10 WWE Wrestlers Who Were Too Entertaining For Their Own Good
1. Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder is the prototype for how modern WWE deals with any wrestler who dares to fly too close to the sun.
Back in 2011, Zack made history by taking advantage of social media to a then-unprecedented degree. Creating the youtube show Z! True Long Island Story, Ryder turned internet fame into fan adulation with his endearing portrayal of his WWE character.
Ryder's use of the internet to promote himself was genuinely innovative and got him over to a far greater degree than WWE had ever managed. Something which WWE themselves were none too happy with.
After appeasing Ryder's fans with a US title win, WWE set about torching the wings of their wannabe Icarus with some of the most vindictive booking in company history. (And this is the organization that booked a fight between "The Huckster" and "The Nacho Man" to end in a double heart attack after their real-life inspirations moved to WCW).
Ryder was stripped of his title, routinely demolished by Kane and had his on-screen girlfriend turn on him. Zack never got revenge for any of this and plummeted back down the card.
Which summarizes the main problem with WWE these days: It's impossible to get invested in a wrestler when you know they're going to be brought crashing down to earth.