After splitting up with his former brother Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryders career was in doubt. He was not getting any help from the creative team or management, and was basically left to his own devices. But instead of just accepting that, he turned to the internet, and made a star out of himself. His YouTube series, Z! True Long Island Story, was a massive hit with the fans, and before long, the sound of fans chanting We want Ryder became deafening. His creativity and popularity were rewarded, as he was given more and more screen time, and ended 2011 by winning the US Championship at the TLC Pay-Per-View that year. For many fans, it seemed like he was going to be a big star Unfortunately, it has been speculated that the WWE higher-ups werent too happy that he became popular without them, so his growing popularity was forcibly extinguished by making Ryder lose frequently. He took a backseat to John Cena in the latters feud with Kane and Eve Torres, and soon became a jobber once again. In 2014, he barely made any appearances on the main shows, and he was more often than not losing to bigger stars. Zack Ryder was an underdog because he defied the WWEs top brass and became a star on his own, without their support. He relied on his own creativity and on the Internet to appeal to the fans. Sadly, his story is also a sign that nothing happens in WWE without approval from Vince himself, and it was Vince who in all likelihood killed Ryders momentum in 2011. It seems that the only way to gain any attention without the WWEs help is to become so popular on your own that your fans starting booing everything else, which might not always work out in the end.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
