Zack Ryder's 10 Biggest Underdog Moments In WWE
5. Facing John Cena For The United States Championship (Raw, 25 May 2015)
Few Superstars had a better 2015 in WWE than John Cena. Despite never once winning the WWE Championship, he held the United States Championship with pride and defended it in some of the year's best bouts.
Furthermore, his weekly U.S. Open Challenge quickly became one of the most exciting aspects of Raw with fans eagerly awaiting who would answer the invitation. On the the Memorial Day edition of Raw in 2015, Cena's challenger just so happened to be Zack Ryder, who was accompanied by the cast of "The Entourage."
The two had history from years earlier when Ryder's alliance with Cena made him a target for Kane, and that was when his career took a turn for the worse. This was his chance to score a measure of revenge over his former friend by taking his title.
With it being the final episode of Raw emanating from the old Nassau Coliseum, Ryder was the perfect opponent for Cena on that night. Although it was obvious Cena was walking away with the title intact given he was scheduled to face Kevin Owens in a champion vs. champion match that Sunday at Elimination Chamber, Ryder had an extremely impressive outing even in defeat.
From nailing Cena with a Rough Ryder to pulling out a surprising 450 Splash, it was the best Ryder had looked in a long time, and it lit a fire under him that we still see today.