WWE Confirms Zack Ryder Injury On SmackDown
The timing couldn't be worse for The Hype Bros.
Last night's WWE SmackDown saw the bulk of the brand's tag division compete in a battle royal to become number one contenders to Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton's Tag Team Championships. With his partner Mojo Rawley eliminated midway, Ryder found himself alone with Konnor and Tyler Breeze in the home stretch, but he outlasted both to secure his team's title shot.
It was the biggest win of The Hype Bros' run as a team, but it came at a cost. The referee threw up the industry standard "X" sign to alert officials and paramedics of a potential injury as soon as the match was finished, and Ryder was later pulled out of a Tribute To The Troops match that was taped afterwards.
WWE have now confirmed the injury, and it doesn't look good for Zack and Mojo. The company have announced that Ryder suffered an injury to his left knee while working the match, and he'll soon undergo an MRI scan to determine its severity.
There's no word yet on how much time (if any) Zack will miss through injury, but with The Hype Bros building some strong momentum in recent weeks, the former United States Champion will be cursing his bad luck.
WWE's announcement reads as follows:-
On the Dec. 13 episode of SmackDown LIVE, Zack Ryder suffered an injury to his left knee. The injury took place when Long Island Iced-Z attempted a Rough Ryder in the same contest in which The Hype Bros won a Tag Team No. 1 Contenders’ Battle Royal. This victory gave them the right to challenge SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Wyatt Family.
After the match, Ryder was carried to the trainer’s room and is currently on crutches.
"We think he injured his kneecap or his patella. We think it popped out and then popped back in, so we're just going to do an MRI to make sure that there is not cartilage damage or some tendon tearing, stuff like that,” according to WWE's Dr. Chris Robinson. “Hopefully there's not and it'll be a shorter rehab period. If there is, there's a different road we might have to go down that may take longer to get him to recover."
Check back to WWE.com tomorrow for an update following Ryder’s MRI.