WWE: Can Zack Ryder Live Up to the Hype He Has Created for Himself?

In the last few months, one of WWE's superstars has had a rise to stardom that is far from the norm. Zack Ryder is someone who seemed like he was destined for the future endeavors WWE sends people on.

He was not content sitting back and letting someone backstage dictate how popular he became. So what did he do? He grabbed a camera and started making Youtube videos.

His Internet show, titled Z! True Long Island Story, was Ryder trying to do something both fun and productive for his career. He used his unique brand of humor to create an Internet hit.

Fans began to take notice and soon he was someone who was being talked about despite having little to no TV time. CM Punk also started mentioning Ryder during his promos, which got the attention of some of the people higher up the food chain in WWE.

Other wrestler's, like The Miz and John Cena, have also expressed their love for the Long Island native. But can Ryder live up to his own hype is the $64,000 question.

Ryder is a former tag team champion with Curt Hawkins, so he is not unfamiliar with some success in WWE. When he and Hawkins first showed up, they were billed as The Major Brothers.

They were not really brothers, but their similar appearance made it easy for WWE to make that claim. After a short run on ECW they were brought over to SmackDown when Edge used them as body doubles to win a match.

They joined Edge's new group La Familia and soon became tag team champions. Once the group disbanded, it seemed as if Hawkins and Ryder were done for.

Ryder was moved to ECW where he decided it was time for a new look. He cut his hair, cut off one of his tights legs and started using a gimmick similar to the guys you see on Jersey Shore, but in fairness to Ryder he was doing it before the show.

His new character helped him stand out from the crowd and eventually he rose to the top of ECW and received a title shot, but fell short of winning.

After a brief push, he was basically used as a jobber for over a year, until management took notice of his efforts to get himself over through his Youtube show.

Now his merchandise sells out and he has more signs in the crowd than some of the bigger name wrestlers. It now looks like he may be in line for a US title run as he holds numerous victories over champion Dolph Ziggler.

He lost to Ziggler at Vengeance, but defeated him two days ago on Raw so he could get another shot at Survivor Series if he plays his cards right.

What I am mainly wondering is whether Ryder can keep rising this wave of popularity to the top of WWE or will it eventually fade away to where he is an afterthought?

Many wrestler's have been to the top of the mountain only to fall hard back to reality when the fans stopped supporting them for one reason or another.

Ryder did a great job getting himself over with the fans and with WWE brass, but he needs to figure out a way to keep that interest and make sure he does not become and annoying gimmick.

I for one was impressed with Ryder's showing at Vengeance against Ziggler. Despite losing he showed he can hold his own in a PPV match. I hope Ziggler continues to improve in the ring and on the mic because he is a young kid with vast potential.

What do you think; can Zack Ryder live up to his own hype?