The One War WWE Will Never Win

WWE The Horror Show At Extreme Rules Drew McIntyre Dolph Ziggler
WWE.com

Incredibly, in the case of Dolph Ziggler, it takes decades.

His arc is a terrifying micro example of WWE's irreparable macro issue. Dolph Ziggler, in the early 2010s, was a hardcore fan favourite. His 2013 Money In The Bank cash-in was one of the loudest and most euphoric moments in the modern history of WWE. Subsequent to that, the audience was conditioned, through fitful, apathetic booking, not to take him seriously in a main event role. By 2016, Ziggler was stigmatised as such a bust that it informed the last great hurrah of his career in a superb programme with The Miz, for which we owe, yes, Ryan Ward thanks.

Ziggler meandered from there, and his onscreen position, contrasted with what many fans considered a whiny and deluded attitude - not helped by an emerging generation of elite talent that overtook him in their hearts - saw him ebb away from relevance. Ziggler was uninteresting, passé, and emblematic of WWE's inability to do anything new...

...and it was at this precise moment WWE, for two consecutive years, with a roster never larger or more talented underneath him, pushed him as a World Title challenger. This was literally like buying a sports car, allowing it to rust, pushing it off a f*cking cliff, and then deciding to put it in fifth gear. This is less "weird", and more "insane".

CONT'D...(5 of 6)

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!