Zack Ryder: Does He Have Potential to Be One of the All-Time Greats in the WWE?

Imitation is the best form of flattery. In this case, are we seeing the second coming of John Cena in the form of Zack Ryder?

"Woo woo woo!"

While we are not seeing the same gimmick and the same response from WWE fans, we are seeing the arenas, IWC and WWE Universe take quickly to Ryder and his persona, which only figures to get better now that "Long Island Iced Z" has broken his back at the hands of Kane.

Can I get an amen for the creative team at WWE for thinking this through and finally coming up with a stroke of genius? In other words, a damaged Ryder is a good thing for the WWE and will allow the creative team and other wrestlers the chance to work with him to make him better, even great if given the chance.

With Royal Rumble 2012 coming up this weekend and the need for younger stars (Ryder, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, The Miz) needing to step up, can Ryder truly become a legend in WWE lore? Can he take the next step that The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Steve Austin all took in time to not only a WWE title holder, but some of the most charismatic wrestlers of all time?

Honestly, this is not just a memo to Ryder, but to those mentioned above and the wrestlers forthcoming in the future.

There is a division of landscape right now in the WWE where current wrestlers could be regarded as personas of former WWE and WWF superstars.

Steve Austin and CM Punk. Chris Jericho and Roddy Piper. Dolph Ziggler and Bret Hart. John Cena and Hulk Hogan. Drew McIntyre and a young and green Barry Windham. Maybe Daniel Bryan and a modern-day Chris Benoit.

But these wrestlers cannot rest on what they are doing now. Ryder, especially, needs to hone his craft, get better in the ring, work on the mic, learn his craft, study film and please get rid of Eve.

Every superstar in the WWE has a chance to be "the best" there is. But fans, creative and desire are the determining factors in who moves forward. Everything seems to be going right for Ryder and with "help" he can be a Cena or Michaels or even a Brian Pillman. The rest, however, is up to him.

If he works it out on his end, the chances are he will be a very good addition to the all-time roster. How far up that ladder he wants to climb to be the best truly is his decision to make.