10 Most Underrated WWE Feuds Of The 2010s
Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, and others who saved the 2010s.
The 2010s in WWE were, for lack of a better term, the drizzling sh*ts.
For all their triumphs throughout the decade - women main eventing WrestleMania, the rebirth of NXT after its disastrous game show debut, the initial booking of The Shield, et al - there was an equal amount of utter trash to go along with it, such as the failed attempts at using legitimate indie darlings such as Jon Moxley, the actual concept of the NXT game show, and Saudi Arabia in general.
As for the rivalries on offer at the time? They saved the promotion from a completely abysmal decade.
From 2010 through to 2019, we saw some genuinely fascinating stories unfold; CM Punk vs. John Cena in 2011, Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority in 2013/14, and Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey in 2019 to name but a few were all excellent pieces of professional wrestling storytelling. All of these arcs possessed excellent in-ring action, told a compelling, albeit typically standard story by wrestling means, and gripped fans into wanting more.
That's all you can really ask for from a great rivalry within the wrestling spectrum. But what about those underrated feuds and tales?
10. Chris Jericho Vs. Dolph Ziggler (2012-2013)
The early 2010s were undisputedly the highlight of Dolph Ziggler's career.
He was a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, had multiple, tenured runs as both the United States and Intercontinental Champion, a Money in the Bank win that resulted in one of the stipulation's most euphoric cash-ins, and, rather surprisingly, was deemed 2014's Wrestler of the Year by pop culture magazine, Rolling Stone. It's a time period where he genuinely was 'The Showoff'.
His rivalry opposite Chris Jericho helped Ziggler massively.
Centred around Ziggler claiming Jericho had lost his touch (even though 'Y2J' had just come off the back of a cracking rivalry vs. CM Punk), the pair had some effortless promo exchanges together, alongside some decent in-ring work. Their SummerSlam 2012 outing was an excellent choice to kick off the main pay-per-view card, while Dolph sending the future 'Le Champion' packing on the following night's Raw gave him some much needed credibility during a time where he needed it the most.
Of course, this should have been the end of their rivalry. There wasn't a single need for that befuddling Strange Bedfellows match the following January against Team Hell No once Jericho had returned, but we'd be remiss to not acknowledge the pop the now-Inner Circle man received as the number two Royal Rumble 2013 entrant the night before.