Plans always change in WWE, and SmackDown star Dolph Ziggler might know that better than anybody.
Ziggler recently sat down with SportsKeeda’s Rick Ucchino ahead of last Friday’s show, and the former World Heavyweight Champion explained how he wasn’t originally supposed to win the title when he cashed-in his Money In The Bank contract on Alberto Del Rio back in 2013.
“I wasn’t supposed to be World Heavyweight Champion,” Ziggler admitted. “I was told I wouldn’t be World Heavyweight Champion. I was told ‘if you cash this [Money In The Bank contract) in, it’s just for the moment and we’ll see ya later’…but the crowds made that special moment”.
Ziggler would also delve into how special of a moment it was to witness Big E win this year’s Money In The Bank ladder Match, among other topics. He looked back on his on-screen pairing with Big E after the former NXT Champion’s call-up to the main roster and admitted that, at first, he didn’t know if Big E was going to make it.
“It’s one thing to go, when you see someone from NXT and they’re 6-foot-8 and they’re throwing people around, and you go, okay, we’ll see,” said Ziggler. “Those people come and go a lot. And I was told, ‘This is the guy watching your back, and I go, ‘Okay, this could be something good, or the guy could be gone in a week, I don’t know him.'”
Ziggler explained how he quickly saw Big E’s talent blossom, but it took time to get to where he is today, as the former WWE Intercontinental Champion wasn’t being used after he parted ways with Ziggler. “The Showoff” then shared the piece of advice he gave Big E, as he told him that sometimes, as hard as it is, it’s better to let people forget about you.
“There’s a couple months where we kinda went our separate ways, and I see he wasn’t being utilized being on the show,” said Ziggler. “And I said, ‘Brother sometimes it’s better to not be on the show just to get slapped around by someone else who’s going to a WrestleMania match than to be out there and sitting backstag, and going, let the people forget about you for a few months.”
The full clip is available here:
