WWE Zack Ryder Suffers Knee Injury During Smackdown LIVE

12/14/2016 09:31 am EST

Zack Ryder can't seem to win for losing. WWE.com posted the following, confirming an earlier report that Zack Ryder injured his knee during the Smackdown Tag Team Battle Royal:

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.

Ryder won the battle royal for his team, earning a future title shot against The Wyatt Family. Live reports said the referee threw up the 'X' for an injury and Ryder was later pulled from tonight's Tribute To The Troops tapings.

After winning the Intercontinental championship at Wrestlemania 32, then losing it a day later on RAW, Zack Ryder's singles career stalled out. Ryder's partnership with Mojo Rawley has given him real momentum in the past 6 months, and while it's unlikely they would have unseated the Wyatt Family, a high profile feud could have done the team wonders.

No word on how long Ryder will be out, but we certainly wish him a speedy recovery.

MORE WRESTLING: Booker T Running For Mayor / 5 Title Reigns Longer Than The New Day / Roman Reigns Wrestlemania 33 Opponent / Bray Wyatt Responds To Matt Hardy / Did Shane McMahon Try To Take Over WWE Creative? / Sami Zayn Should Have Been Traded

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of Paramount. Sign up for Paramount+ by clicking here.