- And the Fandom Rejoiced: Winning the United States Championship from Dolph Ziggler at TLC. Cleanly! The building practically exploded from the amount of cheering.
- Badass Decay: In late 2011, he started to get a single's push, even having an arc of him trying to win the United States Championship. 2012? He's lost the title and becoming the Chew Toy and Butt Monkey in the Cena/Kane feud.
- Sure he hasn't been fighting as much, but he's been able to absorb a whole lot of damage. To put it in perspective, that time he was the Chew Toy? Kane had to attack him for a single month before Ryder was put on a stretcher. That's right a whole month.
- Base Breaker: It seems that either you love Zack Ryder and want to see him on television in a prominent spot, or you wonder what the heck the big deal is with him, and whether everyone who likes him has lost their minds. There is no middle ground.
- Crowning Moment of Awesome: Retaining the WWE Internet Championship in Australia. Hell, just being allowed to DEFEND that title is amazing in itself, considering he created it. Yes it was a house show, but it counts!
- Getting to kick Michael Cole's ass after Triple H booted Cole out of the broadcast booth!
- On the 9/19/11 edition of RAW, Ryder (accompanied by freaking Hugh Jackman, no less) gets an awesome win against Dolph Ziggler.
- Crowning Moment of Funny: Pick one.
- His brief performance of Rebecca Black's "Friday" at Wrestlemania XXVII.
- Ear Worm: Part of of the reason for his popularity amongst the IWC is that his entrance music is, well, amazing.
- Ensemble Darkhorse
- Fashion Victim Villain: His outfit is awful...ly hilarious.
- Fridge Brilliance: For his various title wins, why does it usually take him multiple wins (especially on a character that's suppose to be rising quickly up the ranks)? It's to show off/reinforce his newfound Determinator/Took a Level in Badass nature and how Zack's success is not the result of the company but him simply doing his hardest to succeed as the Plucky Underdog!
- Older Than They Think: Most people think that his current gimmick started when he first appeared on ECW in 2009. However, the first time he portrayed this character was on John Morrison and The Miz's online show The Dirt Sheet months before the 2009 draft, with Curt Hawkins acting as a Straight Man.
- Justified in that the gimmick wasn't fully developed during those Dirt Sheet segments. He didn't have the new theme or the spiked short hair yet.
- Memetic Outfit: His signature look, a pair of half-tights, half-briefs.
- Although he's switched to full briefs as of late.
- Don't forget the headband, bro.
- And the Glasses
- Tear Jerker: Watching the No-Holds-Barred Beatdown from Kane on the 1/23/12 Raw is just painful, and seeing him stretchered off after being chokeslammed right through the stage is what makes it qualify as this.
- What an Idiot!: Just a few weeks after Eve revealed she was just using Zack to get more television time, she kisses him and ends up having him wrapped around her fingers all over again.
- The Woobie