Zack Pack has spoken – New @ZackRyder Video – #IWantZackRyder
It’s amazing that one sign and one tweet sparked such an uproar. My feeling is this has really struck a cord with the WWE fan base who wants to see “new” characters on the show. Zack Ryder has been on WWE for nearly years now and the audience has rediscovered him with his YouTube show – which is drawing nearly ten times the numbers of WWE Superstars. If you want to support Zack – tweet #IWantZackRyder. I am pretty sure WWE can’t take your tweets away, can they?
This episode features more creative work from Zack including suggestions of other signs you can bring to WWE live events. Share this story and video with everyone who wants to see something new break through.
Check out the latest podcasts from I Want Wrestling on iTunes here.
Sean Conaway (Formerly Creative) – talking Fox’s Raising Hope and WWE – here
Mick Foley – talking #10forRain and more – here
David Lagana (@Lagana)
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Here’s a guy getting over without the benefit of television! Eventually, there will be too many Zach Ryder signs to take away. A chant will break out and catch fire. Vince McMahon won’t be able to ignore it, and quite frankly, why would he want to? For such a successful person, its a wonder how it ever happened sometimes when you consider all the talent the company buries for no apparent reason.
TV is going the way of the dinosaur anyway. TiVo, DVR, Hulu, YouTube, NetFlix, Twitter, Facebook… never before have we been able to customize our viewing and information habits to such an acute degree. I’ve kept up to speed with all my favorite sports teams (and the hated Rangers) with all the tools available to me on the Internet.
Ryder is no video editor, but he’s at the forefront of the new media revolution, slowly mastering the art of personal branding on the fly (Colt Cabana is a GREAT example of this, too.), and sooner or later, its going to pay dividends for him. (And he’s already got TWO cool logos: that R/Z tribal hybrid, and the MS Paint WWWE icon.) When his effort does catapult his career, or even sooner, what with the grassroots buzz he’s already generated, other wrestlers are going to follow suit and bump their so-so Twitter feeds up a notch into video vignettes, podcasts and the like.
I was never a Zach Ryder fan because, quite frankly, what was the difference between him and Rob Conway or Bull Buchanan? But his videos won me over by #4 and I don’t mind saying I’m a mark for him. He forced me to invest in him, he entertains me, and now I want him to do well. It’s the same attitude I have about Cabana.
On a related note, its for these reasons I don’t think ROH even NEEDS a new TV deal. Sure, you’ll be catering to a much smaller audience if you rely on YouTube, the website, and social media to advance angles and promote events, but it’s probably a more passionate crowd that invests a decent chunk of change, and it will grow from there. Plus, the company is already going down that road with iPPV and “backstage” segments like the bloodied Briscoes pimping a match with the ANX a few weeks ago. I think EVOLVE is doing something similar.
I really think in 15-20 years, peoples are going to look back at this time and call Zach Ryder a pioneer. “Wow, that guy became the champion because he had a FlipCam and Internet connection?!? Cool.”
I, like the above poster, wasn’t even remotely invested in Zack Ryder. To be perfectly honest, I thought the guy was a joke, and was counting down the days until he was “Future Endeavored.”And then I started to hear about this online web series he did, but still I resisted…Now? Now I think the man is probably one of the most charasmatic guys on the roster, to not be over with the brass. If I’m WWE, and I see that this guy’s shirts don’t stay in stock, people are wanting to buy his headbands, they’re bringing signs to the shows, lighting twitter on fire, as well as generating thousands upon thousands of youtube views, I’m taking a step back and asking myself…Why aren’t we getting behind this guy? And it’s not even just the fans that like him, John Morrison, John Cena, the Miz, Joey Styles, Jim Ross, all of them love what Zack offers to his youtube followers…
The fact that the WWE is taking his signs down, and that he wasn’t with them on the flight to Europe has me thining he might be getting axed soon. I hope that I’m wrong, but it might be coming. And if that’s the case, I have to say that I really do feel like that the WWE is making a huge mistake in letting this guy go, because he’s the kind of guy that I think could be a top guy. When he’s generating this kind of following, without ever making to TV, it’s pretty clear that you have someone that knows how to do their job, and do their job well. Stone Cold talked about seizing his moment, and I think that this is Zack trying to seize his…the only question is whether or not Triple H and the rest of the WWE brass will give him his opportunity to sink, or swim.
It’s getting ridiculously more awesome every single week.
I love him.