10 Wrestlers Who Succeeded Against The Odds

7. Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder is a posterboy for succeeding against the odds.

Making his WWE debut in 2006, Ryder was initially aligned with Curt Hawkins and Edge, but found himself lost in the wilderness when that particular angle ran its course. Like so many of his peers, Ryder was completely adrift in the midcard, and rarely appeared on Raw. His performances were mostly restricted to Superstars and when he did appear on the “big show”, he was used as little more than an enhancement talent.

Ryder refused to accept the role WWE had put him in, however. He knew he needed to do something to stand-out from the crowd, so he took it upon himself to make the most of the situation and head to YouTube. His “Z! True Long Island Story” series became an instant hit, and made Zack Ryder WWE’s first true viral superstar.

His popularity surged among WWE fans, and it translated on-screen. The self-crowned Internet Champion received a significant push leading to a United States Title reign, and while this run ended disastrously, Ryder’s immense crowd support remained. For a while, Ryder put his destiny in his own hands and used the internet as a back door to sneak into the upper-midcard party.

He deserves all the credit in the world for getting himself over while being set-up to fail. Hopefully, Zack Ryder can find his niche again someday.