3 Ups & 4 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Sept 19)

2. How To Kill An Audience

Dolph Ziggler DX
WWE.com

Another week, another atrocious Dolph Ziggler segment.

Last night saw ‘The Show-Off’ hit the stage with another series of fake ring entrances. First, he aped Triple H, then Shawn Michaels, before combining both and running through a D-Generation X routine. After that, Ziggler kept to his usual script and ran down the wrestlers he’d parodied, before chastising the fans for not getting behind him, then taking his leave.

Nothing about this is working. These segments might generate a nice view count on WWE’s YouTube channel, but they kill the live crowd every single time. They’re not “so bad, they’re good” - they’re just BAD, and seemingly going nowhere.

WWE would be wise to nip this “reinvention” in the bud before it goes any further. Regardless of whether or not Dolph is a lost cause, the last way he’s going to get over is through a corny parody gimmick that sees him openly mock wrestlers who are way more popular than he can ever hope to be again. The angle stinks. Let’s just send him down to NXT and be done with it.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.