Grading Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder was a F. He was not being pushed at all. He might as well have been released. He connected with fans through an Internet show. That soon led to fans chanting for him during events, even though he was not involved in whatever was going on. The WWE noticed. They skyrocketed him all the way to being a D player. That didn't seem to please fans. The WWE kept dragging their feet when it came to pushing Zack Ryder. He eventually won the United States title and got involved in a major storyline involving John Cena. That storyline, however, was more about making Cena look good. Ryder was just a supporting player and soon got depushed again. In terms of how he was being pushed, I would say he peaked at being a B+ player. He was never a true main-eventer, but he was pushed better than some midcarders at the time. Did Zack Ryder deserve better?

How do I view Zack Ryder as a critic? I am not talking about critiquing his Internet show. And that's not just because I have still never watched it. If you are determining whether this guy deserved a better wrestling push, you should be critiquing him as a wrestling performer. Let me start with his wrestling ability. He was not as horrible as The Great Khali, but not as great as a Kurt Angle. He was solid. I personally find someone like Kofi Kingston more entertaining in the ring. Even Ryback can be sold as a dominating individual. Zack Ryder's ability does not really stand out. How about his charisma and mic skills? Again, I am not going by how he performs on the web. I am sure he deserves high marks there based on how over it got him. He has a unique gimmick, which also includes him having a unique look. I like that. I am just not drawn to his charisma. Overall, I would give Ryder a C+. As a critic, I would not recommend Zack Ryder to get a push. He should be a lower-midcarder.

Of course, I never let my personal feelings determine whether or not I think someone should get a good push and good career. What matters is how well they can get the job done. Just how over did Zack Ryder get back then? Some say he only had a "cult" following. There may be some truth in that. He got over on the Internet. Internet fans can get very vocal. But the way the fans were reacting for him definitely does not seem like mediocre overness to me. At the same time, was it at the level that Daniel Bryan is at now? You can usually see a sea of fans supporting Daniel Bryan every week. I don't think Zack Ryder was that over. And you also have to take into account that the WWE succeeded in burying him. If Zack Ryder's overness really was stronger, they would not have been able to do it so easily. He does still get decent reactions whenever he is out there. No A+ results for him, but I think he was doing better than the respectable B that you can expect for most midcard faces. I would say Zack Ryder was bringing B+ results.

Taking everything into account, I think Zack Ryder did deserve a better push. Yes, he did not get over by doing what a pro wrestler is supposed to do, but he was not in a position to get over as a pro wrestler. He can even be criticized for not being too great, but I think he would have been a good fit for the midcard. That push he did end up getting was more about Cena and the WWE did not follow through properly with Ryder after it was over. There is nothing wrong with pushing over workers in the midcard. Did Ryder's complaining hurt his push? I think they would have found a reason to bury him no matter what. The fact that they never wanted to push this guy points to that. His whole Internet gimmick might have even led to some interesting storylines and segments. The WWE only did a little bit. The midcard is a mess. Zack Ryder could have helped make things better.

Why bother talking about a guy that is probably not an A+ player in any sense of the term? A+ players are not the only ones that matter. Moreover, the WWE's mistreatment of Ryder is another sign of the larger issue of not giving guys that bring great results better pushes and treatment. Ryder is still trying to stay relevant. Where will that get him?