The Zack Ryder Revolution: Can the WWE Superstar Attain Main Event Status?

Zack Ryder is arguably WWE's most popular mid-card Superstar.

The relative success "Long Island Iced-Z" is currently enjoying is, however, all a product of his hard work and commitment.

Ryder joined WWE on a developmental deal in February 2006. After undergoing training with Deep South Wrestling and then-WWE developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), Ryder was called up to the main roster in 2007, along with his developmental tag team partner Curt Hawkins.

The two continued their tag team partnership on the ECW brand—where they were assigned to.

Hawkins and Ryder would later get drafted to SmackDown, where they ultimately turned heel after joining the heel stable "La Familia". In July 2008, at the Great American Bash pay-per-view, the duo won their first WWE Tag Team Championship, going into the history books as the youngest ever to hold the titles.

The pair, however, lost the titles two months later to The Colons (Primo and Carlito).

In April 2009, the Ryder-Hawkins association came to an end after Ryder was drafted to ECW, with Hawkins staying on Smackdown. 

Ryder debuted on ECW with a new gimmick and a new look. He adopted his signature catchphrase "woo woo woo... you know it," too. When the brand was scrapped in February 2010, Ryder made the switch to WWE's flagship show, Raw.

It was, however, all doom and gloom for Ryder as he became highly underutilized on television and would later be relegated to making appearances on the less prestigious, Internet-only-show Superstars.

To add more insult to injury, he ended the year in humiliating fashion, winning a Slammy award for "most annoying catchphrase".

It was out of frustration due to his jobber status that in February 2011, Ryder started a new initiative that rescued his sinking career—launching his weekly YouTube web series, "Z! True Long Island Story."

To Ryder's relief, the show became an instant hit with fans, seeing Ryder gain popularity in the IWC.

His popularity did not go unnoticed by senior WWE officials, too.

Ryder's status on WWE TV was progressively elevated, as he began making frequent appearances on Raw. He went on to receive a US Championship title shot on an episode of Raw against the then champion Dolph Ziggler.

Despite failing to capture the gold on his first attempt due to Jack Swagger's distraction, Ryder eventually won the title at the TLC pay-per-view—his first singles title.

His title run was short-lived, though, as Ryder lost the title just a month later to Jack Swagger. But despite his loss of the strap, Ryder remains one of WWE's most valued mid-card stars.

But does "Long Island Iced-Z"  have the potential to transition further into main event status?

While I am a fan of Ryder's, I must admit that both his microphone and wrestling skills are average at best. Therefore, in order to climb up the card, he will need to tie up the loose ends.

At the age of just 26, Ryder is one of the youngest Superstars on the roster and has plenty of time for improvement.

Only time will tell.