What I want to talk about with these two guys is their overness. You can say that both of these wrestlers have unconventional stories to them in terms of overness. What do I mean by that? A wrestler will typically get over by how well they can connect with the audience when they go out to perform for them during the show. The stories with Zack Ryder and Fandango are a lot different.
First, you have Zack Ryder. This guy was a lower-midcarder. He was doing nothing or next to nothing on the main shows. But he got very over. In case you have forgotten, he did it through his web show. That got him so over, it put the WWE in the position where they had to push him. And they didn't want to. They danced around it for a while, created a storyline that made John Cena look like Ryder's best friend, gave Zack Ryder a moment where he won the U.S. title, continued to use him as a pawn in Cena's matters, then let him drop off again. You saw him this week on Raw in the main event, but he really hasn't been used well since the early part of last year.
Fandango's story is even more peculiar. He has this dancing gimmick. He has these hot women he has been dancing with since the gimmick started. He loves to tell you how to say his name. But none of that is what has connected him with the fans. In fact, you can even question if he really has connected with the fans. His theme song gets a great reaction from the fans. Are they dancing along because they find Fandango entertaining or because it is a fad started by that crazy audience a few months back? Regardless, the WWE has been pretty consistent with him. He has not won any titles, but an injury is probably the only reason he never won the Intercontinental Championship a few months ago. He is coming off a feud with Miz that really looks like meaningless filler now. Miz has now been getting more involved in the corporate storyline. Showing better consistency with that prior to Night of Champions would have been nice. The feud between the two seems to have done really nothing for either in the long run and I still say a feud between R-Truth and Fandango would have been more entertaining. Am I going to complain about this every two weeks? Yes. Nevertheless, when you look at how much the WWE has done for Fandango, including that feud with Jericho, this is obviously a guy they like. But do the fans really like him? Or is it just the theme song?
No matter the reasons for their overness and what the WWE has done with them, you cannot deny that both have gotten great reactions and caused a buzz. The WWE created negative buzz for not giving Zack Ryder a push right away. Fans would chant for him regularly, even when he wasn't out there. The WWE created positive buzz through Fandango. Media outside of wrestling picked up on "Fandangoing" for a while. Whose story do you prefer?
Moving away from analyzing these guys in terms of overness, let me give my personal opinion on which of the two I think deserves to be pushed. As I am sure I have pointed out here and there numerous times, I am not a fan of either of them. I have never watched Zack Ryder's show. I don't like Fandango's theme song. I wouldn't say I hate either of them. I want to see them used properly and in a manner they deserve. All that being said, I would pick Zack Ryder over Fandango. There are a few reasons why. First, you just know for sure that this guy really got over. The fans liked him. With Fandango, it seems to be more over the theme song than the performer. Second, Zack Ryder never got a legitimate opportunity, in my opinion. I don't think it is even a matter of opinion. His "push" was mostly him being used in a storyline that was more about Cena. When it was all over, they dropped him like he was a credible jobber in the diva division. Fandango has been getting better opportunities than that and has been featured more consistently. Lastly, it would be nice to see a face pushed in the midcard that isn't Kofi Kingston. I know Santino is back, but he is a comedy character. I think Zack Ryder has potential to be more than just a gimmick. That push he did get, even though it was overshadowed by Cena matters, wasn't just a comedy storyline. They should do a better job of rotating around their midcarders, and Ryder should be one of them.
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