Zack Ryder: Next Big Thing or Flash in the Pan?

XL · 12-10-2011, 05:48 AM

Part of me thinks that it's a case of us being "on the bandwagon" early on. A lot of us have been watching Z! True Long Island Story since February, 10-11 months later maybe we're not as enamoured as we were then? Meanwhile, a lot of the "target audience" have only recently caught on. To them he is fresh, to us maybe he's starting to go a little "stale". That's just a thought.

Also, we as a group have a tendency to second guess everything. Guys with no exposure suddenly have "too much", Rock's return is great...until people get bored of the "phoned in promos", Punk's "pipe bombs" are glorious until 3 weeks later when they are "tired and desperate", etc, etc. Maybe this is one of those things.

To me, the fact that Ryder was all over Raw (and also had a match on SmackDown this week) is indicative of a change in approach from WWE. Ryder, Ziggler, Rhodes, Barrett are all getting a ton of exposure at the minute and are getting the job done. I hope that WWE can capitalize on the progress they have made with these guys but to do so they need to realize that there is a thin line between exposure and over exposure.

As for Ryder himself, I feel some of the criticism levelled at him is unfair. The character is corny and over-the-top, it only makes sense that his promos/reactions are in line with that. He's a decent in-ring talent that has a great handle on his character and is moving merch (even if some of it is absolute tat).

He can be a useful upper-midcard guy for years to come if WWE handle him correctly. If anything it's up to them to make sure he isn't a "flash in the pan". That said, by no means do I think he is the "Next Big Thing" on the level of a Cena, Orton or Punk.

12-10-2011, 05:48 AM	#39
XL Feeling Oof-y Posts: 17,151	Part of me thinks that it's a case of us being "on the bandwagon" early on. A lot of us have been watching Z! True Long Island Story since February, 10-11 months later maybe we're not as enamoured as we were then? Meanwhile, a lot of the "target audience" have only recently caught on. To them he is fresh, to us maybe he's starting to go a little "stale". That's just a thought. Also, we as a group have a tendency to second guess everything. Guys with no exposure suddenly have "too much", Rock's return is great...until people get bored of the "phoned in promos", Punk's "pipe bombs" are glorious until 3 weeks later when they are "tired and desperate", etc, etc. Maybe this is one of those things. To me, the fact that Ryder was all over Raw (and also had a match on SmackDown this week) is indicative of a change in approach from WWE. Ryder, Ziggler, Rhodes, Barrett are all getting a ton of exposure at the minute and are getting the job done. I hope that WWE can capitalize on the progress they have made with these guys but to do so they need to realize that there is a thin line between exposure and over exposure. As for Ryder himself, I feel some of the criticism levelled at him is unfair. The character is corny and over-the-top, it only makes sense that his promos/reactions are in line with that. He's a decent in-ring talent that has a great handle on his character and is moving merch (even if some of it is absolute tat). He can be a useful upper-midcard guy for years to come if WWE handle him correctly. If anything it's up to them to make sure he isn't a "flash in the pan". That said, by no means do I think he is the "Next Big Thing" on the level of a Cena, Orton or Punk.