Theres no bones about it, Dolph Ziggler is arguably the most talented man on the main roster in the WWE today. He is the total package between those four posts. His Vickie Guerrero days made him the Golden Boy for the IWC, a healthy alternative for those looking to cheer someone not named CM Punk or Daniel Bryan. When he cashed in his beat-to-hell Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship, the roof blew off of the arena in one of the loudest ovations in recent memory. That was the past. This is now, and now is not a good time for Dolph Ziggler. That horrible jean jacket vest and the lackadaisical manner which Ziggler carries himself scream of a guy spinning the wheels in the mud. This is a man who was thinking of walking away from the WWE before signing a new contract, which wound up being the death knell for his character. He had the option to bow out, which makes the developments his character has taken over the past six months even sadder. The man who goes by HEELZiggler on Twitter has shown anything but a single strong characteristic to define himself as a heel or a babyface. Hes just there, which is the worst thing any wrestler can be in the realm of the WWE. He may butt heads with the Authority from time-to-time, but even when it should have repercussionssuch as when Sting aided him in eliminating the Authority at Survivor Series 2014the stakes are nullified and voided. Its a good analogy for Zigglers character development: any strides he makes have been washed out shortly thereafter, as though nothing happened. And frankly, it sucks. Ziggler is a smart, funny guy who is one of the best in-ring performers of the entire generation. Hes spent so much time in the shadow of Billy Gunn that his career is taking the same linear path, which is an underachievement, given his level of talent. He needs to ditch the hairdo. He needs to show aggression in the ring. Above all else, he needs to get rid of that damn jean jacket abomination. A fresh look and an important heel run to utilize the aforementioned mean streak against the likes of Sami Zayn or AJ Styles could reignite interest in his character, all the while providing us with stellar in-ring matches.
David McCutcheon is an American freelance journalist and writing consultant. Over the course of sixteen years, he has written for the likes of IGN, Future US, GamesRadar, PlayStation Magazine, Shout! Factory, and many others in the fields of video games, movies, and more. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife. You can find him on Twitter @ZoopSoul.
