WWE: Why Zack Ryder's 15 Minutes of Fame Are Now over

Zack Ryder is the epitome of someone who paid his dues in order to finally get a shot in the big leagues. However, now that he's finally there, his persona is already showing signs of fizzling out.

Suffice to say, though, the stunted growth of his character is the writing team's fault, as Ryder has done everything in his power to make himself a wrestling commodity.

From starting out on the independent scene, to going through the WWE developmental program—and becoming a tag team with Curt Hawkins—Zack Ryder's claim to fame began as a web show. It served to highlight a new character and amass a cult-like following.

Specifically, after several episodes of Z! True Long Island Story, Ryder became "The Long Island Iced-Z," a character that inspired the popular Jersey Shore program on MTV. Soon, Ryder developed a spiky-haired image and a laundry-list of catchphrases like "Woo Woo Woo," "You Know It," and "Broski."

As he carried this online momentum, one of his biggest supporters became John Cena, who petitioned—via Twitter—for Ryder to have a more substantial role on WWE TV.

Eventually, the endorsements paid off, and Ryder got a recurring role on Raw, ultimately fulfilling his dream of becoming more than just the self-proclaimed Internet champion, but the U.S. title holder at WWE TLC 2011.

It seemed that a new star was born and embraced seemingly overnight with fans in attendance—never more so than at Madison Square Garden on the night of Survivor Series 2011—as Ryder worked his way to the top.

However, as promising as the initial signs were, Ryder's star has been hurtling from the sky, in danger of never rising again.

And quite frankly, the shortcomings of his portrayal are of no fault of his own, but the WWE booking staff who've either made questionable decisions or taken no action at all to develop Ryder's character.

One glaring mistake that stands out is the creative team's decision to pair Ryder with Cena in the storylines. Unfortunately, Cena's perceived reputation is so tarnished by half the audience that Ryder has actually suffered for being associated with the company's top dog.

To understand why this has happened requires an overview of where Cena and Ryder's characters stand and how their paths are actually perpendicular, not parallel.

To wit, in contrast to Cena, Ryder's popularity surged as a result of an underground following that stood in opposition to the WWE's corporate paradigm.

Yet, the moment Ryder was aligned with Cena, the Long Island superstar lost his cool, rebellious label and became another WWE-controlled puppet. In effect, the stench of Cena's image has been so malodorous that it has polluted—and preempted—Ryder's chance at being truly different. Unfortunately, in the meantime, he'll have to make the best of being the obsequious Brutus Beefcake to John Cena's invincible Hulk Hogan.

More so than just the mere connection to Cena, however, Ryder has had to endure televised drubbings at the hands of Kane, who, in the storylines, is getting under John Cena's skin by torturing his best friend (Ryder).

Granted, while wrestling is just a show intended to entertain, perception is reality. In the case of Ryder, who is still in the maturation stage as a character, it is important that he be shown in a mainly robust light.

But, instead of being highlighted as a star with the credibility and reputation to go head-to-head with every WWE superstar, Ryder's character has been sacrificed to temper Kane's, whose best years are far behind him.

There is nothing wrong with looking vulnerable, but in the last few weeks Ryder has been depicted to seem downright weak and unimposing—a definite hit to his main event dreams. Not to mention, having to witness him be the victim of 10-minute beatdowns takes the proverbial wind out of his fans' sails.

To make matters worse, Ryder's U.S. championship reign—which came about from a well-orchestrated angle and great anticipation—was abandoned to further the John Cena vs. Kane bout at Royal Rumble 2012. Never mind the new champion Jack Swagger was destroyed and undermined by Cena the same night he took it off the injured Ryder.

Furthermore, beyond being paired with Cena and looking too vulnerable, Ryder's character has been presented as an idiotic, harebrained dimwit.

For example, who spends an interminable amount of time attempting to change a tire only to get predictably attacked by the person (Kane) you're trying to flee from? Ryder couldn't just run or borrow a buddy's rental car instead?

The decision to change a tire through what seemed like eight commercial breaks made Ryder look like an incompetent patsy who deserved to get choke-slammed off the loading dock. Compounding the issues with that segment is viewers could clearly see Ryder's head and body "bounce" off the wooden pallets. Therefore, any sympathy to be had flew right off the platform in that very moment with Zack Ryder.

Last but not least, another factor contributing to Ryder's fall as a character is the fact that he hasn't "grown" since being spotlighted on Raw. To date, the Long Island-native's act has become more and more disingenuous because the writers have not given him new material since he made the transition from the web to cable TV.

Therefore, his Jersey Shore-esque obliviousness, egocentrism and vapid catchphrases are starting to come across more as grating, as opposed to attributes the fans can get behind.

All in all, the booking team has failed Ryder up to this point, whose only option at redeeming his long-term potential would be to turn heel on John Cena.

Otherwise, Ryder's 15 minutes will be up before he and his followers can say, "You Know It!"

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