Zack Ryder's 10 Biggest Underdog Moments In WWE

7. Winning The WWE Tag Team Championship (The Great American Bash, 20 July 2008)

Zack Ryder Sheamus
WWE.com

Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins joining forces with Edge and the rest of "La Familia" was the best career move they could have made in late 2007. Almost overnight, they went from being a forgettable tag team to being a part of the top stable on SmackDown, and with that alliance came opportunities and power.

They were basically the punching bags for Edge throughout his feud with The Undertaker in the first half of 2008, but they were rewarded by those beatdowns in the form of a WWE Tag Team Championship match at 2008's Great American Bash pay-per-view. Better yet, the event emanated from their hometown of Long Island, so there wasn't a more fitting location for them to capture the gold for the first time.

In a match featuring three other teams, the odds were most definitely not in their favor, but amidst the chaos with John Morrison, The Miz, Jesse, Festus, Finlay, and Hornswoggle, they capitalized by covering Jesse for the victory and the twin titles.

For a team that had little buzz heading into the bout, Ryder and Hawkins escaping with the straps was shocking to say the least. But it was well-deserved.

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Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.