WWE Clash of Champions 2017: Dolph Ziggler Will Always Pull You Back In

At WWE Clash of Champions 2017, Dolph Ziggler became the United States Champion for the second time in his career, defeating Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode in an excellent Triple Threat match.

When it was announced that Dolph Ziggler would be thrown into a Triple Threat match for the United States Championship, many rolled their eyes. Ziggler had done nothing to earn that match, and it seemed like Bobby Roode and Baron Corbin were already on their way to building a singles match. The announcement didn’t even happen on SmackDown Live, because we received the news on a Friday afternoon.

However, that was also the same Friday that an episode of the Edge and Christian podcast was released in which Ziggler spoke candidly about his position in the company. He expressed frustration with the fact that he has no legitimacy in the gatekeeper role due to his consistent losses, so NXT superstars don’t actually get a “rub” when they are called up and defeat Ziggler in a rivalry.

So at WWE Clash of Champions 2017, Ziggler won the United States Championship in that Triple Threat match against Corbin and Roode.  Although picking Ziggler qualified as a “bold prediction”, fans wanted to see it happen. Plus, there was buzz before the show within the WWE Universe that Ziggler could pull off the upset, and indeed he did.

It remains to be seen how long he’ll hold the United States Championship, but his win gave the fans a magical moment. In a way, it’s a bit strange that Ziggler, who is a heel, is one of the most over babyfaces in the company when the show starts, because fans were hot for his win. There were fans in the audience visibly dancing, and it isn’t often you’ll hear a notable pop for a mid-card title change.

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But Ziggler has that uncanny ability to always make you believe, even when it seems like there’s no chance of that happening.

The End of Days/Zig Zag spot that gifted Ziggler his US Title win at Clash of Champions was also used at the end of 2016 on the final episode of SmackDown Live that year.

And while AJ Styles retained the WWE Championship and was the fan favorite going into that match, the fans were fooled into thinking Ziggler would win on that occasion.

Even the smartest of wrestling fans can’t help but suspend their disbelief when the long-haired, grizzled veteran starts flying around the ring.

Yeah, you know he isn’t winning off of a “Famouser”, but you still can’t help but feel a smidgen of hope when he goes for a “Superkick” or when he hits a crazy move. Going into the match, you still can’t help but wonder, “Maybe this is the match they give to Ziggler. Maybe this is the one he wins.”

For the fans who believed in Ziggler, Clash of Champions was their night to be rewarded, because the man did indeed steal the show. The Fatal Four-Way tag match was great, the Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Randy Orton bout was entertaining for what it was, and the WWE Championship match was quality. But the fast-paced, mid-card Triple Threat match told multiple stories at once and featured the most meaningful win of the night. Because as you looked all the “DZ” signs across the TD Garden, you couldn’t help but think, “Man, how is this guy still over, even after every loss.”

It’s because he’s that damn good. Ziggler is one of the best professional wrestlers in the world, because no matter what happened last week, last month, or year after year, he can somehow wipe the slate clean by telling you a story in the ring and entertaining you with cool spots. (No, the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive.)

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And just when you are about to leave. Just when you are about to give up on Ziggler and forget why you ever cared about him in the first place, he pulls you back in. That’s the magic that a brilliant performer can bring to the table, and regardless of how long his reign as US Champ lasts, let’s give credit to Ziggler for pulling a legitimately meaningful moment out of thin air…and pulling us all back in by suspending our disbelief just enough.