“Zack Ryder = Ratings” Sign Confiscated #IWantZackRyder
Zack Ryder (@zackryder) has quickly become an “internet sensation”. His new YouTube show has been a must see every week. Here is last week’s episode.
This episode already has nearly 90,000 views on YouTube.
With limited TV time, Zack’s built a following through the “dreaded” internet. Fans have been hoping that Zack would be drafted to Smackdown in the hopes of more tv time; read my draft article here. The internet has always been a dirty word in WWE. Look at how Daniel Bryan (fka – Bryan Danielson) and Kaval (aka Low-Ki) were talked about as “internet darlings” by WWE during NXT. And now Zack Ryder is building his following by the weekly webshow and being interactive with his fans on his twitter account.
Last night, early in RAW – a sign was held up. Zack Ryder = Ratings. A fan was “standing up” and voicing his opinion. That sign disappeared. O2 Arena officials were told to take the sign along with another pro-Ryder sign. This isn’t a new practice by WWE. In fact, it’s been going on forever and at times some signs need to be taken. But this is 2011, we live in a world of social media. The idea is to “Listen to your audience.”
Matthew Johnson (@mattjohnson333) brought the sign to speak out for a wrestler he likes and supports. Here is his tweet about what happened after it was seen on TV.
One sign = one person’s voice. But again, it’s 2011 and we live in a time of social media. Look at the chatter this sign and now this controversy has created on twitter. Read here for the tweets talking about it. Sure this can be discredited by those in power as “the internet”.
Yes Twitter is a small sample of the audience. So is Nielsen ratings and those are studied like the Zapruder film. Is this a big story? Nope. But it’s a big story to fans of Zack Ryder. Your voice doesn’t matter to some. Should Zack Ryder fans pack up and give home? Or should they simply speak louder and say #IWantZackRyder?
David Lagana (@Lagana)
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Crazy.. absolutely crazy
I never could understand why the WWE or any wrestling company bury people who are over. I’m not a huge fan of Ryder, but I can see how his character would be a welcome change of pace. People like rooting for an against douchebags. They have a whole show for it called Jersey Shore. Vince probably hasn’t gotten around to seeing it or if he has he doesn’t get it.
that was just f@#$ up, i understand if they take down a sign that says something negative about the company but that sign was just there to support a wrestler
That is incomprehensible.
I don’t believe that anybody can seriously disagree with the process of the WWE asking Security to remove signs that are potentially offensive, but my God, are you now not allowed to bring signs displaying who you’re a fan of? Can you only be fans of who the WWE decides it wants to be successful?
It’s completely anti-intuitive for a business that relies on listening to it’s audience.
Madness.
That makes sense. Stifle the fans who buy tickets, and silence the support of a guy who could make the company money.
The wwe should capitalise on zack ryder! He has gotten himself over with the fans without the need to appear on raw or smackdown! Look at the pop he got at wrestlemania!
In the age of pg wwe it’s very hard for faces to get over! Zack Ryder in my opinion is the breath of fresh air we all wanted and in my eyes his success means money! Why can’t vince see that?
If I pay to be there, I can show whatever signs I want – without, of course, insulting anyone or anything.
What they do is to silence their audience. People who PAY to see them. I mean, yeah, they don’t care about one or two people; they have the rest, the majority, the ones who don’t care about anything but the main event ones.
Thank God I like Zack Ryder and I’d be extremely pissed-off if they had me “unexpressing” my feelings.
Screw them.
I think it sucks
But I understand given the micromanaging Vince enjoys. It’s part of the hypocrisy of guys need to find a way to get over, but only if the boss thinks you can get over.
I don’t know if I’d blame Vince as much as I would JPL-HHH who I think is the one pulling the strings when it comes to talent.
But it is amazing that the WWE would not only ignore a guy getting 50 to 60+ thousand hits on YouTube through only self-promotion and word of mouth (although to be fair, his YouTube channel did get a shout out on the last Superstars webcast), but then try to bury his fans as well… Maybe WWE doesn’t care to maximize their return on each investment they make on their talent…
And if that’s the case, someone should alert their shareholders, because while the WWE won’t always listen to the fan, they damn sure care about the people that ultimately hold the purse strings.
This boggles my mind. As Joe said, how WWE could bury someone who is getting over? To see fans bring signs to the show, overseas for that matter, is something they should not overlook. They have a face comedy act with Santino, they can have one with Zack as a heel, or, SmackDown’s equivalent.
This is the same with Jay Lethal and Amazing Red on TNA. Both of them are over, I do not understand why they are not pushed to the moon? If Lethal was given the TV title, Red back the X-Division title, they can be featured stars each week and are guaranteed an audience/ratings bump.