Posts Tagged ‘Zach Ryder’

5 Superstars Who Would Benefit From Leaving WWE

Cody Rhodes is a prime example of someone who left WWE and reached even greater levels of success on his own terms on the independent scene.

While working for WWE is the dream of most professional wrestlers, there are a lot of performers who we think have more potential in other promotions.

Here are 5 WWE superstars who I think would benefit from working elsewhere:

Dolph Ziggler:

dolph ziggler

Dolph Ziggler

Recent reports have suggested that Dolph Ziggler isn’t content in his current role at WWE.  Having introduced Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode to the main roster with opening feuds that have seen him on the losing end overall, Dolph isn’t exactly progressing towards significant title opportunities that he was accustomed to previously in his career.

His current entrance, with no music, sums up his entire direction and drive at the moment: there is none!  I don’t believe that this is due to him personally, but how he is being used within the company.  The perfect example is his absence from this month’s Survivor Series PPV.

The plan for Dolph Ziggler should be to leave WWE, re-invent himself having toured other companies, and return to WWE a new man!

Zach Ryder:

zack ryder

The Hype Bros just don’t have the hype anymore; some may ask whether they ever had any hype at all.  And since returning from a knee injury after 6 months off, Zach Ryder has been involved in more losing matches than winning.  One of his last memorable moments came in the form of Wrestlemania 32:

But this is rumoured to have only come about because Neville had broken his ankle.

Since partnered with Mojo Rawley, The Hype Bros have been able to work their way into number 1 contender positions, but haven’t been able to convert these opportunities into meaningful  title reigns. With Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin being pushed, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn potentially working as tag-team partners, as well as the return of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan as The Bludgeon Brothers, The Hype Bros aren’t likely to feature in many significant matches in the near future.

Another problem Ryder faces is his one-dimensional tag team partner, Mojo Rawley.  Mojo Rawley won the Andre The Giant Battle Royale Memorial Match… and has done nothing with it; the year before Baron Corbin won the same match.

Ryder could simply part ways with his tag partner, but it then appears difficult to place him in the ring with other superstars who have overtaken him in the singles division.  The worry would be that he ends up doing nothing, much like he is doing now.

Given the chance to leave WWE, Zach Ryder is just about young enough to alter his persona and break away from WWE, whilst also using his experience to put on good matches and build himself up out on the independent circuit.

It may seem unlikely, but let’s remember that Simon Gotch has done extremely well for himself since leaving WWE.

Gentleman Jack Gallagher:

jack gallaher

Jack Gallagher is a shadow of his former self.  The 205 Live superstar was a fantastic face, with brutal headbutts and an umbrella named William the Third!  He has since turned heel and lost all moment that he had.  I personally believe that he should have won the Cruiserweight Championship from Neville.

However, the main reason why Jack Gallagher should move away from WWE is centred around the division he is in: 205 Live.  The show isn’t big enough for more than 1 or 2 main superstars, everyone else takes a backseat and can’t develop their career.  Furthermore, after the departure of Austin Aries and Neville, WWE brought in Enzo Amore and Kalisto – they didn’t even promote superstars from within the division!

Jack Gallagher needs to leave and continue this persona with other companies where he can earn and take genuine steps forward, rather than being ignored.  If I were him, I would be talking to Neville and other promotions, starting in the UK.

Chad Gable:

gable and jordan sd new day

Unlike Zach Ryder, Chad Gable is currently part of a tag-team which could deliver in the next year.  Gable has teamed up with Shelton Benjamin after Jason Jordan parted ways with American Alpha to seek success as a singles competitor.  The truth is, Chad Gable is just as impressive on his own, and deserves to be on the singles scene as much as Jordan.  Unfortunately for Gable, Jordan was given priority.

While Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin were able to defeat The Usos via countout, many say the match appeared weird and suspect an injury forced a quick end.  However WWE’s willing to have the match at all shows a desire to push the newly formed tag-team which could lead to title opportunities in the future.

The main point is: if Chad Gable becomes a singles competitor, he should leave WWE.  If he stays in a tag team, he should remain where he is already established.  Chad Gable had a few singles matches, and put on a great performance against AJ Styles, but didn’t appear to be rewarded for it.  He needs to be somewhere that casts him as a legitimate champion, which I believe is more achievable for him outside WWE.

Rusev:

rusev 2

Rusev looks the part, sounds the part, and sells an RKO better than anyone else.  He is also active outside the ring, and entertaining on twitter.

The bad news for him is that WWE have cornered him into a stereotypical role that has no freedom or creativity.  Getting Rusev to pursue nationalistic goals, like flag matches and Rusev Day, doesn’t develop his character and he just ends up helping others look better than he is.

Much like Dolph Ziggler, Rusev has also missed out on this month’s Survivor Series and is sat on the sidelines.

When he was featured on UpUpDownDown however, he didn’t appear as his in-ring character, and we were able to see the real Rusev which was much more entertaining.  It appears that the in-ring persona is largely controlled by the WWE creative team, which is holding Rusev back.  That’s not to say that Rusev isn’t successful in WWE, but I believe he has the potential to achieve even more outside the company.

There is no doubt that Rusev would draw huge numbers to any promotion outside of WWE; and he could finally explore new creative avenues that would only boost popularity among fans.  I believe people would go to see him as an ex-WWE superstar, but then continue watching to see how he develops on his own.

Unfortunately I can’t see him make the move away from WWE as the lure of potential success remains present for him, but I wish he would take the opportunity to set himself free.

Actual Wrestlemania 32 Attendance

While the announced figure of 101,763 for Wrestlemania 32 was always believed to be an inflated number,  Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com commented on Wrestlemania’s actual attendance number based on information he got from Dave Meltzer:

 

Should Raw Be Cut Back To Two Hours?

As we all know, Raw is tonight. By show of hands, how many people are planning to bail before the end of the program? If this question were posed to last week’s viewing audience, over 250,000 hands would be in the air right now. That number represents the number of viewers who tuned in for the first hour but were long gone by hour three, and that’s not even counting the 600,000 viewers from the previous week who called in sick and didn’t show up at all.

Since Raw 1000, the program has been a three-hour fixture on Monday night, even though the company has done little with the additional hour in most cases. In all, the numbers show that it’s time to turn back the clock to Raw 999 and cut back to two hours.

Emma vs. Summer Rae in a Dance-Off? NO!

Emma vs. Summer Rae in a dance-off? No thanks!

There are a number of reasons this makes sense. Most importantly, this roster is as thin as a two-dollar blanket right now. Take last week’s show, for instance. The company bookended the show with the nearly identical matches – neither of which was particularly memorable. By the end of the first hour, the crowd had already seen every participant in the main event compete in a match (aside from J&J, but they interfered in the Rollins/Ryback match). And please don’t get me started on how many times we’ve seen the Usos battle Miz and Mizdow over the past few months.

It would be a massive understatement to say that the shows have lacked direction in recent months too. I went back and watched a few episodes of Raw from 2012, right before Raw was permanently extended to three hours. Mind you, this was during the dreadful John Cena/Kane “embrace the hate” program, and even those shows featured more direction than the current product.

If the past is any indication, expect to see The Authority opening tonight's episode of Raw.

If the past is any indication, expect to see The Authority opening tonight’s episode of Raw.

By putting less stress on the writers and limiting exposure, they were able to establish a conflict (Kane attempting to terrorize Zack Ryder/John Cena), provide a climax near the middle of the show (Cena kissing Eve while Ryder hilariously looked on), and finally a resolution in the form of a catastrophe (Kane launching Ryder off of the stage).

They were able to build around this central storyline by sprinkling in five matches and a few entertaining segments that highlighted other members of the roster, ultimately creating a neat two hours of wrestling (or sports entertainment, whichever term you prefer). In recent weeks, the program has been an absolute mess, with the typical structure usually as follows:

The Authority starts the program by cutting the same boring 20-minute promo they cut every week and setting up a main event involving Kane and/or Big Show. Next is a match that they say will start after the break, usually trying to invoke some sense of suspense as to which superstars will be involved, but the roster is so thin that we know it will be Seth Rollins or an over-the-hill Authority goon competing against either Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, Ryback or Roman Reigns – usually ending in a non-finish. We next get a sagging middle with “comedy” matches and backstage segments that rarely go anywhere. Paul Heyman is sent out somewhere near the middle to try to save the crowd. A few more filler matches typically come next, and finally a tag match to end the show, which also usually ends in a non-finish. Eat. Sleep. Lose A Quarter Million Viewers. Repeat.

Even with the help of Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar, Raw lost over a quarter of a million viewers by the end of last week's program.

Even with the help of Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar, Raw lost over a quarter of a million viewers by the end of last week’s program.

The overexposure is killing everyone involved in the process, including talent, announcers, and even the fans, hence the reason they aren’t sticking around for the full three hours. I get that the company is trying to appease shareholders, and increased ad revenue is one of the easiest ways to do so, but in the end, they are doing long-term damage in exchange for short-term ad revenue.

This is also not to say that a wrestling promotion can’t put on an entertaining three-hour program. It is simply stating that this wrestling promotion has proven they are incapable of doing so. There are a lot of problems with the current product, from hotshotting anything that is remotely popular to underutilizing some of the company’s best talent to even dragging out storylines fans are disinterested in. However, the biggest problem with Raw, and perhaps the company as a whole, can be summed up in one word: overexposure.

How would you feel about Raw going back to two hours? Do you think it would improve the product? Voice your opinion in the comments section.

Sound Off 263: Looking At The Pathetic State Of Zack Ryder

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 263)

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Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Solomonster talks about Monday’s epic battle between John Cena and CM Punk, is Cena underrated as a worker, Vince McMahon’s reaction to the piledriver spot and why he needs to chill out, fleshing out the undercard for WrestleMania, the pathetic state of Zack Ryder, praise for the women’s Gut Check on Impact, comparing the Knockouts division with the Divas division, reviewing “THE MARINE 3: HOMEFRONT” starring Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, and more!

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Punk Not Tweeting, Cena Likes New Ryder Episode, Scott Steiner

– Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner turned 50 years old today.

– Since his heel turn at Raw 1000 CM-Punk hasn’t tweeted. His last tweet as of this article publishing was just before Raw 1000:

– John Cena recommended Zach Ryder’s Latest Episode Z! True Long Island Story – Episode #77

WWE Smackdown Preview 7/20

Here are tonight’s confirmed WWE SmackDown matches.

* Hunico, Camacho and The Prime Time Players (O’Neil and Young) vs. Epico, Primo, R Truth and Kofi Kingston
* Zack Ryder vs. Damien Sandow
* Daniel Bryan vs. Kane
* Heath Slater vs. A WWE Legend
* Sheamus and Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler

**WWE Smackdown Spoilers to air 7/20**

VIDEO: Zach Ryder’s Latest “Z! True Long Island Story” (Ep. 11)

Zach Ryder is back with another installment of his Z! True Long Island Story video series. In this episode, Ryder declares himself the WWE Internet champion .. Check it out here .. WWWYKI!