DALLAS — The combination of the reigning Intercontinental Champion, a world-traveled trailblazer riding a wave of emotion, WWE’s resident show stealer, WWE’s resident A-lister, a space creature with his family’s honor at stake, an unpredictable luchador and a 20-foot ladder weren’t enough to stop Zack Ryder from seizing his destiny, and the Intercontinental Championship, from the bright lights of AT&T Stadium's record-setting crowd at WrestleMania 32. Seriously, bro.
Ryder was something of a dark horse in this contest, and in the weeks leading up to the bout, his six opponents mostly squabbled among themselves and wrote the former U.S. Champion off as a non-factor. However, Ryder made it clear going into the bout that he operates best when he’s being underestimated, and Long Island Iced-Z proved his mettle at WrestleMania by doing what he’d been doing all along: Waiting for an opportunity to shine.
He almost waited too long. Owens’ persistent disrespect of his fellow Superstars meant there was a line out the door of guys looking to spoil what he’d dubbed “KO-Mania,” so the match was initially a seven-way scramble with everyone looking to take each other out. Sami Zayn threw hands with KO almost instantly to the delight of the WrestleMania audience; Stardust, whose gear bore homage to his late father, WWE Hall of Famer “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, retrieved a polka-dotted ladder from beneath the ring and used it like a helicopter blade on his opponents; Ryder flattened Miz with an El-Bro Drop off the ladder and Dolph Ziggler facebustered Ryder off the top of another ladder in a maneuver that left The Showoff with only one functional leg.
WrestleMania 32 begins with a fast-paced Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship featuring Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, Sin Cara, Zack Ryder, Stardust, The Miz and Kevin Owens: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
Give credit to Owens, who picked his own spots wisely and found a way to keep control at every turn. He even set about eliminating his competition, sending Sin Cara plummeting onto a ladder-prone Stardust to shatter the steel beneath both of them. The difference between Ryder and Owens proved to be Zayn, who almost exclusively targeted KO and ultimately got the last laugh on Owens with a half-nelson suplex onto a ladder that left The Prizefighter in ruins.
That meant the road was clear for Sami to walk out of his WrestleMania debut as Intercontinental Champion, and the “Olé” chants raining down on Zayn seemed to predict a sure victory … until The Miz ruined it. The Awesome One shoved Zayn off the ladder and, with the Intercontinental Title now within his grasp, did what any actor worth his salt does: Ham it up. A grinning Miz took his sweet time to claim his sure victory, only he never got to leisurely snatch the classic white championship: Ryder had stormed up the ladder to shove Miz to the mat, and with everyone taken out and Owens nowhere to be seen, “Zack Daddy” grabbed the Intercontinental Title out of the Texas sky and came down to earth to celebrate with his father in the ring.
Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Stardust, Sin Cara and Zack Ryder put their bodies on the line for Intercontinetal Title glory at WrestleMania 32.
So, let this match put the question to rest: Can you go from an underdog to a champion in a matter of moments? Can you go from a spectator at WrestleMania X’s historic Intercontinental Title Ladder Match to winning a Ladder Match of your own 22 years later? Can you claim a place in the history of The Showcase of Immortals, even if you’re just a self-proclaimed "Internet Champion" from the L.I.? You know it.
Twenty two years after witnessing Razor Ramon win the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania X, Zack Ryder shares a moment with "The Bad Guy" as the new Intercontinental Champion.
DALLAS — The combination of the reigning Intercontinental Champion, a world-traveled trailblazer riding a wave of emotion, WWE’s resident show stealer, WWE’s resident A-lister, a space creature with his family’s honor at stake, an unpredictable luchador and a 20-foot ladder weren’t enough to stop Zack Ryder from seizing his destiny, and the Intercontinental Championship, from the bright lights of AT&T Stadium's record-setting crowd at WrestleMania 32. Seriously, bro.
Ryder was something of a dark horse in this contest, and in the weeks leading up to the bout, his six opponents mostly squabbled among themselves and wrote the former U.S. Champion off as a non-factor. However, Ryder made it clear going into the bout that he operates best when he’s being underestimated, and Long Island Iced-Z proved his mettle at WrestleMania by doing what he’d been doing all along: Waiting for an opportunity to shine.
He almost waited too long. Owens’ persistent disrespect of his fellow Superstars meant there was a line out the door of guys looking to spoil what he’d dubbed “KO-Mania,” so the match was initially a seven-way scramble with everyone looking to take each other out. Sami Zayn threw hands with KO almost instantly to the delight of the WrestleMania audience; Stardust, whose gear bore homage to his late father, WWE Hall of Famer “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, retrieved a polka-dotted ladder from beneath the ring and used it like a helicopter blade on his opponents; Ryder flattened Miz with an El-Bro Drop off the ladder and Dolph Ziggler facebustered Ryder off the top of another ladder in a maneuver that left The Showoff with only one functional leg.
WrestleMania 32 begins with a fast-paced Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship featuring Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, Sin Cara, Zack Ryder, Stardust, The Miz and Kevin Owens: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
Give credit to Owens, who picked his own spots wisely and found a way to keep control at every turn. He even set about eliminating his competition, sending Sin Cara plummeting onto a ladder-prone Stardust to shatter the steel beneath both of them. The difference between Ryder and Owens proved to be Zayn, who almost exclusively targeted KO and ultimately got the last laugh on Owens with a half-nelson suplex onto a ladder that left The Prizefighter in ruins.
That meant the road was clear for Sami to walk out of his WrestleMania debut as Intercontinental Champion, and the “Olé” chants raining down on Zayn seemed to predict a sure victory … until The Miz ruined it. The Awesome One shoved Zayn off the ladder and, with the Intercontinental Title now within his grasp, did what any actor worth his salt does: Ham it up. A grinning Miz took his sweet time to claim his sure victory, only he never got to leisurely snatch the classic white championship: Ryder had stormed up the ladder to shove Miz to the mat, and with everyone taken out and Owens nowhere to be seen, “Zack Daddy” grabbed the Intercontinental Title out of the Texas sky and came down to earth to celebrate with his father in the ring.
Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Stardust, Sin Cara and Zack Ryder put their bodies on the line for Intercontinetal Title glory at WrestleMania 32.
So, let this match put the question to rest: Can you go from an underdog to a champion in a matter of moments? Can you go from a spectator at WrestleMania X’s historic Intercontinental Title Ladder Match to winning a Ladder Match of your own 22 years later? Can you claim a place in the history of The Showcase of Immortals, even if you’re just a self-proclaimed "Internet Champion" from the L.I.? You know it.
Twenty two years after witnessing Razor Ramon win the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania X, Zack Ryder shares a moment with "The Bad Guy" as the new Intercontinental Champion.
