Ryback Responds To Dana Warrior Calling Him A Liar Over Ultimate Warrior Story, What Upset Him

On episode 48 of Conversations with The Big Guy, former WWE superstar Ryback addressed a recent Twitter exchange with the widow of The Ultimate Warrior, Dana, about a match Ryback once claimed might have been in the works.

For those that missed it, Ryback claimed on another episode of his podcast that there may have been plans for him to wrestle The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 30. Dana emphatically denied that claim on Twitter and accused Ryback of lying to promote himself.

"We were asked a question by a fan if it was true about Ultimate Warrior/Ryback at WrestleMania 30, which I thought I answered very truthfully as I always have done here [on this podcast], and shared a true story about Mark Carrano sharing with me a very early preliminary sheet on WrestleMania, which it said Ryback vs Ultimate Warrior," said Ryback. "I even mentioned that it could have been a big rib by WWE. It could have been them just f***ing with me, but that I was shown that, and then me and you [Pat Buck] discussed the possibilities of that match if it would have happened.

"Why would I make something like this up from several years ago if it wouldn't have made any benefit to do so if I made it up," Ryback questioned. "I've met Dana several times, and had always pleasant conversations with her and her two daughters, in which I will not share the encounter I had with her and her very kinds words towards me from her husband, which don't need to be said here. That was my last meeting with her."

Ryback, who left WWE last year and legally changed his name so he could continue to use it, has not shied away from making statements that are sometimes perceived controversial. He doubled down that he was not lying about the proposed WrestleMania 30 match against The Ultimate Warrior.

"Nothing I said was a lie, and she made it a point to call me a liar and that I was trying to 'cash in' on somebody's grave I guess," Ryback questioned. "My whole thing is – and I believe the Manager chimed in on this; I have no reason to lie about this for any reason. When was Dana Warrior and the Manager of Warrior hanging out backstage? When was the last time they hung out backstage at a WWE event when I'm there every week being in the mix, so how would they know that had I seen a sheet or not?

"Again, Vince McMahon may have pondered this idea where this was something he was thinking about and that he wanted to do this, and who knows where they were in the negotiations and what not. He may not have said anything to them; it could have been an idea he was just thinking about months ahead of time and Mark had the sheets in there for different shows and what not, and he may have showed me that; whether he was screwing with me, all made up; I never said this was going to happen, all I said was that it was shown to me and this was the idea going on right now in Vince's head; so we discussed a possible matchup if it happened between he and I, so I don't understand how it makes me a liar, or not true," continued Ryback. "They might have known nothing about it, but that didn't have to stop me if the idea was possibly going to happen, a possible idea."

Ryback claimed that WWE intentionally leaks out ideas of possible matches to gauge fan reaction. He said this could have been the case with Ryback vs. Ultimate Warrior for WrestleMania a few years.

"WWE leaks out the majority of these things that they would leak out between Ryback and Ultimate Warrior, just to see if there's any buzz there," claimed Ryback. "They do this sort of thing all the time, with all the access that they have, and there were multiple articles about the idea of that match, and all we did was discuss the possibility of that match happening and I shared the truth of a sheet that was shown months ahead of time, I never said that it was supposed to happen, but all these headlines read that I was supposed to face the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania; I never said that directly, just a sheet. It could have all been a big lie, but we talked about the possibility of that matchup, so I don't think the stuff was thought through on her end, but it is what it is."

The one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion believes a match between himself and The Ultimate Warrior would have been a farewell match and a feel-good moment for him at a time when Warrior wasn't in good health.

"It would have been [The Ultimate Warrior's] farewell match; his 'feel-good' moment if that were to happen. Again, he wasn't in good health during that period and they found that out, but it doesn't mean the idea wasn't thought about during that period," said Ryback. "Even in Vince McMahon's mind, he'll think that he can do two clotheslines, something quick, you know what I mean? It doesn't mean that it was one big made-up lie that I am telling."

Ryback then went back to the tweet sent out by Dana Warrior earlier this summer.

"One thing that really upset me about that in regards to the graveside and using his name in vain; it's not making me any money to talk about that; I'm not using his image and likeness on my supplements to make me money, you know what I mean? So, I don't understand where she is coming from where she is attacking me," said Ryback. "I find it really odd that she took that route for her to attack me that way because she was always so kind to me before."

Ryback believes Dana could have handled it differently, out of the public eye.

"There's so many different ways to handle that than to do that publicly. Why couldn't she have just private messaged me? If you think about it, I'm not lying, but who knows," said Ryback. "I am truly baffled by that. It just sucks because people are running with it."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Conversations with The Big Guy with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Peter Bahi contributed to this article.