Dolph Ziggler is the NEW United States Champion

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

I really wanted to talk about this. What the heck? That was totally unpredictable. I don't quite know if I like that move or not. I think I do. So what's next for the US title?

Is Ziggler a face again? Or a tweener? Or a heel? I don't really know, so that's another direction I'm looking forward to see where it's going.

Did they do it to have Ziggler renew? I don't think so, they might have something up their sleeve.

I also think that Roode will eventually get the title from Ziggler, I just don't get why they would resume that feud. I mean, who else is there anyways? We've seen Nakamura vs Ziggler. Maybe Dillinger? There aren't really any other faces to challenge Ziggler.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Disappointed by this. It was the worst possible outcome for the match. Corbin needed to retain. Roode could have benefited from a win if they had to change the title. Dolph is boring. He got a little interesting again with the whole disgruntled persona but goodness I can't get excited for any of his matches. I have zero interest in having him as the US Champion again. I don't care if it's Corbin, Roode, or anyone else. I'll be rooting for his opponents. Unless it's Jinder then I'll skip the match. What is WWE thinking here? Do they not get that there's nothing interesting about this guy!?

 

[#hamler]

Definitely a strange option that feels like a swerve just for the sake of it. If anything, I can see Corbin as Styles' challenger for the Rumble while Roode takes the US title away from Ziggler on Tuesday night. Whatever the case, totally an unexpected win tonight from someone who will be the epitome of a transitional champion.

 

[Navi]

We were at a party tonight so I missed the whole PPV. My son was texting me and when he said "Dolph won the US Title" I yelled "God damm it", everyone looked, so embarrassed. But anyway, hopefully he makes something of it with all the whining and complaining.

Just watching it back now, hell of a match, still reeling about it.

 

[LibSuperstar]

We were at a party tonight so I missed the whole PPV. My son was texting me and when he said "Dolph won the US Title" I yelled "God damm it", everyone looked, so embarrassed. But anyway, hopefully he makes something of it with all the whining and complaining.

Just watching it back now, hell of a match, still reeling about it.

*Sputters* Bet they wondered what pissed you off. Hope this reinvigorates him.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

This feels like a transitional move for me. Everybody thought that ziggler would get pin so they gave him the belt. In the end I think that ziggler is just champion so that he can drop it to roode in the near future.

 

[GOOZEKING]

Vince "Listen if I give you the US belt will you stop complaining on radio shows"

 

[Spencesc11]

I wouldn't expect a long title reign.

Why I think WWE did this...
1) some shock factor for an otherwise boring PPV
2) allowing Corbin to move on to a WWE Title feud with Styles
3) give Ziggler more credibility as smackdown singles roster is a little light right now

 

[TakeTheSting]

I don’t even try to rack my brain anymore with what wwe is doing or why. I just try to enjoy it. If they’re going to make Adolph somehow relevant again through this then I say go for it.

 

[ISkye]

Dolph is a ring general and a top 5 performer in WWE in terms of constructing a match and being a well rounded worker. He's been killing it with Roode every time they've gotten in the ring and I imagine if Vince or whoever had this choice got eyes on it realized what they're missing. This match was laid out in a way that their matches and spots they've been doing on house shows was similar, but included slight changes and improvisations to implement Baron Corbin. Baron is getting better, but he definitely is not in the groove with himself yet to be presented as a top star on television.

I'd argue most of Dolph's opponents in recent time ranging from Roode to Baron to Nakamura have more talent. The thing is hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. Dolph's skill curve is much higher in regards to in ring work, general bumping, and creating a story. When given a proper platform he can carry entire matches with people who aren't traditionally good workers. Someone he has good chemistry with is Roode and someone basically no one has good chemistry with is Baron. Kalisto managed to squeeze a good match out of him, but that took every single thing he had to offer and a stipulation whether it was a stupid chairs match or not.

This is a smart move and they're using Dolph in a capacity where the company benefits more than Dolph. They should attempt to let him be a bigger star and give him a test run, but if not I suppose it's fine. It's nice to see him get rewarded with something he deserves much more than a majority of people on both rosters. Good for TV due to Smackdown being in a rut and generally a good move for business at the moment. It really depends how they play off this within the next two to three weeks, but at least Dolph can get entertaining matches out of people who can hardly work a passable match.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

He's been the most interesting and entertaining guy of the three over the past few months. Tall, receding hairline guy is pretty generic and Roode has been a bumbling, deer in the headlights looking "Glorious" fool. Other than that, I don't know and don't care too much. The mid card title scenes have been pretty dark over the last 20 years. Maybe they will throw Rusev in there to pick things up. I imagine that serious Ziggler has some pretty strong opinions on the ridiculousness of Rusev Day.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I've got no problem with Ziggler as United States Champion again, he did some of the best work of his career during his first run as US champ and, in my view, he's been more entertaining than either Corbin or Roode. Corbin's a good heavy, but I never got over the impression that he had the title just for the sake of having it for a while. As for Roode, Roode is seriously miscast in his role of babyface; he was really entertaining as a heel in NXT with his "Glorious" bit and it just simply doesn't work nearly as well as a babyface.

I don't see Ziggler having a long run because being a transitional champion is basically what being US champ has been about the past few years. The last time the title felt truly important was during Cena's 4th and 5th runs and those ended over 2 years back. So yeah, Ziggler, Corbin or Roode, or anyone else really, it's not like it matters until WWE decides to bring some stability back to it.

 

[Dolph Ziggler's Gimmick]

A certain amount of hardcore fans have given up on investing in Ziggler, as evident by this thread and how many people are underwhelmed by this, but he's still over. Last night, he was just as over if not more than the guys he was in the ring with, during the Roode feud a good chunk of the audience still cheered Dolph.

I'm one of the few people who saw this win coming from a mile away it seems. The ultimate giveaway was Ziggler's recent shoot interview, where he revealed that he butted heads with Vince about how if he was gonna help younger talent, he still needs to get the win sometimes.

And guess what, he's right. You need to keep him just relevant enough for that to really work, giving him a title will do just that. I was also thinking about who would challenge AJ for the title next, and Corbin immediately came to mind. Then I thought about Roode winning it, but decided he probably wasn't because WWE likes having the babyface chase the title more. And so, Ziggler made the most sense. I honestly wasn't shocked when he won. And good for him, he's still one of the best on the roster. I'd love to see him carry it to Mania and drop it there to someone like Roode.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

So, Ziggler went on a rant, as has been his gimmick for the past several months, that culminated with him folding the United States Championship belt, dropping it in the ring and leaving it there without saying another word before heading back up the ramp.

So, will this mean the title is vacated and, if so, what should be done to decide a new champion? To be perfectly honest, I'd love a nice long round robin style tournament to determine the new champ to culminate at WrestleMania. I know it won't happen, but I'm just kinda tired of having these little one night mini tournaments, triple threats or fatal fourways to determine new champions. The title's been stagnant since John Cena dropped it to Alberto Del Rio some 2 years back, so this could be seen as a means of starting out fresh.

Most likely, however, it'll simply be a 1 on 1 match with Bobby Roode and Baron Corbin that goes down over the next few weeks.

 

[RANKKA]

after tonight and they showing his wins im pretty sure Dolph is done with WWE, and good he was so badly used there

 

[ShinChan]

I ain't getting what's happening with United States Championship anymore. Dolph Ziggler of all people wins and then relinquishes? A tournament would be fine but why make him the champion? Not getting it. But United States Championship needs to be built back.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

This in a nutshell is why Dolph hasn't worked.

They give him a storyline where he critics gimmicks, legends, basically unravelling the layers of pro wrestling that wrestlers usually do on social media or RF shoots; and the people are only mildly amused.

Maybe the ship has sailed.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

after tonight and they showing his wins im pretty sure Dolph is done with WWE, and good he was so badly used there

He might be done in short order, but this certainly isn't the last we see of him in WWE. They wouldn't let him go out like that.

This in a nutshell is why Dolph hasn't worked.

They give him a storyline where he critics gimmicks, legends, basically unravelling the layers of pro wrestling that wrestlers usually do on social media or RF shoots; and the people are only mildly amused.

Maybe the ship has sailed.

His ship sailed years ago. His last possible chance in WWE was that Survivor Series a few years back. When that didn't happen he was done being anything more than enhancement talent with the occasional midcard push.


What does it matter though? He's horribly overrated in the ring by his backers. They refuse to admit he's, at best, average on the mic. And he's got a stupid name. He was never going to make it to the top long term.

Not to mention anyone who defends the ZigZag as a good finishing move is delusional. If he is finally done, maybe we won't have to hear from his idiot fans who think he's on par with HBK anymore.

 

[GOOZEKING]

Have a tournament where Mahal wins the US belt. His character is perfect for that belt then if he improves then next year maybe he can go back to the main event.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Wow, this could get interesting. Could this be part of the character change? Could he come back as someone else? Drop the Ziggler brand as someone who doesn't want to be a gimmicky?

I missed the segment but from what I've read this is the most interested I've been in Dolph since Sting's Survivor Series. I hope this is going somewhere and not just a big moment for Dolph on his way out. It definitely is not a conventional way for a talent to go out.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Any chance this is setting up an unappreciated stable? Natalya, now Dolph. Similar outbursts. Maybe setting up some faction under a yet unknown leader?

 

[Барбоса]

Any chance this is setting up an unappreciated stable? Natalya, now Dolph. Similar outbursts. Maybe setting up some faction under a yet unknown leader?

Woohoo, a modern day Job Squad without the personality of Al Snow.

I cannot wait.

I would actually miss Nattie much more than Dolph.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Woohoo, a modern day Job Squad without the personality of Al Snow.

I cannot wait.

I would actually miss Nattie much more than Dolph.

Hey 3MB was hilarious often times. Ok it was likely just Heath Slater.

 

[Stone Cold Tea]

Hey 3MB was hilarious often times. Ok it was likely just Heath Slater.

Where have you been the last 6 months? Jinder was clearly the star of that group.

 

[Dolph Ziggler's Gimmick]

Woohoo, a modern day Job Squad without the personality of Al Snow.

I cannot wait.

I would actually miss Nattie much more than Dolph.

I wouldn't, Nattie would be a good riddance, she's been overrated for almost a decade now and her constant crying is insufferable.

The more I think about the Dolph situation, the more I'm thinking this was possibly a quick way to build him up as a challenger for AJ. Maybe that'll be his last match, putting AJ over on his way out.