Zack Ryder
Encyclopedia
Matthew Joseph Cardona, Jr. (born May 14, 1985) better known by his ring name Zack Ryder, is an American
professional wrestler
. He is currently signed to WWE and works on the Raw
brand
as a wrestler and the SmackDown brand as an assistant to SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long
.
Cardona wrestled mostly with his tag team partner Brian Myers/Curt Hawkins
on the independent circuit
and initially in WWE, where they won the WWE Tag Team Championship
. After the team split in 2009, Cardona was featured sparingly on WWE television. In 2011, Cardona used YouTube
and Twitter
to establish a niche fan following, which translated to a rise in status in WWE.
went on to defeat the NYWC Tag Team Champions Dickie Rodz and Mason Raige by disqualification, for which titles do not change hands. At the next event on June 4 they won a rematch decisively to become Tag Team Champions. Later that month they were attacked by The Dead Presidents (Lo Lincoln and Boog Washington) to set up a feud where they eventually lost their titles against them in July. on August 27. On September 23 they were entered into a three way match with the champions but Team Tremendous (Dan Barry and Ken Scampi) ended up with the belts. After continuing to win matches they re-earned a match against Team Tremendous and won the titles for the second time on January 25, 2006. They held the titles until they faced the B.S. Xpress (Tony Burma & Mike Spinelli), who defeated them for the gold on March 26.
(Dice Domino
and Deuce Shade) and held them until the end of November, losing them to Urban Assault (Eric Pérez
and Sonny Siaki
). After the titles were vacated in the following year, they became two-time champions defeating the new team of Siaki and Afa, Jr
(The Samoan Swat Team) and the Blue Bloods (William Regal and Dave Taylor). Later in 2007 they moved to Ohio Valley Wrestling
(OVW) and won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
once, reigning from June 15 to 29.
The team was moved from the developmental league to the main roster in May 2007, changing their last names from Majors to Major. They worked on WWE's ECW brand, winning only their first match until they were drafted to SmackDown! in June. On November 9 they won a battle royal to receive a WWE Tag Team Championship
match, but didn't win.
At Armageddon
, the duo dressed up like Edge and interfered in the World Heavyweight Championship
match, replacing Edge at several points along the match to help him win the title and thus turning heel
for the first time in their WWE career. On December 21, the Major Brothers were revealed as an acquaintance to Edge and his lover, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero
. The Major Brothers were repackaged and renamed, with Cardona being renamed Zack Ryder. Occasionally referred as the Rated-R Entourage by commentators Michael Cole
and John "Bradshaw" Layfield
, the group allied with Guerrero's nephew, Chavo Guerrero
and his enforcer Bam Neely
as the group La Familia
, which dominated SmackDown's storyline through 2008.
At The Great American Bash
on July 20 Curt Hawkins (the former Bryan Major) and Ryder won the WWE Tag Team Championship from John Morrison and The Miz
in a fatal four-way match which also featured Jesse and Festus
and Finlay
and Hornswoggle after Hawkins pinned Jesse. Their victory meant that they were the youngest team to hold the championships. By SummerSlam, La Familia had begun to fracture and Ryder, with Hawkins, went back to appearing on their own. On the September 26 airing of SmackDown, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder lost the titles to The Colóns
(Carlito
and Primo Colón
) in their first televised title defense. On April 15, 2009 Ryder was drafted back to the ECW brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft, separating the team.
. He now sported short hair, tanned skin, sunglasses, a headband, half-trunks/half-tights, displaying something of an arrogant Long Island guido
character and more frequent uses of catchphrases "woo woo woo" and "you know it", that he had used sparingly in the tag team. He lost to Finlay
on his first singles match, on May 7's Superstars
and would not gain victory until the May 19 episode of ECW on Sci Fi over a local competitor
. On September 15, Ryder won a 10-man battle royal to earn contendership to the ECW Championship
but lost to the champion, Christian, the following week. On the November 3 edition of ECW, Ryder entered a love angle with Rosa Mendes who became his valet
. He also feuded with Tommy Dreamer
, culminating in a match on December 29 where Ryder won to force Dreamer to leave the company.
When the ECW brand came to an end in February 2010, Ryder and Mendes moved to the Raw brand, making his debut on the February 25 edition of Superstars, defeating Primo
. Ryder made his Raw debut on March 1, losing to Montel Vontavious Porter in a Money in the Bank
qualifying match. He participated in an untelevised 26-man battle royal at WrestleMania XXVI
, being the last person eliminated by the winning Yoshi Tatsu
. Mendes was drafted to SmackDown as part of the 2010 Supplemental Draft without Ryder, so Ryder sought a new valet, trying to impress Alicia Fox and Gail Kim
while they watched his matches at ringside. During a match with Evan Bourne on the May 10 edition of Raw, Fox attempted to interfere on Ryder's behalf but was stopped by Kim, leading to Bourne winning the match. The two new pairings faced off in a mixed tag team match on the May 17 edition of Raw, which Ryder and Fox lost. Ryder had a return win over Bourne on May 27's Superstars. The next week on Raw, Fox attacked Ryder with an axe kick after Raw guest host Ashton Kutcher
put a bounty on Ryder's head. During the June 7 Viewer's Choice edition of Raw, Ryder was voted to team with the Miz, defeating John Morrison and R-Truth
. The next week, Ryder had a title shot in a Fatal Four Way match for the WWE United States Championship
but lost. Months later, in August, he was given a WWE Championship
match against Sheamus that lasted 11 seconds, which was the second-shortest WWE Championship match in WWE history, in an attempt by Sheamus to circumvent the company's 30 day championship defence policy.
During this time, Ryder became a mentor on the second season of WWE NXT
to Titus O'Neil
. They debuted in a losing effort against John Morrison and Eli Cottonwood
; O'Neil was the first rookie eliminated from the second season, on June 29. On the July 27 episode of NXT, Ryder lost against Percy Watson
, making him the first mentor of season 2 to lose to a rookie in a singles match. For the remainder of the year and well into 2011, Ryder mostly became used on the non-branded Superstars show, occasionally teaming with Primo
. Ryder won a 2010 Slammy Award for Most Annoying Catchphrase in December.
belt covered in stickers as it was a championship unsanctioned by WWE. In July 2011, Ryder would apparently defend his Internet Championship at a non-televised house show in Australia
against Primo. Ryder later claimed that it was a non-title match, and that he would never defend his Internet Championship. Ryder soon replaced the toy belt with a $1,500 custom-made belt by Wildcat Championship Belts in July 2011.
The web show's popularity led to Ryder having a rise in status and appearing more on WWE's TV and PPV programming in 2011. Between April to June, Ryder began appearing during Raw more often, turning up in backstage segments which often included John Cena
. On the June 6 episode of Raw, Ryder had his first match on Raw in 2011, losing to Kofi Kingston
. > On the June 13 edition of Raw and at WWE Capitol Punishment
, "We Want Ryder" chants were started by the audience during matches where Ryder was not a participant when Ryder was not put on TV and PPV programming. On the June 16 episode of Superstars in front of his hometown of Long Island his status as a babyface wrestler was confirmed when he defeated his former tag team partner Primo
.
On the July 29 episode of Smackdown, Ryder was appointed as the assistant to Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long
, allowing him to make TV appearances on both Raw and SmackDown. On the September 19 episode of Raw, Ryder beat United States Champion Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match with the help of guest star Hugh Jackman
. Following his victory over Ziggler, Ryder received a match for the United States Championship the following week and again at the Vengeance
PPV but both times failed due to Jack Swagger's interference. Ryder main-evented Raw for the first time on November 7, teaming with John Cena
in a losing effort against The Miz and R-Truth.
web series called Z! True Long Island Story in February 2011, which has amassed over 8 million views to date. The web series is a collection of short comments from Ryder, containing comedic allusions to wrestling and pop culture; it also features cameos from his friends and family, as well as fellow WWE colleagues. See the Ryder Revolution above for the effect the web series had on Ryder's professional wrestling career.
Ryder's popularity also translated to Twitter where he has almost 300,000 followers; this led him to be featured in Sports Illustrated's list of the 100 most influential social media users in sports.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. He is currently signed to WWE and works on the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
as a wrestler and the SmackDown brand as an assistant to SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
.
Cardona wrestled mostly with his tag team partner Brian Myers/Curt Hawkins
Curt Hawkins
Brian Joseph Myers is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Curt Hawkins. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand...
on the independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
and initially in WWE, where they won the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
. After the team split in 2009, Cardona was featured sparingly on WWE television. In 2011, Cardona used YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
to establish a niche fan following, which translated to a rise in status in WWE.
New York Wrestling Connection (2004–2006)
Cardona debuted with New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC) in 2004, using the name Brett Matthews. By 2005 he began regularly teaming with Bryan Myers and the duo of Myers and MatthewsCurt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder were a American professional wrestling tag team who appeared on the independent circuit and WWE under a variety of evolving names....
went on to defeat the NYWC Tag Team Champions Dickie Rodz and Mason Raige by disqualification, for which titles do not change hands. At the next event on June 4 they won a rematch decisively to become Tag Team Champions. Later that month they were attacked by The Dead Presidents (Lo Lincoln and Boog Washington) to set up a feud where they eventually lost their titles against them in July. on August 27. On September 23 they were entered into a three way match with the champions but Team Tremendous (Dan Barry and Ken Scampi) ended up with the belts. After continuing to win matches they re-earned a match against Team Tremendous and won the titles for the second time on January 25, 2006. They held the titles until they faced the B.S. Xpress (Tony Burma & Mike Spinelli), who defeated them for the gold on March 26.
Tag team; La Familia (2006–2009)
On February 24, 2006, Matthew Cardona signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. In Deep South Wrestling in Georgia, he was renamed Brett Majors while Myers was renamed Bryan Majors. By October they won the DSW Tag Team Championship from The UntouchablesDeuce 'n Domino
Deuce 'n Domino was the name of a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Deuce Shade and Dice Domino, who were managed for the majority of their run by Cherry Pie and briefly by Maryse. The pair teamed together in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling from 2006 through 2008...
(Dice Domino
Cliff Compton
Clifford "Cliff" Compton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Domino. He is signed with Ohio Valley Wrestling , where he is a former two–time OVW Heavyweight Champion...
and Deuce Shade) and held them until the end of November, losing them to Urban Assault (Eric Pérez
Eric Perez
Eric Alexander Pérez is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler who currently performs under the ring name Eric Escobar. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment , where he spent most of his career in developmental territories...
and Sonny Siaki
Sonny Siaki
Sonny Siaki is a retired American professional wrestler. Unlike many Samoans in professional wrestling, he is not part of the large Anoa'i or Fatu family.-Early life:...
). After the titles were vacated in the following year, they became two-time champions defeating the new team of Siaki and Afa, Jr
Afa Anoa'i, Jr.
Afa Anoa'i, Jr. is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he competed on its Raw brand under the ring name Manu.-World Xtreme Wrestling:...
(The Samoan Swat Team) and the Blue Bloods (William Regal and Dave Taylor). Later in 2007 they moved to Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
(OVW) and won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
once, reigning from June 15 to 29.
The team was moved from the developmental league to the main roster in May 2007, changing their last names from Majors to Major. They worked on WWE's ECW brand, winning only their first match until they were drafted to SmackDown! in June. On November 9 they won a battle royal to receive a WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
match, but didn't win.
Armageddon (2007)
Armageddon was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 16, 2007 at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the eighth event produced under the Armageddon name and starred wrestlers from the Raw,...
, the duo dressed up like Edge and interfered in the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
match, replacing Edge at several points along the match to help him win the title and thus turning heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
for the first time in their WWE career. On December 21, the Major Brothers were revealed as an acquaintance to Edge and his lover, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Lynn Guerrero is an American professional wrestling personality, manager, shifting authority figure and occasional wrestler. She is the widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand...
. The Major Brothers were repackaged and renamed, with Cardona being renamed Zack Ryder. Occasionally referred as the Rated-R Entourage by commentators Michael Cole
Michael Cole
Michael Sean Coulthard , better known by his ring name Michael Cole, is an American professional wrestling commentator, currently signed to WWE on both its Rawand SmackDown brands. Coulthard is a former news journalist....
and John "Bradshaw" Layfield
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
, the group allied with Guerrero's nephew, Chavo Guerrero
Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling...
and his enforcer Bam Neely
Justin LaRouche
Justin Bruce Rocheleau is an American professional wrestler, who worked on World Wrestling Entertainment's ECW brand under the name Bam Neely...
as the group La Familia
La Familia (professional wrestling)
La Familia was a villainous alliance in the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment that existed from the end of 2007 until the middle of 2009. The group consisted Edge, Vickie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder and Bam Neely...
, which dominated SmackDown's storyline through 2008.
At The Great American Bash
The Great American Bash (2008)
The Great American Bash was the fifth annual Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
on July 20 Curt Hawkins (the former Bryan Major) and Ryder won the WWE Tag Team Championship from John Morrison and The Miz
John Morrison and The Miz
John Morrison and The Miz were a professional wrestling tag team and former WWE Tough Enough contestants. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand, but also appeared on the SmackDown and Raw brands due to ECW's talent exchanges with those brands during their tenure as a team...
in a fatal four-way match which also featured Jesse and Festus
Jesse and Festus
Jesse and Festus, also once known as The Dalton Boys, were an American professional wrestling tag team made up of Ray Gordy and Drew Hankinson . As of April 22, 2010, Ray Gordy was released by World Wrestling Entertainment...
and Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
and Hornswoggle after Hawkins pinned Jesse. Their victory meant that they were the youngest team to hold the championships. By SummerSlam, La Familia had begun to fracture and Ryder, with Hawkins, went back to appearing on their own. On the September 26 airing of SmackDown, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder lost the titles to The Colóns
The Colóns
The Colóns were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of real-life brothers, Carlito and Primo. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment...
(Carlito
Carly Colon
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...
and Primo Colón
Eddie Colon
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
) in their first televised title defense. On April 15, 2009 Ryder was drafted back to the ECW brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft, separating the team.
Long Island Iced-Z (2009–2011)
Ryder made his return to ECW on May 5, 2009 in a backstage segment with General Manager TiffanyTaryn Terrell
Taryn Nicole Terrell , better known by her ring name Tiffany is an American model, professional wrestler and former general manager. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment . She also trained at WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling...
. He now sported short hair, tanned skin, sunglasses, a headband, half-trunks/half-tights, displaying something of an arrogant Long Island guido
Guido (slang)
Guido is a slang term for a lower-class or working-class urban Italian-American. The guido stereotype is multi-faceted. Originally, it was used as a demeaning term for Italian-Americans in general. More recently, it has come to refer to Italians who conduct themselves as thugs with an overtly...
character and more frequent uses of catchphrases "woo woo woo" and "you know it", that he had used sparingly in the tag team. He lost to Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
on his first singles match, on May 7's Superstars
WWE Superstars
WWE Superstars is a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that originally aired on WGN America in the United States. It debuted on April 16, 2009 and ended its domestic broadcasting on April 7, 2011...
and would not gain victory until the May 19 episode of ECW on Sci Fi over a local competitor
Job (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling slang, the term job describes a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect kayfabe. As professional wrestling is scripted, inevitably a wrestler will be required to lose to an opponent.The term...
. On September 15, Ryder won a 10-man battle royal to earn contendership to the ECW Championship
ECW World Heavyweight Championship
The Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
but lost to the champion, Christian, the following week. On the November 3 edition of ECW, Ryder entered a love angle with Rosa Mendes who became his valet
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
. He also feuded with Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
, culminating in a match on December 29 where Ryder won to force Dreamer to leave the company.
When the ECW brand came to an end in February 2010, Ryder and Mendes moved to the Raw brand, making his debut on the February 25 edition of Superstars, defeating Primo
Eddie Colon
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
. Ryder made his Raw debut on March 1, losing to Montel Vontavious Porter in a Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
qualifying match. He participated in an untelevised 26-man battle royal at WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVI was the twenty-sixth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on March 28, 2010 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. This was the fourth WrestleMania to...
, being the last person eliminated by the winning Yoshi Tatsu
Naofumi Yamamoto
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former boxer, who is currently signed to WWE, performing on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Yoshi Tatsu.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
. Mendes was drafted to SmackDown as part of the 2010 Supplemental Draft without Ryder, so Ryder sought a new valet, trying to impress Alicia Fox and Gail Kim
Gail Kim
Gail Kim is a Canadian professional wrestler of Korean descent, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is the current TNA Women's Knockout Champion and one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Madison Rayne...
while they watched his matches at ringside. During a match with Evan Bourne on the May 10 edition of Raw, Fox attempted to interfere on Ryder's behalf but was stopped by Kim, leading to Bourne winning the match. The two new pairings faced off in a mixed tag team match on the May 17 edition of Raw, which Ryder and Fox lost. Ryder had a return win over Bourne on May 27's Superstars. The next week on Raw, Fox attacked Ryder with an axe kick after Raw guest host Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
put a bounty on Ryder's head. During the June 7 Viewer's Choice edition of Raw, Ryder was voted to team with the Miz, defeating John Morrison and R-Truth
Ron Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
. The next week, Ryder had a title shot in a Fatal Four Way match for the WWE United States Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
but lost. Months later, in August, he was given a WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
match against Sheamus that lasted 11 seconds, which was the second-shortest WWE Championship match in WWE history, in an attempt by Sheamus to circumvent the company's 30 day championship defence policy.
During this time, Ryder became a mentor on the second season of WWE NXT
WWE NXT
WWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
to Titus O'Neil
Thaddeus Bullard
Thaddeus Michael Bullard is an American professional wrestler and former college and professional football player. Bullard played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally in the Arena Football League. Bullard is a professional wrestler, and is signed...
. They debuted in a losing effort against John Morrison and Eli Cottonwood
Kipp Christianson
Kipp Christianson is an American professional wrestler and former basketball player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works in their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling and was part of the second season of NXT under his ring name Eli Cottonwood...
; O'Neil was the first rookie eliminated from the second season, on June 29. On the July 27 episode of NXT, Ryder lost against Percy Watson
Percy Watson
Percy C. Thomas Watson was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Rotherham Town and Small Heath. Born in Barnsley, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Watson played in the Second Division for both Rotherham Town and Small Heath during the 1893–94...
, making him the first mentor of season 2 to lose to a rookie in a singles match. For the remainder of the year and well into 2011, Ryder mostly became used on the non-branded Superstars show, occasionally teaming with Primo
Eddie Colon
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
. Ryder won a 2010 Slammy Award for Most Annoying Catchphrase in December.
The Ryder Revolution (2011)
As a result of being underutilised on television, Ryder became dissatisfied with his place in WWE and he started a YouTube web series called Z! True Long Island Story in February 2011 with the intention of promoting his character. The web series soon earned Ryder a dedicated fan following, with Ryder's T-shirts selling out despite Ryder not being on WWE's featured programming. In April 2011 on the web series, Ryder proclaimed himself WWE Internet Champion, complete with a children's replica Intercontinental ChampionshipWWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
belt covered in stickers as it was a championship unsanctioned by WWE. In July 2011, Ryder would apparently defend his Internet Championship at a non-televised house show in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
against Primo. Ryder later claimed that it was a non-title match, and that he would never defend his Internet Championship. Ryder soon replaced the toy belt with a $1,500 custom-made belt by Wildcat Championship Belts in July 2011.
The web show's popularity led to Ryder having a rise in status and appearing more on WWE's TV and PPV programming in 2011. Between April to June, Ryder began appearing during Raw more often, turning up in backstage segments which often included John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
. On the June 6 episode of Raw, Ryder had his first match on Raw in 2011, losing to Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
. > On the June 13 edition of Raw and at WWE Capitol Punishment
WWE Capitol Punishment
Capitol Punishment was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on June 19, 2011 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C....
, "We Want Ryder" chants were started by the audience during matches where Ryder was not a participant when Ryder was not put on TV and PPV programming. On the June 16 episode of Superstars in front of his hometown of Long Island his status as a babyface wrestler was confirmed when he defeated his former tag team partner Primo
Eddie Colon
Edwin "Eddie" Carlos Colón is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed by WWE wrestling on its Raw brand as Primo. He is the son of Carlos Colón, Sr. and the younger brother of wrestlers Stacy and Carly Colón, better known as Carlito in WWE...
.
On the July 29 episode of Smackdown, Ryder was appointed as the assistant to Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
, allowing him to make TV appearances on both Raw and SmackDown. On the September 19 episode of Raw, Ryder beat United States Champion Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match with the help of guest star Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters...
. Following his victory over Ziggler, Ryder received a match for the United States Championship the following week and again at the Vengeance
Vengeance (2011)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE that took place on October 23, 2011 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. It is the 12th event under the Vengeance/Night of Champions chronology and the first event under the Vengeance name since the 2007 edition...
PPV but both times failed due to Jack Swagger's interference. Ryder main-evented Raw for the first time on November 7, teaming with John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
in a losing effort against The Miz and R-Truth.
Other media
Ryder started a YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
web series called Z! True Long Island Story in February 2011, which has amassed over 8 million views to date. The web series is a collection of short comments from Ryder, containing comedic allusions to wrestling and pop culture; it also features cameos from his friends and family, as well as fellow WWE colleagues. See the Ryder Revolution above for the effect the web series had on Ryder's professional wrestling career.
Ryder's popularity also translated to Twitter where he has almost 300,000 followers; this led him to be featured in Sports Illustrated's list of the 100 most influential social media users in sports.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Lifting inverted DDT – 2008
- Rough Ryder (Jumping leg lariat) – 2010–present, used as a signature move from 2009–2010
- Zack Attack (Inverted overdrive) – 2009–2010
- Signature moves
- Broski Boot (Facewash)
- Corner elbow smash
- Double high knee from in the corner to an oncoming opponent
- Double underhook powerbomb
- DropkickDropkickA dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
sometimes from the top rope - Flapjack
- Flying forearm smash
- Hangman's neckbreaker
- Leg drop
- Plancha
- Swinging neckbreaker
- With Curt HawkinsCurt HawkinsBrian Joseph Myers is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Curt Hawkins. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand...
- Double-team finishing moves
-
-
- Double lifting DDT – 2008
- Heat Stroke (NYWC) / Long Island Express (DSW / OVWOhio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
) (Samoan drop / Diving neckbreaker combination) - STO / Russian legsweep combination
- Double-team signature moves
- Double hip toss, sometimes preceded by a double leapfrogLeapfrogLeapfrog is a children's game in which players vault over each other's stooped backs. The first participant rests hands on knees and bends over, which is called giving a back. Games of this sort have been called by this name since at least the late sixteenth century.The next player places hands on...
or transitioned into a backbreaker - Double spear – 2008
- Double hip toss, sometimes preceded by a double leapfrog
-
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Rosa Mendes
- Alicia Fox
- Nicknames
- "The Long Island Loudmouth"
- "Long Island Iced-Z"
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "What I WantWhat I Want (Daughtry song)"What I Want" is the second U.S. rock single from the band Daughtry from their self titled debut album, and the third overall. It was released only to U.S. rock stations on April 23, 2007. The song features Slash on guitar....
" by Daughtry (DSW/OVW) - "In the Middle of it Now" by DiscipleDisciple (band)Disciple is a Christian metal / rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee, formed in 1992.-History:Disciple was formed in 1992 by high school friends Kevin Young, Brad Noah, and Tim Barrett. The band released their first CD, What Was I Thinking in 1995...
(WWE) - "Radio" by Watt White (May 2009–present)
- "What I Want
Championships and accomplishments
- Deep South Wrestling
- DSW Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Bryan MajorsCurt HawkinsBrian Joseph Myers is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Curt Hawkins. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand...
- DSW Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Bryan Majors
- New York Wrestling Connection
- NYWC Tag Team Championship (2 times) with Bryan Myers
- Ohio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley WrestlingOhio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
- OVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipOVW Southern Tag Team ChampionshipThe OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. As of 2011, the current champions are Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver, known as The Elite in their fourth reign...
(1 time) with Bryan Majors
- OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked Ryder #117 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010
- World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWE Tag Team ChampionshipWWE Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
(1 time) with Curt HawkinsCurt HawkinsBrian Joseph Myers is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Curt Hawkins. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand... - Slammy Award for Most Annoying Catchphrase (2010)
- WWE Tag Team Championship