WWE 2011: Why Zack Ryder Is the Most Overall Improved Wrestler This Year

The year 2011 is drawing to a close and for some superstars it has been a banner year in WWE. CM Punk rose to prominence, Daniel Bryan won his first world title and Dolph Ziggler has turned heads week after week.

One person in particular who has had a more intriguing and inspiring story this year is the one and only Long Island Iced Z Zack Ryder.

His rise to fame is completely unique as he is the only person I can think of who got himself over without any help from WWE.

Ryder was frustrated with not being used properly and not being given a chance to show what he is capable of, so he took a camera and started making videos.

He uploaded these videos on YouTube as nothing more than something fun to do and to get his name out there a little. His sense of humor and Morrison-loving father endeared him to fans in a way people did not know he was capable of.

Soon these videos began gaining momentum, and top guys like Cena, Punk and Miz began singing Ryder praises as one of the funniest people out there.

Ryder also used Twitter to connect with the fans, and soon Ryder signs began appearing all over the crowd in WWE shows.

At first WWE was taking these signs away, but they could not ignore the fans forever and soon Ryder began popping up on TV a bit more.

Within a couple of months he was competing on Raw, helping Teddy on SmackDown and still making the rounds on Superstars.

Once Ryder was given a PPV match against Dolph Ziggler for the U.S. title it became clear WWE was taking his push seriously.

Despite losing that first title match Ryder showed he had some skill in the ring and could put on a good match. He may not be up to the standards of a Daniel Bryan or a William Regal on the mat, but he is holding his own nicely.

This past Monday was a great night as CM Punk helped celebrate Ryder and Bryan's title wins from TLC. Seeing these three guys together as champions with Kofi, Evan, Cody and Beth rounding out the WWE titleholders makes me feel positive about WWE's future.

These young guys are the ones who will be carrying the company in five to 10 years, and WWE sees that. Last night on SmackDown Ryder got a win over Cody Rhodes, albeit after Booker started singing "Cody the red-nosed reindeer."

I am looking for Ryder to have a good run with the U.S. Title and to keep improving and keep gaining fans over the next few years.

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