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October 31, 2017, was the last day when Dolph Ziggler competed in a match on WWE TV, and could possibly be the last. Ziggler lost a 2-out of-3 falls match to "The Glorious" Bobby Roode, a match that earned Roode a spot on SmackDown's 5-man Survivor Series Team, and may have spelt the end for Ziggler's WWE career.
Nick Nemeth aka Dolph Ziggler is the record holder for most career wins in Kent State wrestling history and has had a career full of ups and downs in WWE. Once looked at as the next Shawn Michaels, Ziggler had all the talent and potential in the world, but there was no backing from the WWE higher-ups.
He debuted in WWE in 2004 as Kerwin White's caddy, was re-packaged as a male cheerleader, and finally worked his way up to being Vickie Guerrero's boy toy where he was literally handed the World Heavyweight Championship in 2011.
Stop-start pushes and 50-50 booking has been the detriment to Ziggler's career. It is impossible to get invested in Ziggler now, because you know if he wins one PPV match, he will lose the next, if he is on a hot streak this month, he'll be on a cold streak for the next three months. How can Ziggler salvage his career if fans are almost scared to start rooting for him again, knowing that the rug will always be pulled out from underneath him?
#5 Join NXT
When rumours of the WWE shake-up began making rounds, it was speculated that Dolph Ziggler and some other main roster superstars could be sent down to NXT. Happening after WrestleMania 33, the shake-up was largely underwhelming. Raw and SmackDown Live traded mid card titles and a few superstars, and a few NXT superstars were promoted.
Ziggler was not moved, he stayed on SmackDown Live. NXT has proven time and time again that it is more than developmental stomping grounds, it is WWE's third brand. The NXT universe would love to see Ziggler competing at Full Sail, and him being on the NXT roster would've provided a plethora of new opponents for The Show Off.
Plus, Ziggler getting traded for Aleister Black, some of whom consider the next CM Punk, would be a great way for something fresh on the main roster and NXT.
Ziggler doesn't have to compete for the NXT Championship, he just has to put on good matches and work out a new gimmick. A repackaged Ziggler could then make a triumphant return to the main roster.
#4 Form a tag team
Dolph Ziggler needs a resurgence in WWE, as does the tag team division. Right now the tag team division is treading water, and if WWE doesn't do something then the whole division will be sunk. Ziggler is in the same dire position as tag team wrestling in WWE.
The Usos, The New Day, The Bar, and The 'reunited' Shield have made tag team wrestling cool again in WWE. While these four teams are making magic happen, we can't keep watching the same two teams every Monday night, then turn around and watch the same two teams every Tuesday night.
2017 has been the year that tag teams became endangered in WWE. American Alpha, DIY, and Enzo & Cass were all broken up, The Hardy Boyz, The Revival, and TM-61 are all injured, and The Colons...actually, where are The Colons? WWE needs to replenish the tag team division, and teaming Ziggler up with another superstar may be the answer. We have seen Ziggler team with other superstars in the past, and he always looks like he is having fun.
Plus, having held the World Heavyweight Championship, as well as the US and Intercontinental Championships, a Tag Team Championship would make Dolph Ziggler a Grand Slam Champion.
#3 Request a trade to Raw
Dolph Ziggler has been on SmackDown Live ever since the brand split began and perhaps that is the problem. During his time on SmackDown, Ziggler won a six-pack challenge to be named the number one contender to the then WWE Champion Dean Ambrose's title at Summer Slam. The build to the match was decent enough, but the match itself was unfortunately underwhelming.
After failing to capture the WWE Championship, Ziggler began challenging The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship. Ziggler and The Miz had arguably the best rivalry of 2016, and the career vs championship match at No Mercy was one of the best matches since the brand split. Fans were so interested because if Ziggler didn't win the IC title from Miz then his career in WWE was over. Fans rejoiced when Ziggler won the match, but his career in WWE might as well have ended that night all. He has done nothing of significance since that night.
Ziggler desperately needs a change of scenery. There is nothing left for Ziggler on SmackDown Live, so he needs to be traded to Monday Night Raw. These days tension between Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon is very high, but after Survivor Series is over, Ziggler could possibly be traded to Raw, where he can re-ignite his rivalry with The Miz, or begin new rivalries with superstars he has yet to lock up with in the squared circle.
#2 Leave WWE and work the Indy Scene
After his loss to Bobby Roode on Halloween, Ziggler questioned his future in a backstage interview posted on WWE.com. In the interview, Ziggler said he had to rethink everything and hinted towards possibly leaving the WWE altogether. Perhaps that is exactly what Ziggler needs to do if he is going to save his career and chase the potential that remains untapped.
As a staple of WWE television for over a decade, Ziggler would be a hot commodity on the Indy scene. Ziggler could re-establish himself as one of the best in-ring talents in the world as a highly sought-after free agent. The question is, where would Ziggler go?
Some wrestling promotions are on the up-and-up, flourishing despite WWE empire towering over them. Other promotions are quickly becoming dumpster fires that bookers keep trying to put out with gasoline. It is easy to see Ziggler going to one of the three biggest promotions outside of the McMahon kingdom, i.e. Ring of Honor, New Japan, or GFW/Impact.
Impact almost always books former WWE stars favourably, but they are spiralling out of control and have been cast in a very bad light over the past couple of years. Ziggler may be better off going to ROH or NJPW. Imagine if Ziggler competed for the ROH Championship against The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes. him vs Cody would be a time-filler on WWE programming, but in Ring of Honor, it would be a show stealer.
#1 Join the Bullet Club
Dolph Ziggler in the Bullet Club? Teaming up with the likes of The Young Bucks?
Take...My...Money!
Ziggler is a bonafide superstar, but he has been ice cold for too long. There is no better way to rejuvenate your career than by joining the hottest stable in all of the wrestling. Some of WWE's biggest stars have come from the faction that originated in New Japan. Finn Balor, AJ Styles, and Adam Cole have all graduated from what has become wrestling's greatest fraternity, with Balor having been the founder of the group.
Ziggler is a great worker, his selling is second to none, making every one of his opponents moves look like the most devastating thing you can do to another human being inside the squared circle. He can make magic happen when he's not held back by writers, he can flat out go in the ring with anyone, he even utilizes a Sweet Chin Music-esque superkick, wow how did WWE fail to turn him into the next Shawn Michaels?
Ziggler would fit right in with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and company. Just imagining what Ziggler could do in the ring with the Bucks by his side makes me wish WWE would hand him his walking papers right now. Ziggler in Bullet Club would simply be Too Sweet.
