Ryback Needs to Move Past Feuds with Big Show, The Miz Before SummerSlam 2015

Before SummerSlam 2015 arrives on August 23, Ryback needs to have conquered Big Show and The Miz and be in search of a new, more appealing challenger.

His Intercontinental Championship reign will limp along if his feuds with those men go on for months. It's an uninteresting combination of wrestlers destined to create a series of uninteresting matches.

Ryback vs. Big Show is far from an electric matchup. Ryback vs. The Miz is only slightly better. A Triple Threat between them looks to be the direction WWE is headed for at Battleground.

None of these options are SummerSlam-worthy.

Credit: WWE.com

With the projected lineup to include John Cena vs. Kevin Owens III, perhaps a battle between Seth Rollins and Triple H, as well as a continuation of the Bray Wyatt-Roman Reigns feud, SummerSlam is looking especially strong. With some creativity, WWE could have Ryback entering a match that belongs in that group.

If the company instead opts for a Big Show-Ryback battle at the big event, it's setting The Big Guy up for a slow, lifeless affair on his resume.

Even though their Money in the Bank collision exceeded some fans' expectations, it didn't garner glowing reviews. Elton Jones of Heavy.com wrote of it, "It seemed like this match was heading into decent territory before The Miz stopped its progression."

Wrestling writer Kevin Berge had similar thoughts:

Ryback can do better than be part of a bout that is "decent" or "OK." With the right opponent, he can be a highlight of SummerSlam, forcing people to talk about him and his title reign.

Big Show is not the man for the job.

Part of the issue is that Big Show is miles past his prime at this point. He was never exactly a spry athlete, but age (43) and injuries have made his matches a display in plodding. He steps up big from time to time (as he did against Reigns at Extreme Rules), but generally offers middle-of-the-road performances at best. 

When WWE.com compiled the list of the top 25 matches of 2013 and 2014, Big Show's name showed up just twice, as part of the first Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and as a member of Team Cena at last year's Survivor Series.

The Miz is a more exciting in-ring performer than Big Show, but fans aren't clamoring to see those two lock horns.

The man behind the wrestling-blooper series Botchamania is among those not looking forward to that battle:

Ryback and Miz have met several times in the past. Their lack of chemistry is what has much of the audience not thrilled to see them continue to wrestle each other.

Think back to their meetings in 2013. Not one of them stood out. In fact, when Ryback overcame The Miz on SmackDown in July of that year, there was a noticeable lack of spark in the contest.

Both men worked the match well and it featured some smart in-ring psychology, but it missed that element that has the best bouts burn themselves into fans' minds.

Is throwing both Miz and Big Show at Ryback any better than individual clashes? Former WWE Creative member Kevin Eck, for one, isn't sure. He wrote on The Eck Factor: "I'm not sure a three-way program is more compelling than a battle of the two powerhouses."

The kind of apathy from the audience on any Ryback-Miz-Big Show combo will create is not the right move for the IC champ at SummerSlam.

The Big Guy needs a match that feels bigger and generates more intrigue. To create that, WWE's best bet is to do a babyface-vs.-babyface showdown. Many of the best heels, from Wyatt to Rollins, will be busy come SummerSlam with marquee matchups.

To give Ryback a chance to create a special match with plenty of buzz, WWE should turn to Cesaro.

With Tyson Kidd having suffered a major injury, the Swiss Superman won't be tied up with the tag team division in August. It makes sense, too, that he would try to go for the IC title seeing that he's out of the running for the tag belts for now.

Unlike Big Show and The Miz, Cesaro offers Ryback a chance to steal the show come SummerSlam.

Cesaro has proved himself to be one of WWE's most compelling mat workers. He's delivered attention-grabbing against the likes of Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler and more recently with Kidd at his side against The New Day.

And WWE can have the same powerhouse-vs.-powerhouse dynamic as Big Show vs. Ryback, but with a more versatile, athletic wrestler challenging for the title. Cesaro is the kind of ring general The Big Guy needs anyway, a wrestler who can lead the match and draw the best out of him.

Have Cesaro win a No. 1 contender's tournament to earn the right to face Ryback. Having a face win the tourney toys with fan expectations. It sets up a match that begins as a friendly bit of competition and turns more intense as it goes on.

Offering Ryback some variety and giving him a shot at a really good match is the right move. Dragging his issues with The Miz and Big Show deep in the summer, on the other hand, is a surefire way to cause drowsiness.