What to do with Dolph Ziggler at Mania?

[The Eighties]

We are 4 weeks away from WrestleMania 29 and Mr Money in the Bank doesn't have a match on the horizon for the card, in fact all he has done for weeks is job, mostly to the WHC Del Rio.

Jericho was, and for me remains, the most likely opponent but they have had very little interaction since Y2J's return. However when Jericho returns he could make fun of Dolph's losing streak which is simply a reverse on how they booked their angle for last years Summerslam, and bingo! Y2J vs Ziggler at Mania.

Another option popped up on Smackdown last night during a backstage segment between Bryan and AJ, where Bryan took some jabs at Dolph's failure to cash in yet. If Dolph responds on Raw they could book either Bryan vs Dolph or the less appealing Team Hell No vs Ziggler and Langston.

One last thing to note is on SD Josh Matthews reiterated Dolph's claim that he'd be WHC going into Mania, he's a heel so that doesn't make it a guarantee, but food for thought anyway.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It seems to be a foregone conclusion that he'll face Jericho. That's despite there being no indication that this match will happen so far on TV. It's probably a culmination of rumours and the fact neither has an obvious match yet. Yeah, that's it.

Personally I can skip on a Jericho/Ziggler rematch. But if WWE have plans for Ziggler this year then it seems like a decent match to have. Not a massive profile match but one against a real star unlike all his previous Mania matches where he's basically just filling a spot.

I actually prefer the tag match idea though. I'd make it a 6-person match though and add Kaitlyn & A.J. After all, WWE likes to get as many people as possible on Mania, they like to feature a worthless match with the women and A.J. could be the only over person on the heel team.

If he's not booked in a match it is all but guaranteed he'll cash in at Mania.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I've forgotten about Ziggler's existence at Mania until I noticed this thread. The Bryan/AJ interaction popped in to my head and led me to the same tag idea you had. I really like it and think it fits in nicely with the rest of the card set up. The biggest appeal of the match is seeing Langston getting in the ring for the first time. I also think Hell No still has some legs but if they don't this would give them the opportunity to have a falling out. AJ participation at ringside and her history with both Kane and Bryan could certainly complicate things.

Nice idea Eighties, I would definitely prefer this tag match over Jericho/Ziggler.

 

[The Warlord]

Time to play Mr. Head Writer for a second..

I would like to see Ziggler face Orton at Mania...with Orton coming out on top. Give them enough time...15-20 minutes to put on a quality match, who knows it might even steal the show if they want it bad enough.

Then later in the night after Del Rio retains his title against Swagger...Ziggler comes out to cash in. Ziggler and Del Rio battle it out and Dolph comes close to beating ADR until he fights back. ADR catches him with the armbar and a frustrated Swagger interferes with the ref's back turned. Dolph hits the zigzag for the win and new champion.

Orton is shown in the back shaking his head with a look of disgust on his face, knowing he beat Dolph earlier in the night. Shades of Bret/Owen at WM 10.

This would be great for 2 reasons: Both ADR/Swagger can continue their feud into the next PPV, and Orton/Ziggler can continue their feud as well, but this time for the WHC.

Ziggler gets his Wrestlemania moment. As I said earlier, it would be similar to Bret Hart's role at Wrestlemania X. (Orton would play the role of Owen, with the face/heel being reversed.)

 

[Mr. HD]

We are 4 weeks away from WrestleMania 29 and Mr Money in the Bank doesn't have a match on the horizon for the card, in fact all he has done for weeks is job, mostly to the WHC Del Rio.

Jericho was, and for me remains, the most likely opponent but they have had very little interaction since Y2J's return. However when Jericho returns he could make fun of Dolph's losing streak which is simply a reverse on how they booked their angle for last years Summerslam, and bingo! Y2J vs Ziggler at Mania.

Another option popped up on Smackdown last night during a backstage segment between Bryan and AJ, where Bryan took some jabs at Dolph's failure to cash in yet. If Dolph responds on Raw they could book either Bryan vs Dolph or the less appealing Team Hell No vs Ziggler and Langston.

One last thing to note is on SD Josh Matthews reiterated Dolph's claim that he'd be WHC going into Mania, he's a heel so that doesn't make it a guarantee, but food for thought anyway.

I love this idea if they don't go with Ziggler/Jericho. Never even thought about that. Let me take it a step further. It'd be cool to see them do Team Hell No/Kaitlyn vs Ziggler/Langston/AJ in 6 person match WITH the Divas and Tag Titles on the line. One match for all the gold. Book that one.

 

[S2B]

When Jericho first came back, it seemed to be the only way that his return was going to go... feud with Ziggler through to Mania, before Ziggler eventually cashes in his briefcase later that night. Either that, or Ziggler-Jericho being the Heavyweight title match for the night.

I think having shelved plans for Ryback-Jericho, and given how sparingly Ziggler has been used lately, I would expect the feud to reignite when Jericho returns.

There is still more than enough time to build this back up going into Mania, Jericho would face an uphill challenge with the back up of AJ and Big E on Zigglers, which could add more the feud.

Eitherway, Ziggler needs to be at Mania, unless his storyline going into Mania is that he isn't on the card... but still makes the biggest impact by cashing in?

 

[Mustang Sally]

With time growing short to set up a feud for Dolph....and with all the other major guys already occupied at WM29.....it seems inevitable that Dolph's sole function at the event will be to cash in, no?

It's an easy night's work, whether he succeeds or fails, since he probably doesn't have to work a full match, yet receives a WM payoff.

Perhaps they'll pair Dolph with Jericho, just for form's sake. It's a match that won't mean much despite their previous involvement because the two haven't been near each other since Jericho's return....or if they have, it was nothing memorable.

I'd love to see Dolph cash in and fail, but the difference between his winning and losing is actually pretty huge......if he wins, they might be installing him as a main event wrestler for years to come. If he loses, they could be relegating him to the mid-card until hell freezes over......and all this will apply whether he's cashing in against Del Rio or Swagger. Same difference.

 

[HBsam31]

I agree with Sally. All arrows seem to point to him cashing in at Mania. I don't get why he is on another losing steak, but they could make up for it in one night if he cashes in and wins at Mania. If he loses then I am not sure they are ever going to insert him permanently in the main event picture. I also think they could put him in a match with Jericho, but even if that does happen I see him cashing in at Mania.

 

[MCMG]

Jericho and Ziggler is the likely option. They will put on a great match and Ziggler would get the rub of beating Y2J and "retiring" him until next years Royal Rumble. I still think this match would have been better if it were for the WHC but i'm not apposed to non-title.

I like the idea of the tag-team match with Bryan and Kane. These guys NEED to be on the card. There will be no-one more pissed than myself if Kane and Ziggler are not on the WM29 card. I guess the only problem is that it is time for team Hell No to lose the belts and I can't foresee Ziggler and Langston winning.

Finally, Ziggler cashing in the MITB. My only caution here is that it would be overshadowed by the rest of the night. Best leave it for the Raw after. Everyone knows that night has to be big: last year was Lesnar, year before was Cena/Rock, the emergence of Dolph Ziggler isn't as big but is still a big event.

 

[The Eighties]

I've forgotten about Ziggler's existence at Mania until I noticed this thread. The Bryan/AJ interaction popped in to my head and led me to the same tag idea you had. I really like it and think it fits in nicely with the rest of the card set up. The biggest appeal of the match is seeing Langston getting in the ring for the first time. I also think Hell No still has some legs but if they don't this would give them the opportunity to have a falling out. AJ participation at ringside and her history with both Kane and Bryan could certainly complicate things.

Nice idea Eighties, I would definitely prefer this tag match over Jericho/Ziggler.

I love this idea if they don't go with Ziggler/Jericho. Never even thought about that. Let me take it a step further. It'd be cool to see them do Team Hell No/Kaitlyn vs Ziggler/Langston/AJ in 6 person match WITH the Divas and Tag Titles on the line. One match for all the gold. Book that one.

After tonight's Raw I think the tag match became a little closer to happening after Langston took Bryan out post-match. It's a simple set up, Bryan will moan to Kane about him not helping him and then Kane can challenge Ziggler on SD, things end in a brawl, tag title match is booked, should be easy.

 

[cawsnallthis]

Dolph is kind of stuck in the mud. The only reason I care about him at all is because where he goes, AJ follows.

 

[DaveB]

I'm not against Ziggler facing Jericho again. If they had a rematch at Mania, I think that this would be their better match. Plus, Jericho can help put Ziggler over w/ a big win on the grandest stage.

 

[Wolf Pac]

There was a report recently that WWE may be planning on having Team Hell No break up at Wrestlemania, so it's possible we could see Hell No vs. Ziggler & Langston at WM. I wouldn't mind seeing it, but personally I don't think Ziggler & Langston are the team that should take the belts off of Team Hell No especially as Dolph may cash-in and win the world title at Mania. While Dolph winning both the tag and world titles at Wrestlemania would put him over huge, he really wouldn't have time for the tag titles and it's division. And Team Hell No retaining the titles at Mania and breaking up at the event wouldn't make any sense, so maybe they'd be best going with Bryan vs. Kane at Wrestlemania instead.

While tonight seems like it could be headed towards Ziggler & Langston vs. Hell No at Wrestlemania, it could also be the setup for the split of Team Hell No next week or the week after. Bryan could obviously moan to Kane about not helping him out, then Kane could challenge Ziggler, and the same happens to him, which leads to Kane moaning to Bryan about not helping him out, and then on the next RAW one of em turns heel on the other. Probably should be Bryan who turns heel on Kane, considering Kane just lost his father.

I've just realized that if Bryan does face Kane at Wrestlemania, we'd be getting the Brothers Of Destruction facing off against two best friends, two indy sensations in singles matches at WM. A tag team match between the Brothers and Punk/Bryan would be a nice match for the RAW go home show for Wrestlemania.

As for Ziggler, there is still time left for Wrestlemania, they could always setup Ziggler vs. Jericho in the last few weeks before the pay-per-view. Or like Mustang Sally said, since he might cash-in and take the title, he really doesn't need another match.

Whichever option WWE go with, Bryan vs. Kane/Jericho vs. Ziggler or Hell No vs. Ziggler & Langston, I'm cool either way.

 

[Mustang Sally]

... so it's possible we could see Hell No vs. Ziggler & Langston at WM.

It's got to be getting close to "put up or shut up" time for Dolph Ziggler. Is he going to continue getting beaten in non-feature events.....is he going to be a solid mid-card performer...... or he is going to be a world champion?

It all revolves around that damn briefcase and it's about time management chose a direction for him. For most of the past year, I've presumed that management sees him as a top-of-the-card guy; the new generation of WWE superstars....a guy who will be challenging (or holding) the title belt for years to come. In recent months, I haven't been so sure, what with his constant losing to the top guys in non-main event matches.

So, is Dolph going to cash in at WM29 and start a championship reign that takes him deep into the future.....or has management soured on him, being honestly sorry they ever gave him the MITB briefcase because he hasn't captured their fancies the way it was thought he would? Or, as to the quote at the top of this post, is Dolph destined to be fighting mid-card guys like Team Hell No in fun (but essentially meaningless) matches with Big E Langston as his partner? The difference between the two destinies is actually quite large.

The answer may not come at WM29 since Dolph would still hold the briefcase for awhile even if he doesn't cash in......but surely, the decision has to be made soon. Where does Dolph fit in the hierarchy?

 

[rerun406]

^yeah I tend to agree on you regarding Dolph. It's about that time where he makes that next step or fades back into obscurity

**looks like Ziggler is getting some momentum back after that win over Bryan on RAW. Let's hope it stays that way, only a couple more weeks till Mania time and 2-3 more Ziggler wins couldn't hurt

regarding Team Hell No .. they could go several directions

1. The already suggested Ziggler-Langston taking the belt off them. Kind of a long shot, especially with Langston never having competed on a RAW or SMACKDOWN yet, but if they go this route, and Zigg cashes in his MITB briefcase ... he's a double champ, and could have shows where he defends both his Tag & World Title. Eventually though, Ziggler would get sick of it, and drop Langston/AJ saying the World Title is more important and they're holding him back. But the idea of having Ziggler a Double Champ would be kind of interesting.

2. Have Kane vs Bryan in a one on one match with the winner getting both Tag-Team Titles. That's if they can't find a worthy Tag-Team to take the belt. Obviously Kane-Bryan have issues with each another, so why not hash em out in a one on one match?

3. Tag Team battle Royal to open mania, winner of that takes the titles off Team Hell No later at Mania.

one of those three are a likely outcome, wouldn't mind any of them at this point

 

[i'm a cm punk girl]

The Tag Team title match would make absolutely no sense and pretty much tells us what we already know, the WWE have NO plans for Ziggler and are just looking to shove him in wherever he will fit. Ziggler and Langston haven't even had many matches together, either have Hell No defend the titles against an established team or do Kane vs Bryan with a break up storyline.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I love the tag team idea. Hey, it's a nothing match for somebody who's going to be a world champion at some point this year. But that match would likely feature the break up of one of WWE's most successful odd-couple tag teams, it would give one of their new stars a spot on the card against legitimate opponents and if Ziggler were to leave Mania holding the world championship after cashing in he would come out of the show as a double champion. That'd make it one of the most successful nights for any superstar in WrestleMania history.

 

[S2B]

The tag team idea works best for me, and with Jericho currently being embroiled with Barrett & The Miz at the moment, it seems as though this could be an option.

A strong undercard is developing for Mania, it's taking shape quite nicely if they go the right way creatively.

 

[rerun406]

**apparently Fandango might be coming Y2J's way, based on their promo. Really curious to see what happens with Barrett come WM night

looks like the first bit of Ziggler's Wrestlemania night came true .. by getting a shot at the tag belts vs Team Hell

**am I the only one that noticed when Team Hell No challenged Ziggler ... Zig's body language seemed like he didn't want to face em, while Big E on the other hand seemed very willing to take on Kane-Bryan

I like how the feud has been built up, because at first glance it seems completely random, but AJ does have history with both Kane and Bryan of course ... now hopefully the match can be up to par

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I don't think they want to make Ziggler a focal point of anything. They're throwing him in this tag match to get beat up, so we think his night is over, only to cash in MITB and win the world title, later in the night. It would be pretty cool if he wins the tag team belt and then still cashes in MITB and wins the world title. Not sure if they would do that but it would be cool.

 

[mandok_]

Have big e and ziggler to lose against team hell no. Ziggler blames E and goes off with aj. Del rio beats swagger. After match ambush by swagger. Ziggler comss out and cashes in. New WHC champion