WWE News: Ryback on whether he and Brock Lesnar had a backstage altercation, the origins of his name, when he realized his character was catching on, and who he takes advice from

WWE star Ryback spoke with ESPN.com's Jon Robinson to promote the WWE '13 video game. The following are the highlights of the interview.

Ryback on when he realized his character was catching on: "I knew all along that this was going to happen. I’m very confident in myself and I’m very thankful for everything that has happened. It takes time, sometimes, to get things going, but I knew fairly early on that I was on the right track. I remember I was wrestling a fine local talent named Benny Camer, and when I clotheslined him, I flipped him back, and the reaction I heard from the crowd that night just from clotheslining him, I knew right then that we were on to something good here. It took a little bit of time for the people to digest and get with it, but hey, it’s all worked to a T. I’m very thankful for how far I’ve come, and I look forward to being a big part of WWE for years to come."

Ryback on his name: "I was Ryback before when I was re-hired by WWE years ago. My real name is Ryan, and growing up, my friends always said I looked like a silver back gorilla. I remember when I was released by WWE years ago and “Terminator 2” came on TV. I just said to myself, “I’m a machine. Anything I do, I do non-stop. I just never stop.” The name Ryback just clicked into my head and I never looked back."

Ryback on who he gets advice from: "Everyone has advice, it’s up to me to cipher out the good from the bad and to take what can work for me. I keep a pretty close-knit crew of guys I take advice from, guys like Triple H, Arn Anderson, Michael Hayes, and William Regal are the top four guys who I deal with on a regular basis and who I have open ears for at all times. Traveling and whatnot, Daniel Bryan is a guy who I like to travel with when I travel with others, but I also like to travel alone. I like to have my own time in order to gather my thoughts, but when I travel with somebody, it’s Daniel Bryan."

Ryback on whether he had a backstage altercation with Brock Lesnar: "Somebody told me about that, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. I don’t know where that came from. Paul Heyman is all about making money, he’s a business man, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he started the entire thing just to get people talking and see if there was any interest in it. It’s definitely a match that I would love to happen. I don’t know how long Brock is going to be around for with the WWE, but if the opportunity for us to square-off in the ring presents itself, I welcome it with open arms."

Powell's POV: The Ryback and Lesnar story was the subject of online rumors at one point, and it's nice to hear Ryback shoot down that story. Ryback also listed Undertaker as his dream WrestleMania opponent, just as most of the WWE wrestlers do. He also spoke about the WWE '13 video game, the Hell in a Cell finish, the Feed Me More line, and the injury that sidelined him during his Nexus run.