7 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (Sept 15)

5. WTF Is Dolph Ziggler Doing?

Stephanie McMahon Lovingly Tends To Her Dad
WWE.com

Answers on a postcard for those able to work out what WWE is trying to do with Dolph Ziggler in recent weeks. Cynicism is my fallback mode and thus something I try not to use as a crutch. That said: when Ziggler is scripted to say the words "Simply put, I am the greatest in-ring performer in WWE history," you've got to suspect that they're trying to rib him out of the promotion à la Mark Henry circa 1998.

On this week's episode of SmackDown, Ziggler continued to impersonate various WWE stars, past and present, to prove some kind of point, one lost on just about everybody. "You only associate an elaborate entrance with being a star," Ziggler moaned to the fans - before retreating to the back and reemerging as Bayley - Bayley! - in a double dose of know your f*cking place, you geeks. Ziggler then ran to the ring clad in full Ultimate Warrior garb - "the biggest waste" as Ziggler called him - as his widow was sat ringside. This was also odd; if they were going the intentional cheap heat route, why not cut to a distraught Dana at ringside, conveying her disgust? Was this an actual, unintentional, tasteless botch?!

The WWE.com description for the highlight video reads "The Showoff returns to find out exactly what the WWE Universe wants from him." What we want from Dolph is for him to live up to his nickname and stop telling us why he's that damn good. Instead, he's telling us why we're wrong about him.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!