What is going on with Zack Ryder?

Let me preface everything by saying that I am in no way a Zack Ryder mark. I like him. I think he's a good guy with charisma and potential. When he finally received his push in late 2011, I was happy for him, but I would not go so far as to say that I have any sort of emotional investment in his performance.

After months of getting himself over with the fans via online social media sites, Zack Ryder began regularly appearing on television by October. By November, Ryder was officially in the hunt for the United States Championship. In December, at the TLC pay-per-view, Ryder challenged then U.S. Champion, Dolph Ziggler, and was victorious. The United States Championship was his first singles title of any kind in the WWE.

Two months later and Ryder has fallen off. (pun intended)

Only a few weeks after becoming U.S. Champion, Ryder was inserted into the Kane/John Cena angle. Kane used Cena's friendship with Ryder in attempts to get Cena to "embrace the hate." After a brutal assault by the Big Red Machine one week, Ryder was forced to defend his U.S. title against Jack Swagger the next. He would drop the strap to Swagger and face Kane the week after in a falls count anywhere match. The match resulted in a no-contest after Kane chokeslammed Ryder through the stage and Ryder suffered a "broken back." He has not competed since.

Ryder would appear at the Royal Rumble where he was once again assaulted by Kane. After another absence, Ryder re-appeared last night on RAW. Tying together a Valentine's Day theme, Zack looked to close the deal with his crush; WWE diva Eve Torres. Confined to a wheelchair, Ryder intended to give a Valentine's gift to Eve and tell her his true feelings. Before he could, Kane attempted to abduct Eve into the back of an ambulance. In comes John Cena for the rescue. After a skirmish, Kane gets into the front of the ambulance and begins to drive away with Eve in the back. At the last second, Eve jumps out and embraces John Cena. Her and Cena share a passionate kiss as Ryder looks on in shock. Zack wheels himself away in anger, only to have Eve chase him down. She says that she did not know Zack had those sort of feelings for her and hopes they can still be friends. Ryder got very angry and wheeled away again.

At the very end of the show, Cena came to the ring to apologize. Eventually, Ryder interrupted and made his way to the ring on crutches. The confrontation resulted in Ryder slapping Cena and Cena pushing him down in retaliation. Ryder went back to the stage and a video of Kane played on the titantron. After Kane said Cena would be leaving in an ambulance after their match this Sunday, he re-emerged behind Ryder. With Zack back in his wheelchair, Kane pushed him off the side of the stage. The show ended with Cena, Eve and trainers coming to his aid as he was put on a stretcher.

One month ago, many said Zack Ryder had nothing to worry about even when he lost the U.S. title. He was a key part in one of the most focused on story-lines in all of WWE. Now he's been reduced to WWE's Kenny McCormick-styled prop.

That begs the question: What's next?

It's fair to assume that the Kane/Cena angle will come to a head this Sunday at Elimination Chamber. Cena will soon begin to solely focus on his Wrestlemania match with the Rock - which is already getting much hype on Twitter and through on-air video packages. With the current feud coming to an end, what will Zack Ryder do? Will he simply be written off of television for the next couple of months? Will he take over Cena's place and begin feuding with Kane? Will he turn heel?

I may certainly be wrong, but my guess is that he won't be used in any sort of major package. Truth be told, I find that unfortunate. Zack Ryder seemed to be on top of the world when he became U.S. champion. That was quickly taken away and he was used as a tool in this Kane/Cena feud. If he doesn't resurface in some sort of way between now and Wrestlemania, I'm going to question the logic behind what has been done to him.

As I've said, I'm no Ryder mark. I can, however, recognize that he has lots of fans and was seemingly very over as recently as two months ago. Even if you personally do not like him, you still cannot deny him of that fact. I thought he'd for sure get some sort of spotlight for this year's Wrestlemania, even if it was a minor match. If the past month truly has been a fall from grace for him, label me disappointed in the decision making. Zack Ryder is not a main event caliber star. However, he was one of, if not the most over mid-card competitor on the entire roster. If taking away his championship (and subsequently making the U.S. title irrelevant by giving it to Swagger) was not a means to an end, I think it's safe to say that Ryder was screwed - and I'm not one to jump to such a conclusion (despite being a Christian mark). With that said, we'll have to wait and see what's in store for Long Island Iced Z.











HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY