9 Wrestlers Who Got Written Off In The Worst Way Possible
1. Dolph Ziggler Throws Down The US Title Because You Don't Deserve Him, Only To Return A Month Later
As 2017 came to an end, it was looking like Dolph Ziggler's time with WWE was about to also conclude.
The Show Off had been a constant presence on the likes of SmackDown and Raw for about a decade. But his comments on Edge and Christian's podcast around that time suggested he was weighing up his options and perhaps even thinking about exiting the company at the end of his deal (via Cageside Seats).
Just some time away from TV was what Ziggler desired the most, though, giving him the chance to add some new layers to his character and return with a bang. So, when WWE agreed to let the star almost immediately discard the United States Championship in the middle of a SmackDown ring after he'd won it - telling fans they didn't deserve him - Ziggler was clearly hoping this would lead to some time off and something special later down the road.
However, despite the bold way the frustrated performer was written off here initially turning a few heads, it was soon hilarious undermined just a few weeks later. That extended spell away only ended up being about a month, with Ziggler showing up as a disappointing number #30 entrant in the 2018 Royal Rumble - he was then quickly thrown out.
What could have been the start of a pulsating new chapter in Ziggler's stale WWE career quickly just turned into another wasted opportunity, and the star himself - who finally left WWE in 2023 - has since noted how unhappy he was about what happened post-title drop.