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RAW has started with a bang already and I'm writing this article midway through the show. We had all heard that Dolph Ziggler would be the man traded to RAW in AJ Styles' place, and this was confirmed when he confronted Drew McIntyre, his former partner.
A match between Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler would get confirmed for Extreme Rules on RAW and we also learned that the other name traded to RAW is a certain Robert Roode. But why was Dolph Ziggler moved to RAW and immediately placed in the WWE Championship picture, taking on Drew McIntyre who has been on fire lately?
I think I have the answer and I will explain the same across 5 points in this article.
#5 The history between Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler on WWE RAW
Drew McIntyre returned to WWE a few years ago and was a part of the NXT brand where he climbed all the way to the top of the food chain becoming the NXT Champion. But when he came to WWE RAW, he was paired with Dolph Ziggler.
Well, the whole Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre partnership was justified by saying that the two men felt that the locker room had grown rather complacent.
Now, the two men have their entire history to fall back upon and one can see how WWE makes use of the history between two men to tell stories very often (case in point, Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman). Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre can go back in time and use elements from their time together in order to tell a compelling story between the men.
And maybe Robert Roode can get involved in the mix too, to make things a lot more interesting.
#4 The injury to Jinder Mahal ruined a possible Drew McIntyre program with The Maharaja
We have explored the history between Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre in the previous slide but one has to wonder whether Dolph Ziggler would have been Drew McIntyre's Extreme Rules opponent if not for the injury to Jinder Mahal.
A lot of people had been excited at the prospect of a feud between Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal, including Drew McIntyre himself.
In fact, WWE was clearly sold on this idea as well if you note that WWE India had shared the idea for a match between Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal and yes, Mahal shared the idea as well, lending credence to the idea that the two men were about to face each other down the line.
In fact, the WWE Champion had stated this during an interview.
He [Jinder Mahal] just needs the time to keep gaining steam. I need some time to cement myself as the champion. But when the crowds come back? I need a heel who’s a REAL heel. We have a true backstory
The untimely injury to Mahal has given the chance to Dolph Ziggler.
#3 Dolph Ziggler has the ability to make the Claymore and Drew McIntyre look good
There is a reason why Dolph Ziggler is held in such high regard by the WWE office and hence, he was thrust into a program with the WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre. I mean Tom Colohue of Sportskeeda had stated this as the reason why Dolph Ziggler had been handpicked as the opponent for Goldberg:
“For his experience. Everyone looks good wrestling with Dolph. WWE loves Dolph. There’s nothing he can’t do.”
The big idea right now is obviously to make Drew McIntyre seem like a much bigger deal than he is and to make the Claymore look like a weapon of mass destruction as well. There is no better man for this role than Dolph Ziggler who can sell the Claymore better than just about anyone else in the roster.
And let's face it. Drew McIntyre deserves an opponent who can work with him at an equal footing and there's probably nobody better for the role with the exception of maybe AJ Styles.
#2 Dolph Ziggler can lose to Drew McIntyre and set the stage for Brock Lesnar's return
Let's get one thing straight right before we continue with the rest of the review, ladies, and gentlemen. There is no way at all that Dolph Ziggler becomes the WWE Champion at this time and this is not because Dolph Ziggler lacks talent but because Drew McIntyre is on fire right now. But what we do know is that Brock Lesnar is slated to make a return at WWE SummerSlam and in all likelihood, will be in a program with Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship.
Dolph Ziggler is in the Jake Roberts spot, where he wasn't the top guy but there was always that element of doubt in his case that he could cause a major upset and capture the big one. There is probably no better filler opponent for Drew McIntyre at this time than Dolph Ziggler is.
And yes, I am sure somewhere deep down, we all believe that someday Dolph Ziggler will capture the big one.
#1 The lack of potential opponents for Drew McIntyre on WWE RAW
There is another reason why Dolph Ziggler may have been chosen as McIntyre's next opponent.
Not long ago, I had a chance to speak to Drew McIntyre, the WWE Champion and one of the things he mentioned during the course of the chat is that he wants to work with Randy Orton. In fact, these were Drew McIntyre's exact words:
There's a reason I want to work with him for the world title because I want to learn. Because there aren't too many guys around anymore that have learned from the best. Been around for a long time and can really pull you up. So, anybody that works with him will absolutely benefit.
But it is very clear that Randy Orton will be involved in the whole program with Edge for some time now based on the current landscape, so it will be a while until we get Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton. Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins have their own storylines on RAW and Drew McIntyre has already run through them both. That leaves Dolph Ziggler as the perfect foil for the WWE Champion at the moment.
It doesn't leave too many top-tier heels for McIntyre to face and Dolph Ziggler is the most logical choice at Extreme Rules.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
