand, it was so far away from Legacy it was hard to believe he was apart of it 6 months earlier

I fully believe that if Pricele$$ had stayed as a dedicated tag team for 2+ years instead of being Orton's lacky's for most of that time both would better off for it

I can't say I agree with that. I will agree to disagree. Priceless was poor. I thought Legacy did wonders for them and gave them more of a 'serious' edge. I think Legacy came and went at the right time. I thought the DX re-form hampered them. When they did break out and the 'Dashing' thing came along I thought it was brilliant. Also the fact Rhodes is great on the mic helped too. I hope that his feud with Orton does not last. I would have loved to have seen him in a feud with Edge.

I don't know what they can do with DiBiase. It is a real shame. I didn't think as a tag-team they could've gone long term. They were too individually different for my liking and yet almost the same technically.

I'm just glad, it seemed to me on Raw, that he's dropped the stupid promo voice. If that's the case I think he's gonna be huge!

I'm talking about Rhodes not Ryan there BTW

You cant compare batista and mason ryan, of course they are both big guys with tans but the similarities stop there.

SCSW wrote that batista has 10 years exp on ryan but batista was a world champion 3 years after his debut because he had IT! Mason debuted in January of this year and theres NO WAY he will be a world champion in 2 years time, in fact i would place a pretty hefty wager that he wont even be employed by wwe in 12 months time. Comparing the two is like comparing david otunga to the rock sure they have similarities but in regards to ability, charisma, personality, believeability and every other ability under the sun they are worlds apart and this is the same with batitsa and ryan.