F.I.S.T.
MuscleHead
- Sep 24, 2011
- 1,318
- 115
WWE Rumors: Mason Ryan and the Same Old Steroid Story?
He’s doing steroids, right?
Admit it, the first time you saw Mason Ryan you said the same thing. “Look at him. He’s doing steroids.”
Mason Ryan has the body of a god. He’s chiseled out of granite, looks like a comic book superhero come to life and a hundred other clichés. Basically, he has a body that is just too good to be true.
Or does he?
Here’s the problem, the way I see it. Unless you know Mason Ryan, unless you’re in the locker room with him, work out with him, talk to the guy on the phone or whatever—how do you really know?
How do you really know that his physique is not the result of dedicated weightlifting, a gym rat who just can’t stop checking out his muscles in the full length mirror? Seriously, how do you know?
The thing is, unless you are a bodybuilder yourself or know something about muscle structure and when it is unnaturally enhanced, the truth is you really do not know.
By the way, if there are any bodybuilders reading this, I would love your input. Why?
Because I am not in the locker room with Ryan. I don’t work out with him, talk to him on the phone, or whatever. It’s for those reasons that I can honestly say that I just don’t know.
I can give you my opinion, but it’s the opinion of a guy on the outside, it’s an uninformed guess.
Nothing wrong with opinions. I’m a Featured Columnist who provides analysis and commentary on the events in professional wrestling—opinions are my business.
So, maybe I will. But not right now.
I will say that, for me, the first time I saw Mason, I did not immediately see his body and think “steroids.” My head just didn’t go there.
I suppose the reason for that is I have been a fan for so long, over 30 years now, and I am so used to seeing guys who look like Ryan that it just doesn’t phase me anymore. Perhaps it should have, as Mason is pretty big.
Scratch that. He’s ungodly big.
But, I have seen ungodly big before. Plenty of times.
Dave Batista, Lex Luger, Hulk Hogan, Scott Steiner, Chris Masters, Triple H, The Ultimate Warrior and man I could go on and on.
And, 'on', it seems.
Here’s the thing. Pro wrestling is a visual business. This is not the NFL, where players have taken steroids in order to boost performance and healing time, where the first thing fans see is the uniform, the helmet and then the play. The NFL, for fans, is all about the game and the stars who play the game.
The first thing fans see when they tune into WWE is a guy with his shirt off. It’s a given, it’s expected. Workers cut promos in their gear all the time. It’s part of the show.
Is Randy Orton really walking around backstage in only his trunks and boots? A full hour before his match?
A wrestler has to sell himself. That’s what it’s all about. It’s not just the physical ability in the ring, it’s how he talks, how he walks and how he carries himself.
And, in WWE, it’s also all about how he looks.
I know what you’re thinking. What about Mick Foley? I agree, it makes no sense.
It makes no sense that a company built on the backs of men who all look like Terminators, would feature an overweight, hairy guy like Foley. It’s a ridiculous notion.
But, Foley had carved out a place all his own in the business. No one had the type of push that he had, no one had the effect he had on the crowd, or the psychology he possessed. And, no one could cut a promo quite the way Mick Foley could.
Man, that guy can talk.
Yes, Foley is an exception. And, no, not every Superstar showcased by Vince McMahon over the years was synthetically jacked up. So, why the rant on Mason?
Because, according to recent reports online, including Rajah.com, sources in the WWE locker room say there is a “great deal of skepticism about WWE pushing a guy who has a physique that’s virtually impossible to maintain naturally. With WWE’s strict wellness tests, the Superstars know what they can get away with and what they can’t.”
Okay, so, let’s say for argument’s sake that Ryan is pumped up on steroids. His body, from head to toe, artificially constructed, because of an apparent need to sell himself in order to get a contract from Vince McMahon. The question is, not why, but how?
How stupid can you be? Seriously, how insanely stupid can one man be that he does not realize in this day and age, after all the drug suspensions and steroid controversies that fans have seen, that you can’t get away with it anymore?
More importantly, if the report is true, and there is real concern backstage over Mason’s exaggerated body, then why is he there in the first place?
Why is he there, and why is he on Monday Night Raw, the company’s flagship and most well known pro wrestling program in the world? Why would Vince take a chance, if there was even a hint of wrongdoing on Ryan’s part?
Maybe we’re all missing the point. Maybe the guy isn’t on the juice after all. That would answer all of these questions.
Okay, so, back to my opinion. Do I believe Mason Ryan is on steroids?
To tell you the truth, I just don’t know.
He’s doing steroids, right?
Admit it, the first time you saw Mason Ryan you said the same thing. “Look at him. He’s doing steroids.”
Mason Ryan has the body of a god. He’s chiseled out of granite, looks like a comic book superhero come to life and a hundred other clichés. Basically, he has a body that is just too good to be true.
Or does he?
Here’s the problem, the way I see it. Unless you know Mason Ryan, unless you’re in the locker room with him, work out with him, talk to the guy on the phone or whatever—how do you really know?
How do you really know that his physique is not the result of dedicated weightlifting, a gym rat who just can’t stop checking out his muscles in the full length mirror? Seriously, how do you know?
The thing is, unless you are a bodybuilder yourself or know something about muscle structure and when it is unnaturally enhanced, the truth is you really do not know.
By the way, if there are any bodybuilders reading this, I would love your input. Why?
Because I am not in the locker room with Ryan. I don’t work out with him, talk to him on the phone, or whatever. It’s for those reasons that I can honestly say that I just don’t know.
I can give you my opinion, but it’s the opinion of a guy on the outside, it’s an uninformed guess.
Nothing wrong with opinions. I’m a Featured Columnist who provides analysis and commentary on the events in professional wrestling—opinions are my business.
So, maybe I will. But not right now.
I will say that, for me, the first time I saw Mason, I did not immediately see his body and think “steroids.” My head just didn’t go there.
I suppose the reason for that is I have been a fan for so long, over 30 years now, and I am so used to seeing guys who look like Ryan that it just doesn’t phase me anymore. Perhaps it should have, as Mason is pretty big.
Scratch that. He’s ungodly big.
But, I have seen ungodly big before. Plenty of times.
Dave Batista, Lex Luger, Hulk Hogan, Scott Steiner, Chris Masters, Triple H, The Ultimate Warrior and man I could go on and on.
And, 'on', it seems.
Here’s the thing. Pro wrestling is a visual business. This is not the NFL, where players have taken steroids in order to boost performance and healing time, where the first thing fans see is the uniform, the helmet and then the play. The NFL, for fans, is all about the game and the stars who play the game.
The first thing fans see when they tune into WWE is a guy with his shirt off. It’s a given, it’s expected. Workers cut promos in their gear all the time. It’s part of the show.
Is Randy Orton really walking around backstage in only his trunks and boots? A full hour before his match?
A wrestler has to sell himself. That’s what it’s all about. It’s not just the physical ability in the ring, it’s how he talks, how he walks and how he carries himself.
And, in WWE, it’s also all about how he looks.
I know what you’re thinking. What about Mick Foley? I agree, it makes no sense.
It makes no sense that a company built on the backs of men who all look like Terminators, would feature an overweight, hairy guy like Foley. It’s a ridiculous notion.
But, Foley had carved out a place all his own in the business. No one had the type of push that he had, no one had the effect he had on the crowd, or the psychology he possessed. And, no one could cut a promo quite the way Mick Foley could.
Man, that guy can talk.
Yes, Foley is an exception. And, no, not every Superstar showcased by Vince McMahon over the years was synthetically jacked up. So, why the rant on Mason?
Because, according to recent reports online, including Rajah.com, sources in the WWE locker room say there is a “great deal of skepticism about WWE pushing a guy who has a physique that’s virtually impossible to maintain naturally. With WWE’s strict wellness tests, the Superstars know what they can get away with and what they can’t.”
Okay, so, let’s say for argument’s sake that Ryan is pumped up on steroids. His body, from head to toe, artificially constructed, because of an apparent need to sell himself in order to get a contract from Vince McMahon. The question is, not why, but how?
How stupid can you be? Seriously, how insanely stupid can one man be that he does not realize in this day and age, after all the drug suspensions and steroid controversies that fans have seen, that you can’t get away with it anymore?
More importantly, if the report is true, and there is real concern backstage over Mason’s exaggerated body, then why is he there in the first place?
Why is he there, and why is he on Monday Night Raw, the company’s flagship and most well known pro wrestling program in the world? Why would Vince take a chance, if there was even a hint of wrongdoing on Ryan’s part?
Maybe we’re all missing the point. Maybe the guy isn’t on the juice after all. That would answer all of these questions.
Okay, so, back to my opinion. Do I believe Mason Ryan is on steroids?
To tell you the truth, I just don’t know.