WWE Stomping Grounds: 8 Things We Learned
3. Why The Steel Cage Match Didn't Main Event
Here's two guys who definitely didn't do anything wrong.
Dolph Ziggler is the victim of WWE's decision to make him a placeholder challenger to Kofi Kingston and the WWE Title whilst they figure out what Kofi does next. That resulted in a decent match at Super ShowDown and a slow-burner inside the Steel Cage at Stomping Grounds. Neither is the kind of match you'll remember six months from now, and that's presumably why it didn't main event.
There wasn't much danger in the air when that cage door locked. Everyone and their dog knew that Dolph would get some heat on Kingston before inevitably coming up short. It's what the Z-man (no, not Tom Zenk) has made a career out of. That was part of the story and build towards this feud ender, after all.
Though armed with a clever, inventive finish that had Kofi literally jumping over Dolph like the heel claimed his old foe did to become champion in the first place, this wasn't headline calibre stuff. Sunday's show would've ended flat had this gone on last.
This guy's gotta' hold his hand up there.