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What's the story?
While he has been away from the WWE pursuing other career avenues, Dolph Ziggler was asked in an interview with 98.5's Wrestling Inside the Ropes about his current status within WWE. WrestlingInc carried a transcript of the interview.
In case you didn't know...
Dolph Ziggler battled Seth Rollins in one form or fashion for most of 2018. He won the Raw Tag Team titles with Drew McIntyre by defeating Rollins and Dean Ambrose.
He also battled McIntyre once the Scottish Psychopath kicked him to the curb. Ziggler last appeared in a significant role with WWE at the Royal Rumble in January.
During the Royal Rumble, Ziggler entered in the coveted #28 position and eliminated his former partner McIntyre. The Showoff lasted until the final four of the match until he was eventually eliminated by Braun Strowman.
The heart of the matter
Even though he isn't likely to be featured in a purposeful way at WrestleMania 35, fans are always still curious as to the status of Superstars that haven't been featured on TV. Ziggler was asked about his WWE contractual status by Wrestling Inside the Ropes.
"Technically, I am, yes. It's weird because for the last two years I've had somewhat of a handshake agreement, kind of behind closed doors deal with WWE. I've been able to do a lot of things, on my own, not at WWE, just because of the relationship we've had for the last 14 years. I have a bit of a handshake agreement right now, but we'll know some more details in the coming months."
Ziggler has often dabbled in stand-up comedy and politics while away from the WWE and his loyalty to the WWE throughout his career has allowed him to pursue these endeavors.
What's next?
Since he apparently is not booked for a WrestleMania program at the moment and he hasn't been featured on TV, he may likely return post-event.
The Superstar Shake Up will take place shortly after WrestleMania concludes, so he could easily return in a storyline with a new call up or one of the NXT Superstars that have been on Raw and SmackDown over the last few months.
Although never likely to be a main-event Superstar again, Ziggler is an extremely important asset to WWE due to his in-ring ability offensively and as a move seller.
