Donald Trump, Ryback Talks WWE Equal Pay, and More from the Presidential Mailbag

Ryback seems to be on the verge of a WWE exit. Donald Trump, friend of WWE, seems to be on the verge of the presidency. All this and more created some of the more entertaining mailbag questions and answers this week.

Let's start off the political theme with Ryback, who recently posted a lengthy blog discussing equal pay in professional wrestling. Was he right? Spoiler alert: No.

Question of the Week No. 1: Feed Me Equality?

I admire Ryback for speaking out on his own. WWE fosters an environment where all its wrestlers fall in line and avoid real-life controversy at all costs in order to keep from being "buried."

That way, it's easier for WWE to get away with misclassifying its talents as independent contractors, not covering talents through employee health insurance and reducing their pay-per-view bonuses through the WWE Network.

Wrestlers get screwed in WWE, but they do it to themselves. It seems many of them are more concerned about unwritten rules, like using the term "jobber" (h/t Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc.), than wondering why they won't have an employee pension from WWE in ten years when they can barely walk.  

Unfortunately for Ryback, he chose a harebrained stance to speak out about. WWE is not, nor will it ever be, in the equal pay business. WWE is the ultimate form of capitalism. The product thrives when there are one or two major stars to build around (the one percent), and they become big stars because they're better at connecting with the crowd than their peers, and the machine gets behind them.

No form of entertainment should have equal pay. Stunt man No. 3 should not make as much as George Clooney, a White Walker should not make as much as Tyrion Lannister and Kalisto should not make as much as Brock Lesnar.

Ryback had several paths he could have chosen to criticize WWE's business practices. Sadly, his execution was as clumsy as CM Punk wants you to think he is.  

Phenomenal Heel?  

I don't see Roman Reigns or AJ Styles turning heel in the near future. Reigns is more likely, given the fact that his character and WWE are embracing the (lucrative) boos he receives. Still, to sell out and begin playing a heel would dash the aura, authenticity and magic of the impassioned response that Reigns receives.

Styles seems to be somewhat of a tweener in his own right. He's currently aligned with Karl Anderson and Luke (not Doc) Gallows, who both behave as heels. The relationship is already developing friction, as Styles was conflicted about using underhanded tactics to take out Reigns and The Usos Monday on Raw.

In all likelihood, the budding conflict between Styles, Anderson and Gallows will boil over when the duo costs Styles the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. A mini-feud with Styles—and a possible ally—would be a good way to further establish Anderson and Gallows as more than just Styles' interchangeable goons.

Perhaps this is where the banged-up, 34-year-old Finn Balor finally debuts on the main roster. Balor could pose as Styles' soon-to-be-40-year-old ally before ultimately joining up with Anderson and Gallows (combined age of 68 years old) in what would be a failed impression of The Bullet Club.

Question of the Week No. 2: Can Billionaires Cash In?   

How bad does the Republican Party need a Money in the Bank stipulation right about now? With its most polarizing candidate as the presumptive nominee, the only thing stopping Donald Trump from moving on to the general election would be a plot twist like Mitt Romney sprinting to the podium with a referee by his side and a red briefcase in hand.

It's no secret that Trump has a positive relationship with WWE that dates back to their partnership to host WrestleManias IV and V.

Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon has been supportive of Trump's campaign, telling CNN (h/t Stephen Randle of Goliath) that she believes he would make a "very good president."

While WWE has been almost radio silent about directly mentioning Trump's meteoric rise to the GOP nod, Rich Scinto of the Stamford Patch (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc.) noted the McMahons donated $5 million to the Trump Foundation between 2009 and 2014. It's possible that if Trump pulls this thing off, WWE could have its first storyline in history that involves a sitting president.

Think about that.   

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.