No less a superstar than John Cena showed us that the MITB winner doesn't have to wind up winning the championship (those of you who think Cena never fails should keep that in mind).....and I'd love to have Dolph follow that new-found tradition.
The company wants to keep Big Show looking strong, so he should beat Del Rio within an inch of his life before failing to win the championship. This sets the stage for Dolph (who has already failed in the Rumble) to rush to the ring and try to cash in.....only to have ADR turn the tables, kicking out of Dolph's initial attempts to pin him and gaining strength as the match goes on. Eventually, Del Rio wins honestly and retains his belt twice in one night.
By doing all that work, Alberto accomplishes two things: he keeps his title and gives a huge boost to his face status; the fans should surely appreciate his efforts for the evening.
Also, this would keep the title belt away from Dolph Ziggler. He's been carrying that damn briefcase for a long time and, as a bad guy, it would be terrific to see him ultimately fail in his quest, especially after all the aborted cash-in attempts we've already seen from him.
I'm convinced the company sees him as a future main event performer......but I'm hoping the future can be delayed just a bit longer.
I love this idea. It would add to Del Rio's never-say-die persona as a face and also generate HUGE excitement on multiple levels. This is an edge-of-your-seat kind of scenario that really doesn't kill Ziggles. Folks, he's a heel. He is doomed to fail in the grand, cosmic scheme of professional wrestling. This kind of scenario would solidify his role as a snake-like, slimy heel while also adding to the gravitas of Alberto Del Rio in the ME scene.
I'm imagining this taking place and therefore imagining the response and I'm seeing a lot of complaining about how certain people didn't need to win, but Dolph did. I'm of the mind that giving a guy credibility in wrestling is as easy as pie, especially a guy like Dolph Ziggler who HAS big wins under his belt. Granted, his last big win was in typical heel fashion, but he's a HEEL. Let's say his cash-in ends up snake eyes and he has to slink backstage. This ADDS fuel to his Royal Rumble fire. Now he HAS to win the Rumble since his previous guaranteed title shot was lost in the fray earlier in the evening.
Wouldn't this be fun? To see an almost desperate Dolph Ziggler clinging to the ropes time and time again to STAY IN the match, perhaps with a Rumble win in his future? In fact, Dolph losing the cash-in would make me more apt towards thinking he COULD win the Rumble after-all (Think Chris Jericho losing the street fight to Michaels at Unforgiven a few years ago, only to resurface at the end of the night in the six-pack challenge to win the title).
Furthermore, all it would take to give him his "heat" back would be one or two wins over major players. Let's face it -- Dolph isn't beating anyone named Cena, Johnson, Taker, or Punk at this year's Wrestlemania. His rise is coming, but he still has a lesser part to play. I see him almost in the same boat as Ryback. Their respective times WILL come. It is obvious. Just have some goddamned patience while the WWE makes a boatload of cash on everyone not named Ziggler.
Oh, and this scenario DOES have the potential to leave DZ in a title match at Mania with the muddled, but somewhat intriguing, ME scene on SD (Orton, Sheamus, Big Show, Del Rio, Ziggler)
