Report: Dolph Ziggler's Probable Face Turn

[Jack-Hammer]

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there's been a lot of talk recently about turning Dolph Ziggler babyface.

The report alleges that there's talk among WWE officials of having Big E. Langston breaking away from Ziggler but ultimately staying with AJ Lee. It was initially thought that this would be done for the purpose of a Langston face turn but it appears that it'll be Ziggler turning face instead.

The report also alleges that Vince has been going back and forth on the face turn. However, Vince's issues aren't based on if Ziggler will turn babyface but rather when to make the turn take place. Many within the company have confidence that Ziggler will be huge as a babyface once the call is made.

I think Ziggler has the goods to be a strong babyface in WWE. WWE has several strong babyfaces right now in Cena, Sheamus and Ryback. I'd say Daniel Bryan will go back to being a babyface whenever he & Kane go their separate ways. Kofi is pretty much the ideal mid-card babyface. WWE is pushing Del Rio as a top babyface. The Miz is making progress as it seems that fans are starting to accept his turn.

We've seen Ziggler as a heel for so many years and with the lay of the land as it currently sits, I think Ziggler may have gone as far as he can with his current heel character.

Do you think Ziggler should stay heel or go babyface? If the latter, how would you turn him and when?

 

[The Life Of Pablo Ren]

Ziggler would make a fantastic face for the WWE, he's already pretty over with the older crowd and gets cheers, I kind of felt that it would be sort've like what WWE had to do with Orton. Where Ziggler would cash in Money in the Bank, win the title and then from there on get big face reactions so the WWE would have no choice but to turn him... but it's good that they have a set plan ready for him, it should be interesting to see how it works out.

The only concern I would have is that he feuds with Big E., and I hope to god that doesn't happen... though I don't completely hate Big E. (to be honest I haven't seen enough of him to have any sort of real opinion on him)... I just think pinning Big. E and Ziggler against each other for a program would be such a waste for Ziggler.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

He sells like a babyface, that's about it. Myself, I find it hard to get behind greasy, adonis wrestlers as faces.

Ziggler seems to be an internet darling. I think turning him face will just expose how linited he is as a character and personality.

 

[The Butcher]

I'd be fine if Dolph turned, but I don't see the need for it. Vince must have ants in his pants or something, because there have been a lot of alignment swaps for major stars just inside the last, 9 or 10 months or so. Kane, Daniel Bryan, Big Show, Punk, Miz, and Del Rio immediately spring to mind, and now Dolph and Orton are next. All former World or WWE Champions. It just seems odd. I can't remember an abundance of turns happening like this ever.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I don't see anything in Ziggler's character that would make him a face, let alone a good one. Outside of IWC smarks who cheer him because they usually cheer heels and boo faces, he doesn't draw a reaction. Take Miz for example, he was a fantastic heel, which is why I think he will eventually make a solid face. Ziggler though is an awful heel, and being a heel is much easier than being a face. He isn't very good on the mic. That is why he has had managers paired with him nearly his entire run as an upper midcarder.

I have a feeling a short while after he wins the title the same smarks who cheer him will turn on him like most internet darlings anyway.

 

[Slowdude]

We are going to need some heel turns (Orton?) since half of the upper-mid card heels have or are turning face (Miz, Del Rio and now potentially Ziggles). I'm not going to complain about a face turn from Ziggles, can't think up much as a way how or why or when or how it will turn out but overall i would have no real complaints as long as we get some strong heels to cover the void.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I'm concerned that WWE is overturning guys because they don't have the character staying power to remain one or the other for a long time, and of course, to drive t-shirt sales. As much as I hate to admit it, one guy who turned and totally lost his edge has been Seamus. Granted, he was apparently the winningest wrestler in the WWE Last year, but there's also no question that the thing that made fans want to cheer him - his take-no-prisoners, nonsense desire to fight anyone and everyone with a scowl on his face - is missing. He's a candidate, along with Orton, for a heel turn.

Also, don't forget that if the WWE needs mid to upper mid card heels, all they need to do is break Rhodes and Sandow apart, as each guy has shown that he can likely stand alone.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

He's already moving towards being a tweener, if he's not already. I think they should keep him as a tweener. Going full-blown face might be risky. Here's the thing: In terms of competition on Smackdown and for the world title (I know the brand split doesn't mean much anymore but still): Sheamus is a face, ADR is a face, Orton is a face for the time being, now you're going to have DZ as the top face?

On RAW, we all know Cena is getting the belt at WM so where does face DZ fit in: Cena is the top face, they're trying to put over Ryback as a monster main event face, you've got Miz, and then I'm assuming one or both of Team Hell No will be face if/when they split up.

Keeping him a tweener would give him more versatility and opportunity, IMO.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'd say Daniel Bryan will go back to being a babyface whenever he & Kane go their separate ways.

No doubt about it. He'd be considered a full babyface already if the fans weren't still having such a good time countering his "No!" chants. Incidentally, his was one of the smoothest heel-to-face transitions I've seen because it happened naturally, acceding to the wishes of the WWE Universe, which is the way these things should happen. The maturation of Team Hell No (which doesn't sound like the name of a face team, right?) necessitated attitude changes on the part of both men, and it's been extremely entertaining in his complexity and flow. You never know from one minute to the next with these two, which is great.

Meanwhile, Dolph as a face? Sure, why not? I didn't think Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus could make the transition, yet they did.....so why not Dolph Ziggler?

I still don't find him to be of main event caliber, but he doesn't really have to be. Just have him keep working as hard as he does and have some heels do something lousy to him.....and there you have it. Whether he can handle it from there remains to be seen.

What I don't agree with is the implication by many on this forum that there are too many faces, and that we need heels. I see it the opposite, especially with "chronic" faces like Big Show and C.M. Punk turning heel.....and with Randy Orton wanting to.

I say we need faces. It's harder to be a good guy than bad, which is one of the reasons everyone wants to be a heel. If a less-than-superstar (but still prominent) performer like Dolph Ziggler can handle face-dom, I think they should give it a try.

 

[Slyfox696]

As bad as Ziggler is as a heel, I can't imagine him being a face could be much worse. And a face turn seems to be working for Del Rio, so maybe it could actually make Ziggler worth watching for a change. Plus he wouldn't have to be so completely lost trying to control the offensive portion of the match.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

No doubt about it. He'd be considered a full babyface already if the fans weren't still having such a good time countering his "No!" chants. Incidentally, his was one of the smoothest heel-to-face transitions I've seen because it happened naturally, acceding to the wishes of the WWE Universe, which is the way these things should happen. The maturation of Team Hell No (which doesn't sound like the name of a face team, right?) necessitated attitude changes on the part of both men, and it's been extremely entertaining in his complexity and flow. You never know from one minute to the next with these two, which is great.

Meanwhile, Dolph as a face? Sure, why not? I didn't think Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus could make the transition, yet they did.....so why not Dolph Ziggler?

I still don't find him to be of main event caliber, but he doesn't really have to be. Just have him keep working as hard as he does and have some heels do something lousy to him.....and there you have it. Whether he can handle it from there remains to be seen.

What I don't agree with is the implication by many on this forum that there are too many faces, and that we need heels. I see it the opposite, especially with "chronic" faces like Big Show and C.M. Punk turning heel.....and with Randy Orton wanting to.

I say we need faces. It's harder to be a good guy than bad, which is one of the reasons everyone wants to be a heel. If a less-than-superstar (but still prominent) performer like Dolph Ziggler can handle face-dom, I think they should give it a try.

There aren't enough "tweeners" though. DZ would best fit as tweener, IMO. IF he can be a tweener, it gives him a much better chance at main eventing since he can fight anyone instead of just the top heel. As a tweener, he can feud with Cena but then he can feud with CM Punk. Admittedly, it's tough to get over as a tweener when you aren't even over as a face or heel but he's right on the cusp of being over as a heel.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Nothing should happen right now. It's WM season and there have been enough turning for a while (Miz, Del Rio). I've written about him a couple of times already. They could have pulled off a nice face turn using Vicky either as his enemy or have him tame that shrew but it seems they went the AJ heel direction. Maybe in the summer they can make something happen but right now they may as well stick him with the competitive, not over, jerk character that about 8 people seem to worship.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

There aren't enough "tweeners" though. DZ would best fit as tweener, IMO. IF he can be a tweener, it gives him a much better chance at main eventing since he can fight anyone instead of just the top heel. As a tweener, he can feud with Cena but then he can feud with CM Punk. Admittedly, it's tough to get over as a tweener when you aren't even over as a face or heel but he's right on the cusp of being over as a heel.

Dolph Ziggler does not have the chops to be a tweener. Tweeners require some serious attitude, like SCSA or Punk. Ziggler does not have even close to enough. He also doesn't have the promo skills for it.

I guess they could try and get him over as a face. He's actually got a good moveset for it since his finishers, meaning the Zig Zag and Superkick, are impact finishers (though I've always hated the Zig Zag). I made a thread about turning him awhile back with a mixed reaction. But he's just now finally starting to get over as a heel. Maybe it's a futile effort though. I mean, we're talking about a man who had Vickie for over 2 years and still couldn't get over. And now that they've separated he's stuck with AJ and Big E. It seems like he's been stagnant forever. The IWC is all up his ass, well way too many of them, but the "WWE Universe" just doesn't care that much. An impactful face turn might do it. Maybe have "heel" Orton win at WM29 and Ziggler cashes in on him the next night at Raw. Who knows?

The better question is, how long after he turns face do his loyal followers turn on him?

 

[GeneralKarim]

With how they are treating Ziggler as basically a jobber that for some reason is sometimes in the main event im starting to not care so much about him, not his fault but I just find his feud with Cena kinda dumb.Nothing is really happening.

And if they are serious about turning him face, im all for it but at the same time I hate that hey bring in Big E aand instead of creating a stable or just stay together they want to seperate them. That's pretty quick tbh, he barely got here and they already want to split them up? What's AJ gonna do? After watching Ziggler lose more matches in a month than Cena has in a few years , im kinda fed up. For his sake I hope they dont fuck up his money in the bank.

 

[D-Man]

From where I sit, if the WWE turns Ziggler babyface, they're doing exactly what they did to MVP; completely killing his momentum.

For a while now, Ziggler has been one of the WWE's best in-ring sellers but he never made that much of a connection with the audience. Pairing him with Vickie helped him only so much and then he hit another brick wall. Thankfully, instead of throwing in the towel on finding his potential as a top heel, the WWE split him from Vickie (and subsequently almost turned him babyface then) and paired him with a heel-turning AJ who has done wonders for his heel character, ever since.

Now, instead of being a wannabe top heel, with help from AJ and John Cena, Ziggler is finally breaking through that glass ceiling. And on top of all that, he still has the MITB briefcase. He's one strategic cash-in from replacing Big Show as the top heel on Smackdown. If they turn him babyface now, all of this current momentum will be halted and a major gamble will be taken with his future.

I say WWE should keep him on the current path, give him a successful cash-in at Royal Rumble and let's see how far down the rabbit hole goes. Don't kill him by changing him now... he's finally being catapulted in the right direction.

 

[KillSteenKill]

Why would you turn Ziggler heel? Right now he is probably the number two heel or at least number three behind Punk and Big Show. You turn him face and he is behind Cena, Sheamus, Ryback, Orton (if he doesn't change), Del Rio and Bryan and probably on the same level as Miz and Kane. The only reason I could see it is if McMahon sees more heel potential in The Shield members, Sandow and Cesaro as main eventers. If anybody should turn babyface, I vote for Cody Rhodes, who would be over instantly just on his name.

 

[LODemolition]

Why try to fix what isn't broken? He works fine as a heel. Also it makes the most sense for the holder of the briefcase to be heel while we have a face champ. I can't imagine that didn't factor into the decision of putting the belt on Del Rio.

I thought we were heading for a WHC match at Mania between Big Show and Ryback, but now it's obviously way up in the air. I can't see Del Rio being in the WHC match at Mania, at least not in a 1-on-1 match. This is my best guess at the scenario:

Orton wins the Rumble.
Del Rio loses at Elimination Chamber to Sheamus.
Ziggler cashes in immediately after.

So Orton has his title shot while Del Rio and Sheamus both have the rematch clause.

Ziggler (c) vs. Del Rio vs. Orton vs. Sheamus at Mania

Have Orton make his heel turn during a tag match with Sheamus so we have 2 faces and 2 heels going for the title.

 

[kcoe24]

Why try to fix what isn't broken? He works fine as a heel.

Thats the problem it is broken as he doesn't get much of a crowd reaction and when he does its from the smarks who cheer him. This is Del Rio all over again a mainevent heel who doesn't get booed much.

This is a good idea cause they need to make way for other better heels to come up in the future. Orton when he turns heel, Big Show should stay atop even without the belt. Cesaro is starting to get more heat from the crowd then Ziggler is, Eventually Sandow will break away from Cody and deserves the top spots over Ziggler. Mark Henry if he returns
both Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose will stay heel after the Shield is done.
Ziggler is a great wrestler who isn't that good on the mic or have a good enough character to get booed. So the best idea turn him face let him get his ass kicked for 15 minutes each match and make the heroic come back cause thats something he can do. you will have to tweek his character but not completely change it.

Ziggler as a face could be the star you all what him to be but he will never get there as a heel.

 

[#tamale]

Ziggler is dreadful as a heel, so maybe a face turn might work. I don't have much faith in Ziggler trying to make that work though given how much effort he puts into being an effective heel.

As far as being too many faces and not enough heels, remember that we still have CM Punk, Antonio Cesaro, Wade Barrett, The Shield, a potential Randy Orton turn, Sandow and Rhodes, Big Show, and Mark Henry so I think they'll be fine in that department.

 

[ABMorales787]

They've had many chances to do it and right now is not a good time to my belief. Alberto Del Rio and The Miz have both undergone a face turn recently after being after Thing 1 and Thing 2 on WWE creative's top heels list for a good while. Turning Ziggler now too is just plain messing with the roster. Not to mention his split with Vickie has led to some sort of new heel faction with Langston and AJ. It would be pretty silly to turn him now as opposed to all the previous occasions where he had issues with Vickie. Such as when they split from Jack Swagger.

 

[i'm a cm punk girl]

If Ziggler embraces the WWE Universe (which would do him a lot of good, his popularity is starting to take off), I'd consider turning whoever heel to balance it out.

 

[HellBoundPower]

I have to agree with D-Man on this one. While Dolph has been in upper midcard purgatory for awhile now, I think it's too soon to turn him face because he would lose all the momentum built in recent months. While he's been on the losing end during his feud with Cena, he's been building himself up with his small stable, and mostly with him pairing up with AJ. I think they should keep him as a heel for now and have him have a run with the World Title after cashing in Money in the Bank. He needs to have a decent heel run with the title before turning face to build interest in him. Building momentum and getting the crowd to care about him as a heel will only heighten the crowd reaction when he actually turns face. He just needs the build up and he can be an affective face in time. The time just isn't now.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I don't like the sound of this. WWE pretty much forced Miz's face turn, and now I can't stand the guy. I'm sorry, but Miz's tenure as a face has been disastrous. He's beyond corny, and WWE really didn't give the fans a chance to make up their mind. And because of this, Miz still receives a lukewarm reception from live crowds. They had to bring in Ric Flair, and weeks before that, AJ into Miz TV to try and force a boost for his new persona.

Years ago, I still believed in legit chances of Ziggler becoming a superstar, but I just don't see it anymore. His selling was good for a few laughs at first, but Ziggler's cartoonish fish out of water act doesn't do anything for me now a days. McIntyre and Del Rio received strong pushes. McIntyre fizzled after a while, but Del Rio's face turn is slowly catching on with the fans. And then there's Ziggler. WWE has given him chance after after chance, they paired him with their #1 heat magnet, and Ziggler still can't get over by himself.

Pulling him away from AJ and Langston would be a HUGE mistake in my eyes. AJ is still hot, and Langston is an ideal candidate for the big muscular goon. Ziggler really struggles to get a reaction by himself, but the current trio has some potential for a good heel stable. Plus, Ziggler is going to need some help, as he establishes himself as a champion in the early stages of his WHC run.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

"Daniel Bryan will go back to being a face" what program do you watch?

Anyways, I like Ziggler as a babyface. He's likeable and sells his ass off (good for sympathy). I can see it working. Need to turn some other guys heel though, not a lot of really good heels right now.

 

[StunningBlackMamba24]

Well if he does turn face, then turn Del Rio back heel, but IMO Del Rio is terrible as a face and does not fit it at all. Ziggler could make a fantastic face. Like Miz, I think both would be good faces together, but not right now. Its way too soon to turn Ziggler face. And while WWE is at that, I think the only WWE superstar who actually needs a face turn, hate it or not I dont care, is CM Punk. Ever since the summer Punks career at went downhill. Punk isn't as good as the heel he used to be 2009-2011. I mean those years were amazing for him. His face run was fantastic and a success. So yeah turn Ziggler face, but I think WWE should take it into consideration of turning Punk face as well. His new gimmick is getting really boring, and old as well. Just another typical heel. And del rio as well he cant play the top..