John Cena was WWE's top full-time star for more than a decade before reducing his in-ring schedule in 2015 to focus on acting. In a recent video, Ryback recalled how he wanted to replace the 16-time world champion to become the company's marquee name.
Ryback left WWE in 2016 after rejecting a new contract. The highlight of the former Intercontinental Champion's WWE run came in 2012 and 2013 when he appeared in main-event storylines with CM Punk and Cena.
On his Ryback TV YouTube channel, The Big Guy said Cena once visited WWE's up-and-coming talents in the Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) developmental system. The wrestler-turned-actor encouraged the next generation to step up and take his position on the card.
"WWE sent John Cena down to come down and talk to a big group of us, and essentially issue us a challenge and challenge one of us to come up and take his spot," Ryback said. "You see, I took that personal, and from that point forward I made it my number one goal to go up there and to take John Cena's spot and become the face of the WWE." [0:17 – 0:40]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDqyoTJDmx4Ryback initially appeared on WWE television as a Tough Enough contestant in 2004. After several years in developmental, the powerhouse superstar debuted on the main roster as Nexus member Skip Sheffield in 2010. He underwent a character change in 2012, returning under the name Ryback after a lengthy injury.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/news-former-ic-champion-wanted-replace-john-cena-wwe-s-top-star 