Zack Ryder's 10 Biggest Underdog Moments In WWE

10. Winning A No. 1 Contender's ECW Championship Battle Royal (ECW, 15 September 2009)

After nearly two years of teaming, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder were forced to go their separate ways as a result of Ryder being sent to ECW in the 2009 WWE Draft. It was unknown how either guy would fare on their own. But while Hawkins faded off into obscurity on the blue brand, Ryder made the most of the move by undergoing a complete makeover and reinventing himself as The Long Island Iced Z.

Within a matter of months, he built enough momentum to earn a spot in a No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal where the winner would be granted an ECW Championship match. Even then, there were a number of notable names involved including Shelton Benjamin and Yoshi Tatsu (who was actually relevant at the time), so a Ryder win wasn't at all predictable.

But somehow, Ryder managed to prevail over the rest of the roster and secure his shot at ECW's top title. It was a monumental win for him because not only did no one see it coming, it was a reward for all the hard work he put into resurrecting his career. It led to him having a standout match against Christian for the title the very next week.