Former WWE star Ryback has shared a lengthy tribute on X after losing his mother to cancer, reflecting on the final five months of caring for her and what he witnessed as the disease progressed.
Ryback, whose real name is Ryan Reeves, posted the tribute publicly and said he plans to continue sharing memories of his mother going forward.
Ryback wrote that he never truly understood cancer before his mother’s diagnosis because he had no real experience with it, and that like most people he associated it primarily with chemotherapy and hair loss.
“But what I witnessed over the last five months taking care of my mother is something I will never forget,” Ryback wrote. “It is vicious. It is ugly. It destroys you from the inside out. It breaks you down mentally and physically. It feels slow while you’re in it, but when you look back, you realize how fast it really moves.”
Ryback shared one specific moment near the end that he said summed up who his mother was. As she was slipping in and out and had not spoken all day, Ryback told her it was okay to let go and that the pain could end.
“She got this sudden burst of strength, opened her eyes, and said, ‘I’m sleeping,'” Ryback wrote. “Me and my sister laughed, because that was so her.”
He credited his mother with passing her fight on to him.
“That fight she had inside of her is something I’m incredibly grateful was passed down to me.”
Finding Peace
Ryback said he has been reflecting on his mother’s life in the days since her passing and has found himself smiling more than anything despite the anxiety, sadness, and emptiness that comes with her no longer being there.
“When I feel anxiety, sadness, or that emptiness from her not being here, I just say thank you. I’m thankful her suffering is over. The final weeks were incredibly hard. You could see the life being taken from her day by day. But even then, she didn’t stop.”
He wrote that his mother continued finding ways to enjoy her days even as her body was failing her.
“She still went outside and sat in the sun every day. She still found the strength to go on nightly walks, even with her body failing her. Those are moments I will cherish forever.”
“Energy Never Dies”
Ryback closed the post by addressing how he is processing the loss.
“Death is a part of life. We all face it in different ways, at different times. There is no perfect ending. There is no ‘right’ time. But I believe energy never dies. It just changes form. And I believe she’s still with me, just in a different way now. That gives me peace.”
He ended with a commitment to keep sharing her memory.
“I’m going to continue sharing things about my mom, because it makes me feel good and keeps her with me. I love you, Mom. Always.”
Our thoughts are with Ryback and his family during this time.
Cancer is something I never truly understood because I had no real experience with it. Like most people, I think I associated it with chemotherapy and losing your hair.
But what I witnessed over the last five months taking care of my mother is something I will never forget.
It… pic.twitter.com/EjxpxbxMpC
— RYBACK (@Ryback) April 22, 2026
