10 Times WWE Dropped The Ball With Dolph Ziggler
1. Winning The Main Event Of Survivor Series 2014
Through his various reigns as Intercontinental champion in the final stretch of 2014, Ziggler was still seen as a midcard act in the eyes of the fans despite deserving to be higher up on the card. He became a main focus in the Authority storyline by the fall, so much so that fans begun to believe that a heel turn for him could have been in the works.
Thankfully, that didn't ultimately come to fruition. Instead, he was the sole survivor in the huge Team Cena vs. Team Authority match at Survivor Series, effectively putting an end of the vindictive stable. The Scottrade Center came unglued for his monumental victory (as well as Sting's shocking WWE debut), and at last it appeared he had broken through the proverbial glass ceiling in WWE.
Ziggler was prominently featured on programming through the next few weeks, but by early 2015, it was clear his status in the company hadn't changed. Bringing back The Authority sooner than expected also didn't do him or his historic victory any favors, so it wasn't a surprise in the spring when he was back contending for the Intercontinental Championship and losing more often than not.
What's worse is that might have been WWE's last chance to cement him as a star, as he's since been relegated to an awful angle with Rusev and Lana.