Dolph began his career under his real name, Nick Nemeth. After a failed attempt as being portrayed as bodyguard and caddy for Chavo Guerrero Jr, he was booked in a stable of men cheerleaders as Nicky of the Spirit Squad. After being in the middle of a Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels feud and winning the World Tag Team Championship, the members were disbanded and were sent back to development territory. He had a decent run before getting called back up to the main roster as the person we all know, Dolph Ziggler.
Ziggler started to chase the US Championship when he was drafted to SmackDown just months after debuting on Raw. He feuded with MVP, Great Khali, John Morrison and Rey Mysterio and in all four storylines they got the better of him and he was used to put over his opponents. Just when he seemed to be stuck as another jobber, WWE paired him with Vickie Guerrero as his new manager.
With Guerrero by his side, Ziggler won his first singles championship when he defeated Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship. His first singles championship run put him on the path of new fame. He was named a Pro for the fourth season of NXT, mentoring both Jacob Novak and Bryon Saxton. Both of his rookies were eliminated off the show. At TLC, Ziggler lost his title after five months to Kingston.
However, Ziggler's momentum didn't stop there, as later that night he won a four-way match to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. He lost his title match to Edge, but his storyline girlfriend and acting GM of SmackDown, gave Ziggler a rematch and also banned Edge's finisher move. Edge used his move in the title match and became the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Theodore Long appeared back on SmackDown and gave Edge a rematch, which he won, and then Ziggler was fired off the show after losing his title for Guerrero's antics.
Debuting on Raw after being fired, Ziggler returned with a shorter hair cut as a way to improve his image. It must have been a lucky hair cut, because he won his first US Championship. He went on a very impressive reign until he lost the belt at...TLC, a year after losing his IC belt. And in another act of deja vu, he won a title match against WWE Champion CM Punk right after losing his US title. After three attempts, Ziggler could not defeat Punk for the belt. WWE threw Jack Swagger and him together as a team, but were unsuccessful for months in the tag team division.
Dolph returned to singles competition and won the right to face WWE Champion Sheamus, but he lost the title match twice. WWE seemed to love throwing Ziggler a bone, as he soon won a spot in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match. He eventually won the match and the briefcase, which would skyrocket his value. With a contract to a championship match at any point, he became a very dangerous man and teased a cash-in for months. He became so popular that he was the last man standing in the traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series tag match. To improve his character more, Ziggler dropped Vickie and aligned himself with AJ Lee and the newly debuted Big E Langston.
After nearly a year holding that contract near and dear, Ziggler finally cashed in and successfully pinned a beaten Alberto Del Rio to win his second championship. However, another bump took its toll on his career, as he lost to Del Rio after 69 days as champion after he turned face and De Rio turned into an aggressive heel. The cherry on the sundae was when AJ Lee and Big E betrayed him.
He then went on a run of coming up short in title matches and dealing with concussions. After several failed attempts at the IC title, he defeated The Miz for his second reign. The Miz and him would trade the title back and forth for weeks until The Authority punished Ziggler for speaking out against them and helped end his current title reign at 56 days. His career continued to be a rollercoaster after losing the title by once again being the last man standing at Survivor Series, being on the losing end of a feud with Seth Rollins, and then being named 2014 Wrestler of the Year by Rolling Stones followed by winning his fourth IC title (he lost it a month later).
For the last two years, Ziggler has been one of WWE's most underused talents. He has come up short too many times to tell in big matches, including Money in the Bank ladder matches and title matches. He was being used to put over other talents and help debut new call-ups from NXT. After months of not seeing Ziggler on television, he appeared on the August 22 edition of SmackDown to announce he is in fact being repackaged and will debut next week. His gimmick is said to be a mixture of all the gimmicks that are getting over well currently in WWE. Here are some steps to make sure his new gimmick is successful.
1. Actual Commit to Ziggler
WWE has proven over the last several years that they do not trust in Dolph Ziggler for carrying the company with a vital title reign. He is a two-time world champion, but both reigns last a total of 70 days. He is a five time IC Champion, but most reigns were short lived as well. He has proven that he is liked by the WWE Universe and can hold his own against the best in the business, but WWE has a vengeance against him for some reason. Could it be his injury history with concussions?
2. Send him to NXT
This is the least likely to happen, as he is debuting on SmackDown this week, However, if it starts off sloppy, then it could be a nice idea. Ziggler is a seasoned veteran and a two-time world champion, but NXT can benefit from him and vice versa. Some of NXT's top stars are heading to the main roster and Ziggler can be one of the their next big stars. He won't be putting over others by jobbing, but by bringing out the best in them in classic victories. This would be perfect to tweak his new gimmick and get it perfect before putting him back on main roster.
3. Give him a title
He will be on SmackDown and he could easily feud with AJ Styles or Jinder Mahal for either title. He wouldn't have to win immediately, but would chase a title in fashion and eventually win it for his best title run to date. As long as he gets no injuries, he could be one of SmackDown's top stars.
4. Worst-case, put him in a tag team or stable
Ziggler thrived when he was under Vickie Guerrero or part of Spirit Squad or with AJ Lee and Big E. This may seem far-fetched but he could find his way onto the Miztourage. Both Miz and Ziggler share the same views and hatred towards WWE for overlooking them and underestimating them. The two of could take control of Raw's main event picture and finally get the respect they deserve.
5. Above all else, do not do what we believe is going to happen
On SmackDown, Ziggler explained this is gimmick as a mixture of several gimmicks that are over well in WWE: Elias, Breezango, Naomi, etc. This seems similar to Damien Sandow when he debuted as a new impersonation every week, mocking them to his advantage. This idea could work and work well, since he would mock personas already over with the crowd. However, WWE takes good ideas and make them jokes. He could end up being like Elias or Fandango, but on a level that will never reach anything worth value.
What do you think? Could any of these ideas make Ziggler relevant again? Or has he run his course in the WWE and should start looking into retirement or a new company? Comment below your thought or any ideas you may have on ideas to fix his career.
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