WWE Rumors: Is Ryback The Next WWE Superstar To Leave?

More change could be coming for the WWE, as rumors are swirling about the contract status of Ryback. As it stands, Ryback might be the next WWE superstar to leave the company. If so, he would be following Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett out the door.

Wrestling News Source, via the Wrestling Observer, reports that Ryback and Vince McMahon are at an impasse in contract negotiations. Vince McMahon allegedly sent Ryback home after it became clear that the contract talks were stalled.

There are already rumors that Ryback could be TNA-bound.

It is that time of the year when many of the contracts in the WWE are reevaluated. Every year, after the pay-per-view event which follows WrestleMania, the statuses of several wrestlers wind up under the microscope. All of the build up leading WrestleMania keeps most of the WWE superstars employed. The feuds and rivalries are generally sustained until the major show after WrestleMania.

Ryback Teasing Move To TNA? https://t.co/bX4eH57blr pic.twitter.com/JFAPATTnuC

— WhatCulture Wrestling (@WhatCultureWWE) May 23, 2016

WWE Payback has followed WrestleMania for the last several years. Many of the mid-card WWE superstars find themselves either in or out of the company’s plans shortly after WWE Payback is over. Is this the case for Ryback?

Ryback has held the Intercontinental Title during his WWE run. His run also includes several shots at the WWE Championship, United States Title and Tag-Team Title. Even though Ryback has enjoyed some success, some would argue that he is underutilized in the WWE.

Some of Ryback’s gimmicks were spot on. His earlier squash matches worked because of his size. Ryback was billed as a dominant force, which is easier to believe given that he was fairly larger than his opposition.

As the WWE tends to do with a lot their superstars, there is a lull that comes when they are between card statuses. WWE’s short-term memory when is comes to certain wrestlers is astounding. Popularity comes into play. Lazy bookings are also expected during the lulls.

At the height of Ryback’s dominance came matches against the WWE’s elite, where he exhibited a lack of ability and it ruined his momentum. This is the normal case for WWE superstars, who may look unbeatable versus the likes of the R-Truth and Heath Slater, only to look inept when they face a John Cena or Seth Rollins. At the kick-off show for WWE Payback, Ryback lost to Kalisto in a U.S. Title match.

I think Ryback read @TheJimCornette 's column. pic.twitter.com/ormnQHn035

— forever botchamania (@Maffewgregg) May 20, 2016

All of the hype centered around Ryback and how dominant of a performer he is went out the window. He lost to a superstar half his size. To add insult to injury, Ryback was not on the main card. And WWE Payback needed more action. Instead of watching Vince McMahon stammering with Shane and Stephanie McMahon for 20 minutes, fans could have been treated to another match or two. Their appearance was pointless.

This has likely played a part in Ryback’s desire to be away from the spotlight for awhile. His impassioned statement from his Tumblr page revealed his frustrations.

“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!”

Ryback continues on with his reasons.

“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 b******* 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.”

Ryback’s point is spot on when considering how wrestling has gone about its business over the years. It takes away from the product in terms of quality and consistency.

What is most head-scratching is that the announcement of the Raw and Smackdown brands having separate rosters again should suggest that all hands should be on deck. This includes Ryback, Cody Rhodes, and Wade Barrett. The latter two are gone; therefore, keeping Ryback happy would be good for business, one would think.

Sadly, it appears that he is on his way out just like Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett before him.

WWE fans are going to miss Ryback if he does indeed leave the company.

[Photo by David Becker/Getty Images]