Well, Hell... I Want Ryder, Too!

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night, WWE pretty much guaranteed that Zack Ryder will be the one to take the United States Championship from Dolph Ziggler at some point.

Like Hamler pointed out, the WWE is pushing Ryder and pushing him hard. They're just doing it in a very non-traditional way and, quite frankly, it's working. Ryder gets a helluva response from crowds wherever, his merchendise sells very well from what I understand. The WWE is using the internet to push Ryder, hence the article on WWE.com in which JL basically flips Ryder's online petition the bird.

It's all a means to an end. JL generates insane amounts of heat and having him be the one standing in way of Ryder will just make Ryder all that more sympathetic and crowds will continue to rally behind him. Ryder will get his time and the payoff will be exactly what the fans are hoping for.

 

[Dmbfantomas]

I understand the underdog thing, but if people got behind him because of it, how come they're not getting behind Evan Bourne? No riots for little Evan? Evan's the epitome of an underdog and he's light years ahead of Ryder in the ring.

I also understand that some people think the cheesiness of the gimmick is what makes it hilarious. I don't, however, understand how this is a good thing. Here you have Robbie E who is also very cheesy, but he gets shit 24/7, and Ryder gets praised for it? This is not a TNA/WWE thing, by the way. It's a character thing.

No one praises his mic skills, no one praises his ring skills, no one praises his ring presence or any ability that does not include lookin' and actin' like a jackass. Is this what it takes to get a push these days? A crappy YouTube show and some willpower? Not only that, are fans' standards that low? You get behind someone just because he "worked his ass off" and "he's the underdog"? Newsflash: the majority of the wrestlers work their asses off, it doesn't make either of them special for doing so. Flip to page 2: a lot of them are also the underdog. They call it a "face" most of the time.

Sheesh, I should stop looking for faults in TNA and WWE. It seems like the fans are the real problem. I don't see Ryder's talent [past or present] or his potential. All I see is a dude in crazy clothing, doing a character and doing it badly, and being loved for it, while other wrestlers have been buried for the same reasons. And should be.

He's so bad that he's good? ... say what?

People aren't chanting Bourne's name because he's something we've seen time and time again. A spot monkey with a few cool moves. He's not interesting, at all. There is no real draw to him.

Is Bourne a better wrestler right now that Zack Ryder? Absolutely. Is he a better entertainer? The proof is in the pudding, and the answer is obviously not. Ryder created a fanbase doing something original. He found an opening, he found a medium that had been virtually untapped, and he went out and busted it wide open.