Zack Ryder's Real Worth.... Your Opinion.

[asiatic7]

This question is going straight out to the IWC/WZ Universe....(that was meant to be corny). What is Zack Ryder's real worth to you as an individual? I'm sitting @ home watching RAW and these twitter messages flash across the screen and one of them is from Ryder venting frustration over a psychologist being booked for the 20 th anniversary show and not Zack himself. Then I realized that Zack has been sending out bitter texts, tweets, touts and any other form of social media that begins with a "T" venting his frustrations about his position in the company. Now me personally, I never liked Zack. I'm from the NY area and he gets a good pop from the MSG and Nassau Coleseium crowds whenever Iattend a show, but was there ever a point where you took Zack serious as a future main eventer? Did he ever appeal to you or did you not care for him as well?

Like I stated already, I was never a fan of Ryder and I personally feel he should be happy he received the attention he got over the last two years. What are your thoughts? Is he justified in his rants?

 

[hatehabsforever]

I see minimal worth in Zack Ryder. I think he has achieved pretty much everything he could ever hope to achieve in WWE. Fact if the matter is, he's a mid carder at best and simply isn't talented enough or have a gimmick entertaining enough to take him to the main event. I respect the fact that Ryder took a lot of initiative to get himself over with the WWE Universe, forcing the WWE to sit up and take notice of him, bringing him from virtual jobber status on the verge of future endeavors, to a solid mid carder and regular competitor on RAW. But safe to say, this ship has sailed, and Ryder likely can never get back to where he had gotten himself previously. Personally, I hope Ryder keeps his job, but lets not overstate his worth. He's done all he can do, but stick a fork in him, he's done.

 

[HellBoundPower]

Zack Ryder's worth is really in question right now to be honest. He's a little above average in the ring, and his mic skills are about the same. But I think the WWE dropped the ball with him. He pretty much made himself a star and got over with his YouTube show. I watched the show before WWE took is over, and it was quite entertaining. He basically turned a crappy gimmick into something passable. He was so over that his name was chanted to The Rock during his thank you speech after the Survivor Series match. WWE briefly capitalized on his popularity by throwing the US Title on him, but then quickly took it away and fed him to Kane. I really don't understand their logic with this, as they proceeded with the burial of the century after that. Why would you take a guy who is over and could potentially make you big money with ticket and merchandise sales, and bury him into oblivion? I don't get it. But anyway, I think while there is a slight chance that he could be pushed again, I don't think he can regain the momentum that he had at that point, especially since he canceled his show.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Ever think this is a new direction to turn Ryder heel? Perhaps the online following has run its course, and the Company is trying something new with someone they see moderate talent in - which is slowly having him vent through Social Media, ending with Ryder blaming the fans in the very end?

Ryder's actual worth is based on how well he can interact with the crowd. How much he can create a base. Obviously he has more of a following then some actual Main Eventers. Ryder created this via social media, and as such the Company isn't about to just throw that away - or at least I wouldn't think they would.

Does he have any true talent? Yes. He has the ability to perform inside the ring. He has a decent character. (similar to Miz, in a lot of ways) However I don't ever see him becoming a Main Eventer. I do, however, see him turning heel and continuing to be one of the most talked about guys on the interwebs. From the most loved, to possibly the most hated. Time will tell, but I can't imagine they're just throwing him away. I believe this is all building toward something more.

 

[prush80]

I feel they have something big planned for Zack. I saw it to and it was quickly removed, like it was a "mistake" that it was put up. Either they try to turn him heel or he becomes a HUGE face going against the machine or the man or whatever you want to call it. Think Zack gets fed up with being misused and disrespected and a pipebomb type promo--they could try to turn him heel with this but he would be a face for the most part

 

[NotoriousMEAT]

I don't know why every one judges a wrestler based on main event potential. Ryder never claimed he should be main eventing (as far as I know) and no Ryder fan would expect him to be there. Success in wrestling, in reality, is just how over you are. Ryder was over has shit. Obviously he's lost steam, but that's squarely on WWE. Zack didn't have to start challenging for the title or feuding with Punk. I'm sure all Ryder himself wants is to be rewarded for his hard work. It's not easy getting over with wrestling fans. Especially when the WWE doesn't help you at all, you get no TV time, and in today's WWE.. by being a corny babyface. But Zack did it, and it worked gangbusters! Guarantee he's still at the top when it comes to shoveling merch. So what would it hurt letting him have some actual matches, and not just the jobs? Would it really have been that bad if he had another reign as US Champion in 2012? Cuz Santion's six month reign was SOOOO bad ass, right?

Zack Ryder is a self made man, which unfortunately is his biggest sin. As mentioned before.. his merch sells and he connects with WWE fans of every age and on every level. I don't have nor do I care for Twitter, but he has nearly 1,000,000 followers. Only people on the main roster who probably beat that are John Cena and CM Punk. Again, twitter is stupid. But that number shows the people care about him and are more interested in him than almost anybody else wrestling for the WWE today. What would his worth be to me if I were WWE? Very high. Sadly though, his stock is dropping by the week.

 

[JGlass]

He's great for face jobbing. He managed to get a huge portion of the WWE audience to support him and he's had just enough exposure to be a face that most WWE fans will remember. That said, he's not that good in the ring, he's not that good on the mic, and with so much talent in the WWE it seems unlikely that he has any staying power on even the midcard. He's over just enough to be utilized very well as a face jobber: someone a heel can beat in a quick but competitive match and the fans will actually care about the result.

I could also seeing him have some value in a tag division, especially if they pair him up with a somewhat serious character. The WWE has produced a few very funny odd couples over the years (including the current tag champs), and I could see Ziggler having a lot of fun with one of the WWE's more serious characters.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

There is nobody I can't stand more in the WWE than Zack Ryder.

It's well-documented I don't like his character, I don't like his YouTube show, his song, his entrance theme, his voice, his catchphrase; it's one of the weirdest situations for me as a fan because right now, there is nothing I like or enjoy about Zack Ryder. I used to think he'd a ton of determination to succeed but then he began complaining, and no I'm talking about his recent complaints, his complaining from months back which we can be assured weren't apart of an angle cause months later, nothing has been done with it.

If his complaining and whining is building to a character transformation, for me it can't come quicker. He'll never get anywhere with the broski bullshit anyway. How he became US Champion is still beyond me. I see no worth in Ryder, none, but then again I'm admittedly biased.

 

[TheHorndogSays]

I think Ryder's worth to the wrestling business has been and likely will forever be sometimes you have to make a star out of yourself when the company you work for doesn't see you as one. His worth should ALSO be the realization that the things that get you noticed aren't necessarily the things that get you to the top. Look at his buddy John Cena for proof of that. Cena made entertaining rap promos that get him noticed by the audience but the "doctor of thugonomics" quickly dropped the rapper gimmick in favor of a more street smart gimmick to get him to the top. Ryder never changed his persona AT ALL and the fact is that there is NO WAY a "long island surfer boy" would be taken seriously as a champion.

I've seen 2 complaints on this post and about Ryder in general that I want to discuss. The first being that he wasn't a SUCCESS. Being a main eventer or a world champion doesn't make you successful. Neither Curt Henning nor Ted Dibiase, Sr. were world champions, Great Khali was. Who do you consider more successful? He achieved a level of success that people can only dream of. The second one being that McMahon didn't push him because he wasn't a WWE made man necessarily. Look at my above statements to disagree with that and guys like Goldberg were NOT WWE inventions yet McMahon still pushed them to the mountain top. The fact is Ryder's gimmick could not be taken seriously. Just because the crowd pops for you or chants your name doesn't mean you should be a main eventer. I don't see many crying about Santino not being a main eventer even though for most of 2011 and the first half of 2012, fans were chanting santino.

Should Ryder have beef with losing TV time for Khali or 3 separate 3MB segments last week? Absolutely as I feel he is currently more over than those 4 gentlemen could ever be. Since this post mentioned the Dr. Shelby segment, the fact is that it provided closure for the most over team currently on the roster.

I too thought the whole ending the internet show and his negative tweets was the beginning of his heel turn but the last internet show didn't really have the "bitterness" to it, it seemed more like a "I love my fans" then "screw WWE" one and if he was turning heel that would have been the way to go. It could simply be he feels he has a higher upside in TNA's revamped X-division and wants to get his WWE walking papers.

 

[AwesomeRko]

This time last year he was getting a louder ovation than anybody else on the full-time WWE roster. 'We Want Ryder', chants were shaking arenas. I have never been a huge fan but very few mid-card stars in recent times have acquired such momentum especially not off of their own backs.

The vast majority of the fans were obviously very into him regardless of what we think and I believe that WWE should have listened to them and given him a more sustained mid-card run. His gimmick may have grown stale relatively quickly but with a few tweaks he could have become a great mid-level superstar.

 

[Frostrike]

Ryder was never meant to make it. All the momentum Ryder had was siphoned from him. Kane beat him down so he could look more heelish in the Cena story line, and Ryder never got a proper rematch or storyline for the things Kane had done to him. Eve got loads of heat off of Ryder, but he was not going to fued against her so it hurt him even more when she low blowed him at mania and he lost the Team Teddy vs Team Johnny match.

People both inside and outside the company crap on Ryder but what they don't recognize is that he is the reason for WWE's social media initiative. Yeah Ryder's not a great wrestler and he has dumb gimmick, but he got over with the mainstream crowd cause he was entertaining. All in all I believe he really never got a fair chance.

 

[dotty_84]

He's not worth to much right now, not on screen i'm sure he sells decent merch still but not as much as he could. Simply put giving Ryder more attention they could have milked him for lots of more money and both parties would have been happy with that.

I hate the fact that HHH had said he has a chance when you get over...anyone does. That's bullshit! Ryder got over and not with WWE helping. And for that and some crazy reason WWE get jilted it's a part of their practice that make me see them as fucking ******ed and why McMahon isn't a billionaire, he misses lots of potential.

Ryder was used by Cena as a step just to give him something before WM not Cenas fault infact if WWE capatilized on it by having Kane and Ryder feuding it could have cemented Ryder a lot more. Orton/Kane didn't have to happen it was pretty shitty feud wise.

WWE cry about social interaction all the time yet Ryder who is one of the talents with most followers, they blank him from a titantron graphic. It's purely moronic on their part he can reach more fans than say...Heath Slater. Lets just put this together Slater is a guy nobody sees past midcard just like Zack yet, Zach has a better fan base. Got himself over to me getting yourself over and not a machine shows talent and tenacity. At TLC fans chanted for him when ADR and Miz teamed in his home state yet they brought out Brawler, nice WWE!

Things like this annoy me fans wanted Ryder more money was to be made but WWE just because they are so backward minded and up their arse decided against giving him anything. And no this isn't a swerve to turn him heel, christ you think WWE only now want to invest in him and why would they turn him heel it makes 0% sense and it's WM season they don't want to waste effort for him.

 

[Headman]

Another case of the internet getting it wrong. He won us over with comedy and then people get mad that he becomes a comedy jobber. The internet wrestling fans never cease to amaze me.

With that said, there's a place for him on the roster. He sells merch and gets an ok reaction. He's holding down the old Hacksaw Jim Duggan spot at the moment. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[TempestH]

Ryder is not very good on the mic, but he has a memorable character and catchphrases.

Ryder is not going to blow your mind in the ring, but he's passable, and he doesn't botch.

Ryder isn't ready to be pushed to the main event, or even to the upper midcard, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be on the main shows. The reason why Ryder and so many others don't get exposure on RAW and/or SD is because WWE puts so much of its focus on the main event level talent.

I'll admit that Ryder shouldn't be pushed higher than he is, but he at least deserves to have a mini TV feud with someone like Otunga, Maddox, 3MB, or the Prime Time Players. If WWE at least made its lower midcard matter more than it does, maybe Ryder wouldn't complain on Twitter as much.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I like Ryder, he is one of my guilty pleasures. I think people sell him short on the mic and in the ring. Yeah he isn't Punk or Cena in either regard, but he is serviceable. People also act like he isn't over anymore. He surpassed a million Twitter followers during Raw, he still gets pops, and he is still top ten in merch sales. Plus he is only 27. It isn't like he is some guy who has been around for ages.

Yeah he shouldn't be in the main event, but there is no reason a guy as over as he is shouldn't be on TV more often than not. His ceiling may only be comedy jobber, I think he can be a solid midcard guy personally, but he will have a place on the roster for a while.

 

[Pedigree1]

There was a point in which i liked Long Island Iced Z! I used to follow him on twitter believe it or not! But his act got stale rather quickly. I see a tiny bit of worth in him just a glimmer but thats about it. He has gone as far as he is gonna go.

His worth is all based on how the audience likes him. His show which i have never seen or will see gets people to follow him. But the man has always bitched about something always complained. I really have never been a fan of his at all.

How he became US champ is beyond me really is. His catchphrases his broski boot wwwyki is just lame. His worth though? Turn him heel and see how that goes i guess. I really dont wanna see him in a tag team division nor do i wanna see him take up alot of tv time. I rather see him To be honest getting jobbed by up and comers and getting squashed week in and week out. Stick a fork in the man hes done as done can be

 

[GeneralKarim]

To me personally not much. I liked him at the beginning and his youtube show.But his act got really stale really fast.For me at least.But after some thought and some close observation I realised I disliked the whole wwwyki broski guido stick.

Even when people jumped on the Ryder Revolution bandwagon, and I kinda did too, I still had reservations. I dont find him at all entertaining, his promos and everything that comes out of his mouth feel VERY VERY forced and cheesy. I hate his smile and the way his voice sounds.

He isnt that great in the ring so he basically doenst have much going for him.Comedy Jobber for life AKA Santino and Zack Ryder.

Only thing left for him is to turn heel and see if it can go somewhere but I personally am not really interested in anything he does.So w/e.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Ever think this is a new direction to turn Ryder heel?

There's a thought. I might be able to appreciate his schtick a little more if he used it for purposes of evil.....because he sure does nothing for me as a face.

I give him credit for igniting a WWE career that was apparently going nowhere, although I was surprised that Vince McMahon would acknowledge efforts on the part of one of his employees to go outside the WWE machine to promote himself.....much less reward it. It showed how flexible Vince can be when he needs to; the ultimate promoter.

Zack got quite a lot of exposure for his efforts; at least initially. They even gave him the U.S. title, not that there's much to that. But how long can a "goofy" act keep him in the spotlight? Did he really see a great career growing out of all this? Did you?

I believe a lot of fans never saw the irony in placing Zack with Santino; two guys who were there to provide comic relief thrown together to form a team that consisted of......essentially nothing. I was hoping Creative would give them the name of "Send In the Clowns" after the Frank Sinatra song. Seemed fitting.

But if what we're reading is correct and Zack is growing annoyed at his lack of ring exposure, I think he'd be better served being grateful that his Internet efforts and earnest ring work resulted in giving him as much as he's gotten. He made something out of nothing, and that's admirable.

Now, if he's to stick around at all, let him try it as a bad guy. Might be good for a short run.

 

[Lewis617]

He isn't as popular as he use to be, but yes he would be worth more air time than that therapist guy. I thought that little gimmick was over. I understand they are trying to bring comedy into it but that angle is just straight up lame. Ryder needs to recreate the original internet championship, the one with the youtube, twitter, and facebook logos on it, not the one with his hair and shades logo, and come out on a rant and jus complain about not being pushed, no one watches his videos anymore, then another superstar challenges him for the title. BAM! Zack Ryder becomes relavent again and he turns heel all in one swing. "Hey creative team! .........your welcome!"

 

[Sax_Player41]

The problem is that usually when creative starts to bury someone, it's because something negative happens. Fans stop caring, has issues backstage with someone with more power, or does something in real life that gets picked up by mainstream media. To my knowledge, none of these happened to ZR. The crowd still pops for him and buys his merchandise, I don't recall any reports of negative backstage behavior or falling outs with higher ups, and the times he has been covered by mainstream media, it has been all positive.

I will say that I am a fan of his. I think that the Rough Ryder is a great move, especially when you consider the vertical jump he needs to pull it off. The WWE has no problem pulling a gimmick or wrestler when they get no crowd reaction at all (Tensai for example was demoted quickly), they should have ran with ZR as long as the fans appeared to be behind him.

 

[Dirk]

hatehabsforever

Fact of the matter is, he's a mid carder at best and simply isn't talented enough or have a gimmick entertaining enough to take him to the main event.

I would have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. I found his signature moves and his gimmick very entertaining. I like his look as well, it's fun.

We like to complain about "generic" or "gimmickless" guys like Alex Riley, but then we COMPLETELY shit on gimmicks like the guido or the funkasaurus.

Like many posters said as well, you don't have to be any higher than midcard to be a success with a huge following. Look at guys like Christian or Rey - hardly stalwart champions, but certainly deserving future hall-of-famers.

AwesomeRko

This time last year he was getting a louder ovation than anybody else on the full-time WWE roster. 'We Want Ryder', chants were shaking arenas.

Unfortunately, fans are a fickle bunch. Also, you have the same audience giving mixed reactions (Cena, Daniel Bryan from earlier last year, Ziggler now) and the fucking smark crowds.

This thing with Clay is putting two guys that were massively over as faces a while ago together. For the sake of both their carreers, I hope it pays off.

 

[ThisIsLCS]

To me, Ryder = Worthless (In his Current Gimmick)


He seems to believe he has some Vast wealth of Talent that they arent letting him show, and Maybe he does. But How much talent does it take to immitate someone from Jersey Shore? How much Wrestling ability can someone From jersey shore Have? (No offense to anyone from there......)


He has gotten as far as he can go with the gimmick. For some reason he seems to think he should be on the Year+ Reign that Punk is and he just is Not that talented in My eyes.

 

[MCMG]

I think I am like most wrestling fans. I didn't get the hype pre-push than when he got the exposure I began to really like him and find him entertaining. Than he was overused and I got sick of him. I don't really think he has a future at the top. He was fortunate to be booked along the likes of Cena, Kane and Ziggler. His level is the mid-card. The US title or the tag-team championships are all that is left for him. That or the unemployment line.

 

[Hordriss]

He could have been a solid mid-carder had WWE utilised him as they should have done. As it is, he was given TV time but was seldom treated as more than a jobber.

He did a hell of a lot to not only get himself noticed, but get himself over. That sheer drive and determination should have convinced WWE to do more with him.

 

[Toroc102]

I'm not a fan really, but fact is he was over and WWE killed it, just a mind boggling business decision imo. His worth to the WWE was that he was over and selling merch. Who cares what anyone on the IWC or backstage cares or thinks. He was making them money and getting bigger pops that most of the WWE stars, that's all that matters as far as his worth.