Is the Ryder push a bad thing?

Is the Ryder push a bad thing?

I don’t hate the mainstream. Quite the opposite really. I love Disney and Batman more than most things in life, both of which are both mainstream. If I like it, I like it, regardless of how popular it is. That being said, in the wide world of Wrestling I tend to veer away from the zeitgeist of the most popular wrestlers. I don’t think it’s anything to do with the actual popularity of said wrestlers, just the way they are booked and appreciated by the more casual fans. 

I don’t mean to sound like a wrestling snob, but the fans that like Cena and Orton because there the most popular annoy me. I’m sorry they do, I can’t help it. So it’s this appreciation by the fans, among other things, that deters me from the most popular guys in the company. 

But along with this fan appreciation, it has a lot to do with the WWE’s booking of the bigger stars of the company. It’s happened to Cena, it’s happened to Orton and its happening to Punk. When a superstar gets really popular as a heel, the WWE will turn them heel and turn the once popular character on its head. 

Cena started off as a rapper, who said what he wanted and didn’t care about the consequences. Orton was a gang leader, who DDT’d the bosses daughter off the middle rope and kicked people in the head just because he had a problem with them. Punk was the leader of a cult, who would speak out against everyone, even the fans, whenever he felt like it. 

When these three characters got over  with the fans, the WWE ultimately turned them babyface. There is nothing wrong with that, if they kept the same character. This was not the case. Their character’s changed. 

Instead of cutting raps and speaking his mind, John Cena now fights for respect and is the new Hulk Hogan in Jeans Shorts. Randy Orton is now an invincible babyface, who doesn’t need to cheat to win, because he beats everyone anyway. CM Punk, in recent months has teamed with the people he claimed to hate, just mere weeks before. 

Its changes in character like this, that makes me fear for Zack Ryder. 

I’m not going to claim that I was the first to appreciate Zack Ryder or anything like that. I appreciated him on ECW and thought he deserved a chance, but that was it. When Zack posted the first Z! True Long Island story, I was immediately hooked. I thought the guy was a genius and like most who watched it, I started to root for the Long Island Iced Z! 

When each week went by and Zack was still unnoticed, I started getting more and more annoyed that the WWE was overlooking this talent. However, after weeks of hard work from Zack, he started appearing on television. Only briefly at first. But, now Zack has become a regular, even appearing alongside John Cena in the main event last week. His popularity with the fans has grown as well. It’s not just the internet fans who now appreciate Zack, it’s everybody. 

I know, I sound like a spoilt child who has got his own way, but still finds something to moan about. Honestly, that is not the case. I really like Zack as a performer and think that he’s a genuinely nice guy who’s only passion in life is to wrestle. I just don’t want to see him ruined, like wrestlers before him. 

I hate to admit it, but I can see it happening. Gone will be the days of Zack being the geeky, but charming underdog who loves boy bands and Ghostbusters. Zack will turn into a baby face machine, who beats heels with ease and loves the fans more than N-Sync, what’s up with that? 

I’m happy for Zack to get over, win a championship and establish himself as a star. I think he deserves it more than most. But, please don’t change his character. We already have A John Cena, we don’t need another one. What we need is Zack Ryder. 

Hope you enjoyed the column.
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Until next time, enjoy the show

Daniel Morris