Upward Progression

 

 

 

The biggest issue with that Survivior Series wasn't even so much that Ziggler isn't main event talent who could capitalize on the moment (his recent mic work has suggested he's not on that level, though I agree with Loss that he deserved a fair chance), but that they erased the moment a month later, via Cena reinstating the Authority in a horrible angle. Probably my least favorite RAW segment of the last few years, and I bring it up here way too often, but wow. So bad.

 

And while I agree with the larger point about Vince's paranoia, let's be honest: there's zero threat of Ziggler becoming a successful comedian.

 

Ziggler did not win that match. Sting did. That killed the angle off even before Cena brought them back.

 

Sure but let's not forget the way Ziggler fought to survive down 3v1 and was pulling off a very valiant and emotional comeback that the crowd was invested in before HHH interference and all the shenanigans took place. I think making the whole thing about Sting and not even giving any credit to Ziggler's performance was more of the problem.

 

 

Well yeah, that was kind of my point. In the moment, Ziggler looked like a hero. But it was not treated that way the next week on TV. They maybe mentioned it in passing on Raw the next night but that was it. HHH cut promos on Sting and never once mentioned Ziggler when he came back. You would think he'd want revenge on both guys.

 

This to me is the root of the problem right here. This company doesn't look at it's own "superstars" as stars. They are desperately clinging to the names that brought them success when the company was at a height it will likely never reach again.

Why would an "all time great" like Triple H waste his time with a peon like Dolph Ziggler when he can fight a Legend like Sting.

Why would we waste one of the dates on the contract of the one guy with an ounce of credibility in Brock Lesnar on a guy like Ambrose, or Rusev, or Sheamus, or Ziggler, or Cesaro when we can have him wrestle The Undertaker!!

Why would we want a young up and coming big man like Luke Harper to get over when we have established names that no one could possibly be sick of like Kane and Big Show who have only been around since 1997 and 1999 respectively!!

You've got them trotting The Rock out every instance he is willing to give them a moment of his time, and I don't blame them since he is a fucking global movie star, but did him embarrassing Rusev last year do anything for anybody.....No.

Then you've got guys like Cena and Orton who have been on top virtually non-stop for nearly a decade, and while they do put people over, you know that 95% of the time those people are going to return the favor at the worst possible time.

Top all of that off with shit like the Batista debacle, HBK and Flair being trotted out as much as humanly possible, and Jericho and RVD returning every 6 months.

What you are left with is a company that is clinging to it's past and is apparently deathly afraid to envision a future where all of it's favorite toys have become too broken to play anymore, and they are forced to try something new.