WWE Raw Results - Spoilers Ahead

Tonight's WWE RAW opens up with a look at some of the developments from WWE Payback last night. We go to the normal RAW opening video.

- We're live from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis as the pyro goes off and Michael Cole welcomes us to a new era. He's joined by JBL and Byron Saxton.

- We go to the ring and out comes Stephanie McMahon to boos. She has a gift bag in her hand.

Stephanie heads to the ring and is announced as one half of the power of RAW. She says it feels great to be back and she's wanted to do this for weeks. She goes to do a big welcome but Shane McMahon's music interrupts and out he comes to a pop. Shane joins Stephanie in the ring and gets a pop. He welcomes everyone to RAW. Stephanie talks about how she learned how to do good in business and be a good business partner in the 7 years Shane has been away. Stephanie has a peace offering and hands Shane the gift bag, to show that she does wholeheartedly embrace this new partnership. Shane asks what the catch is and she says there is none. He pulls out a photo of Shane and Vince from when Shane was a kid, the same one Vince stomped on several weeks back. Stephanie comes off as genuine and asks Shane his ideas for tonight's show.

Shane says he's moved by the photo and asks Stephanie what her ideas are. She's hesitant. She gets fans to pick whose ideas they want to hear and they cheer louder for Shane. Shane goes to present his ideas for tonight but the music interrupts and out comes Kevin Owens.

Owens calls it a lovely sight to see brother and sister in the ring on RAW, getting along and everything. Owens says he has an idea of his own, a great idea. Owens says the first decision should be to give him what's his, a rematch for the WWE Intercontinental Title. Owens says he decimated Sami Zayn at Payback and proved he's better. Owens says now it's time for him to re-focus and he wants the IC Title rematch tonight. Owens says he has no hope in Shane doing the right thing after seeing how he's done things lately but he praises Stephanie as a smart businesswoman. Owens says it's in his contract, he's owed a rematch. They all agree he has a valid point but the music interrupts and out comes Cesaro to a pop. Cesaro says he had The Miz beat in the middle of the ring but unfortunately for him and the Cesaro Section, the resident whiner and complainer put his nose where it belong. Cesaro says he would be standing here as champion if it weren't for Owens. Shane says in the new era, we handle business in the ring. He announces Cesaro vs. Owens to determine a new #1 contender to The Miz. Shane's music hits as Cesaro rips his suit off to reveal gear. We go to commercial.

#1 Contenders Match: Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens

Back from the break and WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz is out for commentary with Maryse. The bell rings and Cesaro immediately starts with the Uppercut Train.

Cesaro nails a dropkick for a 2 count. They end up on the floor and Cesaro nails Owens from the barrier. Cesaro brings it back in and goes to the top. Cesaro nails a crossbody for a 2 count. Cesaro keeps control and nails a stomp for another 2 count. Owens runs into an elbow but drops Cesaro with a big superkick. Owens with a senton for a 2 count. More back and forth. Owens drops Cesaro with a DDT for another pin attempt. Owens continues working on the shoulder now. Owens talks trash to Cole and Cesaro takes advantage. Owens comes right back and drops him with an elbow. Owens goes to the top but Cesaro cuts him off with an uppercut. Owens headbutts Cesaro from the top. Cesaro with a big dropkick. Cesaro climbs back up and brings Owens to the mat with a gutwrench. Cesaro with another 2 count.

Owens hangs Cesaro up on the top and he falls out to the floor. Owens hits a Frogsplash from the apron to the floor and goes back in the ring as we take another break.

Back from the break and Owens is still in control. Cesaro tries to fight back and they trade shots in the middle of the ring. Cesaro unloads with uppercuts and backs Owens into the corner. Owens turns it around and nails a German suplex. Owens with the corner cannonball for a 2 count.

Cesaro ends up hitting the flying uppercut and Owens goes to the floor for a breather. Cesaro runs around the ring and nails a big uppercut. Cesaro celebrates with the Cesaro Section and comes back to Owens but gets hit with an elbow. Owens takes the Intercontinental Title to hit Cesaro. Miz grabs it. Cesaro hits them both with uppercuts. Cesaro goes back in the ring and begins the Cesaro Swing on Owens but The Miz attacks them for the no contest.

- After the match, Owens and Miz argue before shoving each other. Cesaro hits them but they beat him down together. Sami Zayn's music hits and out he comes to a pop. Owens throws Miz into Sami but Sami clotheslines Miz. Sami unloads on Owens and backs him down in the corner. Sami blocks a Skull Crushing Finale and hits an exploder suplex into the corner. Sami with a Helluva Kick on Owens as the crowd pops. Miz avoids a Helluva Kick thanks to Maryse and retreats up the stage. Sami picks the title up from the mat and looks around. A "yes!" chant starts up as Miz and Maryse look on from the stage. Sami raises the title and his music hits.

- Stephanie McMahon walks up on Dean Ambrose backstage. She asks what he's looking at. He's not buying this new smile she's put on, he feels she's still the same Stephanie McMahon deep down. She offers to be his guest on The Ambrose Asylum and he's in. She says she's looking forward to it and can't wait to meet Mitch. She walks off and Ambrose mocks her. Back to commercial.

- Backstage segment with R-Truth and Tyler Breeze. Truth is trying to get their team together but says it was easier with Goldust. Goldust appears and has words with Breeze, ahead of their match tonight. Truth gets involved and Goldust says he has his own partner now, Fandango. Goldust and Fandango dance while Breeze and Truth pose for the selfie stick.

- AJ Styles is backstage talking to Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. They say Styles was phenomenal last night but he reminds them he lost. They go on and say there's no way Roman Reigns is leaving Extreme Rules with the title. Roman appears and fans boo. Roman asks if that's right and they square up. AJ gets in the middle. Reigns says he has a lot of respect for AJ after last night but none for Gallows and Anderson. He says the interference proves they don't believe AJ can be the guy on his own. Reigns asks if the three of them can beat the three of us... The Usos appear. Styles says he's going to take the title on his own at Extreme Rules but tonight, he and the boys are going to give Reigns a taste of what to expect. Styles accepts the challenge. Reigns and The Usos walk off.

Goldust vs. Tyler Breeze

We go to the ring and out comes Goldust with Fandango. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes Tyler Breeze with R-Truth, who has his own selfie stick now. Truth hands Breeze a do-rag after the bell. Breeze puts it on and charges but Goldust drops him. Goldust asks Truth why he never got one. Goldust keeps wasting time talking to Truth. Breeze finally takes advantage and attacks. Goldust puts him down again and turns his attention to Truth and Fandango, who are dancing at ringside. Breeze rolls a distracted Goldust up for the win.

Winner: Tyler Breeze

- WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day are walking backstage as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day are out to the ring. They will be defending against The Vaudevillains at Extreme Rules. Kofi Kingston starts off a bit serious and talks about Enzo Amore suffering a concussion at Payback. They get into regular New Day promo mode and Woods brags about Beyonce sliding in his DM's. Big E says that didn't really happen. Woods says The New Day will be waiting when Enzo is ready to return but until then... the music hits and out comes Simon Gotch and Aiden English with mics.

English cuts a promo on the way to the ring and says this is a dangerous business but a real man like them would've gotten back up. They enter the ring. Gotch says they made Enzo the realest guy in the emergency room last night. The pyro interrupts as The Dudley Boyz come out and they don't look happy.

Bubba Ray Dudley calls them carnies and says they didn't win anything. Bubba says they need to restart the whole tournament right now. D-Von Dudley says they're deserving if anyone is and they're the baddest tag team on the planet. The music hits for a big pop and out comes Big Cass to the stage. Cass talks trash to The Vaudevillains and says Enzo is his family. Cass says he's going to have to finish what was started last night. He mocks The Dudleyz and calls both teams "SAWFT" as the fans go along with him. Cass enters the ring and attacks Gotch and English. The Dudleyz attack The New Day and we go to commercial.

Big Cass and The New Day vs. The Dudley Boyz and The Vaudevillains

Back from the break and we've got an eight-man match. Woods goes at it with English and causes Gotch to come in. Kofi tags in for offense on Gotch. Big E comes in and hits a splash for a 2 count on Gotch. Cass gets the tag and unloads on Gotch, taking him to the corner.

Kofi comes in to start the Unicorn Stampede on Gotch. Big E whips a big Kofi dropkick into Gotch as Woods plays Francesca 2 The Trombone and fans sing along. Kofi with a kick to the gut. Woods tags back in and kicks Gotch for a 2 count. Bubba tags himself in and takes Woods down. Bubba yells and talks trash as fans boo. He works Woods over and talks more trash, telling The Vaudevillains to pay attention and learn something. D-Von comes in for the double team and a 2 count.

D-Von tags in English and tells him to do something now. English goes to work on Woods and covers for a 2 count. Bubba comes back in and keeps Woods grounded. Woods manages to drop Bubba and crawl for a tag but Bubba pulls him back. D-Von tags in and drops a big elbow. D-Von drags Woods over but misses a diving headbutt. Kofi tags in and springboards to take D-Von down. Kofi with a dropkick and a big right hand. Kofi gets fired up and hits the Boom Drop. English distracts Kofi, allowing D-Von to send him over the top rope. English sends Kofi flying face first into the ring post. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and the heels are still in control. They keep it up with tags and offense on Kofi. D-Von comes back in and talks trash before dropping Kofi with a suplex for a 2 count. Kofi finally nails a double dropkick on The Vaudevillains. Cass gets the hot tag and unloads on English. Cass decks D-Von and Bubba on the apron. He hits a big fall-away slam on English and then a splash in the corner. Cass with a running big boot as fans pop. He drops the Empire Elbow but Bubba breaks the pin. Woods drops Bubba. Gotch knocks Woods out of the ring. Cass grabs Gotch and throws him to the apron, then kicks him off with a big boot. Big E catches Gotch falling off the apron and hits a belly-to-belly on the floor. Cass doesn't see Bubba tag in and gets nailed by D-Von. Bubba with a Bomb and a 2 count on Cass. Kofi takes out Bubba. Cass counters legal D-Von and hits the East River Crossing for the win as fans pop.

Winners: Big Cass and The New Day

- After the match, Cass celebrates with The New Day as his music hits and we go to replays.

- Still to come, a battle royal to determine a new #1 contender to WWE United States Champion Kalisto. Also, Stephanie on The Ambrose Asylum. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and we get a look back at Styles, Gallows, Anderson, Reigns and The Usos from earlier tonight. Shane and Stephanie have made the six-man main event official for tonight.

- We get a look back at the Chicago Screwjob from Payback. Still to come, Charlotte and Ric Flair will speak.

Becky Lynch vs. Emma

We go to the ring and out comes Becky Lynch to a pop. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes Emma as Becky looks on. They lock up and go to the corner. Emma slaps Becky. Becky catches a kick and takes her down. Becky with arm drags and a dropkick. Emma retreats to the floor for a breather. Becky jumps off the apron and takes her down for a pop.

Becky brings it back in the ring for a 2 count. Emma ends up pulling Becky's leg out while she's sitting up top. Becky hits the mat hard and Emma covers for a 2 count. Emma takes Becky down and kicks her in the back. Emma keeps control and hits a double underhook for a 2 count. Becky fights back but Emma nails a boot to the face for another pin attempt. Emma uses Becky's hair and the ropes again. Emma catches a kick and slams Becky back into the turnbuckles. She talks trash as fans boo. Emma with the crossbody in the corner for a 2 count.

Becky finally makes a comeback and gets a pop. She hits the exploder for a 2 count. Emma with a roll up for 2. Becky blocks a kick and slams Emma on her face. Becky goes for the Disarm Her but Emma avoids it. Emma suckers Becky in and tangles her with the referee, taking advantage for a cheap shot to the eyes. Emma with the Michinoku Driver for the win.

Winner: Emma

- After the match, Emma stays in the ring as Becky leaves and looks on from the ramp.

- Still to come, The Ambrose Asylum. Back to commercial.

We go to the ring and out comes Dean Ambrose for another edition of The Ambrose Asylum.

Ambrose has his sign in the ring and Mitch, the potted plant. He introduces Mitch and then brings out his guest, Stephanie McMahon. Fans boo as Stephanie comes out for what she said will be an open forum.

Stephanie says she's glad to be here. She calls the set eclectic and says it's Ambrose all the way. She points out how there are no chairs. Ambrose gets to business and says he's not buying the new nice Stephanie. He says she must be ready to explode after what happened at Payback. Stephanie says she couldn't be happier and talks about the new era. Ambrose shows a photo of Stephanie being speared by Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 32. She says she got a little overzealous, got involved where she didn't belong and Reigns taught her a lesson. Ambrose brings up Shane McMahon returning and fans chant his name. He says that has to bother Stephanie but she plays it off. Ambrose brings up all the personal sacrifices she's made over the years for the family business, missing birthday parties and recitals. Ambrose asks if Shane has made the same sacrifices Stephanie has. He says Vince McMahon putting both of them in charge just has to burn Stephanie up inside. She continues playing it off and says Vince taught her a valuable lesson at Payback, that being sometimes things just need to change. Stephanie says it's time to apply that lesson to Ambrose. She says he's been doing The Asylum for a few weeks and it's time for a change. She officially cancels the segment and fans boo. She mocks him, tells him to clean everything up and get to stepping. Ambrose tells her she can keep everything but takes Mitch with him. Stephanie stops him and introduces the returning host of The Highlight Reel, Chris Jericho.

Jericho and Ambrose have words at the bottom of the ramp and start brawling. Ambrose hits a big clothesline and brings it back in the ring. Ambrose tackles him and unloads with right hands. Jericho blocks Dirty Deeds and hits a Codebreaker as fans boo. Jericho destroys Ambrose's sign and kicks him out of the ring. Jericho leaves the ring and stops when he sees Mitch. Fans chant "no!" as he grabs Mitch The Potted Plant and shatters him over Ambrose's back. More boos for Jericho as he kneels down and talks trash to Ambrose. Jericho raises his hand in the air and fans boo louder. We go to commercial.

- Back from the break and WWE United States Champion Kalisto is on commentary.

#1 Contenders Battle Royal: Apollo Crews, Viktor, Damien Sandow, Zack Ryder, Stardust, Sheamus, Titus O'Neil, Rusev, Alberto Del Rio, Darren Young, Baron Corbin, Sin Cara, Dolph Ziggler, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel

We go to the ring and it's filled with Superstars. The winner will earn a shot against Kalisto Titus O'Neil makes his way out, followed by Sheamus. We get a look at The League of Nations split. Baron Corbin is out next. The bell rings and everyone goes at it. Viktor is tossed early on. Sheamus and Axel work together. Sandow gets eliminated next.

Crews works on Stardust and eliminates him. Axel eliminates Young. Sheamus works over Crews in the corner. Titus and Axel trade shots. Sheamus tosses Crews but he hangs on. Sheamus eliminates Crews with a Brogue on the apron. Sheamus gets decked and goes under the bottom rope tot he floor. Ziggler and Corbin go at it. Corbin fights in from the apron but Ziggler dropkicks him over the top, eliminating him. Corbin pulls Ziggler under the bottom rope and launches him into the barrier, then the ring post. Corbin rolls Ziggler back in and the referees order Corbin to the back. Rusev grabs Ziggler and eliminates him right in front of Corbin. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Bo works over Cara in the corner. Titus and Sheamus go at it. Rusev stomps on Ryder. Sheamus eliminates Titus. Del Rio and Axel go at it. Del Rio nails a double stomp and eliminates Axel. Bo gets eliminated by Cara. Ryder nails Sheamus with a big right hand. Rusev goes to work on Cara. Del Rio dropkicks Ryder in the back. Sheamus and Del Rio take turns on Ryder now. Cara with a crossbody on Rusev. Sheamus and Del Rio beat Cara down.

Cara ducks a double team and takes them both down. Rusev drops Cara from behind. Del Rio and Rusev double team Cara now. Ryder and Sheamus go at it. Sheamus with an Irish Curse backbreaker. Del Rio eliminates Cara. The former League of Nations members all look at each other while Ryder is down. Sheamus throws Ryder to them. Rusev stomps on him while Del Rio warns Sheamus. They triple team Ryder as fans boo. Del Rio and Rusev toss Ryder but he hangs on. Sheamus tries to toss Del Rio but it backfires. Rusev and Sheamus go at it. Sheamus tosses Rusev to the apron. Del Rio with a Backstabber on Sheamus. Ryder with a Ruff Ryder on Del Rio. Rusev heel kicks Ryder. Sheamus misses a Brogue on Rusev. Rusev nails a superkick on Sheamus. Del Rio eliminates Sheamus. Rusev kicks Del Rio when he turns around. Rusev tries to eliminate Del Rio but he hangs on. Ryder eliminates Del Rio and fans rally for him. Ryder and Rusev go at it in the middle of the ring. Rusev runs into knees int he corner. Ryder with a missile dropkick as fans chant for him. Ryder with a right hand and the Broski Boot. Rusev comes right back and tosses Ryder for the win.

Winner and New #1 Contender: Rusev

- After the match, Lana comes down to celebrate with Rusev. Kalisto stands up at the announce table and Rusev goes wild taunting him.

- Still to come, The Flairs. Cole leads us to a clip from Captain America and we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes WWE Women's Champion Charlotte and WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair. She downplays any talk of controversy surrounding the Chicago Screwjob. They knock Natalya and Bret Hart, saying the Harts are quitters. Charlotte says only one man can provide answers. She brings referee Charles Robinson to the ring. She thanks him for coming and asks him to tell the truth.

Fans chant "cheater" at Little Naitch. Robinson says Natalya didn't physically tap out but she was yelling, begging for him to stop the match. Flair chimes in and they laugh. Charlotte asks if Robinson's history with Flair has anything to do with what happened and he says absolutely not. Charlotte confirms that the decision is final and dismisses Robinson. Natalya's music hits and out she comes. She says this is not about Robinson or Charlotte, it's about Ric. She accuses Flair of paying Robinson to screw her out of the title. She goes on and says the Harts are better. Charlotte tries to sneak attack her but Natalya blocks it and sends her out of the ring. Natalya turns her attention to Flair now. He takes off his coat and watch but gets slapped. Natalya takes his legs out and applies the Sharpshooter. Charlotte pulls Flair to safety as Natalya looks on. She puts Flair's Rolex and WWE Hall of Fame ring on as her music plays and she taunts them.

- Still to come, our six-man main event. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and Stephanie approaches The Flairs backstage. She knocks Flair and says everyone feels he's becoming a distraction, so he's banned from ringside for Natalya vs. Charlotte in a Submission Match at WWE Extreme Rules for the title.

Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

The WWE World Heavyweight Champion and Styles start the match back and forth. Gallows comes in as they keep control. Reigns ends up catching him in a Samoan Drop. Jimmy Uso gets a tag and works over Gallows. Jey Uso comes in with offense but eats a big boot for a 2 count. Gallows keeps control and tosses Uso to the floor. The two teams have words at ringside as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Anderson is in control of Jey. Anderson with a big spinebuster and more offense. Styles comes back in and keeps up the attack on Uso. Gallows runs in and decks Jimmy on the apron but misses Reigns. Styles has words with Gallows about running in. Styles turns around to a big superkick from Jey. Reigns and Anderson tag in. Reigns unloads and decks Gallows. Reigns with a big clothesline on Anderson. He goes to the floor for a Drive By on Gallows as fans continue to boo.

Reigns unloads on Anderson in the corner. Anderson rolls him up after Styles comes in. More chaos as fans go wild. Reigns goes for a Superman punch on Styles but it's countered in mid-air. Jimmy tags in and nails a big crossbody on Styles for a close 2 count. Jimmy kicks Styles and decks him. Jimmy with a super Samoan Drop for a 2 count as Anderson breaks it up. Reigns nails Anderson and sends him to the floor with a clothesline. Gallows nails Reigns from behind on the floor. Gallows and Anderson take Reigns out on the barrier. Styles and Jimmy go at it. Styles nails a Phenomenal Forearm for the win.

Winners: AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

- After the match, Anderson and Gallows bring Reigns into the ring as Styles looks confused. They also have a steel chair. They hold Reigns and want Styles to hit him but he hesitates. Anderson yells at Styles and gives him the chair. They hold Reigns and Styles backs up with the chair but throws it away. Gallows and Anderson stomp away on Reigns. Uso comes from behind and nails AJ with a chair shot to the back. The Usos clear Gallows and Anderson from the ring. Styles nails Uso with chair shots from behind as Reigns recovers and gets to his feet. Styles sends Uso to the floor. Styles turns around to a Superman punch. Reigns launches Styles into the rope but he doesn't go over, just bounces off to the mat. Reigns sends Styles to the floor and goes nuts, launching Styles into the barrier. Reigns takes apart the announce table as the heat continues. Reigns picks Styles up and sends him flying through the announce table with a big powerbomb. Reigns kneels down over Styles as fans boo. Reigns stands tall and raises his arms over AJ as his music hits. We get more replays and come back to Reigns walking away from AJ's body. He grabs the WWE World Heavyweight Title as RAW goes off the air.

Ryback has been pulled from TV due to a contract dispute.

Obviously they don't want to Feed him more

Why is Reigns being booked as a face when he's being presented as a heel? They need to pull the trigger and officially turn him before the crowd lose interest altogether.

Aside from the mess with Breeze, Truth etc it was a decent enough RAW.

Apparently the plan was The Vaudevillains were to beat E&C after The Dudleys interfered to continue that story. Seems they might still be going that route once Enzo is cleared.

After the first half an hour I thought this was going to a brilliant Raw. Then it sharply went downhill and the fast forward button was applied to most of it

Ryback issued the following statement online on his Tumblr account today:

Today I sit and fly home and for the first time in years feel absolutely free. I will start by saying I did request to be taken off of WWE television until myself and Vince could get a yes or no on a new deal. This has been going on since my IC Title run and had been nothing but a major strain on my life as all I ever wanted to do was work for WWE. I was told to head home until we agree or not agree to specific terms and contrary to reports it isn’t over money or a bus that stuff was settled a while ago. It comes down to a major problem I have with not only WWE but wrestling in general.

Wrestling is pre determined, we as performers know before we go out to that ring or perform a backstage scene who is winning and losing etc or have a general idea of what we are going to say. It blows my mind how in a sport which is pre determined from a company standpoint winners are paid so much more than the losers. Every single person who works for WWE from top to bottom is absolutely just as valuable as the next. The winners cannot win unless the losers go out there and agree to lose to them.

It blows my mind that in this day and age though we still adhere to this formula. Obviously things have always been this way, but does that make them right? Times have changed and our goal as humans should be to evolve and learn from our past and the past of others so we could make this world a better place. Why is it a guy who is told he is going to go out and lose and does everything he is told be paid not only less, but much less than said winner over a period of time. Every single performer for WWE sacrifices the same amount of time from home and their families and every single man or women goes out and does what they are told. Looking at this formula though losers turn into what fans like to call jobbers and their value decreases in the companies eyes and before you know it they get released. For what? For doing exactly as they are told!

Why not pay the talent equally? The winners have more MERCH as it is or are supposed to anyways so they get that extra perk, but why make the guy who is told to and agrees to lose earn less and sacrifice spots in big pay per view match ups etc. This is one of the major problems with wrestling and WWE today. Most guys take great satisfaction in helping making other talent, the bitching and the moaning we always hear about stems from the fact they know they are ultimately over time going to make less and live in fear of being released.

I am proud to say I have never gone to change a finish and have gladly took pride in helping put over other talent. Hell look at my pay per view record of 12-26 and you will see that has been the pattern of my career. I have always been confident in my ability and work ethic to being my best every day and ultimately always felt that by doing good it was the right thing to do. Personally seeing my money go down over the years though even though I was working as much as ever and being denied magazine covers and other projects as well as watching my role diminish no matter what I did or how hard I tried takes its toll on a human. Being told no matter how hard I work or how good I get doesn’t always pay off is something I f***ing refuse to ever believe in my life. I am a creative being and to be restricted time and time again is no way to live life. There is nothing I cannot do and I know no matter what comes of this situation I am going to be just fine. It isn’t soley about money, it is about commitment. Commitment to a guy who f***ing cares and who loves this more than anything in the world and wants to know that his passion his efforts and his determination to constantly improve is going to be recognized and taken care of.

WWE may very well release me, which if it is the case so be it. If we can work things out a lot needs to change as I am not living in fear and creatively cannot continue to live a life that limits me creatively. I have many other interests and passions and have been very smart with my finances over the years. I thank every WWE superstar from top to bottom for their sacrifices and for working with me. The world is an amazing place and there is more than just a WWE universe there is The Universe and I will prove one way or another over time I am the greatest big guy in the universe!

What a well written and thought out statement. And he really does have a point!

Does Ryback think actors in movies should all get paid the same because the end is predetermined and everyone works really hard?

Yeah I don't think he was a good point at all, he's focusing on the wrong part of the problem. In theory, the system works fine, if you draw more for the company, you'll rise up the card and then you will be paid more. Of course it doesn't always work that way, because sometimes you do get over, but WWE doesn't push you up the card for whatever reason.

I also find the reaction to Ryback's post across the internet compared to CM Punk's podcast is really weird, Punk complained that he wasn't in the best position creatively and he wanted to appear in the big events. Ryback is basically complaining that he isn't paid enough, whilst making vague statements about creative. Yet people have been a lot more positive towards Ryback, it doesn't really make sense.

Also I don't think Ryback is in that good of a position to complain, he's been given chance after chance in the main event and never really got it to stick. WWE has backed him multiple times and he's done pretty much nothing with it, he hasn't improved, he's still just as bad on the mic and in the ring and his spot right now is exactly where he belongs.

I can't see a huge demand for him if he leaves, TNA may be interested but doubt they can afford him. Will NJPW or Lucha really want Ryback? I can't see it.

I think you might have missed his point, Crimey. He is not saying that he wants everyone to be paid the same. He is saying that within a feud, the two competitors should get the same dependent on the profile of the feud.

People still get over with losses (look at Wyatt and Ambrose for example) and move up the card to bigger pay days. He is just saying that why should the person who takes the fall in a match that is predetermined, get less than the guy who wins that match? To me, that makes sense as they are both adding creatively to the storyline at the same level.

I think that its the end for Ryback and I see him just leaving the business to be honest.

I also think that you have been harsh on his pushes. I think it was Hero who said that during his initial push, his kids loved him (I think it was against Cena and Punk). He was a monster who they squashed for no good reason.

His subsequent pushes have been midcard and he has always been the better of the two people in each feud he has been in.

hes not great on the mic but he is better than say Reigns.

I disagree, I think Ryback is actually much worse than Reigns, on every level. I think he's really poor, other than the Feed Me More thing and the fact that he's big, he's really got nothing going for him. 

He's complaining that he's been slipping down the card and so is being paid less, I don't think there is a huge discrepancy between the winner and loser of a feud, he basically wants to either move up the card so he can be paid more (in which case he wouldn't care about the pay difference, as he's on the right side of it) or he wants everybody to be paid a similar amount, then get merchandise bonuses if you're over with the crowd. He's quite rightly for me being paid less as he's become less valuable to the product. In 2012 the roster was thinning as Edge and Shawn Michaels both retired, they'd lost Jeff Hardy and Batista and Triple H, Chris Jericho and The Undertaker were pulling back from full-time work. This meant that Ryback, then able to get good reaction because of the Feed Me More chant and be okay at what he was doing was a stop gap, since then we've seen the debut of The Shield, the Wyatts, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Rusev etc. Ryback has therefore become a lot less valuable and quite rightly has fallen down the card and quite rightly been paid less.

For me this has arisen because Ryback has a much better opinion of himself than the fans or WWE have of him. He seems to think he has improved massively, but I just don't see it. He's just as boring, just as one-dimensional, only now every few months he does one of those awful "I'm so sad, pity me" promos which go totally against the character he should be portraying. If he wants to get in a huff over the fact that he's fallen where he naturally should that's his perogative, but I don't really feel sorry for him, nor do I think there's an intrinsic problem with entertainment pay being uneven. In any form of entertainment it's the same, even though all the actors contribute to the film.

I read his gripes totally differently.

I think he is moaning about the difference in winning and losing within a feud.

Personally seeing my money go down over the years though even though I was working as much as ever and being denied magazine covers and other projects as well as watching my role diminish no matter what I did or how hard I tried takes its toll on a human. 

That's what he is complaining about, he's losing money because he's falling down the card and losing more. It's not like the winner of a feud gets a win bonus, they just move up the card because they're more valuable to the company.

At the end of the day its a drawing business and if you dont draw you dont get paid as much. Its a harsh reality. Part of that could be put down to creative but at the end of the day you need to work with what you're given and put the effort in. Look at New Day as a prime example of turning chicken Poopie into chicken salad.

For what its worth I like Ryback. I liked the cocky Big Guy persona and I loved the CM Punk entrance at Payback. But I dont think I'll miss him too much once he's gone, and I dont think he's as good as he thinks he is and he doesnt have any real sway.

I'm with Adam on this one and how I read it. Rowdy Roddy makes exactly the same point in his autobiography about WM1 and him and Hogan. Hogan got paid more as he was the 'winner'. Roddy less as he 'lost'. But who put more work into the feud? Who was the guy that was drawing the heat so that people wanted to see Hogan kick his ass?

I think some are mixing up losing with being not being the draw. You can still be the draw and lose. And in that case why should you get less than the winner?

But Hogan was money. Hogan was the draw still. Piper would have made more money than had he been in a lower feud, but the money in the feud was Hogan.

Unbeliever wrote:I'm with Adam on this one and how I read it. Rowdy Roddy makes exactly the same point in his autobiography about WM1 and him and Hogan. Hogan got paid more as he was the 'winner'. Roddy less as he 'lost'. But who put more work into the feud? Who was the guy that was drawing the heat so that people wanted to see Hogan kick his ass?

I think some are mixing up losing with being not being the draw. You can still be the draw and lose. And in that case why should you get less than the winner?

Piper has a point, whereas Ryback doesnt really. You're right, a good heel is a draw and makes a face a draw by default because people will pay to see them get beat, especially when Kayfabe still existed.

I cant think of any time in the past 2 years I can say I would pay to see Ryback. He was his most entertaining during his initial undefeated push but even then it was never a real draw and died a death. He's never made me want to see him get beat as a heel and I never cared about him as a face.

You would part ways with money hand over fist to see Piper get beat in his heyday, cant say that at any point about Ryback.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:But Hogan was money. Hogan was the draw still. Piper would have made more money than had he been in a lower feud, but the money in the feud was Hogan.

Obi Gav Kenobi has taught you well young Padawan.

Sadly he has.

But it's simple wrestling economics. Companies make money off their popular faces. NWO arguably the exception to the rule, but they needed to be beaten and WCW not realising this was a big problem.

Otherwise, your money in the history of wrestling could follow a line from Hogan, Austin, Rock, Cena. Throw in Bret, Sting, Goldberg. Even Punk made more money as a face.

Unbeliever wrote:I'm with Adam on this one and how I read it. Rowdy Roddy makes exactly the same point in his autobiography about WM1 and him and Hogan. Hogan got paid more as he was the 'winner'. Roddy less as he 'lost'. But who put more work into the feud? Who was the guy that was drawing the heat so that people wanted to see Hogan kick his ass?

I think some are mixing up losing with being not being the draw. You can still be the draw and lose. And in that case why should you get less than the winner?

Because you could replaced Piper much easier than you replace Hogan, people would buy that program if it was Hogan vs X, as long as X was still decent, but there was less money in Piper vs X, even if X was only slightly worse than Hogan. 

If Piper had won that feud, I still think the pay would have remained the same.

Every single person who works for WWE from top to bottom is absolutely just as valuable as the next

So hes saying the Social Outcasts or the guy in catering are as valuable as Cena or Undertaker? Bloody communist

Just to reiterate what I thought he was saying and what Unbeliever thankfully also read is that:

Lets say that the participants in the main event feud have a £100k bonus. The winner gets 75k and the loser gets £25k.

The participants in the opener have a £40k feud where the winner gets £30k and the loser £10k.

Ryback isnt saying that these 4 people should get £35k each (ie £140k / 4) but that the two in feud 1 should get £50k each and feud 2 should get £20k each.

Position on the card is still earned by being a draw but the money in each particular feud is equal between the winner and loser.

And I agree with this.

Adam, problem is everyone has different contracts and its not like he goes into great detail on it all. The guys who appear on the promotional material may get extra etc, the same with royalties for DVDs and whatever else.

Adam D wrote:Just to reiterate what I thought he was saying and what Unbeliever thankfully also read is that:

Lets say that the participants in the main event feud have a £100k bonus. The winner gets 75k and the loser gets £25k.

The participants in the opener have a £40k feud where the winner gets £30k and the loser £10k.

Ryback isnt saying that these 4 people should get £35k each (ie £140k / 4) but that the two in feud 1 should get £50k each and feud 2 should get £20k each.

Position on the card is still earned by being a draw but the money in each particular feud is equal between the winner and loser.

And I agree with this.

Then you've understood wrong, because that doesn't happen! You don't get a win bonus, I would agree that would be ludicrous when it's a pre-determined sport. Ryback has clearly worded it in that way to confuse people into thinking that's how it works. It isn't.

What is happening is: there is a feud between Wrestler X, who has been main eventing for five years, has a higher base salary, bigger bonuses etc. who feuds with Wrestler Y, who has been in WWE for 5 years, hasn't really been a big draw yet, he's got a lower base salary, lower bonus share etc. 

Wrestler X wins the feud, Wrestler X then goes into another feud, at the end of the year he's been in several programs at the top of the card so gets a raise to reflect this. Wrestler Y loses and maybe they don't have anything for him next month so he's just on Superstars or whatever, he doesn't move up the card and doesn't get a raise.

Ryback is saying that Wrestler X and Wrestler Y should be paid the same because they put equal work in across the year, Wrestler Y was in just as many matches, he had to travel to just as many cities, and they were even in the same matches. What this ignores is that Wrestler X is paid more because he's worth more, he then wins more than the person who loses because they have more plans for him. Ryback has it the wrong way around. Wrestlers who win more, win more because they're paid more because they're worth more. Wrestlers who lose more, lose more because they're paid less because they're worth less.

Ryback is frustrated basically because he used to be on better money because he was higher up the card, since then he's been overtaken by loads of other wrestlers, slipped down the card, lost more matches and now WWE want to pay him less to reflect this. Either he's wrongly assumed WWE are paying him less because he's lost more - something they have control over so is unfair, or he's trying to garner support from fans by misleading them to believe this is how it works. He's being paid less and losing more because he's worth less to WWE now.

This sounds like what is happening right now in 6CW (shameless plug).

I am trying to think of suitable examples that has happened in wrestling, but my mind is blank at the moment and Hogan v Piper has been said. So I will put up some random matches and see if you agree both guys get the same (if you can imagine build-up to the match and hype).

The Rock v Luke Gallows
New Day v T&A
Daniel Bryan v Ahmed Johnson

So if we take Adam's view of Ryback's statement, The Rock should be paid the same as Gallows for the result of the match. Regardless of build up and who the fans want to see. Now, just for arguments sake Gallows wins via a roll-up. As winner of the match, he would get more, which is what Ryback is saying is wrong with the current wwe situation. Regardless if this is due to long term booking so as, for example, push a PPV match between the pair of them. Not sure I see the logic, because as Crimey says it is about "worth" and long term plans.

You don't give your office high flyer the same wage as an intern if you plan to promote him in 6 months to vice president.

Crimey - what you have described is exactly how I thought and still do think that it works.

However, that is different to what Ryback has said:

Ryback wrote:Wrestling is pre determined, we as performers know before we go out to that ring or perform a backstage scene who is winning and losing etc or have a general idea of what we are going to say. It blows my mind how in a sport which is pre determined from a company standpoint winners are paid so much more than the losers. Every single person who works for WWE from top to bottom is absolutely just as valuable as the next. The winners cannot win unless the losers go out there and agree to lose to them.

It blows my mind that in this day and age though we still adhere to this formula. Obviously things have always been this way, but does that make them right? Times have changed and our goal as humans should be to evolve and learn from our past and the past of others so we could make this world a better place. Why is it a guy who is told he is going to go out and lose and does everything he is told be paid not only less, but much less than said winner over a period of time. Every single performer for WWE sacrifices the same amount of time from home and their families and every single man or women goes out and does what they are told. Looking at this formula though losers turn into what fans like to call jobbers and their value decreases in the companies eyes and before you know it they get released. For what? For doing exactly as they are told!

Why not pay the talent equally? The winners have more MERCH as it is or are supposed to anyways so they get that extra perk, but why make the guy who is told to and agrees to lose earn less and sacrifice spots in big pay per view match ups etc. This is one of the major problems with wrestling and WWE today. Most guys take great satisfaction in helping making other talent, the bitching and the moaning we always hear about stems from the fact they know they are ultimately over time going to make less and live in fear of being released.

To me, it is quite clear what he is suggesting, albeit a tad ambiguous. If he was talking about the earnings of sliding up and down the card, he wouldnt have said the bit in red.

He also talks about merchandise sales which backs up our understanding of how we think it works. Once again, if he was talking about being a loser means less merch sales, then I dont think he would have even mentioned.

To me, the statement very much reads about earning less than your counterpart in a feud.

If he is indeed suggesting that Adam Rose earns the same as Roman Reigns, he is an idiot.

Ultimately, it boils down to us not really knowing how they are paid (we have an educated guess) and Ryback being ambiguous. The grey area between this is where our disagreement is.

Adam, everyone gets a base salary and whatever minimum royalties they are entitled to. Others like Cena get bigger percentages on merchandise and some get higher bonuses for their merchandise selling beyond certain levels. Guys like Ziggler and Sheamus get their travel and accommodation covered, Big Show has his own tour bus and a handful of guys get a share of PPV sales which can depend on where they appear on the card, some are just the main event dependent.

Was this explained to you at your interview?

I have no doubt that this is how it works. However, Ryback is eluding to something different.

For the record, this was always my understanding. I dont understand why people cant seem to pick up on the fact that all I am saying is that Ryback is not saying any of that. Which is why, I am continuing to debate the point.

How do we know for sure, that in addition to all of that, there isnt a win bonus? Other than the fact that it is completely stupid within a predetermined sport.

No it was from Forbes I think

Personally I think its a combination of Ryback poorly explaining it and your interpretation of what he has said. For example he says two guys in a feud, one will make more money over time because he wins. That's a simplified version, as some guys will make more regardless as guys like Cena are on big salaries. Big Show too can job all year round and make more money that most he puts over.

He also says that its the case over time, it seems to be where the differing interpretations come in. To me that means some guys will fall down the card while others go up, meaning greater earning potential etc.

Maybe some of us should tweet him asking for clarification?

Because there obviously isn't a win bonus, that's ludicrous. The salaries have been released in the past, wrestlers get certain cuts of merchandise, house show and PPV revenue etc. They don't get a bonus for winning.

I think it boils down to the fact that he values himself as much higher than WWE do. He isn't being paid less because he's losing more. He's losing more because he's being paid less. 

What you are paid is based on how much you are worth to the company. If Ryback was worth more to WWE he'd be paid more and then win more. I think he's either being deliberately misleading to get people on his side, or he genuinely doesn't understand how it works - which based on interviews, I wouldn't be surprised if he's that stupid.

Pay isn't even done on a feud per feud basis. It's not like they decide an amount to be paid per feud. They're on contracts with salaries. There will be time where two people with different salaries are in a feud together, but that doesn't mean they have to pay the person worth less more just because he's in a feud with somebody worth more. The person paid more will likely go onto a bigger program, the person on less will stay where he is or move further down.

If what he is eluding to is true, no wonder Heath Slater always looks delighted when he steals a win!

Although pay is decided on a feud by feud basis depending on TV time and position on the card.

His issue may be that his value is being affected by losing to Kalisto, and that Kalisto is earning more by being champ. Which I suppose is where winning and losing does have an impact, as holding a title has come with monetary positives in the past.