12 Times WWE Buried Their Own Champions
11. Zack Ryder Looks Totally Stupid
Imagine Kit Wilson gets himself over organically on socials/YouTube with his 'Toxic Masculinity' gimmick in 2026, but Triple H sighs at the thought of having to push the Pretty Deadly man. 'You went and got yourself over when we didn't plan to push you. What were you thinking?!'. That's the attitude Zack Ryder faced as a struggling midcarder in 2011.
Ryder got over with a casual audience away from episodes of Raw and SmackDown by running content on his own YouTube channel. WWE bizarrely seemed to resent that he’d connected with fans though. Think about that for a second. It doesn't make any sense! Despite being angry that someone showed initiative (how could he?!), bosses put the United States Title on Zack at TLC 2011, then shoved Ryder into a crummy romance storyline with Eve Torres that blended into John Cena’s rivalry with Kane.
It was as messy and uncoordinated as it sounds.
Management gave up on the Zack attack quickly. He dropped the US Title to Jack Swagger on the 16 January 2012 Raw due to kayfabe injuries suffered from Kane’s attacks. That wasn't even the biggest problem: Throughout his romance angle, Ryder just looked like a total dope for trusting Eve (who turned heel) and for following Cena around like a lost puppy to some diminishing returns.
People didn't want Zack to become a cheerleader for somebody else. They wanted to root for him and see a legitimately fresh faced pushed to the top of the cards. WWE/Vince McMahon disagreed, so 'RyderMania' was fleeting and his United States Title run became an afterthought.