10 Times WWE Hurt Itself By Punishing Its Stars

1. Dolph Ziggler Books Himself A Comedy Show Without Approval

Towards the end of 2014, Nick 'Dolph Ziggler' Nemeth was once again riding high on the crest of a significant push in WWE. At Survivor Series, Ziggler had been the sole survivor for a second time. The high profile match had a rider attached confirming that if the Authority's team lost, they would no longer be in charge of RAW; if Team Cena lost, they would be fired.

Even discounting Sting's interference, Ziggler was clearly the man of the match: alone in the ring, all of his teammates eliminated, Ziggler came back from 3-1 down to eliminate Kane, Luke Harper and Seth Rollins to oust the hated Authority. It had 'star-making turn' written all over it.

Three weeks later, Ziggler would regain the Intercontinental Championship from Harper at TLC. That same week, Ziggler beat golden boy Seth Rollins one-on-one for the first time, and was named Rolling Stone's WWE Wrestler Of The Year - something unimaginable these days.

Sadly for Dolph, it was all downhill from there. Over Christmas 2014, it was reported that Nemeth - a stand-up comedy fan who was regularly entering himself into open mic nights, and had been working on material for longer sets for a while - had booked a gig without consulting his employers first. They were not happy. The following week, he was booked to lose the Intercontinental Championship to Wade Barrett, a man who had difficulty beating eggs. Ziggler did nothing of note on WWE television in 2015, losing out on most of the angles he participated in.

It's obvious, understandable even, if WWE takes a dim view on external activities by their performers that might undermine their on-screen characters. But was punishment really necessary here - especially when it only spited themselves? Ziggler has enjoyed the most minor of career revivals since, but he's never reached those heights of autumn 2014 - and probably never will again.