I remember when I first saw Zack Ryder’s current persona on TV. I was in Vegas with some friends, and we randomly put WWE Superstars on when it was still airing on WGN. He immediately earned my support and even my non-wrestling fans were sold. The fist pumping and the “Woo Woo Woo” catch phrase won us over. Some time passed and he eventually grew frustrated, turning to YouTube as a creative outlet. Since then he’s been US Champion and has recently played a prominent role in John Cena’s storyline. What a ride, and we hope it keeps going in 2012 and beyond!

Joshua Schlag

For most of the last 30+ years of my life, I've been watching WWE. As a kid, Monday Night Raw hooked me from the start. From Bret Hart and Razor Ramon, to Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, to CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.. I've witnessed the ups and downs and I'm proud to have enjoyed pro wrestling through the years.

Though I now watch in a much different fashion than I did when I was a kid (finding out Vince McMahon was the owner and Jack Tunney no more than a figurehead was like finding out Santa Claus did not exist), I feel like I have a much greater appreciation for the hard work pro wrestlers do and the things they sacrifice to entertain us.

It's still real to me, dammit!