WWE Survivor Series 2011: WWE Is Destroying Zack Ryder with PPV Absence

WWE is quickly destroying one of their most popular wrestlers, Zack Ryder, by deliberately excluding him from arguably the second biggest pay-per-view extravaganza of the year.

Survivor Series 2011 is a star-studded event that features the return of The Rock to in-ring action, yet somehow, Ryder inexplicably doesn’t have a match?

Blasphemy.

Ryder is essential to WWE’s midcard and deserves proper placement at the event after his remarkable ability to take his "Jersey Shore" gimmick to the next level. The fans yearn to see him throughout their show, as evident by the constant cheers and echoing of his "Woo Woo Woo" catchphrase.

Wrestlers who aren’t nearly as over as Ryder, such as Mason Ryan, are being forced down the fans' throats. Ryan was thrust into the United States title picture and took Ryder’s spot on Randy Orton’s five-man squad.

Ryder should have wrestled Dolph Ziggler in a Vengeance rematch for the WWE United States Championship. Instead, Christian suffered a brutal ankle injury and was forced out of the traditional Survivor Series match. With Ziggler added, WWE should have found a way to include Ryder so they could continue their rivalry.

Ryder needed another opportunity to showcase his in-ring abilities. More importantly, he needed to do so on a big stage against other high-profile performers such as Wade Barrett and Ziggler. He would have been able to get a rub from top faces Sheamus and Randy Orton, much like CM Punk did when he teamed with Triple H and Shawn Michaels.

Survivor Series would have been an opportune time to showcase Ryder as a high-profile in-ring character, instead of masquerading him as one backstage to draw a cheap pop from the crowd. WWE is stunting Ryder’s growth by not featuring him in a prominent match—hell, a match. Even worse for the company, they are stunting their own growth by failing to let him grow as a performer.