10 Super Rare Times WWE Promoted Rival Titles

4. Zack Ryder Breaks The Internet (But Not The Glass Ceiling)

Zack Ryder
WWE

Many inside and out of wrestling called Zack Ryder every insult imaginable for going to the trouble of getting his own belt made before such things were repeatedly normalised by other forward thinking and progressive wrestlers.

It unfortunately simply wasn't becoming of a WWE Superstar to be a mark for themselves rather than the almighty brand, as Ryder found out over and over again as he did everything instructed of every budding superstar and was still buried deep underground by an organisation that simply didn't value what he offered.

What makes it even worse in hindsight is just how vital the brands he slapped on his side plates would later be to WWE. When he was the king of Twitter and YouTube, the archaic fossils employing him had no clue what such things even were. By the time they entered the marketplace, they'd butchered the one guy most connected to it, custom belt and all.

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Mickie James
 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett