5 Reasons why the Goldberg-Dolph Ziggler confrontation was a work

Last week, video footage surfaced featuring WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg getting into a pull-apart verbal altercation with his SummerSlam opponent Dolph Ziggler.

The altercation immediately went viral, and following the altercation, fans have been left wondering whether the entire situation was a work or a shoot.

Ziggler posted a Tweet following the altercation, taking a shot at Goldberg's place in pro wrestling history, adding, "[expletive] took a break from ruining wrestling to ruin my night off. I’m not interested. get a hobby or go fishing or something. Maybe you can do that without getting hurt. no other warning or comments on this, from me. Thanks".

Earlier this week, I made an appearance on this week's episode of Sportskeeda's Dropkick Diskussions podcast, and during the episode host Korey Gunz and I discussed the Goldberg and Ziggler situation, as well as WWE possibly spoiling Bray Wyatt vs Seth Rollins at live events, and Kenny Omega's recent comments dissing the talents of WWE NXT.

You can listen to the entire episode in the video player below, and let's take a look at five reasons why the Goldberg Ziggler altercation is a work.

#5 Dolph Ziggler and Goldberg are professionals

Whether you love them or hate them, both Dolph Ziggler and Goldberg are seasoned professionals, and reports of backstage altercations involving either of the two talents are virtually non-existent.

In the case of Bill Goldberg, he is a WWE Hall of Famer nearing the end of his career and is comfortably enjoying a new role in WWE which consists of the former WCW Champion making sporadic big money appearances.

In the case of Ziggler, he is a trustworthy WWE veteran, who has been doing his job superbly since he made his debut in the company. Neither he nor Goldberg needs to be getting into Las Vegas spats if for no other reason than to work WWE fans.

#4 WWE could be planting the seeds for a Goldberg vs Ziggler rematch

Following his match against Goldberg at WWE SummerSlam this year, Dolph Ziggler's status on WWE TV was once again in question, as he found himself a man without a feud, but all of that changed when Ziggler and Robert Roode won the WWE RAW Tag Team titles.

Now that Ziggler and Roode are the defending tag champs on the red brand, it remains to be seen if and when Goldberg vs Ziggler II might happen, and a recent report from The Wrestling Observer Newsletter suggests there are no plans as of this writing to have Goldberg face Ziggler anytime soon.

"We were told that right now there are no plans to do anything with the incident on television nor are there any plans to bring them back as a feud," reads The Observer report. "So it sounds like they were just shooting their own angle for publicity."

Despite WWE not currently planning a Dolph Ziggler vs Goldberg rematch, the seeds could have bene planted with the angle in Vegas for a future match should WWE decide to pull the trigger if and when Ziggler and Roode drop the tag team titles.

#3 Dolph Ziggler knows Goldberg is still money

Following the altercation in Las Vegas, Dolph Ziggler took to Twitter and once again reiterated his dislike of Goldberg as a wrestler, which seems to be a growing theme amongst WWE performers. Matt Riddle has jumped on the anti-Goldberg bandwagon, and it's helping him make a name for himself while in WWE NXT.

It's widely accepted that Goldberg lacks the in-ring technical ability of a Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, or even Dolph Ziggler, but love him or hate him Goldberg is still a big draw in the pro wrestling business, and at the height of his career was one of the biggest attractions the sport has ever seen.

Pro wrestlers, especially savvy ones like Dolph Ziggler, know that there is a multitude of ways to draw money and ratings, and in-ring ability is just one of them. Some pro-wrestlers make money off their look, others their mic ability, others their unique or eccentric characters, and others their superior in-ring wrestling abilities. Either way, money is money and a talent like Dolph Ziggler knows that he can still draw an audience and possibly money by continuing his feud with Goldberg following their SummerSlam match.

#2 Dolph Ziggler loves to work pro wrestling fans

There are some pro wrestlers who always seem to be in "work" mode, and Dolph Ziggler is definitely one of those wrestlers.

His Twitter handle remains "Heel Ziggler", and he certainly enjoys playing the heel role both in the ring and on social media.

When Dolph Ziggler is not wrestling, he is keeping himself busy by doing standup comedy, improv comedy, and making appearances on television. With that in mind, it's clear that Ziggler loves to entertain, and his in-ring persona definitely comes through on his social media channels.

Ziggler's comments on Twitter following the Goldberg altercation in Vegas made reference to Goldberg hurting himself at WWE Super Showdown, and in reality, WWE has learned from that debacle which is why Goldberg vs Ziggler was a quick squash. Ziggler using social media to capitalize on the media scrutiny of Goldberg vs The Undertaker was a great way to keep the heat alive between him and Goldberg, and also fueled the internet fire which Ziggler loves to do.

Besides, if the altercation was a shoot, why was the cameraman in "perfect position" to capture all of the action as it went down? In a perfect medium two-shot, nonetheless.

#1 Goldberg is assuming a new role in WWE

It's clear that WWE learned its lesson from the Goldberg vs Undertaker match at Super Showdown, and decided against booking Goldberg in a long match at SummerSlam this year.

Following the SummerSlam match against Dolph Ziggler, Goldberg is expected to be making sporadic appearances for WWE at major events, and will likely be competing in more squash matches when the opportunities present themselves.

With Goldberg working a new, limited role with WWE, he and Ziggler might have shot their altercation angle as a way to keep things interesting for Goldberg while he awaits his next WWE appearance.

The fact that Roy Nelson and another MMA star, Eryk Anders, were in attendance for the dinner party taking place at Andiamo Italian Steakhouse in Las Vegas, made the altercation all the more entertaining as the fighters helped pull the two WWE stars apart.

The entire incident, likely a publicity stunt on the part of Goldberg and Ziggler, worked to a "T", and generated some really fun buzz on social media.

Do you think the Dolph Ziggler Goldberg altercation was a work or a shoot? Let us know in the comment section and be sure to follow SK on Twitter and Facebook!

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