With Dolph Ziggler putting his career on the line at No Mercy, it may be the only way to save his career is for it to end.
This weekend at No Mercy we’ll see Dolph Ziggler put his career on the line in a match against Smackdown’s Intercontinental champion, The Miz. In general, a career vs. title stipulation is the least interesting of all for a bunch of reasons. Rarely is a superstar going to lose his job over a loss unless his contract is up (TNA used this all the time). And even if he does lose, he’ll be back in a few weeks anyway.
In the case of Ziggler, though, a loss would be the most interesting thing to happen to his career in years. The “Showoff” hasn’t stolen the show at a PPV or on TV in forever. When The Miz brought out the Spirit Squad this week to make fun of Ziggler’s WWE start it wasn’t exactly humiliating…it kinda resembled a highlight. That’s sad, especially for someone who has been WWE Champion twice. Does anybody remember that anymore, though?
Nobody cares about Ziggler’s previous title reigns, and they won’t care if he becomes Intercontinental champion. In fact, a win for Ziggler would be a lateral move rather than a step up. What would being champion actually gain him, other than a cemented spot in the mid-card where he’s been anyway? Ziggler has held the IC title four times already, each less memorable than the last. Being IC champ hasn’t done much but give WWE free license to have him lose more often to other stars they are building; again a position Ziggler already finds himself in. So what’s the point?
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It could be argued that the most fascinating thing about Ziggler is his losing streak. He’s always been portrayed as a character with impeccable fighting spirit. Everyone remembers the insurmountable odds he faced and overcame at Survivor Series against the Authority. But that was two years ago, and what’s followed has been one losing program after another against Baron Corbin, Tyler Breeze of all people, Rusev, and more. This doesn’t include the numerous times he came up short in title opportunities. Through it all WWE has slowly begun to portray Ziggler as a superstar desperate to win a big match again. But honestly, where’s the fun in that? Nobody wants that Ziggler back. That Ziggler is boring while this one, the one backed into a corner, has a train wreck quality worth paying attention to.
Rumors have been swirling that Ziggler may actually lose and retire from professional wrestling. That’s not likely to be true since his WWE contract isn’t up for close to a year. But it hopefully doesn’t mean he’s going to walk away with a victory, either.
It seemed like his loss to Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam would be the perfect chance to give Ziggler’s character fresh inspiration and a new direction. But now it looks like the only way to save his career is to have it come to an end.
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