10 Wrestlers Who Got A WrestleMania Singles Match Before Dolph Ziggler

9. Jerry Lawler

Fandango WrestleMania 29
WWE.com

Like Dolph Ziggler, Jerry Lawler had to wait a ridiculous amount of time before finally being given a spotlight on WWE's 'Grandest Stage', but WWE had a reasonable 'The King' had been as good as retired in their Universe.

Guest spots on television mirrored the work he'd still regularly do on the independent circuit for the love of the game, but he'd been a commentator for the entirety of his run and a regular working scoundrel heel for less than a quarter of it.

But aforementioned commentator Michael Cole needed his broadcast parter to carry him to something passable in the ring. Ironically, Dolph Ziggler himself would probably have been perfect for selling a p*ss weak Cole right hook, and may have even managed to make a feud work after he introduced the controversial "Heartstopper" into his arsenal.

Coined thanks to a series of shots Ziggler laid in on Lawler in a match that took place shortly before his near-fatal heart attack, Jerry could and perhaps should have doubled his 'Show Of Shows' tally in a revenge match - it's not like the scare stopped him working weekends.

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Contributor

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