Former WWE Star Ryback Responds To Comments Made By Cody Rhodes & Kevin Owens

Former WWE star Ryback has hit out at Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens after they seemingly referenced him on a recent edition of Rhodes' podcast.

On the "What Do You Wanna Talk About?" podcast, Owens and Rhodes discussed the latter's run on the independent circuit following his WWE exit, noting that he didn't charge as much as other former WWE stars. They alleged that one wrestler charged significantly more than others, which led to indie promotions not booking him. 

Ryback, on X, responded by claiming the two WWE stars were referring to him and criticized them for their comments, explaining that he stopped taking bookings to focus on his health and care for his ailing dog.

"I was made aware & saw the clip of @FightOwensFight & @CodyRhodes, two guys I always liked & got along with. It's clear they were referencing me, even with the name censored," began Ryback. "For context: I was booked solid for 3 years straight after WWE. My rate was set by my then-manager Pat Buck (a promoter himself), and every promoter I worked with made money and got my full effort—meet & greets, matches, fan time, all of it. What's often left out: I walked away from a multi-million dollar WWE contract. I wasn't fired. I needed a 5-disc fusion and full right shoulder replacement at 34. I was told not to wrestle again. I had nerve damage that risked paralysis if I continued."

I was made aware & saw the clip of @FightOwensFight & @CodyRhodes, two guys I always liked & got along with. It's clear they were referencing me, even with the name censored.

For context: I was booked solid for 3 years straight after WWE. My rate was set by my then-manager Pat...

— RYBACK (@Ryback) June 25, 2025

Ryback rounded it off by saying that he's not bitter about his WWE exit, and wished the best to both Rhodes and Owens.

On the podcast, Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens talked about Rhodes' run in the indies and how Owens helped him chart out a plan for his run, including how much he should charge on the indies. "The American Nightmare" believes that what he charged was a fair amount, compared to other former WWE stars, which is where Owens referenced Ryback.

"When I was on the indies, I had never had the WWE exposure at all, or the Rhodes name, which means a lot. So I think the highest amount of money I ever charged to anyone on the indies was 600 bucks, and you know, I was getting booked enough selling a ton of shirts. I was doing fine. But you were a different story," said Owens. "I just remember specifically hearing about ex-WWE guys that overestimated their appeal just because they were coming off of WWE. And I think, you know [bleeped, supposedly said Ryback] is a good example. Charged insane amounts of money, which he may have gotten a couple times at first, now I think it's safe to that he has not been booked very much. It might be out of design, he decided not to."

Rhodes joked that they could bleep out the name of the former WWE star they alleged had charged a lot and let fans guess who they were referring to.