8 Times WWE Completely Failed Dolph Ziggler

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Turning Him Heel So Soon After A Huge Success

Dolph Ziggler WWE Intercontinental Title
WWE.com

Check that crowd response to Dolph Ziggler's triumphant win over The Miz at No Mercy in October, 2016. The 'Title vs. Career' stipulation dictated that Dolph would retire if he failed to bag the Intercontinental strap; even though the notion of retirement seemed implausible, the match itself was red-hot come bell time.

Celebrating with fans at ringside and saving his career should have been a landmark moment for Ziggler. Leave it to the promotion's braintrust, then, to turn him heel less than 3 months later. Superkicking Kalisto (who was trying to save him from a Baron Corbin post-match beat down), Dolph explained his actions as hatred of a supposed 'New Generation' of WWE stars.

This may have worked with a slower burn, but the heel turn totally came out of nowhere. Things became even more awkward when fans cheered Dolph kicking the tar out of Kalisto and other dull babyfaces like Apollo Crews on a weekly basis.

So soon after such a monumental victory like the one at No Mercy, Dolph should have been riding the crest of a wave instead of awkwardly turning rogue just because WWE had nothing else planned for him.

When else have WWE failed Dolph Ziggler? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below!

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Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.