10 WWE Stars Fans Refused To Give Up On

9. Zack Ryder

16 Zack Ryder Daddy WrestleMania 32
WWE.com

Woo-Woo-Won't ever get the credit internally for his self-made graft a decade or so ago.

That about sums Zack Ryder's WWE career up. He went from an afterthought tag-teamer to one of the most over guys in pro wrestling thanks to his own initiative in 2011. His YouTube work, self-promotion and dedication caught the eye of fans everywhere, and a sudden swell of cult-like popularity forced WWE to take notice.

They blatantly didn't want to take notice for long. After flirting with success and rubbing shoulders with everyone from The Rock to John Cena, Ryder rapidly dropped back down the cards. He was the people's choice, not Vince McMahon's, and that came across loud and clear. Ryder's career has been up and down ever since.

Somehow, in spite of his lowly positioning, Zack still gets a nice reaction from crowds whenever he works today. He's the survivor of a callous system, and the kind of ambitious entrepreneur WWE should've given more of a chance. Luckily for Ryder, fans always give him the benefit of the doubt.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.