The dopey IWC doesn’t agree with me too often.
But on one thing, I bet we concur…Dolph Ziggler is f’ing AWESOME. As in, better than The Miz.
The problem is, Vince McMahon doesn’t agree. Or whoever’s making Vince’s decisions this week doesn’t agree.
WWE has been burying Ziggler for months. His work doesn’t matter. His crowd pop doesn’t matter. His promos don’t matter. Everything that should be relevant doesn’t matter.
For some reason, “the family” doesn’t like Ziggler.
That matters. It’s ALL THAT MATTERS. That's how wrestling is now.
And that’s why the wrestling business sucks. Why WWE sucks.
It doesn’t matter how the fans feel about Ziggler, or how good Ziggler is. WWE is going to keep Ziggler on the backburner.
Worse yet, there’s nothing Ziggler can do about it.
Ziggler could eventually go to TNA and make pauper’s wages. He could eventually go to ROH and make pauper’s wages. He could choose one of the above, stir in indies and appearances, and eke out a decent living. For a while. Maybe work Japan some. Not the easiest flight.
But if Ziggler wants to make a living as a pro wrestler, WWE is his only choice. They could defecate in Ziggler’s hat. He’d have to put it on and say “Thanks.”
Whatever happened to John Morrison?
The business used to be so much different. So much better. A performer of Ziggler’s caliber would have a plethora of options: WCW, all the old territories, etc. And the presence of those options might force WWE to use him properly. Ziggler is making good money in WWE, but career fulfillment is absolutely out of the question.
Once upon a time, right?
Raw did a 2.7 rating. That’s a low for 2014. Insanely bad considering Raw wasn’t competing with a football game and Monday wasn’t a holiday.
For Ziggler, being good doesn’t matter. For WWE management, being terrible doesn’t matter.
Lemelson Capital, representing investors, is calling for WWE’s executive management to be changed. Given Monday’s rating, the dip in stock price, the underachieving of the WWE Network and the cheaper-than-promised deal procured from NBC, Lemelson’s request isn’t unreasonable.
Changes won’t take place anytime soon. Right now, it’s Vince or bust. Or, depending on the day, Hunter and Steph or bust.
Jim Ross could help. He won’t get the chance.
Paul Heyman could help. He won’t get the chance.
No point listing more names. Because NO ONE WILL GET THE CHANCE.
Wrestling is WWE. WWE is wrestling.
That equation hurts Ziggler. It hurts the McMahons just as much. They’re just too stubborn to admit it, let alone fix it. The last thing Vince, Hunter and Steph want around is somebody who knows more than they do.
That list is growing. WWE provides stale, tired, boring programming. Until someone forces WWE to do otherwise, that won’t change.
Remember roller derby? It’s out of business now.
Follow Mark Madden on Twitter: @MarkMaddenX
