The "Woo Woo Woo Kid" grew up dreaming to be a wrestler, pursued that dream and succeeded at earning a WWE contract when he was in his early 20s. He was even thrust into the spotlight with his best friend Curt Hawkins as "Edgeheads" that helped Edge when he was a heel dealing with the likes of The Undertaker. When he broke out as a singles star in 2011 it was a bit of a surprise at first, but he quickly showed that he belonged by winning over the fans while showing the ability to have some pretty good matches too. He earned his spot. Vince McMahon did not set out to make Ryder a huge star. Ryder impressed management by using youtube and social media to become popular. There was an episode of Raw towards the end of 2011 where Ryder had the US Championship and he was in the same right with WWE Champion CM Punk and World Champ Daniel Bryan. At the time all three were babyfaces. Bryan's become an even bigger star today while Punk quit the company and the only way Ryder can get on Raw is if somebody like Alexander Rusev needs to crush a hapless wrestler. Ryder will turn 29 years old in May and at some point he has to do something to change things. Maybe that's a heel turn although he seems to be better in the face role. Maybe he needs to reunite with former tag partner Hawkins, who is so far off the radar he can't even make a list like this one. There's a reason Ryder is on the roster. He has talent. It's just a matter of maximizing it.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
