WWE: Zack Ryder deserved better after 14 years of loyalty

Zack Ryder stayed loyal and stayed ready for anything thrown his way. Unfortunately, he was disrespected and let down by WWE.

Zack Ryder was among the names of those released by WWE last week during the shocking and upsetting mass cuts. Some may view Ryder as nothing more than an enhancement talent, but in all actuality, I believe he helped enhance WWE.

I didn’t become a weekly WWE viewer until 2011, the same year that Ryder launched himself into popularity with his Z! True Long Island Story show on YouTube. The Broski was slowly finding relevance in the midcard scene on Monday Night Raw, and I was indeed becoming a fan.

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I wasn’t the only one, though. No one can forget the time “We Want Ryder” chants forced none other than The Rock to stop his promo inside Madison Square Garden. These chants were heard for months before WWE was forced to acknowledge (and reward) Zack Ryder for getting himself over.

The stars aligned at TLC 2011 when Ryder defeated Dolph Ziggler for the United States Championship in the opening match. This was just the beginning of months and years of success, right? As we know, Ryder dropped the title to Jack Swagger a month later and was subsequently destroyed by Kane.

He got to be on the WrestleMania 28 card, but was on the receiving end of a low-blow from former love interest, Eve Torres. His career was hardly ever the same after that. Interestingly enough, that period was only around the half-way point of his WWE career.

Even before his 15 minutes of fame, Ryder won the Tag Team Championship alongside Curt Hawkins after spending time under the wings of the legendary Edge. He was also a member of the WWE ECW roster at one point. Then he won the U.S. Title, got injured, came back, aligned with Mojo Rawley in NXT, re-debuted on SmackDown, reunited with Hawkins, and the rest is now history.

Let’s face it, Zack Ryder was probably never going to be a World Champion. Not everyone wins the big one, but that’s why there are other championships, several of which Ryder did win. However, Ryder was worth more than the stop-and-go, short-lived pushes he received over the years.

The master of the Broski Boot helped usher in WWE’s digital presence, especially on YouTube. Despite opening their eyes to the power of social media, the powers that be seemingly resented Ryder for getting himself over. And that is so frustrating.

If you have someone who gets loud chants, can sell several merchandise items, and puts smiles on faces, why wouldn’t you put that person in the spotlight a little more often? Instead, he was merely a stepping stone for Cesaro, Rusev, Mojo Rawley, and several tag teams for many years.

I admire Zack Ryder for his loyalty to WWE. I admire Ryder for his perseverance through all the booking woes even if it only resulted in a couple of WrestleMania moments (which I’m thankful for). It just really sucks that his name was one of the first to pop up when WWE decided to pinch pennies despite being a multi-million dollar company.

At the very least, Matt Cardona is almost 35 years old and he still has plenty of fuel left in the tank. AEW seems like a possible destination considering his friendship with Cody, but I know that the former Broski will thrive wherever he goes. After fourteen years as a WWE superstar, this is only the beginning.

Next. Heath Slater has an encore coming. dark

What are your favorite Zack Ryder moments? What do you think is next for his career? Sound off below!

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