Dolph Ziggler, once a unanimous hero of the impossible-to-please Internet Wrestling Community, seems to have worn out his welcome with his once-reliable base.
Dolph Ziggler has trolled his way out of the hearts of his once-dedicated fanbase.
Credit: WWE.comThis is the same Dolph Ziggler whose memorable World Heavyweight Championship win at the Izod Center was pretty much the last time the city of New Jersey got to celebrate a major championship victory. Things looked so promising for Ziggler on that night in April.
Throughout Raw on Monday night, WWE ran several commercials promoting the return of Ziggler, who reportedly signed a new two-year deal with the company for $1.5 million per year. Viewership for SmackDown Live has been down every week since the beginning of 2018. Last week's viewership for SmackDown Live hit a 2018-low of 2.505 million so it will be interesting to see how viewers respond to the heavy promotion of a damaged Dolph Ziggler.
As Ziggler's perplexing career arc now features an odyssey that has seen him become a professional troll, here are just a few comments about his latest work from those who lobbied for him once upon a time when he was on the fringe of becoming a breakout star:
"So [Dolph Ziggler's 2017 gimmick] is obviously a setup for Bobby Roode, right? I mean, what else could it be? It’s dying a 1000 deaths," said Jake Barnett of Prowrestling.net.
"It's going to take more than one match and a championship win to get me to care about this guy again," said Jason Solomon of Solomonster Sounds Off.
"[Dolph Ziggler's] value to the company is lower to the company now than it has probably ever been," Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com.
The majority of fan and media opinion of Ziggler in 2018 range from frustration to apathy as the former world heavyweight champion has suffered from very familiar start-and-stop booking now more than ever.
Dolph Ziggler's series of gimmicks on SmackDown Live didn't endear itself to fans or critics.
Credit: WWE.comFrom sudden hiatuses to awkward entrances to being rewarded after quitting on the United States Championship—despite the introduction of a new top-10 system where he was not even ranked—Ziggler has gone from perennially underrated folk hero to something of a pro wrestling parasite who has lost his way. Still, in a world where it is harder to become a true heel than ever before, it's difficult to decide whether Ziggler's career is on life support or whether he has stumbled upon a new corner of villainy that could salvage a once-promising legacy.
July 4, 2017
Dolph Ziggler is the first WWE Superstar to be eliminated from the Independence Day Battle Royal after getting tossed out in a matter of seconds. Ziggler would not be seen on WWE television for over a month.
August 22, 2017
Dolph Ziggler resurfaces in a backstage segment and facetiously declares that he has big plans for a new rebooted persona to be revealed next week. During the segment, he takes veiled shots at Elias, Bobby Roode and Naomi.
August 29, 2017
Dolph Ziggler appears in another backstage segment and announces his plans will take longer than expected. Ziggler criticizes Finn Balor and Stone Cold Steve Austin for having "all flash and no substance." He assures these plans will be revealed...next week.
September 5, 2017
The new Dolph Ziggler debuts as he mocks the entrances of John Cena, the Macho Man Randy Savage and Naomi. He notes that anybody can pull off those gimmicks, but nobody can do what he does in the ring.
September 12, 2017
Dolph Ziggler declares himself the greatest in-ring performer in WWE history. He proceeds to mock the "elaborate entrances" of Bayley and The Ultimate Warrior. Earlier in the night, he mocked Shane McMahon's entrance as part of a Kevin Owens segment.
September 19, 2017
Dolph Ziggler doubles down on his claim as the greatest in-ring performer in WWE history. This week's spoofs include the entrances of Triple H, Shawn Michaels and D-Generation X.
September 26, 2017
Dolph Ziggler mocks the Undertaker's entrance before being interrupted by Bobby Roode. All told, Ziggler's mock entrance segments amass a total YouTube viewership of 5,831,628, averaging over 1.4 million views per video, which is actually impressive for SmackDown Live videos.
October 8, 2017
After teasing his greatest entrance yet, Dolph Ziggler enters with no music or graphics after the opening lines of his theme song are interrupted by a record scratch. He went on to lose to Bobby Roode in a United States Championship match.
December 17, 2017
After weeks of exchanging wins and losses with Bobby Roode and Baron Corbin, Ziggler surprisingly captured the United States Championship at WWE Clash of Champions.
December 19, 2017
In another puzzling development, Dolph Ziggler relinquishes the United States Championship, declaring the people did not deserve him.
January 28, 2018
After laying dormant for the second stint since August, Dolph Ziggler reappears as the 30th entrance in the Royal Rumble. He is unceremoniously eliminated by Finn Balor after just two minutes and one second.
February 8, 2018
After another period of inactivity on SmackDown, Dolph Ziggler's latest return was announced for February 13, 2018, where he would take on Baron Corbin for a chance to compete for the WWE Championship at WWE Fastlane.
February 13, 2018
Dolph Ziggler, now relegated to the role of de facto babyface, is attacked by Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens moments after they attacked his would-be opponent Baron Corbin. Ziggler is given another opportunity to compete for the WWE Championship at Fastlane in an announced match against Sami Zayn.
Ziggler announces his intentions to main event WrestleMania in a backstage interview with Renee Young. SmackDown Live ends with Ziggler prevailing over Zayn.
