During an interview with Steve Austin in 2014, Vince McMahon implored WWE superstars to "grab the brass ring" and go for the top spot. McMahon's comments were sparked by what he believed to be a lack of ambition in WWE.
In 2011, Zack Ryder tried grabbing the brass ring by creating his own YouTube show as a way to get himself over. The show worked as crowds began rallying behind Ryder despite him not being featured much on television. But Ryder's push quickly faded and so did the notion that the "brass ring" was attainable.
"Every year, as long as I was in WWE, the Raw after Mania we had this BS company....everyone there at TV meeting where they say, 'The brass ring is there, it's yours, it's a fresh year. Who is gonna get it?' Ever since Long Island Iced Z, they don't even bother with that meeting anymore because they know it's not true. Even if you grab the brass ring, you're gonna get your hand smacked. If they don't want you to have it, you're not going to have it," said Curt Hawkins on Talk Is Jericho.
Chris Jericho weighed in on WWE not wanting Ryder to get over by saying, "There is a strange resentment where, if Vince doesn't think of it, it's not valid or real. The same thing happened with Daniel Bryan when he first came in. He got over because he knows how to get over, but they resisted it for so long until they didn't have a choice. I feel the same thing happened with Zack Ryder."
Ryder seemed to be in line for a big push as he was working with John Cena and Kane. But his push ended in a wheelchair, off the stage, on WWE Raw.
In a previous interview, Ryder said he wasn't assertive enough during that time to ask what was going on and why things were unfolding the way they were. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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