So, Zack Ryder...*ECW Spoilers*

[Mr. Nerfect]

Zack Ryder is the #1 Contender for the ECW Championship. What does everyone think about this? Christian and Zack Ryder had a pretty darn good match on ECW television a few weeks ago, and Ryder really has really mastered his gimmick.

Is he ready to be the ECW Champion? Christian seems to be getting done with William Regal pretty quickly. They can always have Regal win the ECW Title out of nowhere, but it seems like they are putting him on hold to give Ryder a match against Christian. Is this just to give Ryder some more exposure? Beyond Regal, I cannot think of anybody that really could or should win the ECW Title from Christian. Perhaps Zack Ryder could actually win the title? I mean, Chavo Guerrero, Mark Henry and Johnny Nitro have all done it.

[Afterlife]

Could be his test run.

[Chavo Classic]

I mean, Chavo Guerrero, Mark Henry and Johnny Nitro have all done it.

No, what do you mean? Morrison is on a different planet at the moment and Chavo has always been reliable.

In any case, Ryder seems ready. And if not, it's only the ECW championship - if he doesn't make the grade it's hardly like he dropped the ball.

[Afterlife]

I really don't see him as unable to carry the title, though.

[Jimmy Cones]

He lost legit to Yoshi earlier in the night. I don't like it.

[Mr. Nerfect]

That could also be a way of trying to move up Yoshi Tatsu.

Anyway, Ryder is only like 24 years old. He's young, he's already very good, and he's probably only going to get better. He seems to "get" what to do out there. He seems like he could fit on any WWE show right now, so I would not be opposed to seeing him get a run with the ECW Title.

[Afterlife]

That could also be a way of trying to move up Yoshi Tatsu.

Anyway, Ryder is only like 24 years old. He's young, he's already very good, and he's probably only going to get better. He seems to "get" what to do out there. He seems like he could fit on any WWE show right now, so I would not be opposed to seeing him get a run with the ECW Title.

I was just thinking this myself; I could see him effective on both Raw and SmackDown.

[Mr. Nerfect]

To be fair, I can essentially see anyone being effective on SmackDown!, however Ryder would have more of a place there than most. I don't see him getting as lost as others on RAW, either. I think he'd actually make a really good US Champ. Woo Woo Woo! You know it!

[Y2Ant]

That spot where he got clotheslined 360 over the top rope and stayed on his feet was awesome, you can tell the crowd thinks he's eliminated fo sho :o

[The Jayman]

i'm glad Ryder is #1 contender. he can put on a pretty good show and I know him and Christian will have a very good program

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>I'm extremely happy that Ryder is #1 contender. With ECW seemingly focusing more and more as being a development brand, I could see him upsetting Christian, winning a re-match, and Christian ultimately moving over to SmackDown (ECW should probably get somebody back in return, but it doesn't need to be a huge name or anything like that)

WOO WOO WOO

You know it.</font>

[Afterlife]

I'm extremely happy that Ryder is #1 contender. With ECW seemingly focusing more and more as being a development brand, I could see him upsetting Christian, winning a re-match, and Christian ultimately moving over to SmackDown (ECW should probably get somebody back in return, but it doesn't need to be a huge name or anything like that)

WOO WOO WOO

You know it.

I think it would be nice for Ryder to take Xian's title and for Rey to "return" to ECW around the same time. Have Ryder shut down everyone on ECW except Rey; I think those two could put on a great feud.

[Afterlife]

Also, WOO WOO WOO to you too, and yes... I do know it.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I think it would be nice for Ryder to take Xian's title and for Rey to "return" to ECW around the same time. Have Ryder shut down everyone on ECW except Rey; I think those two could put on a great feud.

Bingo. This would serve Rey well, as he's an ECW Original (although the WWE has kindly forgotten that), can teach the new guys a thing or two, and it can sort of be considered "serving time" for testing positive.

Christian going to SmackDown! would do him a world of good. He's been in ECW for most of the year, and it's felt like a pretty long time. He's been ECW Champion twice there, so I don't know what more he can get from winning the title. He's done his time for going to TNA, and if he's going to expand as a character, or really make the WWE any money, he could use a move to even RAW right now.

Zack Ryder vs. Rey Mysterio would be an incredible rivalry. For one, Ryder doesn't look out of place against Mysterio, because he's bigger than him. Their styles would also mesh up really well. Plus, Rey being a former World Heavyweight Champion adds credibility that even Christian didn't bring. Ryder going over Rey would give him credibility as ECW Champion.

One thing I've noticed about Zack Ryder, is just how well his antagonising character meshes up against everybody. He's just so dislikable that even heels have a reason to want to kick his ass. I can imagine straight-arrows like William Regal and Paul Burchill facing him for the ECW Title, without a face turn for any man neccessary.

I'd also like to bring up Curt Hawkins around this time, too. Maybe Brett Major did have all the personality and talent, but truthfully, Hawkins seemed like he was more "fluid" in the ring than Ryder. Hawkins is pretty much MIA, but given how much of a relative success Ryder has turned out to be, I would not be opposed to seeing Hawkins come in as a sort of "Raven" figure, and start haunting Ryder. Apparently Hawkins has been doing a bit of an emo thing in FCW, or something? Hawkins asking Ryder if he remembers him, and Ryder telling him he looks like a freak could be bizarrely entertaining.

It's really quite unusual to see one half of a tag team doing so well, and the other doing nothing, when both had quite a lot of potential. I think Hawkins showing up in ECW could be very productive for both men.

[Afterlife]

I would very much like to get Hawkins up and running. His finisher looked brutal, and they never even made it known that he had one.

I really don't know if I'd put him on the same show as Ryder, though. I'd move Ryder to SD before I put Hawkins on ECW.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I am all for this feud for the mic duels alone. Christian will clown Ryder hard and it will be hilarious.

On an only slightly related noted, during that backstage segment with Goldust and Tatsu when Ryder said 'Bro, are you serious? You got jokes?', I laughed pretty hard. Woo woo woo.

[Gertner]

Probably the greatest thing ever.

[Nicky Fives]

Woo Woo Woo!

[The Jayman]

yeah i'm pretty sure in their mic duels the word "bro" will be used alot

[DAMN iNATOR]

I would definitely approve a (lengthy) ECW Championship run for one Matthew Cardona.:y:

[Anybody Thrilla]

Knowing real names does not make you cool.

[DAMN iNATOR]

OH NO! YOU DON'T APPROVE OF ME! WHATEVER WILL I DO NOW?:roll:

[DaveBrawl]

If you hit him Thrilla I'll say he fell. :shifty:

[Anybody Thrilla]

My comment wasn't directed at YOU in particular. Just a general statement.

[Evil Vito]

Bingo. This would serve Rey well, as he's an ECW Original (although the WWE has kindly forgotten that), can teach the new guys a thing or two, and it can sort of be considered "serving time" for testing positive.

Christian going to SmackDown! would do him a world of good. He's been in ECW for most of the year, and it's felt like a pretty long time. He's been ECW Champion twice there, so I don't know what more he can get from winning the title. He's done his time for going to TNA, and if he's going to expand as a character, or really make the WWE any money, he could use a move to even RAW right now.

Zack Ryder vs. Rey Mysterio would be an incredible rivalry. For one, Ryder doesn't look out of place against Mysterio, because he's bigger than him. Their styles would also mesh up really well. Plus, Rey being a former World Heavyweight Champion adds credibility that even Christian didn't bring. Ryder going over Rey would give him credibility as ECW Champion.

One thing I've noticed about Zack Ryder, is just how well his antagonising character meshes up against everybody. He's just so dislikable that even heels have a reason to want to kick his ass. I can imagine straight-arrows like William Regal and Paul Burchill facing him for the ECW Title, without a face turn for any man neccessary.

I'd also like to bring up Curt Hawkins around this time, too. Maybe Brett Major did have all the personality and talent, but truthfully, Hawkins seemed like he was more "fluid" in the ring than Ryder. Hawkins is pretty much MIA, but given how much of a relative success Ryder has turned out to be, I would not be opposed to seeing Hawkins come in as a sort of "Raven" figure, and start haunting Ryder. Apparently Hawkins has been doing a bit of an emo thing in FCW, or something? Hawkins asking Ryder if he remembers him, and Ryder telling him he looks like a freak could be bizarrely entertaining.

It's really quite unusual to see one half of a tag team doing so well, and the other doing nothing, when both had quite a lot of potential. I think Hawkins showing up in ECW could be very productive for both men.

<font color=goldenrod>Yeah, Hawkins coming up in a dark gimmick would be great. I think the last time he was even seen on camera was as a Lumberjack in the first two matches for the Unified Tag Team Titles, since Ryder got moved I feel as if they've forgotten Hawkins was employed.

My only concern is that all I've heard is that it's an emo gimmick. What kind of emo though? I'm hoping it's dark and awesome...not gay "cut my wrists!!!" emo.</font>

[XCaliber]

This is terrific I've been a huge Ryder fan since he teamed up with Edge but oodly enough I didn't realize he was that young. With his new gimmick he hasn't really evolved all that much so despite it being a very good matchup I highly doubt he will be the one to defeat Christian. In fact right now I can't see him ever becoming ECW Champ for that matter although I can see him being moved over to RAW and perhaps being US Champ in the near future.

[Triple Naitch]

I always love the story of when a guy wrestles twice in one night. He loses the first match and then is thrown in the main event as a long shot. Bret Hart did it great, Jericho did it great, and Ryder did it phenomenal last night. His celebration after winning was epic.

[Halbowsky]

I love this move. This is exactly what RAW and Smackdown! should be doing. Instead of seeing the same people in the main event on RAW and the eventual Batista title match after title match on SD, ECW gives someone a chance in the main event who you would normally never see. A few months ago, the very talented Zack Ryder was probably thinking to himself how he's just lucky to have a job. Now, he's in the ECW main event picture.

Kudos to whoever decided on giving Zack a real chance.

[thedamndest]

Talented? Sure. ECW Champion? No. People complain about the ECW title not being taken seriously. Putting it on Zach Ryder at this stage in his career is only going to validate those claims. I am all for having him challenge for it though. Having him face Christian as the number one contender is a great way to raise his stock, but now isn't his time to be the face of ECW.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Talented? Sure. ECW Champion? No. People complain about the ECW title not being taken seriously. Putting it on Zach Ryder at this stage in his career is only going to validate those claims. I am all for having him challenge for it though. Having him face Christian as the number one contender is a great way to raise his stock, but now isn't his time to be the face of ECW.

I must respectfully disagree. I think Zack has matured enough in his singles career to the point where he's more than ready, and also, perhaps overqualified for becoming the next ECW Champion. Also, having Christian drop the belt to Ryder would make sense from Christian's standpoint as it would open the gate for him to move to SD!, perhaps even RAW. So as I've already said before, nothing but great things can come from having Ryder win the ECW Championship.

[Juan]

Talented? Sure. ECW Champion? No. People complain about the ECW title not being taken seriously. Putting it on Zach Ryder at this stage in his career is only going to validate those claims. I am all for having him challenge for it though. Having him face Christian as the number one contender is a great way to raise his stock, but now isn't his time to be the face of ECW.

100% agree. I love Ryder as much as the next guy, but no way should he be ECW at this stage in his career.

[Juan]

DAMN iNATOR, you have shown that you have horrible taste in everything, so you giving Ryder your seal of approval kind of worries me.

[Skippord]

I agree with my mexican bumblebee friend

[Triple Naitch]

I love Ryder as much as the next guy, but how is he overqualified? He has lost in 3 of the past 4 weeks, and his only singles win was against a jobber. I'm hoping he goes on a good winning streak before he cashes in.

[Kami Raki]

I've never seen the poor guy.

[Jannettyzilla]

I really liked how this battle royal was booked. It opened up a lot of possibilities, like starting Sheamus and Shelton (which should solidify Shelton as a face), showing that Zeke and Vlad can learn more from Regal before becoming superbeasts, and even giving Goldust back some cred for how long he stayed in.

But yeah, I don't think putting Ryder over as champ yet works. Ideally I'd like to see him give a strong challenge while the guys mentioned above work on their issues, which should give us a clear indication of who will take the title off Christian in his next program. By then, he'll be ready to move on and hopefully we'll have several qualified challengers for the show's crown.

Although, I do worry about how light ECW is on faces. Goldust and Dreamer are old, Shelton's always on the fence, Hurricane and Tatsu are short, and Reks is dull. Regal, Zeke, Kozlov, Ryder, Sheamus, and even Burchill all seem to have more upside on the brand.

[Innovator]

Happy with Zack winning, but was pulling for Shelton

[Anybody Thrilla]

Yeah, wow, I love Zack Ryder, but to say he is overqualified is pretty far-fetched. He's awesome, but he's really not even that over. I was at the Smackdown/ECW taping on May 19th and he got about zero reaction (aside from myself).

The only reason I think it'd be OK for him to win the ECW title is because aside from Regal, there aren't many other heels who would look much better. Kozlov might be a decent choice, but I don't see it with him wrapped up in Regal's stable. Sheamus isn't ready. Burchill may even be OK, but he's feuding with the Hurricane right now. I think Ryder is getting the contender nod pretty much by default.

Still though, I think he's the man.

[James Diesel]

My only concern is that all I've heard is that it's an emo gimmick. What kind of emo though? I'm hoping it's dark and awesome...not gay "cut my wrists!!!" emo.


Hardcore Emo???


http://bxcwrestling.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/dieseljames.jpg.w300h400.jpg

[Mr. Nerfect]

I think it'll just be a look for Hawkins. He's got a youthful "boyish charm" about him, so he'll probably have the "cute" emo look. But hopefully his personality is dark. Not violent dark, but don't have him try to be an emo parody.

[Mogadishu]

Zack Ryder is the #1 Contender for the ECW Championship. What does everyone think about this? Christian and Zack Ryder had a pretty darn good match on ECW television a few weeks ago, and Ryder really has really mastered his gimmick.

Is he ready to be the ECW Champion? Christian seems to be getting done with William Regal pretty quickly. They can always have Regal win the ECW Title out of nowhere, but it seems like they are putting him on hold to give Ryder a match against Christian. Is this just to give Ryder some more exposure? Beyond Regal, I cannot think of anybody that really could or should win the ECW Title from Christian. Perhaps Zack Ryder could actually win the title? I mean, Chavo Guerrero, Mark Henry and Johnny Nitro have all done it.

Although I am a huge fan of ECW for the fact that they actually push new and younger stars, I just don't like the fact that the presence of ECW basically hurts the depth of the other shows.

I love the fact that Christian, Ryder, etc., are getting pushed, but they should be receiving these pushes on the bigger shows....especially Christian!

This is probably a stupid idea but I'll say it anyways. If it was up to me? I'd strongly consider making ECW, in its entirety, a show devoted towards Cruiserweights and the Women's division. Build ECW around Rey Mysterio, Evan Bourne, and Mickie James.

That way, ECW also has a discernible identity....and isn't just seen as 'RAW light' or 'Smackdown light.'

[Mr. Nerfect]

That's not entirely a bad idea, but I don't see a problem with how ECW currently is. I just wish they'd maybe get a big star to help them out every now and then. Rey Mysterio would be fine, and eventually Edge would be good. If he ever re-signs, Jeff Hardy would also fit ECW. It'd help if every now and then, a major star held the ECW Championship.

[Mogadishu]

That's not entirely a bad idea, but I don't see a problem with how ECW currently is.

I just dislike the fact that get ECW gets such minimal exposure and subsequent minimal ratings.

Yes - guys like Christian and Zack Ryder get the top spots, but does anyone actually care?

In Christian's case, it just annoys me that the guy could be so much more. If pushed right, Christian could easily be one of the top faces in the entire company.

ECW is designed to fail the way it is structured. Think about it - any young talented guy that shows promises on ECW, is ultimately shipped off to either RAW or Smackdown. Ultimately, ECW is basically a show that will always play 2nd fiddle to both RAW and Smackdown.

[Afterlife]

I think it'll just be a look for Hawkins. He's got a youthful "boyish charm" about him, so he'll probably have the "cute" emo look. But hopefully his personality is dark. Not violent dark, but don't have him try to be an emo parody.

Just give him a dark, sleek appearance and a smooth, verbally indirect, "I know something you don't know" attitude.

Ohm and cal his facebuster "The Downside" or something like that.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Just give him a dark, sleek appearance and a smooth, verbally indirect, "I know something you don't know" attitude.

Ohm and cal his facebuster "The Downside" or something like that.


That would work. I'd really be right into a feud between Ryder and Hawkins, actually. Zack Attack vs. Downside. :y:

[Anybody Thrilla]

Did anybody hear Zack Ryder on commentary on Superstars? It was glorious.

[The Jayman]

and so was the match he was commentating on

[Mr. Nerfect]

Is it up on YouTube? I love me some Christian; I love me some Paul Burchill; I love me some Zack Ryder; I love me some Josh Mathews; I love me some Matt Striker; and if Katie Lea's there...bonus.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Is it up on YouTube? I love me some Christian; I love me some Paul Burchill; I love me some Zack Ryder; I love me some Josh Mathews; I love me some Matt Striker; and if Katie Lea's there...bonus.

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