Ryder had all the potential in the world, good looks, great on the mic and a really good technical wrestler but always underrated.
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The career of Zack Ryder has gone from one high to one low very frequently. The Long Island Iced Z was someone who was always underutilised by the WWE management. He had all the potential in the world, good looks, great on the mic and a really good technical wrestler but always underrated. So it came as no surprise when Ryder was laid off. He has since gone on to make a name for himself on the independent scene and is now one of the hottest wrestlers in the world. His time with the WWE was long but sadly he didn’t have many rivals. In this article, we take a look at some of his best rivals.
Dolph Ziggler was probably one of Zack Ryder’s best rivals in the WWE. It was against The Showoff that the Long Island Iced Z had some great moments. From winning the United States Championship to having Hugh Jackman as his manager, Ryder drove a wave of success on the back of Ziggler. One of Ryder’s best matches came in 2011 when he defeated Ziggler for the United States Championship at TLC. The match itself was terrific full of great exchanges and Ryder’s victory was a genuinely touching, heart-warming moment. This was easily the biggest highlight of his near-10-year wrestling career.
Read more: Goldust vs Razor Ramon and other rivalries in WWE
Zack Ryder took on Christian when Captain Charisma was the ECW Champion. Christian was the face of ECW during its second run and had a great match with Ryder. Indeed, the Long Island Iced Z had one of his better matches when he took on the ECW Champion for the title but he fell short. The match itself was great with many near falls and great moves from two seasoned technical wrestlers. Ultimately, Ryder lost out to his more experienced pro but it is safe to say that this rivalry with Christian put him on the map on his way towards stardom.
Zack Ryder and Kane had a very weird rivalry. It all started when John Cena and Kane were embroiled in a rivalry and were hell-bent on destroying each other. Ryder was Cena’s protege so to speak and it was the perfect foil for Kane to make a move and make his mark. Kane attacked Ryder on numerous occasions and even targeted Ryder’s girlfriend, Eve. Ryder for his part sold himself well in this feud and came out as someone who knew how to play along with the crowd.
