15-time WWE champion might have had backstage heat ahead of release; would benefit AEW, says veteran
Wrestling veteran Shane Douglas recently addressed the release of Dolph Ziggler from WWE.
Ziggler signed with the Stamford-based company nearly 19 years ago. He has since won several championships, including the World Heavyweight Title twice. However, The Showoff was recently released from his contract along with several other superstars.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Douglas commented on Ziggler's release. He claimed the former World Heavyweight Champion might have had backstage heat in WWE. The wrestling veteran also stated that The Showoff would be "a boon to AEW."
"It always seemed to me from afar looking in the few times that I would peek into the company that I would see him and he'd be getting a little bit of a push and all of a sudden he would disappear for two or three months and then he'd be back on. (...) To me, like that was the entirety of his career. (...) And the fact that he was so telegenic, right, he felt comfortable, you can see it on camera, that it just never, it boggled my mind as to why this guy wasn't getting like Steve Austin said, 'If Vince wants you over, he'll strap a rocket to your a**.' And I don't recall ever seeing that with Dolph. But I think it's gonna be a boon to AEW," he said.
Douglas added:
"There are the guys like Brad Armstrong who were amazing in the ring. But getting in front of the camera (...) Brad would get out there and wanted to 'give a 100%' that just really boring blah babyface stuff. (...) I'm wondering if it was something like that or if there's something in WWE that somebody had a bug up their a** for Dolph Ziggler. We're gonna see now. [It was reported that Vince McMahon never liked Ziggler] Yeah, yeah, I mean it's always seemed that way to me. You don't want to go to that because it just suddenly sounds like, 'Oh, you're just going like for the low-hanging fruit.' But the obvious question I would have and I think every fan watching right now would have is 'Okay, if Vince didn't like him, why is he there?'" [1:06 - 3:59]
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Did Dolph Ziggler make a mistake in WWE?
In a recent episode of his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T addressed Dolph Ziggler's release from the Stamford-based company. The Hall of Famer claimed The Showoff made a critical mistake that might have affected his career.
Booker pointed out that Ziggler's character did not develop much throughout his 19-year WWE run.
"And I think Dolph Ziggler just stayed that one character throughout his whole time. Now, was he a guy that could go out and perform at a very very high level in the middle of the squared circle? Oh, yes! Dolph was a guy that could go out and work with anybody. But then Dolph became that guy that if you needed to get somebody over you would call Dolph. And I say that because sometimes you can literally find yourself putting yourself in that position when you do not know how to change with the times."
WWE possibly offered Dolph Ziggler a different role before releasing him from his contract, according to a veteran. Check out the details here.
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