5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE No Mercy 2016
1. Dolph Ziggler
It looked like Ziggler was done with WWE heading into No Mercy. Saying “if I lose, I’ll retire” usually results in a win, but the rumour mills came alive last week with suggestions that Dolph had lost interest in pro-wrestling, and was looking to pursue options away from the business. This match felt like the perfect opportunity to write him out for good, and a convenient way to draw a line under his WWE career.
That didn’t happen. The rumours, as is often the case, were nothing more than misdirection. Dolph handed The Miz his comeuppance with a hard-fought victory in one of SmackDown’s best matches since the Draft, ending the A-Lister’s Intercontinental Title run, and saving his WWE career in the process.
More importantly, he overcame Miz at his cheating best. Dolph has constantly ragged on Miz for his inability to win a match fair and square, and when Kenny and Mikey from the Spirit Squad emerged, it looked like another tainted Miz win was on the cards. The referee stood firm, though: Maryse and the Squad were sent to the back, Ziggler blasted Miz, and took one of the most satisfying wins of his career.
Ziggler has endured months of turmoil. Dean Ambrose got the ball rolling by viciously attacking Ziggler’s habit of failing during their WWE Title feud, and Miz amplified it in the aftermath. Their feud has produced excellent work from both men, and Ziggler proved last night that he’s so much more than the “loveable loser” he’s constantly portrayed as. The tables have turned, and for the first time in months, Dolph Ziggler is a winner.