Zack Ryder: From Revolution to Evolution!

[MOExecution]

Zack Ryder has posted a subliminal message on his twitter, tweeting:

"@ZackRyder: SAVE THE DATE... 1/11/13... Episode 100 of Z! True Long Island Story! #finale?"

Nobody is in fact sure what the tweet means, but it is referring to a final episode of Zack Ryder's Youtube show on January 11, 2013. Zack Ryder has not been satisfied with his position in the WWE or how they have been taking over creative control of his Youtube show. Assuming all of the given information is true then there is no better time to repackage Zack Ryder than now. I know most people will disagree with me, but just keep reading on and see from my perspective.

To start off this would be the best time for Zack Ryder to drop the, "Long Island Iced Z" gimmick. He split up from the, "Edgeheads" and debuted this very gimmick in 2009. So for three years we have seen this gimmick as a face and as a heel so turning heel under the SAME gimmick is not an option. Instead Zack Ryder needs to be repackaged with a NEW gimmick and a HEEL turn. How do we got about this and repackage him?

Have Zack Ryder and Santino Marella raise the ranks in the tag division eventually getting a shot for the championships and losing this is AFTER the final episode of his Youtube show. When they lose have Ryder beat down Santino and after the beat down go to the top of the ramp take his headband off and drop it as a way of, "deserting" all of his fans and the, "Long Island Iced Z" gimmick. The next week have Ryder debut new attire all jeans and leather. Have him get on the microphone and tell the fans how he honestly feels almost like a, "shoot". Before his Youtube show, his rise to fame, and then the falling action of his revolution. After explaining have Ryder imply it was time for a change, it was time to get serious, and to do that he had to drop the, "Woo Woo Woo" and etc because he would never get anywhere with it. The next month Ryder/Santino feuds and Ryder goes on to brutalize all of his opponents in, squash matches continually getting on the microphone saying, "Are you taking me seriously yet?" Have Ryder turn his back on those who supported him in the locker room including; John Cena, CM Punk, Primo, and etc. Ryder then will be someone who the fans can take seriously and him being one of the top faces would be a big ordeal.

Now, people will say that a heel turn is not what Ryder needs, okay, yeah he is one of the top merchandise sellers and one of the most over babyfaces why take that away? I say you take this all away because I honestly feel that once the Youtube show is gone Zack Ryder will become an afterthought and if given the opportunity he could capitalize on whatever he is granted. Ryder has proven he has charisma and he is a great in-ring performer, but most of all Ryder has proved his worth. Turn him heel, but if you do it then go all the way or no way. There is no in between with this. He is either going to be the best upper-mid card heel you have or future endeavored star. It was Zack Ryder's choice with his Youtube show, but without it his future lies in the hands of WWE.

- So is a heel turn/repackaging the solution to Zack Ryder's career? If so, how would you do it?
- Do you think that Zack Ryder's Youtube show ending will effect his career?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm guessing that it will ultimately lead to Ryder being repackaged. As far as Ryder being dissatisfied with WWE taking over creatively for his show, it wouldn't surprise me if it's just a work. It just seems a little to coincidental to me.

Ryder is someone that's gone out and gotten himself noticed via the internet and, like his character or not, he's worked hard to get it over. With Ryder stating that he's dissatisfied with where he is in WWE, and actually going so far as to lay all the blame on himself during a recent episode of his online show several weeks back, it all just seems to be lining up for a character change.

Ryder has shown that he's got charisma and personality, that he can get over with fans if he's given a chance. However, not long after Ryder was in the midst of his push very early on this year, the rumblings already started in regards to negative reactions to Ryder's character. The most common criticism was the people just couldn't take him seriously, which I do understand and agree with. Zack Ryder has been behaving like a cast member from Jersey Shore since before there was a Jersey Show tv show on MTV. A lot of people just didn't see Ryder as someone to be taken seriously. To me, he was someone on a similar level as Santino. Someone that has ability, someone that can get over with fans but someone that's ultimately too comedic to be taken seriously in the long run.

Zack Ryder is a young man that possibly has a long career ahead of him. He's only 27 years old. He's been part of the main WWE roster since May 2007, so he's someone that's definitely paid his dues in WWE. He's got the ability, all he's really missing is the character at this point.

 

[The_Vigilante]

I definitely think that Ryder should be re-packaged, the 'throwing the head band' on the ground would be a great sign off for the Long Island Iced-Z character.

I like the idea of a heel turn, if you look at the way the guy smiles, you can see that he'd have a great look for somebody that turns aggressive. I'd have him kick off the turn with a solid feud, maybe even against Santino, have him snap and give Santi a beating, attack him on the mic saying how ridiculous the Cobra gimmick is and stage a few backstage attacks. If they left enough time before doing it, they could use the U.S strap to give the feud that little bit more, and the turn could be reminiscent of Gregory Helms as Cruiserweight Champ following a heel turn.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

Two problems with this: One, the kind of money that Ryder makes on selling his swag would be severely cut if he turns heel, so its a double edged sword if he thinks that's a way to advance his career. Hell, its the reason they refuse to turn Cena.

Second, with WWE trying to leverage YouTube, having Ryder end his show is a major blow to how they're trying to position their product. His show has stagnated, but its so easy to tie him in for a couple minutes backstage with something that happened on his show.

Ryder is like a modern-day Hillbilly Jim to me. A loveable character that would be a horrible choice for a champion. Jim reached his ceiling when he did his vignettes training with Hogan and Ryder reached his ceiling long ago with his Eve / Cena storyline. Ryder should maintain his spot where he is, its a comfortable spot that he can do pretty well.

One other problem is that his 'Guido' character is not relevant any more. Nobody watches Jersey Shore any more, so the characters that he's based on are no longer relevant. This makes him also irrelevant. So, again, where does he go from here? He can't leach off of Edge, he's got the Jersey Shore character that people are bored with, but he makes enough money with it that it's not worth getting rid of for a heel turn.

He should cut a Punk-esque working shoot promo, where he takes on Punk's "voice of the voiceless" persona and makes it his own. He can stick to his goofy Guido character, but get 5 minutes to talk to the fans about his frustration and about how he wants the fans to have a reason to chant "We Want Ryder" again. This will earn him some sympathy and, hopefully, give writers a second chance to keep him over.

 

[ABMorales787]

Boohoo. The man was given the ball after a year of pissing about not being given a chance and went nowhere. I keep hearing about how funny his show is or how much of a fan he is and all that. I still haven't seen him be..... I don't know..... Good. Personally, I don't care is done to him because to me his just plain unimpressive.