Ryback's reputation since leaving WWE has been shaped in part by his combative social media posts. Kalisto remembers a very different man. Asked about their 2016 feud over the WWE United States Championship, Kalisto told TMZ Sports that Ryback was a pleasure to work with.
"Oh, my God, man, he was nothing but a sweetheart," Kalisto said, according to a transcription by Wrestling Inc. He added that people ask him about it often and that he always gives the same answer: Ryback treated him wonderfully, and the two looked out for each other.
Big man, small man
Their rivalry played on a classic David-and-Goliath contrast, and Kalisto said it was Ryback who wanted to work with him. According to Kalisto, Ryback promised to absorb the heat so that the smaller star could come out of the program looking strong.
Kalisto said Ryback was frustrated with his own career at the time and how things were going. Even so, he said, the chemistry between them was immediate once they got in the ring, and the matches flowed from there.
He counted Ryback among his favorite opponents in WWE, pointing to the size difference and the physical, hard-hitting style that both men brought to the matches, the kind of contact wrestlers want to feel in the ring. Kalisto said he loved working with Ryback and wished he could face him again.
Reporting sources: Wrestling Inc. - Pro Wrestling News, WWE & AEW Results, Superstar Interviews, “Kalisto Says Ryback Was A 'Sweetheart' During WWE Feud”.