Zack Ryder Talks Being At A Low Point, How Far He's Willing To Go To Reinvent Himself
Arda Ocal of The Baltimore Sun recently interviewed Zack Ryder. During the interview, Ryder spoke about how he may need to switch up his character and make it more serious. Here are some highlights:
Where he is in his WWE career: "I'm at a low point. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because there's only one place to go and that's up. The Z True Long Island Story paved my career, it re-invented Zack Ryder, but that time has come and gone. Last year, 2011, I ended it as the United States Champion. I had my first WrestleMania match at WrestleMania 28. Now this year at WrestleMania 29, not on the show, not really doing much. That's why I really need this low point to really fuel me to come up with something new. Maybe it won't be as big or as phenomenal as Z True Long Island Story, but there will be something that just works and clicks to the audience, something that gets me to that next level. So I don't think that it's necessarily a bad thing that I'm at a low point; I just think it's a little break before I get even higher. "
How he can re-invent himself: "I mean it's hard to say. You Tube, Twitter and Facebook changed my career, but it didn't really reinvent me — it just made me realize who I was. You look at Zack Ryder a week before I started Z True Long Island Story and it's still the same Zack Ryder, just people actually knew who he was. So now it's getting to the point where I have to reinvent because everybody knows the 'woo, woo, woo,' everyone knows 'the broski, take care, spike your hair,' and the 'Long Island Iced Z.' Now is the time to change things up a little bit, tweak things here and there. I'm going to have to sit down and map things out because Z True Long Island Story took off as an accident. I wanted it to be successful; I didn't know how successful it would get. So I have to sit down and figure out what is the next step, how to change and how to truly reinvent Zack Ryder."
How far he'd be willing to go to reinvent himself: "I would do whatever it takes. Do a complete 180, but only if it's still me deep down inside. I'm not going to go out there and pretend to be someone I'm not. The thing that got me here [is], I like to party, pick up chicks, listen to pop music and sing pop music, but there is also a darker side to Zack Ryder, a more serious side to Zack Ryder. Maybe I'll have to peel some layers to Zack Ryder and go out there and do something different."
Ryder also discussed the demise of his show, Triple H and Sthephanie McMahon joining Twitter, if he will make more music videos and more. You can check out the full interview by clicking here.
Sources: The Baltimore Sun