7 Worst Wrestling Moments Of The Week (June 4)

6. Ziggler Wins

In 2017, there’s simply no good reason for Dolph Ziggler to beat A.J. Styles cleanly. Styles should be the SmackDown equivalent or Roman Reigns. Not in that he wears a flak jacket and everyone hates him, but in that he’s the most unbeatable person on the show. You know, the role Jinder Mahal has been given.

I laid into Ziggler a bit here last week, saying he peaked as a character five years ago. Same message, just add another week onto that total. WWE has largely booked him as a 50/50 wrestler at best and has let us know time-and-time again that he’s incapable of winning the big one. Having Styles lose to Ziggler defines him down a bit. No one thinks Dolph is suddenly going to be a main event player again, so it was all a waste and made Styles look more ordinary than phenomenal.

Even more frustrating is that this was another example of WWE’s “hometown curse” the booking philosophy that no one on the planet thinks is a good idea besides Vince McMahon. If you go to a show and your local hero loses CLEANLY to a midcarder, are you more or less likely to come back to the show the next time they come to town?

It’s not good heat for the wrestler who wins. It’s a played-out trope that puts heat on the promotion itself.