Ryback's Departure from WWE Seems Imminent

His relationship with the company is somehow ruined, as Cameron was even fired just for supporting him in his post criticizing the economic difference in wrestlers' contracts. One can imagine the extent of the hatred towards the Big Guy.

And let's not forget about the legal battle between the company and the former Intercontinental Champion over the rights to his nickname, which only worsened things. WWE's reaction was to put all of the giant's merchandise on sale, perhaps as a way to belittle him or maybe to get rid of the merchandise as soon as possible. But what is clear is that things are far from being on "good terms."

According to Ryback's statement, his disagreements with WWE were not about economic issues, which is not entirely true. In fact, that was the main difference he had with Vince McMahon in their meeting and what led him to leave until "things were resolved."

However, things are far from being resolved, and even since he left the recordings of Monday Night Raw, Ryback has had no contact with WWE. This is an indication that negotiations may have concluded and his departure from the company is a fact... unless one of the two parties has a change of heart, which seems highly unlikely as both have shown a firm stance.

Another condition that the Big Guy imposed to renew his contract was to have hotel and road travel expenses paid for, as well as a contractual guarantee, meaning that if he is fired for any reason, he should continue to be paid until his contract is terminated. This kind of guarantee was very common in WCW - we know how it ended - since then Vince McMahon usually does not grant it to his Superstars.

By now, it has been said that names like Mark Henry, Adam Rose, and Ryback himself could be the next to be released from their contracts. But in the case of the giant, the easiest route for WWE is to wait for his agreement to end, as this way they would not have to pay severance and they could retain him for a longer time, which would also keep him away from other companies. His contract expires this summer.

WWE's decision about Ryback's future was made before Payback, according to what Dave Meltzer commented in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer:

There were people who knew about this the day before the show, but they were already announcing him for a match [against Kalisto on the Kickoff Show]. Vince McMahon's philosophy is that if you're scheduled for a pay-per-view event, you'll have it no matter what happens, as long as it's possible (unless he decides not to do it from a creative point of view, but the guys still appear and a story is given to them if they stop appearing).