10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Dolph Ziggler

8. "Hi, I'm Dolph Ziggler"

Dolph Ziggler
WWE.com

Not to worry, because WWE creative had a genius idea for his return to Raw and SmackDown in late-2008. He was recast as Dolph Ziggler, and the male cheerleader gimmick was abandoned in favour of a guy who...went around introducing himself to everybody with the same goofy smile.

In other words, he was a mix of 2000s Just Joe and ECW flop Braden Walker only with bleached blonde hair.

"Hi, I'm Dolph Ziggler", he'd say with a grin. Then, Dolph would extend his hand in friendship and watch as various babyfaces decided whether or not they could trust him. It was as exciting as it sounds here, and it did nothing to get Ziggler over as a young star who had serious potential to be great.

It was an empty shell of a gimmick, one that hardly had longevity and directly failed to help Ziggler stand out from everyone else. WWE must be taken to task for thinking something so flimsy was going to work. Dolph needed more. Way more.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.