10 WWE Decisions That Enraged The IWC
7. The Burial Of Zack Ryder
Few wrestlers have ever been buried as mercilessly as Zack Ryder. Frustrated with his role in the company, the underused grappler hit the internet with his Z! True Long Island Story YouTube series in 2011, building a sizeable cult following along the way. He crowned himself WWE Internet Champion, and before long, arenas were filling with chants of “We want Ryder,” even as the man himself sat at home, unused.
WWE eventually relented, and Zack became a massively popular midcard babyface. He won the United States Championship, and with his popularity peaking in fall 2011, he looked set for a prolong pushed towards the card's upper echelons.
Unfortunately, WWE decided they didn’t like the fact that Zack had gotten himself over on his own accord. The put him in an emasculating relationship angle with Eve Torres and John Cena, then had Kane destroy him not only with a Chokeslam through the Raw set, but by pushing the wheelchair-bound Ryder off the set in February.
Ryder’s push was over, and he has never truly recovered. Those who’d latched onto his journey through the YouTube clips were understandably incensed, but there was nothing they could do.