WWE SmackDown Live: Was Dolph Ziggler vs. Bobby Roode a Success?

After their recent two out of three falls match on Smackdown Live, many WWE fans are wondering what (if any) is the endgame with this feud? Allow me to break down the good and the bad for you.

Let’s start with the good things about this feud:

It’s a good thing that this feud has gotten Bobby Roode onto the main WWE roster. It has been a long time coming for Bobby Roode. As arguably one of the best in ring performers, not many deserve a spot on the main roster more than him.
It’s good for Dolph Ziggler to have one more chance to do something with his career. The whole “I hate the fans” and “What do I have to do to get you to like me?” gimmick that Ziggler has been running with fits very well opposite a fan favorite like Roode. The fans love his entrance, it’s flashy, and Roode is a BIG personality. They are (on paper) a great pairing.

Now let’s discuss the bad things about this feud (Spoiler alert, there are more bad things than good):

It is bad that Bobby Roode is paired with Ziggler for his first feud. Ziggler is an “over-seller” which means he makes all his actions way more over the top than he needs to, think Booker T, Lex Luger, and others like them. In both his giving and receiving of moves, Ziggler is a little too theatrical in my opinion. This isn’t to say that Ziggler isn’t a good athlete, wrestler or sports entertainer. He by all means is all those things. But his inability to calm down his acting have hindered his ability to climb any further than a mid-card guy who sometimes “steals the show”. Bobby Roode’s pairing with Dolph for this feud, has been watchable simply because Roode carries him in and out of the ring.

It is bad that the WWE built up this feud starting just before Hell in a Cell and then wasted the pay off with the two out of three falls match on a throwaway episode of

Smackdown Live

. It easily should have been a pay per view match. It takes the luster out of it because what could have culminated in an epic final showdown at the next Smackdown PPV, culminated instead in a match on

Smackdown Live

that had commercial breaks.

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It’s a bad thing that neither one of these guys has a title. The WWE should get a belt on Roode as soon as possible if they plan on pushing him the way he deserves to be pushed. A feud with Baron Corbin would have been ideal in this situation. The finesse and flash of Roode versus the power and strength of Corbin could have made for some amazing matches. Aside from the social media aspect, I bet everyone would rather see The Miz vs Bobby Roode at Survivor Series than Miz vs Corbin.

It’s a bad thing that WWE has botched another superstar being called up to the main roster. Bobby Roode has built such a following from TNA, to NXT that he deserved to be paired up with someone a little more high-profile in his first program on the main roster. Pairing him with Ziggler, a wrestler rumored to be on his last legs with WWE (either voluntarily or involuntarily) and a wrestler who can’t hang with Roode in or out of the ring, is unfortunate.

Next: 5 Things WWE Got Right: The Build to Survivor Series

All that being said, when all things are said and done, people will forget about this feud. Ziggler will likely be gone from WWE in the near future, and Roode will go on to bigger and better things. Some of the matches that these two competitors have had have been good. Some of the spots have been even entertaining. The overall impact and draw of this feud hasn’t been felt. So the verdict is… It’s bad and needs to end sooner than later.