WWE: 7 Ways Zack Ryder Can Regain His Momentum

One thing is for sure: Zack Ryder has been having a rough 2012.

He spent the early part of the year getting thrown around like a ragdoll by Kane, as part of the monster's feud with John Cena. He lost his beloved United States Championship to Jack Swagger soon after. 

Then he was made to look like an absolute fool in his ill-concieved romance storyline with heel Diva Eve Torres. Per the storyline, Eve cheated on Zack with his best friend, lied to him, stood him up on dates and even freely admitted on television she was using him solely for the fame.

So did Ryder smarten up to her conniving ways and dump her? Eh, no. Head over heels in love, he continually gave her chance after chance. This horrible angle culminated at WrestleMania 28 when Zack foolishly brought his on/off girlfriend to ringside for the GM match and, to the surprise of no one, she ended up costing him and Team Teddy the victory.

Poor Zack. He was flabbergasted. He presumably hadn't been watching the Raws and SmackDowns before WM, which made it crystal clear Eve was a bad guy.

Ryder could not have come out of the Eve/Kane/Cena debacle looking worse, something the former United States Champion even admitted in an interview recently. 

Things haven't exactly gotten better since. Ryder is frequently left off of Raw, even with its new three-hour format, and has been demoted to the Internet-only show, Superstars. Whenever he does make an appearance on one of the main shows, he's usually jobbing to someone.

He has largely been forgotten about and reduced to taking shots at the company and the booking team on his Twitter account and his weekly YouTube show, Z! True Long Island Story.   

But is the situation totally hopeless? We don't think so. With this in mind, here are seven ways Ryder can regain his momentum in the next few months.

Stop Slamming WWE

OK, let's start off by saying that Ryder does indeed have valid reasons to be irate at WWE.

After all, he went to great time and expense with his YouTube programme and got himself over with the fans on his own, only to end up in exactly the same lower-card position he was in two years ago.

No wonder he's upset—most people would be.

However, slamming the company for interfering with his YouTube show, making cryptic threats about leaving and criticising his push is simply not a professional or mature way to act, and it guarantees he will continue to be marginalized by the promotion.

The first crucial step Ryder should take in rejuvenating his sagging career? Learn to play politics a bit better.

Hire Kaitlyn as His Manager

You know what would spice up Ryder's stale act? A new valet!

You know, someone who can help his career, arrange to get him into important title matches and look out for him at ringside. 

And who else should he look to but NXT season 3 winner Kaityn. With her charisma, geeky personality and down-to-earth attitude, she has a great deal in common with the YouTube sensation and would compliment the act perfectly.

It would also give Kaitlyn, who has been woefully under-used by WWE in recent times, something to do. Anyone who has seen her on the little-watched NXT in her storylines with Derrick Bateman and Johnny Curtis knows how hugely talented she is. 

The Support of the Fans

No matter what state Ryder's career is in, he has always been able to rely on the WWE Universe for support. And he needs them now more than ever. If WWE is continually hearing large pops for Ryder and he's selling truckloads of merchandise, they'll be forced to do something with him, just like they were in 2011.

Turn Heel and Align with Eve

OK, how is this for a swerve?

Sick of being walked all over by management and his fellow wrestlers, the long-suffering Zack snaps and turns heel, forming an alliance with his evil ex-girlfriend, Eve. The new power couple then run amok all over WWE, taking out anyone who gets in their way en route to the top. 

Sure, it sounds far-fetched. But at this point, Ryder desperately needs something to kick start his career and a shock heel turn, while not going over well with the fanbase, may just be the thing to do it.   

Get on AJ's Good Side

Let's face it: If any Raw wrestler wants to get anywhere these days, he's going to have to get into the good graces of new GM AJ Lee. She's the one who hands out title shots and punishments on a whim, after all.

Don't believe us? Look at the current predicaments of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk for evidence of what happens when you get the former NXT contestants mad at you.

Hey, it's not that hard to be her friend. Just...don't call her crazy. Whatever you do. 

Star in a WWE Movie

Nothing can revive your career better than a starring in a WWE Studios movie.

After all, when WWE invests millions in a film, they have ensured that, come the time of its release, the star is a fairly major player on television and comes off like a big deal to potential movie audiences. No one wants to go see a movie with some jobber from NXT, do they? Of course not.  

Just ask The Miz, who's upcoming role in The Marine: Homefront has seemingly returned his once-dismal career to prominence once again. 

With this in mind, here are some suggestions for a possible Zack Ryder vehicle: That's What I Am, Bro; Ghost Ryder; Long Island of Dr. Moreau; Zack and Jill; The Blues Broskis; The Marine 4: Escape from The Friendszone.

Go After Santino's U.S. Title

One sure way for Ryder to regain relevance is to win back his United States Championship from current title-holder Santino Marella. 

Some would possibly argue that a face vs. face match wouldn't work and the fans wouldn't know which man to root for, but we disagree. Indeed, a spirited Ryder/Santino feud, with the fans frantically cheering on their pick, may be just what the company's struggling midcard needs. It's also a lot better than what WWE is currently doing with the U.S. belt (i.e., nothing).