Last night on Raw, WWE did a big injury angle with Zack Ryder. In a Falls Count Anywhere match against Kane, Ryder was chokeslammed through a section of the stage and was wheeled out on a stretcher. Jerry Lawler later reported that Ryder had suffered a "broken back". Further details regarding the specifics of Ryder's "injury" will probably be revealed at later dates. This makes me wonder about the aftermath for when Ryder returns.
In recent weeks, the WWE has been portraying Ryder as more of a courageous, gutsy guy that's more than just a somewhat cheesy, fun loving party boy. It started with "injuries" to his ribs & back and continued with a brave attempt to defend his United States Championship against Jack Swagger rather than forfeit the title. Due to a "screw up" on Big Johnny's part, Ryder competed without medical clearance and so was, in some ways, robbed of his title. Given that WWE is going with a broken back for the injury, one can assume that Ryder is going to be gone for a few months at least and I'm wondering if Ryder will be different when he returns.
Given the severity if his "injury" and the fact that he was maliciously targeted by Kane, I don't think Ryder will return as quite the same fun loving club hopper that's ultimately helped to get him over. To some degree, the shine has worn off of that character in the minds of some fans and I think WWE has noticed that. I'm not really expecting a full character overhaul of Ryder, but I do think that he'll come back as a generally much more focused and intense character than he was before.
It's logical that Ryder will go after Kane upon his return and it also seems, to me, that the "Woo Woo Kid" just isn't the kind of guy that can handle Kane. I think that Ryder's character will be more physical, someone that will be willing & able to go all out in order to be able to handle Kane.
Of course, it's all speculation on my part and I might be completely off the mark.
How long do you think Ryder will be "out of action"?
Will Ryder have a different character when he returns or will he mostly be the same Woo Woo Kid?