WWE Survivor Series 2011: Zack Ryder Is PPV's Biggest Winner

The Survivor Series had a lot of memorable moments. However, none did more for a wrestler's character than the crowd's reaction for Zack Ryder. 

Before the show started, the crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City screamed, “We Want Ryder!” Then during the opening match for the United States Championship between Dolph Ziggler and John Morrison the crowd chanted, “We Want Ryder!” 

Finally, the crowd got what they were screaming for—Ryder made a run in at the end of the match. The crowd lost its mind for Ryder. After Ryder ran off Ziggler, the sold-out crowd chanted in unison “Woo Woo Woo.” 

Those two reactions alone would have done a great service for Ryder’s career. However, after the main event ended, the crowd was still hot for Ryder. 

The Rock got onto the microphone to thank the crowd for their support, but all he could hear among the “You Still Got It," and "Welcome Back” chants were, “We Want Ryder!” 

That right there cemented Ryder as a crowd favorite. Not only did the WWE notice that Ryder was over, but even The Rock took time out of his moment in the ring to acknowledge how popular Ryder has become. 

What’s astonishing about Ryder's triumph over WWE fans is that he did it by himself. He didn’t need a storyline, a mega push or even wins in quick squash matches to get over.

All Ryder needed was a personal handheld camera and his friends. 

Ryder didn’t reinvent himself by getting a major push inside of a wrestling company: He just thought outside of the box. Ryder didn’t wait for WWE management to come to him. Instead, he took his future inside of the biggest wrestling company in the world and made his own spot. 

Ryder didn’t win or lose in a match at Survivor Series. He wasn’t even written into the script for the show. But just like the thousands of fans that watch his YouTube show every week, the audience demanded to have Ryder on the show. 

The old saying is, “If you can make it in New York City you can make it anywhere.” At the Survivor Series, the crowd demanded of the WWE that Ryder be the next mega baby face in the company.

They told the WWE and the wrestling world, “Woo Woo Woo You Know It!”

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