WWE Superstar Zack Ryder recently spoke to The Wrestling Press while doing promotional work in Germany. Here are some highlights:
Other WWE stars embracing social media and if it can be done again:
“I think it was a once-in-a-lifetime-thing. I wasn’t the first to use social media, but I was the first one to really embrace it, totally rely on it and use it to the best of my abilities. I’m 26 years old, these things are what my friends use. My friends are on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, so I just used that since I felt I was the best person in WWE to be able to. People are doing it now, they’re starting their own YouTube shows, so that’s all good, more power to them. It just gives me more motivation to be the best one out there.”
The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania:
“I compare it a lot to Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18. This is the Superstar from the past – in this case The Rock – versus the Superstar from the present. It’s going to be exciting, the crowd’s going to be split, it’s going to be half Rock, half Cena. Personally, I’m gonna put on a hooded sweatshirt, a hat and I’m gonna go out there and watch them from the audience because it’s going to be electric.”
John Cena and CM Punk helping when he first started his show:
“Absolutely! Cena, CM Punk, Miz, Dolph Ziggler – there’s so many guys who, when I first started my YouTube show, would retweet my link. That was a huge help since I did not have many followers, it got me so many more views. Without those guys I don’t know how successful the show would have been. There are other people, like Curt Hawkins, who started a YouTube show and it just didn’t take off. Not because it wasn’t good, it just didn’t get the viewership.”
Big O possibly joining WWE:
“(laughs) I don’t know! He had two wrestling matches already. Big O is this big meathead from my gym in Long Island who I absolutely hated because he’s one of those loud guys in the gym, always grunting, always screaming, always talking about himself. I’ll never forget: it was 2008, I was doing calf raises at the gym and he puts his headphones in my ears. It was “Summertime” by New Kids on the Block, and it was just such a ridiculous moment! We’ve been friends ever since, he’s been on my YouTube show, he’s one of the key characters on my show. He started training to become a WWE Superstar earlier this year and you never know, he could be one of the next guys, too. Everything’s possible.”
