Attention, Andre the Giant fans: Zack Ryder is moving in on the WWE Hall of Famer’s territory. No, Ryder isn't about to be anointed the new Eighth Wonder of the World, and he’s a ways off from accumulating a 15-year winning streak like the Giant’s. Rather, everybody’s favorite Broski is homing in on one of Andre’s other accolades, the nickname “The King of the Battle Royal."

With his Night of Champions Pre-Show victory in a 16-Man Battle Royal ( WATCH), Long Island Iced-Z not only earned a crack at U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro on pay-per-view, he also notched at least his fourth significant victory in the grueling Battle Royal match format since coming to WWE.

Alongside then-tag team partner Curt Hawkins, Ryder won a five-team Battle Royal on SmackDown in 2007. As a singles competitor two years later, Ryder earned an ECW Title Match by prevailing in a 10-Man Battle Royal. Last July, he won the right to become SmackDown’s General Manager for a week by outlasting 19 other Superstars, and on Sunday, he survived the 16-Superstar melee en route to facing Cesaro.

For someone who is the reigning Internet Champion, Ryder sure was born in the wrong era. Given his proclivity for winning Battle Royals, social media’s most celebrated Superstar is the type of competitor who would have done well competing for the grand jackpot of the famed Battle Royals that took place annually in San Francisco’s Cow Palace in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

In WWE, however, Ryder has yet to capitalize on his success in the over-the-top world of Battle Royals. His Tag Team Battle Royal win in 2007 paved the way to a Tag Team Title Match that same night, but Ryder and Hawkins were unable to come out on top. A week after the ECW No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal, Long Island Iced-Z faced off against ECW Champion Christian and lost. Ryder spearheaded a fine regime on SmackDown as interim GM this year, but that arrangement was designed from the start to be temporary. At Night of Champions, the Long Island Iced-Z came up short in his U.S. Title opportunity against Cesaro, though Aksana played no small role in interrupting Ryder’s attempt at a Broski Boot.

Still, he must be doing something right if he keeps winning Battle Royals over much more experienced and more heavily favored Superstars. What is it about Ryder that makes him such a cunning threat in Battle Royals specifically?

One attribute that jumps to mind is perseverance. Ryder is nothing if not a scrappy fighter, and persistence pays off in the every-man-for-himself format where a key strategy involves hanging on to the ring ropes for dear life. Long Island Iced-Z is also endlessly confident, as announcer Matt Striker pointed out during the 2009 ECW Battle Royal. ( WATCH) Even under the most mundane circumstances, confidence is never a bad quality for a Superstar to possess.

In the realm of a Battle Royal, however, it is absolutely essential. How else would an up-and-coming Ryder outlast veterans like Tommy Dreamer and Goldust, not to mention a hungry Sheamus, in 2009? Before he won the Great American Bash Battle Royal this past July, did anybody really give Ryder a snowball’s chance of overcoming a crowded field of Superstars that included CM Punk, John Cena, Alberto Del Rio and Big Show? ( WATCH)

Ryder also possesses good instincts. Bodies fly all over the ring in Battle Royals, and attackers appear out of the corner of one’s eye, without a moment’s notice. The resourceful and deceptively quick Ryder, however, has averted many close calls. He won July’s Battle Royal by low-bridging a charging Kane, causing The Devil’s Favorite Demon to spill to the floor.  On Sunday, he similarly low-bridged Titus O’Neil, and he won the whole kit and caboodle by reversing a powerbomb by Tensai.

When analyzing Ryder’s success in this arena, it would appear that all roads point to the Royal Rumble Match. The most revered spin-off of the Battle Royal concept, the 30-man spectacular also boasts the highest of stakes: a guaranteed title opportunity at WrestleMania. To date, Ryder's record in the Rumble is less-than-stellar. Combining his two appearances there in 2010 and 2011, he spent less time in the Royal Rumble Match than Michael Cole lasted in a single outing. This year, Ryder was not even a participant, having been laid out by Kane. Could 2013 be Ryder’s year?

Royal Rumble Match implications aside, broskis in the WWE Universe have long recognized Ryder as a skilled Superstar, and his track record in Battle Royals more than supports their viewpoint. Now, it is up to Long Island Iced-Z to apply what he has learned in that specific match format, and apply it to his broader WWE career.

Attention, Andre the Giant fans: Zack Ryder is moving in on the WWE Hall of Famer’s territory. No, Ryder is not about to be anointed the new “Eighth Wonder of the World,” and he’s a ways off from accumulating a 15-year winning streak like the Giant’s. Rather, everybody’s favorite Broski is homing in on one of Andre’s other accolades, the nickname “The King of the Battle Royal.”

With his Night of Champions Pre-Show victory in a 16-Man Battle Royal ( WATCH), Long Island Iced-Z not only earned a crack at U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro on pay-per-view, but he also notched at least his fourth significant victory in the grueling Battle Royal match format since coming to WWE.

Alongside then–tag team partner Curt Hawkins, Ryder won a five-team Battle Royal on SmackDown in 2007. As a singles competitor two years later, Ryder earned an ECW Title Match by prevailing in a 10-Man Battle Royal. Earlier this year, he won the right to be SmackDown’s General Manager for a week by outlasting 19 other Superstars, and on Sunday, he survived the 16-man melee en route to facing Cesaro.

For someone who is the reigning “Internet Champion,” Ryder sure was born in the wrong era. Given his proclivity for winning Battle Royals, social media’s most celebrated Superstar is the type of competitor who would have done well competing for the grand jackpot of the famed Battle Royals that took place annually in San Francisco’s Cow Palace in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

In WWE, however, Ryder has yet to capitalize on his success in the over-the-top world of Battle Royals. His Tag Team Battle Royal win in 2007 paved the way to a Tag Team Title Match that same night, but Ryder and Hawkins were unable to come out on top. A week after the ECW No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal, Long Island Iced-Z faced off against ECW Champion Christian and lost. Ryder spearheaded a fine regime on SmackDown as interim GM this year, but that arrangement was designed from the start to be temporary. At Night of Champions, Ryder came up short against Cesaro, though Aksana played no small role in interrupting Ryder’s attempt at a Broski Boot.

Ryder must be doing something right if he keeps winning Battle Royals over much more experienced and more heavily favored Superstars. What is it about Ryder that makes him such a cunning threat in Battle Royals specifically?

One attribute that jumps to mind is perseverance. Ryder is nothing if not a scrappy fighter, and persistence pays off in the every-man-for-himself format where a key strategy involves hanging on to the ring ropes for dear life. Long Island Iced-Z is also endlessly confident, as announcer Matt Striker pointed out during the 2009 ECW Battle Royal. ( WATCH) Even under the most mundane circumstances, confidence is never a bad quality for a Superstar to possess.

But in the realm of a Battle Royal, it is absolutely essential. How else would an up-and-coming Ryder outlast veterans like Tommy Dreamer and Goldust, not to mention a hungry Sheamus, in 2009? Before he won the Great American Bash Battle Royal in July 2012, did anybody really give Ryder a snowball’s chance of overcoming a crowded field of Superstars that included CM Punk, John Cena, Alberto Del Rio and Big Show? ( WATCH)

Ryder also possesses good instincts. Bodies fly all over the ring in Battle Royals, and attackers appear out of the corner of one’s eye, without a moment’s notice. The resourceful and deceptively quick Ryder, however, has averted many close calls. He won July’s Battle Royal by low-bridging a charging Kane, causing The Devil’s Favorite Demon to spill to the floor. On Sunday, he similarly low-bridged Titus O’Neil, and he won the whole kit and caboodle by reversing a powerbomb by Tensai.

When analyzing Ryder’s success in this arena, it would appear that all roads point to the Royal Rumble Match. The most revered spin-off of the Battle Royal concept, the 30-man spectacular also boasts the highest of stakes: a guaranteed title opportunity at WrestleMania. To date, Ryder’s record in the Rumble is less-than-stellar. Combining his two appearances in 2010 and 2011, Ryder has spent less time in the Royal Rumble Match than Michael Cole lasted in his single outing. This year, Ryder was not even a participant, having been laid up by Kane. Could 2013 be Ryder’s year?

Royal Rumble Match implications aside, broskis in the WWE Universe have long recognized Ryder as a skilled Superstar, and his track record in Battle Royals more than supports their viewpoint. Now, it is up to Long Island Iced-Z to apply what he has learned in that specific match format and apply it to his broader WWE career.