Zack Ryder’s Journey From Cancer To WrestleMania

Zack Ryder is one of those wrestlers who has a lot of facts surrounding him. So, if you have an interest in this wrestler, there are a lot of facts to discover. To help you get started, we’ve listed five facts you simply must know about Zack Ryder.

1. He Beat Cancer

Ryder was diagnosed with cancer in high school. Doctors discovered he had a tumor in his foot, which had spread to his lungs.

“Surgeries, chemotherapy, all that. It sucked, it did…but the thing that kept me going was that I knew I had to beat it to get here because this was my destiny. I don’t know why. I wasn’t born into this business, but for some reason, my whole life has been to get here.”

Not many people know about Ryder’s battle against cancer. During an interview, he stated he did not want cancer to define him. Can’t say I blame him, and honestly, I admire him even more for it.

2. His Nickname “Long Island Iced Z” Has Special Meaning

Zack Ryder has a nickname in the wrestling world, more specifically the “Long Island Iced Z”. Most people believe the nickname comes from his native city, but it has a little more meaning than that!

Ryder was born in Long Beach on May 14, 1985. He also launched his professional wrestling career on Long Island, which explains his love for the “Long Island Iced Z” persona.

3. He Used Social Media to Increase His Popularity

Zack Ryder was not that happy with his placement on the WWE roster in 2011. While most wrestlers would just let things run its course, Zack Ryder saw an opportunity.

To increase his exposure within the wrestling world, Ryder started his own YouTube Channel called Z! True Long Island Story. Even though the WWE was not involved in the creation of the channel, Ryder got an outstanding amount of exposure from the channel. Naturally, this had a positive influence on his WWE career at the time.

4. He Used to Date Emma

Zack Ryder used to date another WWE wrestler, Emma. Emma was released in 2017, shortly after Ryder and Emma called their relationship quits.

Ryder has since moved on and is currently dating Chelsea Green, another female wrestler who used to be on Tough Enough and is the former IMPACT Knockouts Champion.

5. He’s Obsessed with Toys

Most WWE wrestlers have a hobby aside from wrestling and this is no different for Zack Ryder. Tthe Long Island wrestler has a massive toy collection!

Even though he has some wrestling toys in his collection, Ryder collects other popular toys as well; this includes toys based on series and movies such as Ghostbusters, Guardians of the Galaxy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and Back to the Future.

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