WWE: Is Zack Ryder Ready to Get the Rocket Strapped to Him?

Zack Ryder has definitely been riding the roller coaster (no pun intended) in 2011. 

He started the year off as a complete afterthought in the WWE, being mostly relegated to Superstars and hardly ever appearing on Monday Night RAW. So, Ryder took matters into his own hands and launched his own YouTube web show called Z! True Long Island Story. 

The series showcased Ryder’s charisma and comedic talents, and he soon developed somewhat of a cult following on the Internet, even labeling himself the “Internet Champion.” It took months upon months for Ryder’s talents to be recognized by the WWE, but even when that happened, he still wasn’t getting a consistent spot on TV. 

That is, until the Sept. 19 edition of RAW when he beat United States Champion Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match. 

It was at that point when the “We want Ryder!” chants started to take full effect and WWE officials began to truly get behind Ryder. He got multiple opportunities at Ziggler’s title, he started getting more TV time and the WWE started producing more Ryder merchandise, which—as Ryder will tell you—sells out rather quickly. 

It appeared that Ryder was headed for stardom, and our thoughts seemed to be confirmed when he teamed with John Cena in the RAW main event on Nov. 7. Yet, Ryder’s push appeared to stall when he was left off the Survivor Series card. 

However, as we all noticed by the “We want Ryder” chants, Ryder is indeed over, and his fan base is growing. Rapidly. 

The WWE almost had no choice but to recognize Ryder’s ability to get himself over and reward him for it, and that’s exactly what the company seems to be doing at the moment. They’re currently pushing his petition for a US title match against Ziggler, and they had him team up with Sheamus in a big match on last week’s SmackDown. 

Finally, it seems like Ryder is becoming a big-time player in the WWE, but judging by the start-and-stop nature of his recent pushes, I don’t know when or if the WWE will ever strap the rocket to Ryder and elevate him as far as he can possibly go. 

But, in my opinion, the time is now to do just that. 

Though relatively inexperienced as a singles wrestler, Ryder has four things you want to see out of a WWE superstar: above-average in-ring skills, a good gimmick, a ton of charisma and a good look. You can’t teach three of those four things, and Ryder will only improve in that one area (in the ring) as he gets more exposure and more chances at performing in high-profile matches. 

The better Ryder gets in the ring, the more fans he’ll get, and that’s saying a lot because he’s already about as over as any mid-card baby face, without the WWE even having to do much for him to gain that huge following. 

Ryder is undoubtedly a self-made man, and though I’m not ready to crown him as the WWE’s next breakout star—I think Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett fit that bill—it’s time to take the restraints off of him and see how far he can go. 

If we’re talking about strapping the rocket to Ryder and elevating him to the main-event level, then no, I don’t think that’s the right decision. But if we’re talking about having him beat Ziggler for the United States Championship and his first singles title in the WWE, then strap away. 

There is no better candidate on Monday Night RAW to carry the brand’s mid-card title than its most over mid-card babyface, and it’s certainly not going to hurt Ryder for him to walk into the arena with gold around his waist. 

I’ll put it to you this way: If Ezekiel Jackson can hold the Intercontinental Championship, then why the hell can’t Ryder hold the United States title? 

Exactly. 

A mid-card title is the perfect stepping stone for someone like Ryder at the moment. You give Ryder the title, see how he performs with it and then use that as the measuring stick to determine if he deserves to have the bigger rocket strapped to his back. 

If not (like Jackson), then you bring him back down to Earth. 

But if so (like Ziggler), then you send him to the moon.