10 Live Observations From Attending WrestleMania 32

9. Zack's Back?

zack ryder intercontinental.jpg

The opening bout on the main show was the seven-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship, and it was likely the best match on the show (rivaled only by the Women's Title match, in my opinion). After a lot of crazy spots and painful bumps, Zack Ryder - who wasn't even originally scheduled for the bout - surprisingly climbed the ladder to win the belt.

It's been a rough few years for Ryder, who made himself into one of WWE's most popular superstars only to see the company punish him for it. This felt like it could have been beginning of a true resurgence, with the fans overjoyed to see him win and Ryder's tearful father coming into the ring to give him a hug.

Unfortunately, Ryder's post-match promo (where he called the win the best moment of his life and said he could retire happy now) almost seemed like WWE's excuse not to take the push any further. That, combined with reports that Owens was originally supposed to win, makes me very wary of Ryder's continued success.

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Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013