BA Star - A bullying angle

[gasM]

So first of all, this is NOT another “Zack Ryder is being unfairly buried and should get a push” thread. God knows there's enough of those, and an equal amount of “Zack Ryder is a waste of space” threads to match. This is just an idea I had that I thought was good, but I wondered what you guys would think.

So it was 2004 I believe that Triple H, arguably the biggest heel in the WWE at the time, ended up in a program with Eugene at Summerslam, the number two pay per view of the year. (You know, Eugene the mentally challenged wrestler.) However looking back on that program, it was actually pretty good in my opinion – Triple H got a ton of heat for beating up the mentally handicapped babyface, but more importantly Eugene got to show a more serious side and stand up to the big bad bully. Unfortunately the storyline and Eugene as a character was offensive to some people and Eugene sank back down the card.

My thought was: would a similar storyline work with Randy Orton and Zack Ryder?

I chose Randy Orton to play the Triple H role because although he does need to turn heel soon, outside of a World Heavyweight Championship program and a feud with Sheamus there just aren't storylines for a heel Orton that are worth his time. Orton is such a good sadistic heel that it would be criminal for him to be in a midcard program as a heel. He's also an established veteran with 10 world titles under his belt, and churning out arguably the best in-ring performances of his career so he could carry the wrestling aspect of the feud..

I chose Zack Ryder to play the Eugene role because he has the character already to suit his role in the story; a popular but goofy babyface being picked on by a sadistic main-eventer who could eat him for breakfast. It's a classic bullying angle, and Ryder fits the unique criteria of having enough fan support to deserve such an angle but has been buried so much that he is unquestionably lower down the food chain than Orton. As such, if Randy picked on him it would seem unfair because he is just so far above Ryder.

The story could be as simple as Orton coming off a loss in his latest main event angle being the subject of a Zack Ryder tweet making fun of the loss. Orton targets and beats down Ryder for weeks and belittles him, with Ryder unable to fight back until discovering a more vicious side that allows him to hold his own. Culminates in a match which Randy only just wins – Orton picks up heat and remains legit, Ryder's stock is boosted and his character finally evolves, and WWE can point to the story and say it supplements the BA Star campaign (don't suffer bullying in silence or whatever.)

Thoughts? If it's shit, let me know. And if you would replace either of the superstars involved, let me know who you'd use instead and why.

 

[King_of_Swing1520]

not bad idea. orton could use a heel turn and he would give a good rub to ryder. but i just dont thing zack is a good wrestler. plain and simple.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's an interesting idea, but the problem is that history is simply working against Zack Ryder in his current character. Ryder is a guy with a lot of ability. Whether you like him or not, he's proven that he has what it takes to get over with a crowd. One thing he's missing, however, is a long term persona that can potentially bring him long term success.

When Ryder was in the midst of his big push about this time last year, or just slightly before, people rallied behind him. Did they lose interest in Ryder simply because the WWE machine lost interest in him? Well yeah, to some degree. After all, fans aren't going to rally behind a wrestler that the company makes lose all the time. At the same time though, I think it's likely that Ryder would have gone out of style on his own because, frankly, the vast majority of comedy characters don't make it past the mid-card. Why? Because nobody takes them seriously as a main eventer because of their goofy persona. In all honesty, can you really see Santino Marella, in his current character, as being a credible WWE Champion? Back in the 80s, the Honky Tonk Man was Intercontinental Champion from June 2, 1987 to August 29, 1988. That's a total of 454 days, which is the longest reign in the title's history and the longest run of any singles championship in WWE since then. The character, however, was a joke really. Wayne Farris was basically playing an Elvis impersonator. That in and of itself was the comedy aspect of his character. That was fine for the mid-card picture but, honestly, can you picture an Elvis impersonator as a credible WWF Champion?

Zack Ryder is seen as fun and entertaining but, all in all, relatively harmless. Fans don't want harmless stars main eventing Raws or headlining WrestleManias. I'm sure a lot of people would praise it if it happened though. They'd call it a breath of fresh air or some other overly used cliché but many in the IWC would voice their displeasure at Ryder's schtick as WWE Champion after about a month or so. Wrestling fans are fickle and that goes especially for comedy gimmicks.

Randy Orton could elevate Ryder in a feud but not with his current character. Orton bullying Ryder, the Long Island Ice-Z, would be seen as a MASSIVE mismatch in the eyes of the fans, and with good reason. When you get down to it, it's a waste of Randy Orton's time. Here's a man whose feuded with the likes of John Cena, Edge, CM Punk, Triple H, Batista, Undertaker and has happened to win 9 World Championships along the way. Why would WWE lower him to feud with a low level comedy mid-carder?

If WWE altered Ryder's character and all the Jersey Shore club kid stuff went away with Ryder adopting a more serious persona that still showed off his charisma, then I think people could get behind it after Ryder had been built up for a bit. But just putting Ryder into a feud with the likes of someone like Randy Orton right out of the gate? I think it'd flop. I might be wrong, but that's what my gut tells me. Ryder would be better off feuding for a while with someone like Cody Rhodes or Damien Sandow for a while, maybe even give him a strong babyface run as IC or US champ.

As I've said in other threads, Ryder is still a young man with, possibly, many years ahead of him, he's only 27 years old after all.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

I agree with Kofi Orton. I feel that it would become obvious that Orton would be carrying the feud and the matches. Nothing against Zack Ryder, but there is a reason the only time he gets in front of a camera if for his YouTube show.

EDIT: But, I do like your overall idea. I feel Orton and an NXT guy would fit better (Don't watch NXT so i'm not sure who would maybe have good in ring chemistry with Orton) Have Orton saying "You don't belong here rookie" type of deal.

 

[Dirk]

His is a very good idea. In the feud between Show and Del Rio, ADR called him a bully, when in fact he himself was a much bigger bully. I wish we could see a ballsy angle where the heel is really, really evil again,

 

[NegativeFeedback]

It's not that WWE doesn't like Ryder. They just have him low on their list of people in-line for a pushes, because there is so much better talent in WWE.

Ryder is over and obviously has what it takes to entertain a lot of people, but if you were one of the people in charge, and there were 70+ talent under contract, would you invest time in Ryder or someone else?

Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Antonio Cesaro, Wade Barrett, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Tyson Kidd, Justin Gabriel, Jack Swagger... These are guys that have incredible talent and although lack in key areas, have more potential in the long-run than pushing Zack Ryder and his goofy gimmick for some pops. Zack Ryder would be a short-term investment. They would get good pops, but he will be limited in the future. On the other hand, all these guys I mentioned have the POTENTIAL to break out and be stars.

Couple them with other people in developmental like Bray Wyatt, Corey Graves, Luke Harper, Kassius Ohno, Richie Steamboat, and others that have loads of potential, and the truth is, there's no time to invest in Ryder. He's low on the totem pole and it's for a reason.

That being said, I think this storyline is good, but in today's WWE, someone better than Ryder should be gaining that type of push. I think Brad Maddox or Alex Riley would be better off with that type of push, or even Justin Gabriel if booked correctly.

Those are just my two cents. I'd like to know other people's opinions on Ryder's value to WWE.

 

[MCMG]

Does this not suggest that the victim should physically lash out. An awful message if you ask me. Also, if Orton bullies him for acting how he does and than Ryder changes isn't that against the message. Don't change who you are.

Ignoring that i think this does have potential to be a good idea. Ryder needs a new program and the WWE need more heels. I'm sure they would put on good matches and keep us interested in the storyline.

 

[Jdulemba1001]

I like the concept, but like someone said before me, I think the face in the feud should be a rookie, and get a rub from someone like Orton. Good idea though.