Zack Ryder

Some Superstars wait their entire careers for an opportunity to come along. Zack Ryder went out and created his own.

The self-described “Long Island Iced-Z” first gained prominence by hitching his wagon, along with then-partner Curt Hawkins, to a major star: The Rated-R Superstar, Edge. During that time, Ryder showed that, although he can be a goofball at times, he’s more than willing to step up when called on a deliver the win. Together with Hawkins (as a part of the villainous faction La Familia), Ryder managed to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship, defeating Jesse & Festus and Finlay & Hornswoggle at The Great American Bash in 2008.

When La Familia splintered in 2009, Zack was cut adrift, eventually turning up on ECW with a totally new look and a catchphrase that would soon be heard in arenas around the world … and computers as well: “Woo Woo Woo! You know it!”

After circling around the bottom of the card for more than a year, Zack became disenfranchised with his place in the WWE picture. Knowing he had more to offer, he took a Flip cam and some ingenuity and created “Z! True Long Island Story.” Debuting on YouTube in February 2011, the show quickly became a sensation, racking up viewer upon viewer each week. Before long, Zack Ryder signs began cropping up at WWE events, WWE fans became obsessed with spiking their hair and chants of “Woo Woo Woo!” echoed from the rafters. Inspired by his overwhelming Twitter, Facebook and YouTube success, Zack introduced the “Internet Championship” on his web show and the self-christened titleholder soon found himself being endorsed by the likes of John Cena, who supported Ryder online and on TV.

As time went on, the groundswell could no longer be ignored, and Zack Ryder became a fixture on Raw. During his slow climb up the Monday night ladder, Ryder teamed up with Hollywood icon Hugh Jackman to defeat Dolph Ziggler, paired with John Cena in Raw main events and initiated the first-ever WWE “Twitition” to earn a United States Championship Match. Before long, Ryder’s most “liked” achievement, however, was his triumph at WWE TLC 2011 when Long Island Iced-Z unseated rival Ziggler for the U.S. Title.

Though Ryder ultimately lost the championship to Jack Swagger, he stayed in contention for the title through much of 2012. At Night of Champions, Ryder scored a crack at U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro by outlasting 15 other competitors in a Pre-Show Battle Royal, but came up short in the title contest when Aksana provided an assist to Cesaro.

As 2013 continues to fold, Ryder appears to be concentrating less on fist-pumping and more on his in-ring objectives. Gone is the spiked hair, partying Broski that the Zack Pack came to know, replaced by a more serious WWE Superstar who’s more focused on gaining wins than collecting digits. Long Island Iced-Z has gone so far as to declare the movement the “Zack Ryder last attempt tour.”

With or without championship gold, Zack Ryder remains the definition of a 21st century Superstar. Using the Internet and social media, he created his own opportunity and fanned the flames of popular opinion all on his own. Now that he’s intent on regaining a spot atop the WWE ladder, nothing’s going to knock him off track. You know it.