New #1 Contender Crowned on SmackDown, But Injury Is Already Jeopardizing the Opportunity

Oh no Bro. What should have been a great night for Zack Ryder and the Hype Bros has the potential to be a disaster. Near the end of the tag team battle royal, which Ryder won to earn a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, Ryder badly injured his knee and could miss some time.

There is no word on what this could mean for the Hype Bros’ title shot. WWE has already acknowledged the incident with the following statement.

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Breaking News: Zack Ryder suffers knee injury
On the Dec. 13 episode of SmackDown LIVE, Zack Ryder suffered an injury to his left knee. The injury took place when Long Island Iced-Z attempted a Rough Ryder in the same contest in which The Hype Bros won a Tag Team No. 1 Contenders’ Battle Royal. This victory gave them the right to challenge SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Wyatt Family. After the match, Ryder was carried to the trainer’s room and is currently on crutches.

“We think he injured his kneecap or his patella. We think it popped out and then popped back in, so we’re just going to do an MRI to make sure that there is not cartilage damage or some tendon tearing, stuff like that,” according to WWE’s Dr. Chris Robinson. “Hopefully there’s not and it’ll be a shorter rehab period. If there is, there’s a different road we might have to go down that may take longer to get him to recover.”

Check back to WWE.com tomorrow for an update following Ryder’s MRI.

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Ryder has also commented on the injury on his Twitter account:

httpss://twitter.com/ZackRyder/status/808885413846847488

httpss://youtube.com/watch?v=G4-nzTPMTBo

I’ve always had a major soft spot for Ryder as he’s always seemed to be trying as hard as anyone else. I don’t think he’s ever going to be a major star or anything but he’s the definition of a midcard name who is almost always going to be over with the fans. Ryder just seems like a nice guy and that’s not something you see often enough in wrestling.

What do you think happens with the title shot now? Who should replace the Hype Bros if Ryder has to miss significant time? Let us know in the comments below.