How Zack Ryder's Relationship with Eve, John Cena Hurt Him as a Wrestler

A wrestler who has a solid foundation with a hot looking woman by his side, the most popular wrestler of the past decade backing him up and a United States Championship around his waist should be pretty stoked and happy about his standing in the WWE.

For Zack Ryder, it may well have been a curse.

All the “Broskis” and “Woo Woo Woos” couldn’t help him in his battle with Kane, leading to his “lady friend” and love interest, Eve, to put the blame on John Cena for Ryder’s broken back at the hands of the Big Red Machine, which led Cena to give us the most disgruntled and corniest evil face we have ever seen.

In the past, women and entourages have been good for a wrestler’s career. But Eve is not Miss Elizabeth or Sable, and John Cena is not Ric Flair leading the Four Horsemen.

So maybe the sudden attachments are a bit too much.

And in a slider yesterday, I thought Ryder should be retooled to be a little more rough around the edges and a little more deliberate in his want to get even with the likes of Kane or maybe the man who took his United States Title from him, Jack Swagger.

If a John Cena is already having to defend you when you are a WWE title holder, that means your shelf-life is not as solid as one thinks. This isn’t like a Tully Blanchard who had Baby Doll and JJ Dillon by his side to get him out of trouble. Current (not for long) general manager John Laurinaitis had stacked the deck against Long Island Iced Z. And the hope that he continued as a fan favorite was put on hold when his back was "broken" by Kane.

Was the Cena/Eve overload a stake in the heart and a real momentum breaker? Could creative have done something to have a guy like Ryder, who could very well be the next John Cena (Cena-lite?) be able to stand on his own.

He is very green and needs more seasoning and a chance to grow and develop. You cannot send him to CWF to retool. You cannot hide him now and you cannot build him again through the Internet.

The “back injury” will help him “heal” and grow. It will also allow the creative team to develop Ryder, not the groupies.

When he returns to action, it will be interesting to see if he keeps the carnival antics and the colorful gimmick. While it is successful and fans take to it like the “Fruity Pebbles” chant, it may not be the best thing for everyone.

And in this case, giving Ryder too much too early, including the championship, may have hurt him more than helped him.