WWE SmackDown: Just Make Dolph Ziggler A Babyface Again

In 2017, Dolph Ziggler turned heel on Apollo Crews and Kalisto on an episode of WWE SmackDown Live, and it seemed like the culmination of an excellent slow-burn heel turn. What soon followed was a string of losses, a complete lack of direction, and a reminder that the WWE doesn’t always get it right.

Before he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Alberto Del Rio in one of the most memorable double-turn matches in WWE history, Dolph Ziggler was one of the best mid-card heels in sports entertainment. Stealing the show every night with dazzling displays of athleticism and technical wrestling, Ziggler slowly became a fan favorite.

Therefore, it was only natural for him to become a babyface, and the WWE has always understood that Ziggler is a guy the crowd can get behind in a pinch. That’s why he was the sole survivor at the 2014 Survivor Series when Roman Reigns was out with an injury. It’s also why his career-on-the-line story with the Miz in 2016 helped put SmackDown Live on the map as WWE’s “A” show.

But when the WWE decided to turn Ziggler heel in 2017, it seemed like they were telling a classic good-guy-gone-bad story. Ziggler had grown frustrated with losing and being an afterthought, so he decided to take matters into his own hands by becoming a psychopath. He hit people with chairs, he threatened to kill Jerry Lawler, and he would never explain his actions in backstage interviews.

The issue is that people were still cheering Ziggler, partially because he turned heel against people the WWE Universe didn’t really care about. So the WWE shifted gears and put Dolph on the back-burner before making him a “Gatekeeper”. He became Shinsuke Nakamura’s and Bobby Roode’s first feuds following their NXT call-ups.

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Although the matches were decent enough, the promos were lackluster, because Dolph’s only way of getting heat came by being an annoyance.

He should have been an angry, disgruntled psychopath who was sick of losing and could back up his big talk. Instead, he became a joke, and you can’t have your “Gatekeeper” being portrayed as a joke.

So Dolph did what he should have done earlier. He complained on Edge and Christian’s “Pod of Awesomeness”, and it seemingly worked.

Ziggler was inserted into a Triple Threat match for the United States Championship, defeating Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode.

The crowd at the TD Garden was fully behind him after he won, and it honestly seemed like most fans on the Internet preferred Dolph as the winner.

Then Ziggler relinquished the title on the following episode of SmackDown Live, telling the WWE Universe that they don’t deserve him. He was never to be seen again, and it seemed like the WWE was finally doing right by Ziggler. They gave him a title win and, more importantly, an interesting storyline during WrestleMania season.

So the fans started buzzing, and they started buzzing so much that Ziggler became one of the favorites to win the Royal Rumble.

Don’t ask me why people suddenly felt compelled to believe that the WWE would “push” the guy, but they did. Because, well, Ziggler has a natural talent for getting people to “buy in”. And you know, that’s not a babyface quality or anything…

Lo and behold, Ziggler came out at No. 30 in the Rumble, and the smark-heavy Philadelphia crowd popped for a man responsible for many of the best television matches on WWE over the past decade. Heck, there was even a “Give me Dolph or give me death” sign. And the WWE gave him his big moment by having him superkick a few people before getting tossed like a geek. What a way to use the No. 30 spot, right? As they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Next Tuesday on SmackDown Live, Ziggler has a match against Baron Corbin, and the winner will get to participate in a Fatal Four-Way match for AJ Styles’s WWE Championship at Fastlane. I highly doubt more people would rather see Corbin in this match than Dolph, though I suspect even fewer people would like to see the umpteenth iteration of Corbin vs. Ziggler.

Needless to say, this is a must-win match for Ziggler for several reasons. Because if he can’t even beat Corbin for a chance at the WWE Championship, then what was the point of all of this? If he does lose, that’s honestly a damning indication that he could be on his way out, assuming he actually has the desire to turn down a hefty paycheck for a life outside WWE.

The other reasons are more selfish. Ziggler/Styles/Zayn/Owens sounds like a much more enticing match, especially because we know these four are great together. They were all members of the excellent 2017 Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Furthermore, Ziggler and Styles have turned in a couple of fine performances on SmackDown Live, and Ziggler and Owens produced one of the most underrated feuds of 2015/16.

There’s also one more reason, and it has to do with tying up a loose end in the story. Or righting a wrong, if you will.

Turn Ziggler babyface again. Just do the damn thing. Those of us who still care about the guy, who still want to see him steal the show, and who still want to see him in WWE are going to cheer for him anyway. And let’s be honest, his weak reactions as a heel are an indication that people aren’t interested in booing him.

When Ziggler and Corbin face each other, Ziggler is obviously going to be the face. He’s infinitely more likable, and, well, people want to see him. As evidenced by his return “pop” at the Royal Rumble, people missed Ziggler, and during the match itself, they will inevitably cheer for Dolph to win. Just like they did the last two times Ziggler was in a championship match involving Corbin (US Title match in 2017 at Clash of Champions and the end-of-the-year SmackDown Live Triple Threat in 2016).

Maybe Ziggler realizes that he needs the fans after all. Maybe he openly admits that he said all of those hurtful things because he was frustrated and betrayed. If you aren’t going to give Ziggler an interesting heel character, then you might as well turn him babyface again. He’s believable in that role, and he’s damn good at it, too. Lord knows the WWE doesn’t have too many actual underdog babyfaces with a fiery edge in promos, so they might as well give that back to him.

Just please give him some more wins this time around, otherwise you might as well stop giving the illusion that you care about suspending the fan’s disbelief.

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Because if you want the fans to actually think Dolph stands a chance against, say, Adam Cole or Andrade “Cien” Almas in the future, you need to quit making a two-time Sole Survivor and WWE World Champion look like a pushover.