Exclusive: Mason Ryan Says He Doesn’t Wrestle Out Of Professional Courtesy To Cirque Du Soleil

Mason Ryan, real name Bari Griffiths, hasn’t wrestled since 2015, but he has good reason.

Griffiths has moved on from wrestling to Cirque du Soleil’s Ka show, where he now performs. When I spoke to him recently, he opened up about how he got the job, and being profiled by WWE. Not only that, he said that his good relationship with WWE helped land him the gig.

“I always had a great relationship with everyone there, and a great time working for the company. When I left, I left on great terms. I still kept in touch with some higher ups there and some talent. They actually got me into this role. They were the ones who contacted me saying Cirque du Soleil contacted them looking for someone. They put me forward for the audition. I think it has more to do with what kind of relationship with them, and I’ve always had a good one with them. When they reached out for the story, I wasn’t surprised at all. It’s good PR for me, WWE, and Cirque du Soleil. I got a lot of funny texts when the article broke, and a lot of congratulations,” said Griffiths.

Even though he isn’t prohibited from wrestling, Griffiths admitted that his priority instead lies with his current job.

“I might be able to do it, but professionally I don’t think I’m in a position to do it. I don’t want to put myself in a position to get hurt. That could affect what I do. I really love what I do, and really enjoy what I do. Wrestling will always be with me and I’ll always be a wrestler. I never want to refer to myself as an ‘ex-wrestler.’ I’ll always wrestle because it’s in my blood. It’s a part of who I am. It would be very unprofessional to wrestle on the weekend and risk getting injured. As long as I’m with Cirque du Soleil, I can’t see myself wrestling,” he said.

The interview, which first appeared on The List & Ya Boy Podcast, also features Griffiths talking about how his schedule differs through this form of entertainment, the toll each took on his body, and much more. You can hear the full interview above,