Ryback’s CM Punk taunts and other antics from the end of his run made WWE officials ‘furious’

Remember Ryback’s “Pre-Show Stopper” weight belt from Payback? How about his “homage” to CM Punk during his entrance to that show’s Kickoff match?

Amazingly, it seems WWE officials weren’t thrilled with him humorously mocking the fact they’d booked him like a Bizarro Shawn Michaels or calling attention to incidents still being disputed in court. I’m sure the fact they were well into a contractual falling out which would lead to the Big Guy repeatedly claiming WWE Chairman Vince McMahon lied to him had nothing to do with it, either.

On the latest episode of his podcast Conversation with the Big Guy (H/T Wrestling Inc for transcription), Ryback explains how pissed the powers-that-be were:

They were so furious with that weight belt. Yeah, they were so mad. [WWE referee John] Cone kept telling me, “they go 'take off the weight belt'“ and I kept saying, “tell them to f--k off.”

And during the match I was already checked out, I was gone, and I said, “I'm going to have fun one way or another.” I had to cut out, like Cone kept going, “no more CM Punk stuff, no more CM Punk stuff” and I was going to do the running knee into the GTS and not cover him to really… they were eating it up, but we got cut on time, as always.

Probably for the best that Kalisto match got cut short, then.

He goes on to again claim his WWE exit wasn’t about money and speculate that he’d been put on the pre-shows for failing to sign the contract the company offered him.

But it does make me want to go back and re-watch the May 1 match to see if I can spot Ryback and Cone arguing under their breath.