The downfall of Dolph Ziggler as a WWE performer can at some point be tied to the company not fully investing in his #HEEL persona that he invented for himself in 2011. In being a cool blend of insider lingo, fresh branding and something that Ziggler was all about being able to organically push himself, and was a gimmick that was making waves without WWE creative having any input whatsoever. Imagine if part of Ziggler's NXT run were to involve allowing him the creative space to re-embrace his #HEEL persona. The idea of Dolph going into NXT as a babyface and emerging as a CM Punk-style "better than you" heel would be amazing. Ziggler certainly has the chops to pull it off, and having a great supporting cast of babyfaces to help him in NXT would be ideal.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
