WWE TLC 2011: Zack Ryder Decides His WrestleMania XXVIII Future This Sunday

WWE TLC is only four days away. There is a decent enough buzz for the PPV event, but only a few matches stand above the rest.

Of course, Mark Henry will walk out of Baltimore still World Champion and still the best man on WWE TV today. Also, it is nearly a lock CM Punk leaves with his WWE title in hand.

However, a lot of eyes will be on Dolph Ziggler defending his United States Championship against Zack Ryder this weekend.

This is, easily, the biggest match of Ryder's WWE career. Not against Cena on Raw. Not anything on ECW. This is do or die time for his newly found success.

I have been no secrets about my thoughts on the man. He has tons of talent and is pretty good in the ring. However, if his gimmick continues for too long, he won't have much of a future with WWE.

It is that simple. Ryder needs to get serious, or he will be another "Santino" in a year.

Luckily, he seems to be getting more and more intense as the weeks go by. That makes me a happy camper, but all of that comes to a head this Sunday!

Not only does he need to have a great showing, he almost must win this match. I really can't see this going any other way for Zack to come out of this looking strong.

Yeah, Vickie Guerrero could help Dolph win. Yeah, we could get some nonsense with John Cena, but why bother? This has to be Zack Ryder's moment, and with most belts almost certain to stay put, this can be the big title change of the night!

As I said before, he needs (and I mean needs) a huge crowd response from the second he walks through the curtain. He needs fans chanting his name all night. He needs to act like a "star" on Sunday night. Not some "Woo woo woo" goof ball.

He had the crowd at Survivor Series, but we all know that audience is not the true test. It was New York City! They chanted for D'Lo Brown last month, among other things. Again, I can't put too much faith in what they chant for...

This Sunday will be different. He is basically fighting for a spot at WrestleMania 28, in my opinion. Think about how big the next few months are going to be for WWE.

Tons of names are sure to be returning. We all know about the Jan. 2, 2012, edition of Raw. Brodus Clay has to be making a big splash one of these shows. Kane is seemingly going to play a big role going towards Mania.

Lots of wrestlers will be fighting for a match at WrestleMania in Miami. Zack Ryder is not one of the few names guaranteed a slot right now. I don't care how big of a fan you are of Ryder. He is not set in stone for the big dance come April 1.

He needs to prove his worth at WWE TLC. It is not only his biggest chance to make his mark...it may be his last chance.

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