Dolph Ziggler Producing Some Of His Best Work, And Dropping US Title Was The Catalyst

Dolph Ziggler is enjoying a highly successful run on Monday Night Raw as Drew McIntyre’s partner-in-crime, so, in a way, his decision to relinquish the United States Championship paid off.

Last year on Dec. 17, Dolph Ziggler pulled off yet another huge upset in his WWE career, winning the United States Championship in a Triple Threat match against Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode. It was the second US Title victory of Ziggler’s career, but he seemed less satisfied with the surprising result than the rest of us did.

Ziggler vacated the title on the following episode of SmackDown Live, and he disappeared from WWE for over a month. The Show-Off made his return at the Royal Rumble, causing a stir as the No. 30 entrant, but, as usual, the big win eluded the former World Heavyweight Champion.

Before this week’s episode of Raw, Ziggler participated in a media call, and Wrestling Inc.’s Akhilesh Gannavarapu did the much-appreciated job of transcribing the questions he asked Ziggler. What stood out to me was Ziggler’s response about vacating the United States Championship earlier this year.

"“So I did what I could, and I slammed that title down and I walked out. And that was the most anyone talked about me in seven years, and I really wanted to capitalize on it. I felt special about it. We went in a different direction, but sometimes you do everything you can within your power, and I without a doubt have always done everything in my power to make the titles mean something, make those memorable moments mean something, and have my career be the best it can be. So, some things are out of my hand. I don’t own the company. But I wanted that to be special, and it was. It just could have been hell of a lot more special.”"

That moment did feel special, because in one fell swoop, Ziggler became the talking point in WWE for about a month. Yes, people were wondering about Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles’s WWE Championship reign, and the Ronda Rousey rumors. But Ziggler was as big of a story as anyone, and it’s a testament to how bold of a move that was. I mean, who expected Ziggler to relinquish a title on his own volition?

Months later, Ziggler is in a much better place than he was coming into 2018. He and Drew McIntyre have been a powerhouse on Raw, elevating the Raw Tag Team Championships in a way that nobody else has in ages. Ziggler was also the Intercontinental Champion this summer, before Dean Ambrose evened up the odds to allow Seth Rollins to recapture the title that The Miz famously made prestigious. (Oh, and Ziggler deserves some credit, too, since I think he something important on the line for the IC Championship once…or something like that.)

I find it interesting that Ziggler thought it could have been much more special, and it’s hard to disagree with that statement. You’d think that they would have done more, especially since he expressed interest in going off TV longer to continue improving as a WWE Superstar. Instead, he only missed a few weeks and did nothing as the No. 30 entrant in the Royal Rumble.

In some ways, it was a missed opportunity on WWE’s part, since Ziggler did take the initiative and went out on a limb. That said, the move was beneficial, because Ziggler is producing some of the most compelling work of his career right now. He’s in the main event of Raw with McIntyre and Braun Strowman flanking him and The Shield, WWE’s biggest faction today, as his opponents.

There’s something to be said for where he’s at right now, and a part of me wonders if WWE’s upper brass respected the intestinal fortitude of wanting to willingly drop a championship. Risks can pay off in WWE, even if, as Ziggler said, it seemed like they could have done more with the story back in January.