Analyzing Each Potential WWE Money In The Bank 2017 Winner
4. Dolph Ziggler
The ongoing odyssey that is Dolph Ziggler’s career is at the same time interesting as it is disheartening. It seems like anytime he has something to grab on and give him some momentum, circumstances or booking rip it from his fingers.
He wins the World Heavyweight Championship? Gets a concussion and drops it back to Del Rio.
He gets a WWE Championship match at SummerSlam? He and Ambrose have a boring match in front of a dead crowd.
He wins the Intercontinental Championship in an acclaimed feud with the Miz? He drops it back to him and is made into a boring heel.
He gets to work with Shinsuke Nakamura in his main roster debut? The two have a deliberately paced, psychologically sound match that is met with cold reception by ignorant American marks who complain that Nakamura sold too much (...probably could have been worded more diplomatically).
Point is: Dolph’s opportunities almost never manifest into lasting growth. Sometimes it’s his fault, sometimes it’s the fault of others, but in any case, he’s always ready for something to rejuvenate his career.
As a former world champion, it would be quite the comeback story for Dolph after years of midcard waffling to win the briefcase and when he has something to really sink his teeth into, watch out. A motivated Dolph Ziggler is nearly untouchable in the ring and on the mic. Just look to the aforementioned feud with the Miz for evidence of that.
However, it may be too late for Dolph. Perhaps he’s been damaged so much that if he were to win Money in the Bank again, the fans just wouldn’t care. WWE’s attitude is that wins and losses don’t matter, but examples such as Ziggler challenge that notion. A large number of fans struggle to be invested in him, and while they may just be fickle, it could potentially be a task for them to buy him as a world champion again. Worst case scenario: Dolph’s MiTB push would be much like Sheamus’, in which he got absolutely nothing out of it and quite frankly ended up looking worse when all was said and done.
Plus, as mentioned, Dolph has won MiTB before, so him winning it again would have the air of redundancy. However, it’s not unprecedented. CM Punk won the MiTB match in 2008, and when that failed to create anything substantial, he won it again in 2009. With that win, he sunk his teeth into a meaty feud with Jeff Hardy that greatly improved his stock in WWE. Don’t rule out the possibility the same could happen for Dolph.
Also, and this is very cynical, but given how Dolph winning would be considered by much of the internet to be the worst decision, don’t rule out the idea of WWE doing exactly that for that reason.