Keep Ziggler Away From The Briefcase!

[IrishCanadian25]

This isn't a request, nor is it a demand. It's an urgent plea. Please do not allow the item that once created possibly the best heel of the last 10 years (Edge) to be the very item that is now systematically watering them down and ruining them. Do not allow Dolph Ziggler to win Money in the Bank.

Fans all over are beginning to realize that DZ is the real deal. He's come up the way guys like Michaels, Hart, Rock, HHH, Angle, and Austin did - through the mid-card, revitalizing the middle titles before a big shot at the big one. None of the other guys I mentioned needed that sudden "cash in" to make a splash, and as such, they're regarded more highly in history.

To give Ziggler the case is to take away all that he has built - the respect he has currently and that he's managed to balance while still getting heel heat everywhere. Turning Ziggler into a generic opportunist is the same thing that caused fans to sigh and quickly lose interest in Alberto del Rio and Jack Swagger once the initial shock subsided. It's the same stigma that will likely undo Daniel Bryan. (I agree 100% with Mark Madden's front page article, incidentally.)

Heels won world titles before Money in the Bank existed, you know. Submissive white towels. Crooked refs. Kings with scepters. Tombstones on chairs. Busted knees. Lost smiles. Flying salt clouds. Exploding cameras. Phantom submissions. Or how about just good old fashioned winning with a low blow that the ref didn't see?

I'm not saying I want a babyface Ziggler to win through trials and tribulations. But I would like to see a heel reach the mountain top without needed a flukey cash-in to do it.

 

[Workrate]

I agree with this completely. I also think it'd be a disservice to all the hard work that Dolph himself has put in, as well as the writers and bookers who have done such a nice job grooming him. To me, the briefcase is for someone who needs a jump start.

 

[NotoriousWWE]

Wow, Great read and I truly believe you have the qualities of which make a journalist in Pro Wrestling these days. I totally agree with what is written here especially that of not having Ziggler have the flukey-cash in to become champion. Lets face it, Ziggler has built himself into perhaps the best heel on Raw right now. Its not only that he shouldn't win the World Title through cashing-in but that he doesn't NEED to.

 

[Arsenal]

Agree 100%. Dolph Ziggler has serious potential that shouldn't be wasted with a cheap, fluke cash in to win the world title. In fact, they never should have given him that one short world title reign already. He should win it like the great old-school wrestlers did.

The struggle to win makes it worth that much more when they finally do. That's something the E doesn't understand or forgot.

 

[James Greiga]

Absolutely, keep him away from it and the same goes for Cody Rhodes. If he cashes it in then it will be a complete waste of great potential. Times have changed and its not like When Edge cashed it in or RVD or CM Punk for that matter. When they cashed it in it was different because the WWE title actually had prestige. Now the WWE title is tossed around and same for the World title. Back when those 3 cashed it in, it made their careers take off after years of climbing up. Nowadays it gives guys the title who have not been wrestling or working their asses off long enough and are immediately sent down to the midcard afterwards. Look at Miz and Swagger, they were not ready for those titles at all and Miz was surely not ready for a main event spot at Wrestlemania. Daniel Bryan is an exception as hes been wrestling for years and hes very sound for a technical wrestler but still using the briefcase for him destroyed his credibility. If they want to keep Ziggler on that believable main eventer list, then they need to steer him away from it. Same for Cody.

 

[Scofield]

I actually agree with this and am starting to think this whole MITB thing...as exciting as it is....is a bad thing for the wrestling business. It's created far too many short title reigns that last 3-5 minutes. Devaluing in my opinion.

 

[xavyer]

I agree with all of you, Dolph Ziggler has the potential to become one of the big stars of today, he does not need the money in the bank briefcase, he has the potential to be another Shawn Michaels, so let him win the old fasion way, like yesterday at RAW, Laurinaitis blew it for him and made him look weak, but if he would have done it the old fashion way for a heel with the traditional low blow that the referee missed or the feet on the ropes that would have been great for him, not with a distraction, let him be a true heel and he might even become that heel that the WWE needs,just let him be.........

 

[Skinsley]

O.K. so I am the first person to NOT agree with this thread.... I suppose that makes me wrong but im gonna say it anyway.

Firstly I dont think Ziggler SHOULD win the Money In The Bank because one way or another he is certainly going to be a BIG BIG star in the WWE in the very near future.
However, what I dissagree with is your "desperate plea" to prevent him from winning it.
Ziggler is a HEEL and Heels will win the championships in any way they can.... bare in mind Ziggler was far from clean in his victory over Punk on Raw this week.
Think about it... who better to win the MITB and cash in the briefcase....than a star that is already believable as a future champion and superstar?(the general term not the WWE term)
Remember I said I didnt want Ziggler to win MITB nor do I think he should. But at the same time I dont think it would damage his career if done correctly, and it would save us the horror show of yet another unbelievable champion and predictable title run.

Again, I dont think it should happen. But at the same time I dont think it would be the suicide path you guys are making it out to be.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I'd like to take a look at this scenario from a different angle, instead of saying let's keep Dolph away from MitB because it'll de-legitimize him, why not look for a way to get him over using the briefcase? I can think of two scenarios off of the top of my head...

1. He cashes it in legitimately. Dolph Ziggler wins the money in the bank and the announcers start putting him with the likes of Edge and CM Punk as an "ultimate opportunist." Except he comes out during the promo of a fresh face champion and hands the ref the briefcase and wins in a legitimate spur of the moment match. You can then go two ways with this, you can turn him face or keep him heel and just have him spout off about how he's really that good.

2. He wins RAW's MitB match, but then gets traded to SmackDown, becomes the number 1 contender and wins the World Heavyweight Title without the briefcase.... Time comes at Elimination Chamber where the WWE champion just retained in a grueling match, and o'le Ziggy comes out and cashes in, and now holds both world titles. Now the question is does he unify them, or pull double duty and defend each at Mania?

Let's not get into the mindset of MitB leads to weak champions, it just needs to be reimagined and reinvented a little.

 

[tman2019]

I do agree with the above post about reinventing the idea of MITB...but again I don't think Dolph needs it. As everyone has stated he is doing it the old fashioned way but there is no way he can stay heel and win by "working his way up" like he has. People are already jumping on the Ziggler bandwagon and cheering him, the only way he can be a heel is to be a "Kurt Angle type heel" meaning the reason you hate him is because he's so good and out wrestles his opponent rather than being hated for getting cheap victories.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

I agree with the OP, I was on the Del Rio bandwagon until he won money and bank and was basically watered down and boring. The thing i do have to disagree with is the next Shawn Michaels. However i do believe he is the only viable canidate for main eventer.

 

[Rulk25]

I agree but am pretty sure its irrelevant as I think Dolph is taking the title from Punk at next weeks Raw....They already did a 5 star match on raw where he lost to him..Plus WWE is down on Punk so with Ziggy being the only viable champion to take his place I see Punk dropping next week

 

[Coco]

I agree about not wanting to see Ziggler win Money in the Bank. But not because he really has a lot going for him now, because he doesn't. The only people who care about his rise through the ranks are us. Casuals couldn't care less. Because he's bland. Unlike the people you listed as shining examples of how you believe things should be done, Rock, Austin, Michaels, and even Bret, Ziggler is Tyler Black levels of indy bland. Ziggler lacks that extra intangible that makes a lasting headliner and I'd rather put this eventuality off as long as possible. But I don't think Money in the Bank would be his undoing, because it certainly wasn't CM Punk's as he now looks to be joining the legendary ranks you spoke of earlier. If you're good, you'll last. Simple as.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

I dunno if we wanna coop him with the Austins and the Rocks. The man is good in the ring but his promos are nothing special; God knows if you don't have your moment on the mic where the crowd can't help but cheer you at the end of it, you ain't made it.

Punk's 'shoot' promo, Austin's 3:16, The Rock's verbal tirade against Austin during their IC feud, all for me finally broke that ceiling. You can be the best damn wrestler to lace up your boots but if you don't deliver on the mic, you're just not there.

Ziggler has failed to impress me so far, it isn't as if he wasn't/isn't given mic time but it's just a generic heel promo over and over and over.

 

[The Crock]

Yeah, definitely no need/reason for Ziggler to win Money in the Bank. In certain cases, I would like for a heel to use it, Edge (who you mentioned) was perfect -- Ziggler doesn't need that. Slowly but surely, he has worked his way up the card, impressing fans all around, no denying that. His midcard reigns, both IC and US, were stellar. He's proven to be a star, or at least, a star in the making. He could, with relative ease, work his way into a title match; much like the one he just got.

I've always said this: He's a "throwback." He's cut from the old school cloth. Midcard titles, managers, slow builds, he's got it. He hasn't been thrust into his position, he worked his way into it. He's got heel heat and is ready for that next step -- it doesn't need to be Money in the Bank. Ziggler is on the cusp, he's there; Money in the Bank would only drag that on. He'll be ready before we know it, I just don't see him needing that. The best way to build a guy is through good matches and a great build, like it use to be done. Michaels didn't need Money in the Bank, neither did any of those before him, why does Ziggler?

He doesn't need it. Let Ziggler win it in classic heel fashion (couldn't agree with you more there, IC). Ziggler can be the future of the company, don't depend in a gimmicky win to get him over as World Champ. Let it come naturally, which it may be -- sooner than Money in the Bank can offer.

 

[Lion's Sacrifice]

Completely agree, there is no reason for Ziggler to win the briefcase. The guy has worked his ass off to reach the level that he is at, and to allow him to win in that fashion would completely ruin it. He's not the same type of heel he as Miz, or Edge when they cashed in. He's more credible than them, espeically Miz.

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

I say that when (not if) Ziggler wins the Title (and no, I don't really count his ten minute "reign" this last year on SmackDown) he should do it by winning the Rumble and having a real match for the Title.

I remember when winning the Rumble used to be THE sign that the company was behind someone, even if they didn't win the Title that year at Mania they would eventually win it. since the "winner of the Rumble gets a title shot at Mania" rule was put into effect in 1993 every person, except '94 co-winner Lex Luger, who won the Rumble having never held the World Title would eventually go on to win it and become pretty big names (Yokozuna '93, Shawn Michaels '95 &'96, Steve Austin '97 & '98, Vince McMahon '99, Chris Benoit '04, Batista '05, Rey Misterio '06 and Alberto Del Rio '11 *we will see about him being a big name)

I think That Ziggler should go that route to the top, and not the Money in the Bank route that always seems to lead to a cheap win that doesn't make the new champion look strong at all. plus, I think that Ziggler could pull off a Ric Flair/Shawn Michaels/Steve Austin-esque win where the heel enters early and wins the match.

 

[SahilRocks]

I don't think WWE is gonna let ziggler win the title.They are just using him to move the storyline until a big return (maybe the undertaker, chris jericho or batista).And even now, there are many contendors for the title such as del rio, miz and r - truth.So i dont see ziggler winning the title.

 

[rickfoxoclock]

I completely agree with the OP. I've been backing Ziggler for months now and all of my friends have given me a lot of stick for it. Ziggler has evolved into an extremely talented superstar and giving him MitB would be disservice to him. Since TLC my friends have said that Ziggler would be a favorite to win the Rumble. I kind of like that opinion but I also feel he doesn't need to win it. It'd be nice on the resume but in reality he's already got his shot. WWE could easily turn his match on Raw into the feud going into Rumble. Ziggler steals the show each and every night and I'm just hoping his character evolves into a Flair-esque heel where he tells you he's better than you and then proceeds to go out and beat you no matter what you do, cleanly-ish. Once he evolves into that style of character, he'll be the top dog for a long time.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Is this an Irish Canadian post I see before my eyes!?

I couldn't agree more! The Money in the Bank briefcase worked for Edge. To some extent it worked for a few others - particularly Kane who cashed in on the same night, and went on to have a great title reign. And it has brought us some exciting, unpredictable moments in remember in pro wrestling. But unfortunately, while people will always have these classic moments to look back on, that's all they'll remember. In ten years, will anybody know who Daniel Bryan is? How about Jack Swagger? This is a debatably one, but the Miz?

We're sacrificing intelligent, interesting character growth for the flash-in-the-pain moment of the year, and it's killing the overall product. WWE is in it for the short-term, and I think that's why ratings continue to fall. There's no time spent on building up stars the right way! What happened to the years of grind talented individuals underwent before getting a huge rub off of a Macho Man, or god forbid a Hulk Hogan!? I'm just not interested in 90% of the roster, and it's because they haven't given me a reason to care about most of them. Dolph Ziggler is the first person to come around in a long time that was built up correctly, and who I hope doesn't succeed to fast, too soon.

I would actually be happy if they waited until Mania 29 to put him in a big title match. He can chase the belt, and build up his character without winning the strap. You drag out the anticipation, build up the investment fans have in each wrestler, and then pull the trigger when the stakes are high! You think anybody would have cared about John Cena if they hadn't spent a full year building JBL into one of the most hated heels in the history of pro wrestling?

This is why the Royal Rumble is head-and-shoulders a better concept than Money in the Bank. A Rumble win is something that solidifies careers. You go down in the record book as the guy who survived 29 (or 39) other Superstars in an hour-long-plus contest. And even then it doesn't guarantee you a title. You still have to put in the work, make it to WrestleMania, and defeat the champion on the grandest stage of them all. If you win Money in the Bank, all you have to do is sit in the back, collect dust, and bide your time until the champion finds himself knocked out on the mat. At least in the past they had to get back to their feet for the ref to ring the damn bell... It seems WWE's lazy booking and shot-gun pushing has made stale another great concept.

I don't want Ziggler anywhere near MITB. He doesn't need it. Have him chase Punk or Cena into the end of 2012, continuing to fall short. Win the Royal Rumble in 2013 and start the face turn into WrestleMania against a majorly heel Wade Barrett, Randy Orton, or even John Cena. You don't have to turn him face, but if you want the biggest reaction and best utilization of his talents, it's a really good idea to do it, and do it well.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Dolph Ziggler definitely does not need Money In the Bank. WWE made a mistake with Del Rio by having him win the Rumble AND Money In the Bank before becoming a world champion. While I enjoyed it, his build up did not feel properly done. Had he gone through the midcard first like most guys should, it might have been received better. He also would not have needed the MITB case and it could have gone to others that would benefit more from such a push, like McIntyre. The same goes for a Royal Rumble win. Just give the man a title feud and let him win because he is ready!

Ziggler had excellent reigns with both of the midcard titles. He made them both matter again. For that reason he does not need to win the Royal Rumble OR Money In the Bank. He just needs a world title match and a victory. Dolph already held the World Heavyweight Championship last year. The reign was very short, but it still happened and added some credibility to his name. Then you have what he has done for the Intercontinental and United States Championships. Combine these accomplishments with his in-ring skills and improved promo skills. What does that give you? A future WWE Champion. I agree with IC25. He absolutely does NOT need Money In the Bank at this point, and that push should be saved for those who will actually benefit from it. They made that mistake with Del Rio and hopefully learned their lesson.