Curtis23/Zack Ryder | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Brett Matthews[1][2] Brian Major[2] Zack Ryder[2] |
Billed from | Long Island, New York |
Trained by | Mikey Whipwreck[3] DSW staff |
Debut | 2004 |
Zack Ryder is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestling on its Raw brand. Upon making his debut in the WWE Ryder formed a tag team with Curt Hawkins where they would go on to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship.
Career
editWorld Wrestling Entertainment (2006–present)
editTag Team Career (2006-2009)
editDevelopmental territories (2006–2007)
editOn February 24, 2006, Brian and Brett Majors signed developmental contracts with World Wrestling Entertainment.[7] The Majors Brothers are former two time DSW Tag Team Champions, winning the titles from The Untouchables and then winning a triple threat match involving William Regal and Dave Taylor and The Samoan Fight Club. In early 2007, the Majors Brothers started working dark matches on Raw and SmackDown!.
On June 15, 2007 at Ohio Valley Wrestling's third Super Summer Sizzler Series event of the year at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky, the Majors defeated Charles "The Hammer" Evans and Justin "The Ox" LaRouche (who later became their La Familia stablemate, Bam Neely) to capture the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.[8] On June 29, however, they dropped the titles to the James Boys (K.C. James and Cassidy James).
The Major Brothers (2007)
editThe Major Brothers (with the 's' dropped from the Majors name outside of plural reference) made their WWE television debut on the May 1, 2007 edition of ECW on Sci Fi defeating Matt Striker and Marcus Cor Von in a tag team match.[9] They were depicted as an unknown team and their initial victory was the only win the team had in ECW. Following their debut match, they lost to the team of Elijah Burke and Cor Von, as well as both losing singles matches to Burke and Striker.[10][11][12]
The Majors were drafted from ECW to SmackDown! on June 17, 2007, as the eighth pick in the 2007 Supplemental Draft.[13] Vignettes aired hyping their impending debut on the brand. On their July 6, 2007 SmackDown! debut, the Majors defeated Jeremy Young and Mike Foxx.[14] The following week, the Majors were victorious again, defeating the team of Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Jamie Noble.[15] After a loss to Deuce 'n Domino on August 17, 2007, The Majors would not compete on the show again until October 12, 2007, when the debuting Drew McIntyre defeated Brett.[16][17] The following week, McIntyre defeated Brian.[18] On November 9, 2007, they received a tag title match after winning a number one contender's battle royal, but could not defeat the champions, Montel Vontavious Porter and Matt Hardy.[19]
Hawkins and Ryder; La Familia (2007–2009)
editAt Armageddon, the duo dressed as Edge and interfered in the World Heavyweight Championship match, taking bumps in Edge's place to help him win the title and thus turning heel for the first time in their WWE career.[20] On December 21, 2007, 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, as Brett Major's name was changed to "Zack Ryder" and Brian Major to "Curt Hawkins".[21] They were now called Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder. Occasionally teaming with their mentor Edge and/or their "La Familia" associate Chavo Guerrero on SmackDown, they even went on to be featured in the main event on multiple occasions. With this new gimmick, they were sometimes referred as "The Rated-R Entourage" by commentators Michael Cole and John "Bradshaw" Layfield. They also dropped the short trunks the team wore as the Major Brothers and started wearing long tights identical to Edge's tights. To differentiate between the two, Hawkins wore his hair in a ponytail. Later on, the team updated their attires, with Ryder debuting tights with new designs while Hawkins switched back to short trunks with new designs, and they began wearing sunglasses and a hoodie, respectively, to the ring.
At The Great American Bash on July 20, 2008, Hawkins 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.[22][23] Their victory meant that they collectively became the youngest tag team champions in WWE history.[24] At SummerSlam, La Familia seemed to have ended when a returning Undertaker sent Edge to Hell and then refused to forgive Vickie - prompting all the members to abandon Vickie, who would later align with Big Show. On the September 26, 2008 airing of SmackDown, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder lost the titles to Carlito and Primo Colón in their first televised title defense.[25] On December 5, 2008 edition of SmackDown, they returned in a tag team gauntlet match against Jeff Hardy and Triple H where they were the first and only team eliminated. They also participated in the battle royal for the last spot in the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match, but were eliminated by The Great Khali.[26]
Singles Career (2009-present)
editECW (2009-2010)
editOn April 15, 2009, Ryder was drafted back to the ECW brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft, separating the team.[27] Ryder re-debuted on ECW on Sci Fi on May 5, 2009 with a new look, in a backstage promo with Tiffany.[28] His new look featured short hair, sunglasses, a purple headband, half trunks/half-pants tights and frequent use of the catchphrases "Woo woo woo" and "You know it."[29] Ryder's first match since the draft was on WWE Superstars on May 7, 2009 in a losing effort against Finlay.[30] On the May 19 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Ryder picked up his first victory since rejoining the ECW roster when he defeated a local competitor.[29] Ryder would then go on to pick up wins over the likes of Tyler Reks[31][32], Goldust[33], and Yoshi Tatsu[34] while having competitive matches with Evan Bourne[35], Shelton Benjamin[36][37], and ECW Champion Christian[38].
On the September 15 episode of ECW, Ryder won a 10-man battle royal to be crowned the new number-one contender to Christian's ECW Championship.[39] Ryder then went on to lose his title match the next week.[40] On the October 20th episode of ECW Ryder lost a number one contenders match to Yoshi Tatsu.[41] On the November 3rd episode of ECW Ryder fell in love with guest ring annoucer for his match diva Rosa Mendes which caused him to lose his match against Shelton Benjamin this love escalated the next week when Ryder imagined him with Rosa after speaking to her.[42] [43] On the November 12th episode of WWE Superstars in a rematch from the November 3rd episode of ECW Ryder again got distracted by Rosa Mendes which caused him to lose to Shelton Benjamin by countout.[44] On the December 29 episode of ECW Zack Ryder defeated Tommy Dreamer to end his ECW career. On the final ECW he interfered in the final ECW and ECW Championship match though General Manager Tiffany came in attacks his love, Rosa so he left.
Raw (2010-present)
editAfter ECW ended Ryder signed a contract to go to Raw. But his first match on Raw saw a loss to Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.
In wrestling
edit- Finishing moves
- Lifting inverted DDT[45]
- Zack Attack[46][47] (Inverted overdrive) – 2009–present
- Signature moves
- Double team finishing moves
- Double lifting DDT[54] – 2008 - (with Curt Hawkins)
- Heat Stroke (NYWC) / Long Island Express[2] (DSW / OVW) (Samoan drop / Diving neckbreaker combination) (with Curt Hawkins)
- STO / Russian legsweep combination (with Curt Hawkins)
- Double team signature moves
- Double hip toss, sometimes preceded by a double leapfrog or transitioned into a backbreaker (with Curt Hawkins)
- Double spear[55] – 2008 - (with Curt Hawkins)
- Nicknames
- "The Rated-R Entourage"
- "Long Island Loudmouth"
- Entrance themes
- "What I Want" by Daughtry (DSW / OVW)[2]
- "In the Middle of it Now" by Disciple (WWE; as Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder)[56]
- "Radio" by Jim Johnston[57] (May 2009–present)
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Deep South Wrestling
- DSW Tag Team Championship (2 times)[58] with Curt Hawkins
- New York Wrestling Connection
- Ohio Valley Wrestling
- OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time)[8] with Curt Hawkins
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time)[22] with Curt Hawkins
References
edit- ^ a b "New York Wrestling Connection Title Histories". Retrieved 2007-06-16.
- ^ a b c d e "Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder profile" (in German). Cagematch.de. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
- ^ WWE Magazine Special - 25 Years of Interviews, September/October 2008, page 49, 2008
- ^ "Zack Ryder's WWE Profile". Retrieved 2009-04-15.
- ^ }
- ^ "Past results 2005". Jersey All Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
- ^ "Major Brothers at Online World of Wrestling". Retrieved 2007-06-16.
- ^ a b Gerweck, Steve (2007-06-15). "OVW Six Flags Super Summer Sizzler Series #3 Results". Archived from the original on 2007-06-21. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
- ^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-05-01). "Fighting for ECW's Heart and Soul". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ Bryan Robinson (2007-06-05). "Chairman falling deeper and deeper into the abyss". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ Bryan Robinson (2007-05-08). "Spirit of ECW Splashed". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-05-22). "Experiencing painful revenge". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "SmackDown drafts up". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "A big surprise". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Officially on". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Hand-slotted reprisal". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Conflicting interests". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Interactive altercations". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Finding the way". WWE. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ Dee, Louie (2007-12-17). "A Major revelation". WWE. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- ^ Dee, Louie (2009-08-12). "Three for All". WWE. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ a b "History Of The WWE Tag Team Championship - Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder". WWE. 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ Passero, Mitch (2008-07-20). "Out of the shadows, into the golden light". WWE. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ "Hawkins and Ryder: WWE's youngest Tag Team Champions". WWE. 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ Martin, Adam (2008-09-22). "Friday Night Smackdown Tapings - Columbus (Last show on CW)". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ Raquel Santos, Benedict (2008-12-05). "Undeniable altercations". WWE. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ "2009 WWE Supplemental Draft results". World Wrestling Entertainment. 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
- ^ Bishop, Matt (2009-05-06). "ECW: Bourne, Kidd steal show". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ a b Bishop, Matt (2009-05-20). "ECW: Hart Trilogy keeps Finlay guessing". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ Mackinder, Matt (2009-05-07). "WWE Superstars: Jericho tops Morrison". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ Vermillion, James (2009-07-02). "Eye give up". WWE.com. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Murphy, Ryan (2009-07-09). "Coming up short". WWE.com. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Medalis, Kara A. (2009-07-14). "Monumental mauling". WWE.com. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Medalis, Kara A. (2009-08-18). "A Regal road to SummerSlam". WWE.com. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Vermillion, James (2009-06-11). "The good, the bad and the beautiful". WWE.com. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Medalis, Kara A. (2009-08-11). "A Regal No. 1 Contender". WWE.com. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Medalis, Kara A. (2009-09-01). "The Celtic Warrior's golden win". WWE.com. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Murphy, Ryan (2009-07-28). "The Christian era begins". WWE.com. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Medalis, Kara A. (2009-09-15). "No. 1 contender... You know it!". WWE.com. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
- ^ Stephens, David (2009-09-23). "ECW on SyFy Results - 9/22/09". Wrestleview.com. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
- ^ Medalis, Kara (2009-10-20). "Unwelcome visitor". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
- ^ Medalis, Kara (2009-11-03). "Wish Granted". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
- ^ Medalis, Kara (2009-11-10). "Christian retains". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
- ^ Vermillion, James (2009-11-12). "Driven to destruction". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
- ^ "Friday Night SmackDown (February 8, 2008)". WWE Friday Night SmackDown!. 2008-02-08. The CW.
{{cite episode}}
: Unknown parameter|serieslink=
ignored (|series-link=
suggested) (help) - ^ Mackinder, Matt (2009-07-02). "WWE Superstars: Punk's heel turn continues". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ Vermillion, James (2009-06-18). "Packed to the brim". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-08-21.
- ^ "The ECW *7/14) Extreme Examination". Online World of Wrestling. 2009-07-16.
- ^ "ECW 5/19/09 results". Wrestlescoop. 2009-05-20.
- ^ "WWE Superstars report". PWInsider. 2009-06-11.
- ^ "ECW on Sci Fi results - June 2, 2009". Wrestling News Arena. 2009-06-02.
- ^ "SmackDown! Results 07-04-08: Fatal '4th of July' Way Edition". Lords of Pain. 2008-07-06.
- ^ "ECW on Sci Fi Results - 5/19/09". WrestleView. 2009-05-20.
- ^ "WWE Smackdown results 8/8/08". Lords of Pain. 2008-08-06.
- ^ "SmackDown! Results 07/11/08: A Date With Destiny?". Lords of Pain. 2007-07-12.
- ^ WWE Music Volume 8 CD "WWE the Music Volume 8". WWE.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ "Radio (Legal Title)". BMI. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ Tanabe, Hisaharu. "Deep South Wrestling Tag Team Title". Retrieved 2007-06-16.
- ^ "NYWC Tag Team Title history". New York Wresting Connection. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
- ^ Clark, Ryan (2008-09-18). "The Complete 'PWI 500' List For 2008". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. WrestlingInc.com. Retrieved 2009-06-18.