WWE SummerSlam: WWE World Championship - Deam Ambrose (c) VS Dolph Ziggler

[Kodo Sawaki]

Well, officially WWE is going for "IWC wet dream" matches for SummerSlam. Because no other explanation is valid for making Balor and Ziggler contenders for title then "We want IWC to jizz all over this show". Add that their opponents are Rollins and Ambrose and you got yourself true IWC jizzfest.

Pretty suprising decision. Because Balor is Reigns replacement and thats understandable eventhough I think its too early for him. But Ziggler is somebody who has been irrelevant for years and cant think any other reason then they want Ambrose to be sure win there and they have something other in mind for Cena and AJ.

 

[ShinChan]

Speaking as a big Wyatt mark, it's a hell of a lot better than him being left off the Summerslam card altogether, which is looking more and more likely at this point. It seems the card right now is looking like:

New Day/Club
Styles/Cena
Ziggler/Ambrose
Sasha/Charlotte
Lesnar/Orton
Rollins/Balor
IC title
US title
Maybe Owens/Reigns (cus they'll have to do something...)

Unless they're thinking of putting him with The Miz, which I highly doubt, I don't see another very strong option for Bray. I guess it's a possibility that he and Rowan face American Alpha but I don't see a win coming out of that match either. I would have been fine, actually happy with him being positioned as a main event guy right off the bat even if it meant losing to Dean Ambrose.

Just me.

The feud between Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose ended at the start of last year. So I would be alright for a Wyatt-Ambrose feud now.

I really hope now that it's Wyatt Vs. Miz for the InterContinental title. Bray really deserves a title win now.

And I really don't like the idea of him teaming up with Rowan. Rowan is only suitable for Harper as a tag partner. I read somewhere that Harper is expected to return to action around September. So till then Bray can have a singles run. I don't see any other good option for Bray at Summerslam except the InterContinental Title match.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Huh!

Ok, so out of all the guys in that match Ziggler is the most uninspiring option. He has as much credibility as Crews or Corbin, yet isn't as much of a fresh, leftfield option. And Ambrose vs. Cena or Styles is a fresh, SummerSlam match worthy of this supposed new era.

Wow, I can't believe all the insane hatred for Dolph Ziggler on WrestleZone. Ziggler is a proven draw and a main event talent, and you consider him on the same level as NXT nobodies? Ziggler was the second biggest star in last night's #1 Contender Match after John Cena.

 

[Aquaman6686]

This smelt like a shot at Cesaro more than anything - a kind of "had you kept your mouth shut, this could have been you instead of Balor" type deal...

Ziggler per se isn't a bad call, particularly as he is a good way for them to turn Ambrose heel or more to the tweener role he's best in. The match will no doubt have some good spots and let's face it... Balor v Rollins is going to steal the show without question, so they need something that could at least approach it in the other title match... Bray as much as he deserves it is the guy who picks the bones after both guys take each other to the limit here... he's your guy for later in the year - not Summerslam.

It'll be interesting to see how they handle this after Summerslam... Ziggler is a risky choice as he's one concussion away from being Christian-ed but he's someone who a loss won't kill off and who on paper can escalate Dean as he is a multi time champ himself...

That's probably the biggest thing in the Ziggler case... people legit forget he's had those title reigns cos it's been so long since he's been a main eventer... They need to reactivate "THAT" guy, even if he doesn't get the belt so he can be the Chris Jericho type on Smackdown... that means occasionally you have to toss them a big win/main event...

How do people keep buying into Vince's "Dolph is injury-prone" lies? Ziggler has been wrestling in WWE for over a decade and has been injured ONE time. He's one of the LEAST injury-prone guys on the roster. Look at John Cena or Randy Orton, who have literally missed years in total. Even Roman has only been wrestling for less than four years and has spent about three times as much time injured as Dolph Ziggler did in a decade.

 

[Azane]

Wow, I can't believe all the insane hatred for Dolph Ziggler on WrestleZone. Ziggler is a proven draw and a main event talent, and you consider him on the same level as NXT nobodies? Ziggler was the second biggest star in last night's #1 Contender Match after John Cena.

Corbin just beat Ziggler about 50% of the time over the last 3 months when they had their "feud" (Wrestling every single week for 3 months is now a feud I guess?)

 

[Aquaman6686]

Corbin just beat Ziggler about 50% of the time over the last 3 months when they had their "feud" (Wrestling every single week for 3 months is now a feud I guess?)

Corbin won every match but one, but that doesn't change that Dolph Ziggler is still a main event talent. Booking doesn't change that. That's what a lot of IWC armchair bookers don't understand. You can book a main event talent to lose every match for three years straight, they're STILL a main event talent.

 

[L@RISANO]

Had this been for a chance to face the WWE Champion at a "B" PPV, then I'd have no problems with it. However, it is for a WWE Championship shot at the second biggest PPV of the year, SummerSlam, and is also the first PPV since the brand split has been implemented.


Surely, it would have made more sense to have Dean Ambrose facing a more high profile opponent, or at least someone with more upside. Bray Wyatt was the popular option given that the big trio of John Cena, AJ Styles and Randy Orton are practically already booked for the PPV.


However, someone like Triple H deciding to return and get the rematch he was owed from losing the title at WrestleMania wouldn't have been a bad option, ntm, it would be an engaging feud for Dean Ambrose and would definitely help his credibility even more. Ntm, the fact that Triple H would be competing on SmackDown(working Tuesdays, etc...) whilst his wife is in charge of the competing brand, SmackDown.





All that said; last night confirms how much better it would have been to get either Sami Zayn or Kevin Owens on SmackDown. Had either of them won the match last night in place of re-elevating Dolph Ziggler, the majority would have been lauding last night's show as they did RAW on the night before(due to the Finn Balor debut).

 

[Sean Valjean]

Such a blatant lie, and shows your clear bias. Dolph Ziggler is one of the most over stars of the last decade. Dolph Ziggler is a DRAW. THIS is where Dolph Ziggler should be on the card - competing for World Championships in PPV main events, not jobbing to nobodies on the Kickoff Show. With Punk and Bryan both retired,Ziggler is one of the two biggest stars WWE has created in the past ten years, along with Seth Rollins.

I think you've confused Dolph Ziggler with Jeff Hardy. Please try telling me Dolph was a more beloved and bigger name than Jeff. There's also those two other Shield guys that Rollins ran with.

Anyways, I can appreciate them throwing Dolph a bone but not so soon after he was Baron Corbin's whipping boy and headlining pre-shows. I figured AJ and Cena weren't getting the win since they're likely facing each other again at SS. I was pulling for Bray or Corbin.

The match will probably be fine wrestling-wise, but they're going to have to do A LOT to get me invested in Dolph after he's been a loser for so, so long. A heel turn would be welcomed - he comes across a natural whiner anyway - as it could freshen him up if it's accompanied by a significant change in presentation and character. Going into Summerslam as he is now - a lesser HBK with a fraction of the credibility - isn't going to cut it. At least if they want to make this match mean more than what it does now.

This match reminds me of Del Rio/Christian at Summerslam 2013 where you knew Christian had no chance and it was just the token world title match to give the reigning champ another notch in his belt. Unless Dolph cranks his game up to about 19, this should be nothing more than a token title retention for Ambrose.

 

[L@RISANO]

Corbin won every match but one, but that doesn't change that Dolph Ziggler is still a main event talent. Booking doesn't change that. That's what a lot of IWC armchair bookers don't understand. You can book a main event talent to lose every match for three years straight, they're STILL a main event talent.

There is something called momentum that is required for "Main Event" talents. Dolph Ziggler has very little of that. The fact that Dean F'n Ambrose is heading into SummerSlam as the overwhelming favourite to continue his WWE title reign is pretty much a confirmation of why Dolph Ziggler was the wrong choice for the victory last night.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

personally, i was surprise to see Ziggler win last night since he's was such a irrelevant character for so long, having said that, i'm happy that they didn't try to get aj and cena into this match or give a shot to bray wyatt like some peoples wanted it. Ziggler deserve this shot and will probably make him one of the face of smackdown and at less on paper, it'S a better championship match then the raw title match because you got 2 recognizable face who truly earn the right to fight for the wwe championship, instead of a guy who was granted a spot at the title vs a guy that only had a couple of matches under his belt on the main roster and can't cut a promo to save his life.

 

[L@RISANO]

Relax people, who else could Dean have faced? It's obvious that we're getting Styles vs Cena II at Summerslam. The only other option out there was Bray Wyatt and that was who I was rooting for last night.
Maybe you know, the WWE thought that we have seen Ambrose vs Bray many times in the past, so they went with a match we haven't seen all that much, Dean vs Ziggler.

It's not like Bray was going to win anyways.

Plus, WWE is keeping the big matches that Smackdown and RAW can give us, for their brand-exclusive PPVs, since Summerslam is already sold out and lots of people are gonna watch it, because of the Lesnar vs Orton dream match.

Ambrose hasn't had a feud with Ziggler thus far, that is true. However, they have faced off in Singles matches, which Ambrose has been dominant in majority of the time.


Bray Wyatt, on the other hand, actually won his feud against Ambrose, and thus, pitting the two of them together again would still have been the more intriguing option, ntm, Ambrose would definitely be going in as the underdog.


Against Ziggler, Ambrose is the overwhelming favourite to win. It makes it quite predictable, so much so, that people just won't be interested in the whole angle from the get go. That doesn't sound too good for a first World title feud for LIVE SmackDown, does it?

 

[Sean Valjean]

However, someone like Triple H deciding to return and get the rematch he was owed from losing the title at WrestleMania wouldn't have been a bad option, ntm, it would be an engaging feud for Dean Ambrose and would definitely help his credibility even more. Ntm, the fact that Triple H would be competing on SmackDown(working Tuesdays, etc...) whilst his wife is in charge of the competing brand, SmackDown.

Oh dammit, I hadn't considered this. But now that you've presented it, I wish this was happening instead. Not only does it make perfect sense, the match-up is far more interesting.

Their Roadblock match was awesome as was the build-up to it. Ambrose legit pinned Trips for the 3-count but was thwarted by a technicality. I like the idea of flipping the roles with him as the defender seeking to beat Trips definitively and exorcising that particular demon. Plus the story could easily be that Hunter waited until now to cash-in his rematch because he views Ambrose as an easy target, playing into the whole underdog story.

Ambrose would get a hell of a lot more out of finally beating Triple H than pinning Dolph Ziggler, a man he's already bested in every encounter they've had in the last year or so.

 

[L@RISANO]

I don't hate it (that much...), but that being said, Ambrose/Wyatt would have been a much stronger choice for Summerslam and would have been the icing on the cake for what's looking to be a very strong card. As it stands, Ambrose/Ziggler probably takes place somewhere around the mid-point of the show or even possibly opens it, just like the old Smackdown title used to in its dying days... not a great way to present Smackdown or it's championship.

I don't know, there just doesn't seem to be any fire in this feud. The build could come off really well, but the match is still going to have a HHH/RVD-esque feel... meaning nobody in their right mind actually thinks Ziggler is going to take the strap from Ambrose. Still, Ziggler's promo last night actually reminded me of why I used to like him and if he can get back to being that guy he used to be, the one who was actually worthy of being a cocky prick, than I'll be satisfied enough. But no, he shouldn't be a main event fixture... just... no.

And why oh why did he have to pin Styles? After a Superkick to boot... man that left me salty.

This is something I asked last night as well.
If they wanted Ziggler to make a huge statement by being pinning someone credible, why not have him pin John Cena instead?
Assuming Cena vs Styles will be set for SummerSlam, and knowing that Cena's momentum is fixed given the amount of time he has been at the top, having Styles pinned so often does kind of make him look weak in preparation for a huge showdown with the Franchise.


What we got was that AJ Styles is very very far from unbeatable and could well be in midcard within the next few months(due to his 50/50 booking).
Whilst Dolph Ziggler won a 6-man clusterfuck, but still can't be taken so seriously because he pinned a guy who has lost like 2 major feuds back-to-back.
Protect AJ Styles in a strong showing, and have John Cena pinned instead by a surprise Dolph Ziggler Superkick(remember ADR's return win vs US Champion Cena?), and there would be some doubt in the Ambrose vs Ziggler match at SummerSlam.


It's the little things...

 

[L@RISANO]

Oh dammit, I hadn't considered this. But now that you've presented it, I wish this was happening instead. Not only does it make perfect sense, the match-up is far more interesting.

Their Roadblock match was awesome as was the build-up to it. Ambrose legit pinned Trips for the 3-count but was thwarted by a technicality. I like the idea of flipping the roles with him as the defender seeking to beat Trips definitively and exorcising that particular demon. Plus the story could easily be that Hunter waited until now to cash-in his rematch because he views Ambrose as an easy target, playing into the whole underdog story.

Ambrose would get a hell of a lot more out of finally beating Triple H than pinning Dolph Ziggler, a man he's already bested in every encounter they've had in the last year or so.

Indeed.

I know Ambrose pinned Rollins and Reigns cleanly in the space of single week. However, some of the 50/50 stink is still on him, and I am sure his fans would fear he loses the title whenever he goes up against an established name(which Ziggler is far from being, at present).
Thus, someone like Triple H coming back for a title rematch would play up the whole Ambrose is an underdog. Ntm, the Shane/DB/HHH factor that could also play out. It would definitely do even more wonders for Ambrose's growing momentum as a fixed Main Event talent going forward.



All that said; whilst I don't see it as a possibility anymore... there is still a way for HHH to be inserted in this next week... remember when Dolph shot off his mouth in the lead-up to Mania and got a title shot on RAW? They could do something similar here with HHH worming himself inline for a shot by challenging Dolph Ziggler for the Real #1 Contender slot... It could be actually be a win-win for all involved, lMO(including Dolph Ziggler's ME chances in the long run).

 

[Aquaman6686]

I think you've confused Dolph Ziggler with Jeff Hardy. Please try telling me Dolph was a more beloved and bigger name than Jeff. There's also those two other Shield guys that Rollins ran with.

Anyways, I can appreciate them throwing Dolph a bone but not so soon after he was Baron Corbin's whipping boy and headlining pre-shows. I figured AJ and Cena weren't getting the win since they're likely facing each other again at SS. I was pulling for Bray or Corbin.

The match will probably be fine wrestling-wise, but they're going to have to do A LOT to get me invested in Dolph after he's been a loser for so, so long. A heel turn would be welcomed - he comes across a natural whiner anyway - as it could freshen him up if it's accompanied by a significant change in presentation and character. Going into Summerslam as he is now - a lesser HBK with a fraction of the credibility - isn't going to cut it. At least if they want to make this match mean more than what it does now.

This match reminds me of Del Rio/Christian at Summerslam 2013 where you knew Christian had no chance and it was just the token world title match to give the reigning champ another notch in his belt. Unless Dolph cranks his game up to about 19, this should be nothing more than a token title retention for Ambrose.

1 - Ziggler is just as over as Jeff Hardy was. Hardy left WWE at the peak of his popularity so we don't know if he would have gotten more popular, but I can say with no doubt whatsoever that Dolph Ziggler winning the World Heavyweight Championship on the RAW after WrestleMania 29 got a MUCH bigger reaction than any of Hardy's three World Championship wins in WWE. And other than the last few months where he's been stuck on the irrelevant Kickoff Show, Ziggler continues to be one of WWE's most over stars, despite how hard Vince tried to bury him. Even as recently as WrestleMania 32, Ziggler got a bigger reaction than anybody except for The Undertaker and Triple H (who had the unfair advantage of going AGAINST Roman Reigns, so he was treated as the second coming).

2 - So you'd rather see a complete nobody like Baron Corbin get a title shot at the 2nd biggest show of the year than a proven draw like Dolph Ziggler? Or Bray Wyatt, who loses even more than Ziggler does and has never been able to be a top star despite dozens of opportunities handed to him? Nobody deserves this spot more than Ziggler.

3 - You mean the match at SummerSlam 2013 which stole the show right out from under Punk/Lesnar and Cena/Bryan, and was one of the best matches of the year? I think Ambrose and Ziggler would be fine with that.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Aquaman, we get it. We all have for years. You're the biggest, most delusional mark for DZ anyone has ever seen. Congratulations.

You can make any delusional, hyperbolized argument to the point of where we question your sanity. It won't change the fact he's never been as good as you claim he is. I could make several legitimate arguments, but neither you nor he are worth the time.

The first thing I thought of when DZ got this opportunity was Jack Swagger winning the WHC 3 months after jobbing to Hornswoggle. No, Hornswoggle is not as good as Corbin, or anyone DZ has lost to in the past few years. But that doesn't change the fact that DZ has been a low to mid carder for the last few years who loses almost every feud.

At first I gave you credit. I even green repped your first post in this thread because it was hilariously stupid. But let it go. Goodbye.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Aquaman, we get it. We all have for years. You're the biggest, most delusional mark for DZ anyone has ever seen. Congratulations.

You can make any delusional, hyperbolized argument to the point of where we question your sanity. It won't change the fact he's never been as good as you claim he is. I could make several legitimate arguments, but neither you nor he are worth the time.

The first thing I thought of when DZ got this opportunity was Jack Swagger winning the WHC 3 months after jobbing to Hornswoggle. No, Hornswoggle is not as good as Corbin, or anyone DZ has lost to in the past few years. But that doesn't change the fact that DZ has been a low to mid carder for the last few years who loses almost every feud.

At first I gave you credit. I even green repped your first post in this thread because it was hilariously stupid. But let it go. Goodbye.

And yet the FACT remains that Ziggler is one of the most over guys on the roster, and there's unlimited video evidence of it, which you all conveniently ignore to continue buying into Vince's burial of Ziggler. Go watch any of the moments I listed and TRY to deny how over Ziggler is.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

And yet the FACT remains that Ziggler is one of the most over guys on the roster, and there's unlimited video evidence of it, which you all conveniently ignore to continue buying into Vince's burial of Ziggler. Go watch any of the moments I listed and TRY to deny how over Ziggler is.

You once said DZ cashing in got the biggest pop since SCSA. If that's not hyperbole, you either have hearing issues, or you're delusional. Pick one. And it's all the evidence anyone reading this needs to know that you're ridiculous. His pops these days aren't even close to what you say they are. Blame anyone you want. It's true.

To the less "special" people reading this. I kind of like the HHH idea. It might be just another stroke to his ego, but at least it'd be a much closer comparison to what Raw did for SS.

 

[L@RISANO]

And yet the FACT remains that Ziggler is one of the most over guys on the roster, and there's unlimited video evidence of it, which you all conveniently ignore to continue buying into Vince's burial of Ziggler. Go watch any of the moments I listed and TRY to deny how over Ziggler is.

Here's the thing with Dolph Ziggler in 2016.
He is a guy who is championed by some(like yourself) and is loathed by some(like my good forum friend, BaconBits).
As for me, I am in the middle with Dolph Ziggler. I do genuinely believe that unlike Ryback and Del Rio, Ziggler does make some effort regardless of where he is on the card, and thus, he manages to retain some sort of momentum whilst in midcard limbo.


However, the momentum he has in 2016 is nowhere near enough to be thrust into a shock World title match at SummerSlam. As I mentioned in my other posts, the mere fact that Dean F'n Ambrose is heading into SummerSlam as the overwhelming favourite is evidence enough that Dolph Ziggler shouldn't be in such a spot so soon after the brand split has started, ntm, at a major PPV like SummerSlam.


This doesn't help Dean Ambrose's momentum as champion. It doesn't help Dolph Ziggler's momentum either as those who are apathetic to him probly won't even be bothered to watch what at present looks like a Taped SmackDown throwaway Main Event match.


Had Dolph been gradually built back up for the next few months with some wins under his belt, then I, personally would not be opposed to seeing him getting a World title shot sometime down the line. However, with this ill-advised quick push happening, such a gradual push is highly unlikely now, and that is a huge pity, lMO. I fully expect Dolph Ziggler to serve as a 'gatekeeper' after SummerSlam with no more Main Event pushes to be had and I'd be shocked if turns out otherwise.

 

[Aquaman6686]

You once said DZ cashing in got the biggest pop since SCSA. If that's not hyperbole, you either have hearing issues, or you're delusional. Pick one. And it's all the evidence anyone reading this needs to know that you're ridiculous. His pops these days aren't even close to what you say they are. Blame anyone you want. It's true.

To the less "special" people reading this. I kind of like the HHH idea. It might be just another stroke to his ego, but at least it'd be a much closer comparison to what Raw did for SS.

1 - Ziggler winning the title DID get the biggest pop since Stone Cold winning his first title. Punk winning his first title and Jeff Hardy winning the Triple Threat at Armageddon 2008 are the only two that even come close. Find me a bigger reaction (and be realistic, obviously a WrestleMania crowd with 75,000+ people isn't a fair comparison) and provide EVIDENCE of it.

2 - Ziggler got the third biggest reaction at WrestleMania 32. It's right on the Network or the DVD for anyone to see. Go back and watch it, and find me someone other than Undertaker and Triple H who got a bigger reaction than Ziggler. You can't, because there isn't one. The next closest was Sasha Banks, whose pop was big, but noticeably smaller than Ziggler's. That's not opinion, that's FACT.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I'm struggling to believe this match is signed in ink. This seems like it could be a storyline to create chaos with management and put in a more notable opponent for Ambrose. Most likely HHH but also maybe Wyatt. It's just really hard to see Ziggler be given this opportunity on what is supposed to be such a big event when he hasn't been exactly showcased recently.

Then again, it's not hard to give Ziggler a strong push from now until SS. Plus with Lesnar/Orton, Cena/Styles, and the introduction of a new toppish belt with Rollins/Balor most likely blowing the roof off I can understand why less is being put in to the WWE Championship for this PPV.

If it does take place Ambrose will win.

 

[enviousdominous]

My best theory is that this is a balancing act. Finn vs Seth is money, pure and simple. I'm excited for that match, and so is everyone else who I've heard express an opinion on that match. The WWE has to sell the Universal Championship as being legit, and they're doing just that.

Dean vs Dolph is... well... yeah. I have no doubt that -- if Dolph can maybe pace himself better and practice practice practice before the match -- this match can be an amazing match. I think that the WWE doesn't see this as having to be a PPV epic on paper due to a well established belt being at stake, so they're willing to test the waters with a Dolph Ziggler main event.

My biggest gripe is that this really won't do much for Dean either way. He won his belt with a MITB cash in, and he retained his belt in a triple threat. He needs a big money one-on-one match, and a big money win in that setting to solidify his status as a top guy. Throwing him against Dolph just seems like a waste of his potential. While Dean and Dolph can probably craft some amazing spots, I'd really like to see Dean win a match where he actually looked like an underdog.

I think the precedent for Smackdown has been set, it's just "alright".

 

[Sean Valjean]

1 - Ziggler is just as over as Jeff Hardy was. Hardy left WWE at the peak of his popularity so we don't know if he would have gotten more popular, but I can say with no doubt whatsoever that Dolph Ziggler winning the World Heavyweight Championship on the RAW after WrestleMania 29 got a MUCH bigger reaction than any of Hardy's three World Championship wins in WWE. And other than the last few months where he's been stuck on the irrelevant Kickoff Show, Ziggler continues to be one of WWE's most over stars, despite how hard Vince tried to bury him. Even as recently as WrestleMania 32, Ziggler got a bigger reaction than anybody except for The Undertaker and Triple H (who had the unfair advantage of going AGAINST Roman Reigns, so he was treated as the second coming).

No, he really isn't, and to suggest so is to undermine Hardy's ridiculous popularity in 08/09.

To be fair to Dolph, his two biggest chances to rocket to the moon - his MITB cash-in and post-Survivor Series 2014 - were derailed by injury and bad booking, respectively. Ziggler was white-hot 2-3 years ago, but you can't expect that to last after being consistently booked as HBK's jobbing doppleganger. Just because you're cheering loud enough in your living room to drown out his typically "Meh" reactions doesn't mean Zigglermania is running wild.

And no, Ziggler did not get a bigger reaction at Mania than New Day, HBK/Austin/Foley, AJ Styles, The Rock, or Sasha Banks.

2 - So you'd rather see a complete nobody like Baron Corbin get a title shot at the 2nd biggest show of the year than a proven draw like Dolph Ziggler? Or Bray Wyatt, who loses even more than Ziggler does and has never been able to be a top star despite dozens of opportunities handed to him? Nobody deserves this spot more than Ziggler.

The complete nobody that came out on the winning end in his feud with Ziggler? Yeah, I would have.

Bray Wyatt has consistently bested Ambrose in every program they've had with each other, whether it was Wyatts vs Shield, Bray vs Ambrose, or Wyatts vs Ambrose & Reigns. If anyone has Ambrose's number besides Seth Rollins, it's Bray Wyatt. Given their history, he would be the favorite and a far more intriguing opponent than Ziggler, who I recall coming up short against Ambrose in every match they've had against each other in the last year or so.

3 - You mean the match at SummerSlam 2013 which stole the show right out from under Punk/Lesnar and Cena/Bryan, and was one of the best matches of the year? I think Ambrose and Ziggler would be fine with that.

I and many, many others would say Punk/Lesnar and Bryan/Cena, two bonafide MOTY candidates, far outshone Del Rio/Christian (which was still a good match). But if you prefer it, more power to you.

 

[OYDK]

1 - Ziggler winning the title DID get the biggest pop since Stone Cold winning his first title. Punk winning his first title and Jeff Hardy winning the Triple Threat at Armageddon 2008 are the only two that even come close. Find me a bigger reaction (and be realistic, obviously a WrestleMania crowd with 75,000+ people isn't a fair comparison) and provide EVIDENCE of it.

[youtube]PeixSdprzMc[/youtube]

For some reason other videos won't work... but Jericho pinning HHH in 99 and Cena's return at the Rumble are two more pops that dwarfed Ziggler's cash-in. Go look it up.

Now I won't lie and say Ziggler's cash in didn't generate a massive reaction but the biggest pop since Austin won the belt, are you on fucking crack?

The fact of the matter is, Dolph may very well remain in the main event on Smackdown, but it's up to him to make that happen. Half-assing it and basically not giving a shit for two years is why he's in the predicament he's in now. If he can put on a good match with Ambrose, get the chip back on his shoulder that he had when he actually won the belt the first time, and put some effort into his promos, he'll be fine.

Biggest pop since Austin. My God.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

And now I'm thinking: "Man if Dolph Ziggler can get a title shot 3 years past his prime, imagine what could Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett with that brand split".

It's going to be a fan match, but I said, Summerslam will be sold with Lesnar vs Orton and Styles vs Cena. Ambrose and Rollins will walk out champions in two predictable matches and the big championship matches will come with the brand-exclusive PPVs.

And besides, both matches have the ability to really steal the show and Summerslam is shaping up like a great PPV to watch with tremendous in-ring action.