WWE Survivor Series 2011: Zack Ryder's Push Needs to Start Immediately

The second-biggest pop at Sunday night's Survivor Series pay-per-view went to none other than Long Island's own Zack Ryder. But WWE wasted a golden opportunity to put him on the show and make him into a star. 

Ryder is a favorite with the IWC thanks to his Youtube show Z! Long Island Story, but the people who make the decisions in the WWE—Vince McMahon—don't understand his popularity, so he is made to look like a comedy character. 

That would be fine under normal circumstances, but with the WWE starving to find any superstars who can sell tickets and merchandise, Ryder is one of the best options that the company has.

We don't know how good or bad Ryder is in the ring because he is never given a chance to showcase his abilities. He is always put in comedy matches or tag team matches where he gets beat up for five minutes before making the hot tag. 

Last night proved that Ryder is over huge with the crowd. New York is one of the most passionate and vocal wrestling audiences in the world, and the people will tell you what they really think of someone.

Ryder was beloved in Madison Square Garden. He was cheered on the same level as CM Punk, who was featured in the WWE championship match.

The only person who surpassed him in popularity was The Rock. 

Yet Ryder was not given a match on the show because that would make too much sense. The WWE doesn't like putting workers on in front of a hometown crowd, and on the occasions that it does happen, they try to bury that worker—Money In the Bank in Chicago with CM Punk was an anomaly.

But hope is not lost. The WWE can do the right thing and give Ryder an opportunity to wrestle Dolph Ziggler for the United States championship. That may not be a high-profile match, but Ziggler is so good that he can elevate Ryder into a better position than he is at right now. 

It doesn't matter how it happens, all that does is Ryder starts getting a push because he has proven himself to be a crowd favorite who deserves better than he has been given.