10 Times WWE Dropped The Ball With Dolph Ziggler
2. Winning The World Heavyweight Championship
After years of ups and downs, Ziggler finally reached the pinnacle when he successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase the night after WrestleMania 29 to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The reaction he received that night was deafening, and it was a sign that he was overdue a long reign with that title.
Sadly, an abrupt injury suffered in early May caused him to miss a month of action, including the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. In his absence, Alberto Del Rio earned a shot at the strap and was granted his golden opportunity at Payback. With it being his first official title defense, it was assumed Ziggler would come out on top, but WWE instead opted to swerve the fans.
Throughout the bout, Del Rio viciously targeted the concussed skull of Ziggler, landing enough kicks to incapacitate his opponent and win back the gold in shocking fashion. No one wanted to see Ziggler's reign end so soon, but it was brilliant as it allowed a double turn to take place and put Ziggler in chase mode.
However, Ziggler's redemption story never had a proper conclusion. Even after he was done with AJ Lee and Big E by SummerSlam, he never went back for the world title and hasn't held it since.