10 Times WWE Completely Abandoned Their Talent

5. Dolph Ziggler

Dean Ambrose EC3
WWE.com

Dolph Ziggler upping sticks and leaving behind the United States Championship at the end of 2017 was, in hindsight, one of the stupidest segments in WWE history. Yet, in keeping with both Dolph's character and it's fractured past with WWE creative, only the 'Show Off' really suffered for this total calamity.

He gave the belt up in some sort of protest - a dejected, disillusioned view on how little the title (if indeed) anything mattered the longer he stuck around on a ladder with more grease than he'd have applied to his hair back when he still gave a single sh*t.

Where was this going? What could it possibly mean? Secondary straps below him? Does this mean he's coming back in right at the very top?!

I'm here to show the world, I'm here to show the world. Come on. Don't dare get your hopes up. Dolph reappeared just weeks later in the coveted Royal Rumble Number 30 spot and lasted 2:01 before being eliminated by Finn Bálor - a more popular babyface.

Years removed and this perplexing period of time remains a confused and confounding mystery, unless we assume somebody within WWE gets genuine pleasure from this character's suffering, pal.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett