10 Reasons Why Dolph Deserved His Demotion

7. And Not Good Enough At Selling

Dolph Ziggler
WWE Network

Selling and bumping are two very different things. Ziggler is, undisputedly, a master of the latter. But his selling - inarguably the most important of the two - leaves a lot to be desired.

Ziggler, like many of the peers in his athleticism-heavy generation, moves around the ring and recovers from damage far too quickly. His bumping style should lend itself to sustained periods of exhaustion and, depending on his alignment, gradual comebacks or vicious shortcuts. But he always seems suspiciously ready to mount yet another frenetic attack on his opponents.

The upshot is that his bond with the audience isn't as strong as it could be. If he never truly looks like he's on the very edge of defeat, why should fans will him back to life? An example of his underdeveloped selling was his World Heavyweight title match against Alberto Del Rio at Payback '13.

Tasked with selling the effects of a concussion, and the ravenous attacks used by Del Rio to exacerbate them, he is both histrionic and half-hearted. Del Rio was a bit too full-on, for his part, and what was booked to be a landscape-changing double turn saw neither man rise to prominence in their switched roles.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!