Former WWE Star Mason Ryan Claims His Career Was "Hindered" Due To Dave Bautista Resemblance

In an interview with Metro.co.uk, former WWE star Mason Ryan claims that his wrestling career was "hindered" simply because of his uncanny wrestling to then-top draw, Dave Bautista.

Ryan claims the company was well aware of the resemblance when he was brought on, and that they immediately sought to make changes and set restrictions on him to ensure there could be no confusion.

"I was aware of it. You could argue maybe that it hindered my career a little bit. They made me grow my hair out, for example, when I first got there, because they were worried I looked too much like him, So when I debuted, they were like, “Hey, we want you to grow your hair out”, just to try and avoid those comparisons."

In addition to growing his hair out, he was also asked to avoid performing similar moves that Batista performed in the ring.

"And they didn’t want me doing any kind of move that he did.

So they didn’t want me doing any kind of spear or Power Bomb. So it could have been an issue, but it wasn’t like I was thinking too much about it.”

Ryan wrestled some of WWE's biggest superstars during his time with the company, including John Cena, Randy Orton, Kane and more.

As his wrestling career fizzled out after injuries and time in the indies, Mason would get an unexpected call from WWE. That call turned out to be a job opportunity, but not with WWE. It just so happens that Cirque du Soleil were looking for a wrestler with his type of appearance for a show in Las Vegas. After putting "some really serious throught" into the opportunity, Ryan made the move.

"Ultimately, I knew it was the right decision."

And the rest is history.

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