So What? Zack Ryder Edition

[Jdulemba1001]

Since the first one seemed to go alright, welcome to the second edition of my so what thread series. This time around, Zack Ryder....idk if its his in ring style, or his gimmick, or his stupid haircut, but nothing he does makes me care. Like Cesaro, I dont love him, i dont hate him, i just dont care....so answer me this, in terms of Ryder, why should i care...woo woo woo so what?

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

Zack Ryder is a decent in-ring performer, and has quite a bit of natural charisma. He can connect with the audience which led to him having a very successful YouTube show, and a short-lived push. But as you said, so what? Why should you care about Zack Ryder? You shouldn't, at least not in his current phase.

The wrestling business is a cruel bastard. Like most things in life it's all about what you've done for me lately as opposed to the past. The WWE and a lot of bandwagon jumper fans were all over Ryder's gravy train when the show "Jersey Shore" was at its peak in popularity. They rode the train and rode the train.. and rode the train some more until it ran out of steam.

The problem with Zack Ryder is he hasn't reinvented himself. He's continued to rely on the same tired shtick that got him over, but the problem is Jersey Shore was a fad, and therefore it was never something he should have banked on in the long-term. Now it's debatable as to whether Ryder doesn't want to reinvent himself or if the WWE just sees no upside in him outside of the Shore gimmick.

I've always looked at Zack Ryder as the Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake of this generation. Brutus was a nobody teaming with Greg Valentine, and then hit it big with his Barber gimmick as a face.... Zack Ryder was teaming with Curt Hawkins, and then hit it big with his Shore gimmick. Everybody knows what happened to Brutus once his time in the sun was over. He could never reignite the flame and went tumbling down the hill of mediocrity for the remainder of his career while desperately trying to ride the coattails of Hogan. John Cena is Zack Ryder's Hulk Hogan.

 

[Da Big Champ]

I'm a fan of Zack. Have been since he was a Major brother but mainly started liking him when he was an Edgehead.
Whats his problem? He hasn't evolved in recent years. He has a Youtube show. Brings out a single (Hoeski) but he hasn't evolved. He's still the guy who spikes his hair and calls people 'bro'. Do I like his current gimmick? Yes but even Jersey Shore is done now. Broski needs to do something new.

He also needs to stop trying to get a rub from main eventers because now it just looks like he's being mocked by them.

 

[Brewski]

I'll be honest. I was never a fan of Ryder until his youtube show (around show 5 is when I started watching), I then became a big fan of his just because I was really entertained. He got pushed pretty well and then got into that whole Cena angle that just really hurt his image IMO. Made him look like a sap. Then WWE made their own youtube channel and toned down his show, then he got off tv. I've rode the wave that they made for me and lost interest. Is it his fault? probably not. But I don't think the E made it easy for him to stay relevant.

 

[Revelations]

He needs a complete overhaul of his character. His current gimmick just screams jobber.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Zack Ryder is someone that has thought outside the box, I have to give him credit for that. Say what you will about Twitter, You Tube, Facebook or whatever, but the fact is that people are more connected in a way that simply did not exist 10 years ago. I'm sure that, in a few years, there'll be something new come about that'll be the latest thing, but Ryder used the internet to ultimately get over. He did it in a way that nobody else in WWE had done before and he gained a strong following online.

That being said, Zack Ryder's character was, for all intents & purposes, a character from Jersey Shore before the show really surged in popularity. Some aspects have been toned down, such as the pointless swearing & general idiocy beyond looking somewhat like a fool. Ryder has a lot of a natural charisma and he's proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt to the WWE brass.

The problem with Ryder's character is that fans view it as harmless and, in all honesty, it is. Ryder gets a good response but his character is really something on the same level as Brodus Clay or Santino Marella: he has ability, the fans cheer when he comes out, but nobody is going to buy him as a legit threat, kayfabe, to the upper tier wrestlers in the WWE. His character is a little too goofy and a little too happy-go-lucky. The big push Ryder was in the midst of about this time last year, it just didn't have the steam to last long. As I said, Ryder is fun & harmless. That's perfectly okay for a mid-card babyface but it's not the sort of character that's going to carry him to the main event or really even the upper mid-card scene.

One thing people tend to forget is how young Zack Ryder is. February 24 will mark approximately 7 years since Zack Ryder made his television debut in WWE. It's a long stretch to be sure, but Zack Ryder is also only 27 years old. He turns 28 in the middle of May I believe. So there is still, barring severe injury, PLENTY of time for Ryder to truly make the most of his career in WWE.

Whether you like Ryder's current character or not, he's someone that's worked very hard for WWE and is someone that has a good deal of overall ability. He's shown that time & time again. Otherwise, I think he would've been out the door a long time ago. At some point, I do see Ryder's character changing and I do expect him to be elevated much higher up in the card than he currently is. Could he be a main eventer at some point? I honestly can't say. But I do know that he has the charisma and in-ring ability to be someone to watch.

At the same time, it's also possible that Ryder has gone as far as he's going in WWE. I get that everyone wants to be a star but not everybody is going to be. Sometimes, wrestlers are elevated who probably shouldn't be and some who should be elevated aren't. That's how it goes in WWE, TNA, ROH and pretty much every other wrestling company out there.

 

[TheLittleOne]

i do see zack ryder and curt hawkins reforming their tag team. Zack grew up as a " surfer " but surrounded by the italian stereotype juice bag fist pumpers in long island.... once jersey shore took off, i think Zack saw a void of any character in the WWE so he created the gimmick...


just like Rob Eckos did when he grew out his hair and became Robbie E.. although i can vouch he is very close in real life to his tv character

i think Zack could pull off the character for ever if HE WAS more like that in real life.. but he's not.. he really is the type of guy to say " HEY DUDE".. not " YO BRO"....

 

[NotJerryMcDevitt]

A lot of people like Zack Ryder because he defied the great machinery, he made himself what he is now and I have to say that I will agree with that.

He created this gimmick for himself and made it popular enough for the WWE to actually acknowledge his own creation.

However that did not justify the ridicolous demands for a World Title run for Zack Ryder, who despite his efforts never really exceeded either on the mic or in ring. His gimmick was a comedy gimmick and so were most of his promos and matches, which gained him popularity but not the ability to keep this gimmick interesting for an extended amount of time.

Just imagine Zack Ryder still being featured as much as he was when he first had his major breakthrough as John Cena's buddy. He was the buddy who padded Cena on the shoulder and then was thrown under the bus whenever Cena had to be pulled into a feud but was still not supposed to look weak.

He was basically the Jimmy to John Cena's Superman, the kid that was kidnapped in order to lure Superman into a trap and how many times did you hear "Hey that Jimmy is really an engaging character, he should have his own Comic series"... that would be never.

Zack Ryder is a guy that is there, he wrestles and sometimes wins but mostly loses. He won the US title and Tag Team title in the past and that is already more than a lot of people in wrestling could ever dream of but beyong that he shall never reach as is not his place.

To sum it up, Zack Ryder is okay but just that.

 

[Y2J-LionTamer-Y2J]

Well Zack does seem to connect with the crowd and had enough charisma to do so on an internet web series so that is a plus.

Honestly I think if Zack wants a future he needs to push for one of two things.

1.A heel turn. IMO Zack did his best work as a heel in WWECW.

2.Face or heel I enjoyed his taging with Curt Hawkins and I would take them seriously as heel tag champs.

To answer your question which is basically *SO what?* Good question and good series first of all but I guess go back to Zack and his short fued with dreamer in WWECW if you can find it,when he had the one legged pants and came off as a pretty good heel douchbag. Perhaps it will change your mind about him as a talent.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

A lot of people like Zack Ryder because he defied the great machinery, he made himself what he is now and I have to say that I will agree with that.

He created this gimmick for himself and made it popular enough for the WWE to actually acknowledge his own creation.

However that did not justify the ridicolous demands for a World Title run for Zack Ryder, who despite his efforts never really exceeded either on the mic or in ring. His gimmick was a comedy gimmick and so were most of his promos and matches, which gained him popularity but not the ability to keep this gimmick interesting for an extended amount of time.

Just imagine Zack Ryder still being featured as much as he was when he first had his major breakthrough as John Cena's buddy. He was the buddy who padded Cena on the shoulder and then was thrown under the bus whenever Cena had to be pulled into a feud but was still not supposed to look weak.

He was basically the Jimmy to John Cena's Superman, the kid that was kidnapped in order to lure Superman into a trap and how many times did you hear "Hey that Jimmy is really an engaging character, he should have his own Comic series"... that would be never.

Zack Ryder is a guy that is there, he wrestles and sometimes wins but mostly loses. He won the US title and Tag Team title in the past and that is already more than a lot of people in wrestling could ever dream of but beyong that he shall never reach as is not his place.

To sum it up, Zack Ryder is okay but just that.

The fact he "made himself" is also the fact that will stop him rising much higher. He DID have an impact, what he did with his youtube show shaped what WWE did cos they took notice of it and he got his reward in the push he got. Make no mistake though, Vince will not push Ryder to the top unless HE makes him. He used initiative, showed the will but ultimately he chose a comedy character to do it with and comedy characters don't carry companies. Ryder's problem now is without the Youtube show and with a dumb record out there, there is no way out of this character so seemingly no way up the card other than in TNA.

I do think he will go the Christian route, head to TNA - do well and come back with some respect, he is certainly aiming for that the way he is tweeting.