There are a lot of factors. Obviously reaction is one factor, but so is drawing power, the type of heat they get and when and why. You can also tell by how they do with certain superstars, how the fans react to their matches, etc. There are ways to tell. It's not a crapshoot.
Okay... but I fail to see how Ziggler falls short in any of those things when compared to guys like Miz or Christian.
Because if they did, he'd consistently be in the main-event. But he's not. He'll pop up for a spell, then go back down. He's never been World champion, and the WWE is desperate for quality heels right now, especially from the younger generation. What makes you think Ziggler is actually over, when he's not in the Top 10, his manager gets more heat than he does, and Ziggler is not a main-eventer?
Whether or not Ziggler is in the top 10 is up to debate. Ziggler gets plenty of heat with or without Vickie, thinking he needs Vickie to get heat is a total myth. Furthermore, Miz, Christian, Mysterio, Mark Henry, Big Show, and Cody Rhodes aren't consistently in the main event. In fact, not a single heel in the WWE today is, with the exception of Jericho and Kane, but they've only been back for about a couple months.
That's all fine and good, but the heat hasn't been there. Those matches he worked were not the result of long feuds, they were time filler matches.
Disagreed. They were heat building matches, and they worked.
Again, I'm not saying he will never be there, but he's not right now. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be an after thought at Wrestlemania.
The only heels that aren't going to be an afterthought at WrestleMania are Jericho, and depending how they're booked, Cena, Kane, Big Show, and Triple H.
Doesn't change the fact he's more over than Ziggler.
See above.
You said being over has to do with whether or not people see them as a legitimate star, right? It's hard to see someone was a legitimate star when you can't see them. Because they're not on TV.
You're basing this on...what? He just lost the belt three months ago. You don't really have any reliable evidence to make this claim.
How about the fact that he consistently gets crickets from the crowd?
Doesn't change the fact they are both still more over than Ziggler.
You can try and diminish these guys all you want, but they are still more over than Ziggler. Their name on the marquee will sell more tickets than Ziggler's will. It's really that simple.
Miz's name on the marquee is probably equal to Ziggler at this point. Kane is a nostalgia act at best.
You CLEARLY didn't fully comprehend my statement on Del Rio and Khali. Go back and try again.
No,
you clearly decided to change the definition of "over" again. Just because they're popular with the fans of their home country doesn't mean that people buy them as a legitimate threat.
Umm..everything? Wrestlemania is the biggest show of the year, and the WWE is going to push the biggest names to sell the show. Ziggler is not one of those biggest names.
Agreed. The biggest names are Cena, Rock, Punk, Triple H, and Undertaker. Everyone after that is pretty much on a level playing field, if not simply because those top stars are overwhelmingly huge.
Not really...exactly who has the WWE strongly marketed at Wrestlemania that wasn't a selling point to the card?
23: Before I started watching, but wasn't this a Hail Mary attempt to get Bobby Lashley relevant?
24: Big Show and Mayweather. Hell, they took up most of the poster, leaving a super over Batista off the poster altogether.
25: Good card
26: Pretty clean, but an argument could be made for Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase
27: Del Rio
Just about every year they push someone that is not a selling point to the card, or at the very least hinders someone that would be an even bigger selling point.
And you're the one doing the overrating.
No, I'm the one giving you a realistic look into the mind of a WWE fan.
Which is why he was planned to do...what at Wrestlemania? Be in a main-event? No, those spots are reserved for Cena, Rock, Triple H and Undertaker. Be in a championship match? No again, those spots are reserved for Punk, Jericho, Bryan and Sheamus. When there are four matches and eight wrestlers CLEARLY ahead of you in the pecking order at the biggest show of the year, you're clearly not seen as a major threat.
You're confusing major threat with over. If he has to be a main eventer or major threat, than only about 6-8 guys can really be considered over at any given time. However, I can't imagine anyone arguing against Santino Marella being over. The dude draws, people love him, they buy his merchandise, and the crowd goes wild when he comes out. Jerry Lawler is over, and he rarely ever wrestles. However, seeing him on the card is a definite bonus because it's a rare treat, and people love seeing a great personality in the ring.
By that standard, Dolph Ziggler is over. People count on him for a good match and in-ring entertainment, and they know he's going to put on a show worth watching.
