Wasn´t Ziggler In This Position One Year Ago? What Has Changed?

[pepentorresHHH]

1 year ago......
Ziggler had just lost the intercontinental title to Kofi Kingston after months of reign and bringing prestige back to the title, he was on top of the midcard and then he won the right to face Edge at the Rumble.... he wasnt successful but was able to win the title down the line for less than 15 minutes.......

He went to Raw on the draft, won the title from KINGSTON(AGAIN) and then he was on top of the midcard, brought prestige back to the title and just lost it to Ryder, but now he once again has been named the number one contender for the start of the year (maybe not the Rumble but the timing is very close).

Ziggler has always been a phenomenal wrestler and currently my favorite wrestler on Raw, but the question must be asked. has this last year been a repetition of 2010 or has this time been....wasted? I mean he was on the same position he was a year ago on Smackdown...trying to break through from the mid card to the main event.....

Will this time stick or will he keep going from mid card to main event forever?
Opinions...............

 

[amazing_blue]

The only difference is that a year ago, Ziggler was main-eventing a paper thin SmackDown roster, and now he's main-eventing a crowded RAW.

Of course, it's not really that impressive. Remember the first RAW of 2010? John Morrison was getting a WWE title shot, just like Ziggler is now. And look where Morrison is now.

 

[HeartStingerJericho]

Yes, Ziggler is in the same spot, which I do not think is a bad thing. Ziggler was the perfect guy to raise the mid-card of Raw from the sewer and make the U.S. Title mean something, much like Cody has done for SmackDown.

And as far as comparing Dolph to Morrison, there is none. Morrison is a stuntman who ran his mouth backstage and on Twitter about the company he worked for, downing Trish Stratus and being a douche about the firing of Melina. Dolph, on the other hand, has played well with others and is getting his rewards.

 

[Tattooed Jesus]

I think last year was the testing stage for what now in 2012 will be the year of Dolph Ziggler. I don't think he will win the title right away but I could definitely see Ziggler winning the Royal Rumble and getting a shot at WM28 or winning the title at Elimination Chamber.

 

[#heel]

He has not only grown in my eyes,hence the name, but in the boards eyes he is now becoming a big thing..compared to last year and that situation.

 

[Rizzofohshizzle]

Yes, Ziggler is in the same spot, which I do not think is a bad thing. Ziggler was the perfect guy to raise the mid-card of Raw from the sewer and make the U.S. Title mean something, much like Cody has done for SmackDown.

And as far as comparing Dolph to Morrison, there is none. Morrison is a stuntman who ran his mouth backstage and on Twitter about the company he worked for, downing Trish Stratus and being a douche about the firing of Melina. Dolph, on the other hand, has played well with others and is getting his rewards.

Honestly, I don't think Cody Rhodes has really brought anything back for the IC title. I mean, since he's had it, how many title defenses has he had with it? I really wouldn't consider his match against Booker T a defense because we all know Booker wasn't going to win it.

 

[bk555]

Although on paper, what you are saying is correct. Ziggler has greatly improved over the past 365 days. His character is more complete, he is spectacular on the mic and his ring work has gotten even better. Plus, he is going for the WWE title which almost everyone views as more "prestigious" (if titles are anymore) than the WHC.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

What you are saying is right for the most part but the difference is that last year he was main eventing the less prestigious SD brand, now he is near to being on top of the flagship centerpiece show; Monday night Raw.

WWE wants Ziggler to be a main event heel, they have since the end of 2010. However he had more potential that could only be exploited by testing how he would do in front of a Raw audience. In all honesty getting the biggest heel reaction on SD competing against Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, and Jinder Mahal is not very impressive. However getting a big reaction on Raw, sharing the stage and ring with guys like Cena, HHH, Punk, and Miz is a better indicator of the level he is at. WWE shipped him over to Raw and his talent was even further displayed against the like of Kofi, Cena and CM Punk. Sure he has been in the midcard for the most part but that's apart of the process of growth as a superstar. Summarizing what I just said, Ziggler's position is similar to what it was last year but this time he is on the verge of greatness of the more focused on brand. Not to mention that the only place he can go now is up and there are no higher positions in WWE above the main event of the Raw brand.

 

[Scofield]

Before catipulting him to Main Event level, he needs to be tested first and not with the WWE Championship itself. I wish WWE would stop doing that...experimenting how a talent will do at the highest level with the actual belt itself then deciding that they ain't main event material aka Jack Swagger.

To me Dolph Ziggler has it all concern in-ring abilities as for persona & mic abilities I am not sold. I would like to see more of what character Dolph Ziggler can produce and how he can survive without his mouthpiece in Vickie Guerrero first before catipulting him up there.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

The only difference is that a year ago, Ziggler was main-eventing a paper thin SmackDown roster, and now he's main-eventing a crowded RAW.

Of course, it's not really that impressive. Remember the first RAW of 2010? John Morrison was getting a WWE title shot, just like Ziggler is now. And look where Morrison is now.

I would by no means call RAW's main event scene "crowded." While John Cena and CM Punk are both big names and staples of the main event, who is crowding up the heel side? Alberto Del Rio who is at a very stagnant place in his career, he's been in the title picture since August and hasn't at all gotten over. Then we have Miz who is slightly less boring than ADR (I emphasize on slightly) but otherwise is in the same position. Kane had a nice, epic return as a monster heel, but he's not getting anywhere near that title.

In fact, RAW's heel roster is so paper thin that they had to use a Smackdown wrestler to fill in the third spot for Punk's gauntlet match last night.

I would say that Dolph is in the exact same position as he was last year at this time, was it all a waste? No. Just because a guy hasn't won a world title doesn't mean he's not doing anything. He's started to learn how to get over without the (extreme) use of Vickie Guerrero, and while he hasn't main evented any PPV's he's helped get over some of WWE's top guys in some incredible TV matches.

 

[mkman613]

he went from being a fill in main eventer on the B show to a fill in main eventer on the A show. he has grown in many ways.

I think this has to do with a few things.

1) Raw heels are lacking - so lets see if he works, as he deserves a chance when the opening is there

2) testing the ratings - ratings has become a major concern with the 3 new face champions - who is it gonna be that boosts the ratings before the have to revert back to the only ratings guarantee on the roster...cena.

I think hes grown, but not a ton - i do think this will be a big year for him.

cant wait til he changes that finisher!

 

[Champ1432]

Even if he's in the same place on Raw right now that he was at on Smackdown a year ago, that in itself is better.

I think he's on his way up. Sure it's taking a while, but he's used the time to solidify himself as a solid heel on his own merits, and also established himself as someone who is always around the upper card/ME.

 

[WwE_GaLaXy]

Before catipulting him to Main Event level, he needs to be tested first and not with the WWE Championship itself. I wish WWE would stop doing that...experimenting how a talent will do at the highest level with the actual belt itself then deciding that they ain't main event material aka Jack Swagger.

To me Dolph Ziggler has it all concern in-ring abilities as for persona & mic abilities I am not sold. I would like to see more of what character Dolph Ziggler can produce and how he can survive without his mouthpiece in Vickie Guerrero first before catipulting him up there.

Vickie Guerrero his mouthpiece? Im sorry but I find that hard to believe. Over the last couple of months we have seen Vickie help Dolph by interfering in his matches or trying to get him matches, but to call Vickie Dolph's mouthpiece is stretching it. Ziggler has been his own mouthpiece because he actually has the mic skills to get himself over. The main reason that Dolph and Vickie have been together for as long as they have is because of the heat that she draws, but after the 3 month Ryder feud that he had he can now draw that heat himself. Ziggler is on the brisk of jumping into the main event picture kind of like Miz did but I feel that he has more ability and will be able to jump between the upper midcard like Randy Orton can.

 

[Scofield]

Yes Vickie Guerrero his mouth piece, I have no idea what or who your watching but when I see Dolph Ziggler on the mic..I think of John Morrison. To compare Ziggler to the Miz is laughable. That's like comparing apples to oranges.

Ziggler, great in the ring...shit on the mic.

Miz, not the greatest in the ring....quite capable on the mic.

 

[avi01]

Ziggler is a push done right...at least so far. His US title reign this year has done wonders, he carried the title with prestige and you could clearly see he was getting ready for the big thing which really should be the feeling you get from a US and intercontinental champion. As a result, the overall package has improved from mic skills(mind you, there is still a LOT of work to be done here, Vickie is still crucial to him) to even better in ring skills. That being said, he should not be the champion yet, it is not the right time now imo. We are entering wrestlemania season and winning the rumble or the title in that period or at wrestlemania itself will be overshadowed by events like Rock-Cena or Taker`s match or the probable Cm Punk-Y2J....Ziggler is a special talent, and winning the title should be special, main even material..it should be after wrestlemania imo. He does not need money in the bank either, just the right timing. Right now they should continue to have him as one of the top guns on raw, continue to develop his characters, too bad there ain`t many established stars to really work with him and put him over. I`d really like to see him in some more personal feuds. No need to rush, he will get there, hopefully they do it right else he might end up as another of those "what it could have been" stories...and hell we get quite a lot of them every year now.

 

[Suibon]

Well, he got over in Smackdown last year with his mic skills still at infancy (and baby-fed by Vickie Guerrero), and his in-ring abilities at the level of the average mid-carder.

Now, he got over on Raw with significantly improved mic skills and selling.

Difference? Maybe.
​

 

[thebarber]

Ziggler is a very handy upper mid card talent, but anybody who thinks he is winning the WWE Championship is misguided. The 2-1-2012 guy(Jericho) will be the next major feud for Punk, thus why Punk hasnt been in a feud with anybody since Del Rios. This storyline has been in the pipeline for months and will commence 1-2-2012 and will finish up 44-2-2012, the night after Wrestlemania 28. Jericho will only be back for a three month stint at this stage. Ziggler, he will no doubt be the next MITB winner, whenever that may be. He wont be winning the Royal Rumble either. He is mid card, NOT A MIAN EVENT PLAYER yet

 

[Azane]

Ziggler's getting built over time, instead of being Jack Swaggered.
He's in a similar position 1 year later, Main Event. This is a very good thing, because the quick build stars have been going ME then back to Midcard pretty quickly lately, Del Rio may be going that way, Ziggler held a midcard title, but he was flirting with ME the whole time.

In the end, Mr. Ziggles will have a career instead of a title run; good trade off.

 

[Da Muddaship]

Before catipulting him to Main Event level, he needs to be tested first and not with the WWE Championship itself. I wish WWE would stop doing that...experimenting how a talent will do at the highest level with the actual belt itself then deciding that they ain't main event material aka Jack Swagger.

To me Dolph Ziggler has it all concern in-ring abilities as for persona & mic abilities I am not sold. I would like to see more of what character Dolph Ziggler can produce and how he can survive without his mouthpiece in Vickie Guerrero first before catipulting him up there.

Clearly you haven't heard his stuff on Ryder's YouTube show. Those promos are EPIC, so good that if he does that kind of stuff on TV, the crowd may unintentionally treat him as a face. This guy can talk, and they're letting him do more and more the last couple months on TV. The problem is how to separate him from Vickie without having him appear to be turning face, but based on Vickie's comments this week, looks like Dolph will be the crown jewel of a soon to be expanding stable.

 

[Scofield]

Clearly you haven't heard his stuff on Ryder's YouTube show. Those promos are EPIC, so good that if he does that kind of stuff on TV, the crowd may unintentionally treat him as a face. This guy can talk, and they're letting him do more and more the last couple months on TV. The problem is how to separate him from Vickie without having him appear to be turning face, but based on Vickie's comments this week, looks like Dolph will be the crown jewel of a soon to be expanding stable.

Yea? Even though that YouTube show got Zack Ryder to where he is at presently thats YouTube. I will wait and see how Ziggler does in a top level fued that involves not only in-ring story telling but also involves high level promos. Same goes for Zack Ryder, props to the guy for getting himself over, but the question still lies in whether he can continue this momentum or not because even he said himself the YouTube show cannot go on forever.

Sorry but theres a huge difference between mic time on a YouTube show versus mic time in a WWE ring on WWE TV infront of a live audience BIG fucking difference. Go watch a marquee fued between shall we say The Rock & Y2J...Triple H v Taker...Taker v HBK. Those guys can tell a story in the ring with their wrestling ability aswell as their promo skills.

Again not that I am riding on Ziggler as I have said I do happen to like the guy, but what is the guys gimmick exactly other than being "Perfection"? (No doubt there will be an explanation against what I just said here despite being in support of Ziggler as a potential main event talent someday in the future with a little more development)

In times like these I really do agree with Batistas comments aswell as Bret Harts comments about todays business. Heels are no longer heels aswell as alot of wrestlers just have no personality as to who they actually are.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There are similarities but the overall conditions have changed.

The WWE has been building Ziggler slowly over the course of a year and a half, much in the same way they've been and currently are doing with Cody Rhodes. Ziggler had a great run as IC champ overall, it significantly elevated him, and his feud with Edge showed that he had real potential. The only negative about his program with Edge was the brief World Heavyweight Championship "reign".

After his feud with Edge came to an end, the WWE really went into focus on the overall build to WrestleMania. I think while WWE saw tons of promise in Ziggler, there was simply a lot more money in stuff like Orton vs. Punk, Mysterio vs. Rhodes, Taker vs. Triple H, Cena vs. Miz and The Rock being part of the show. Ziggler wasn't as high of a priority at the time and his pushed got sidelined for a while.

After Ziggler won the United States Championship, the WWE began to develop Ziggler as a character and his mic skills. I'm not saying that Ziggler has set new standards or anything, but anyone that tries to say that Ziggler hasn't improved on his promo skills, facial expressions & body language is delusional. I know it's IWC tradition to initiate a backlash on whomever is elevated into a spot in the WWE main event picture, but don't let hate blind you to the fact that Ziggler has made improvements to his overall game. There's still some work for Ziggler to do, I agree with that, but he's not even remotely as far off as some want to say that he is.

 

[H33LTurn]

Hes become more believable if you ask me. year ago he hadnt defeated the likes of Orton or Punk. hes also moved up to RAW, like others have mentioned so that shows that WWE believes in him to draw ratings. The only real problem I have with Ziggler is that they never put a mic on him. He has the charisma to cut a descent promo if he wants to, and theres no way you can have a WWE or world champion who doesnt speak, with the exception of monster heels. But overall I also think Ziggler has become an even better wrestler and has made more of a name for himself.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Some fans may consider Smackdown the better show, but I think it's still obvious which brand WWE management considers to be the flagship. And therein lies the difference between Ziggler's two years. Smackdown has a different roster, filled with a lot of experimental stars. Most of them will never make it out of the midcard, but the lack of starpower is exactly why they are allowed to experiment. Ziggler showed great promise last year, and they set him up in a title feud with Edge to see if he could hang.

Clearly he could hang and they moved him over to the Raw brand. ONce there he got a long run as the midcard champion on the flagship show, and was given time to work in the main event against some established stars. They've also used him to make another lower-mid-card talent, in Jack Swagger, look better. So you know they're aware of Ziggler's abilities, and his heat is not directly a result of only Vickie Guerrero.

Just because he has a title match this coming week, does not mean they're making him a main event star. This could be a proving ground type of situation, to see if the ratings will improve or at least even out with him in a main event title match on Raw. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some sort of Punk vs Ziggler Rumble match, or even a Rumble win to test him further. I wouldn't expect to see him main eventing Mania this year, but I do expect to see him make the transition to the big leagues in 2012.

 

[Dagger Dias]

No, Ziggler was not in this position a year ago. Last year he had lost the Intercontinental Championship so he could move on to a main event feud with Edge where he won his first of what might be several World Championships. He wasn't fully ready at the time but that short little world title reign added some credibility to Dolph's name, as well as his midcard title run. He made the Intercontinental Championship important again. Then his United States Championship run once he was sent over to Raw did the same for that title. Now he is ready for a main event run the moment they give him a world title feud. It's different from last year because not only is he ready now, but he has twice as much to brag about now.

 

[CrossRhodes]

What has changed as this is not the B show. This is the top show WWE has to offer. This year he has had to work as hard as he could to get more noticed, To get higher up on the card. This time around he is on a show with people such as John Cena, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, The Miz, R-Truth, The list can go on. This time the competiton is much greater that last time.

As he has managed to get back up to the spot he has last year now on Raw, He is in alot better of a spot then last time. This time he has alot more support and has greatly improved on the microphone.

This being said, I also have to take into consideration that John Morrison was in this spot last year, and look what happened to him.