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Dolph Ziggler was stagnating in the mid-card on SmackDown Live, not long ago. He won the US Championship and then relinquished it, in a storyline with no payoff. He showed up at the Royal Rumble and was eliminated very soon indeed. And then he was paired with Drew McIntyre on RAW.
McIntyre had been released from the company during his first run. He returned, a seasoned veteran, looking like a million bucks. Together, Ziggler and McIntyre became one of the most dominant teams in the red brand.
And then suddenly, we learned this week that they would no longer be a team. Ziggler faced Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship, answering his open challenge, with McIntyre has become one of Constable Corbin's cronies.
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Why did such a great pairing meet such an untimely end?
#5 WWE has bigger plans for McIntyre
This is not a knock on Dolph Ziggler who will go down as one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. The fact of the matter is that WWE has much bigger plans for McIntyre than Ziggler at this moment. This stems from the fact that McIntyre is one of the most protected guys in the roster right now.
It's rare indeed to see Drew McIntyre on the losing side. Ever since he has come to RAW, Drew McIntyre has won far more than he's lost and it is crystal clear that he is in line for the push of a lifetime right now. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the Universal Champion by 2019.
Do I believe that WWE has big plans for Dolph Ziggler? Yes, I do, but they probably pale when compared to the Scottish Psychopath.
#4 For Ziggler to potentially turn face
We all know that Corbin, McIntyre and Lashley have formed a faction on RAW, right? Let's assume that with Strowman out, their two opponents will be Lashley and Balor. It's hard to even think of a third individual who could take the third spot. This is because RAW is currently short on babyfaces.
Roman Reigns is out, Dean Ambrose has gone heel and Seth Rollins is feuding with the aforementioned Ambrose. The other babyfaces like Bobby Roode and Chad Gable are in the Tag Team Division. The stage is set for someone like Dolph Ziggler to turn over to the side of the virtuous and fight against The Authority.
While Shawn Michaels and Diesel were a team to begin with, they also made a lot of money working against each other. Ziggler and McIntyre could certainly do the same.
#3 To create multiple storylines on RAW
As I've mentioned before, RAW is very low on star power right now. Seth Rollins is the only legitimate top star still left in the brand. Braun Strowman is out nursing an injury until TLC. Roman Reigns, John Cena and even Alexa Bliss are examples of superstars on the shelf.
So, if Ziggler were to branch away from McIntyre, a veteran of his stature could help get other superstars over. We saw how insignificant Jinder Mahal vs. No Way Jose felt this week. Having an upper mid-card level superstar like Dolph Ziggler in the mix would just bring anyone stagnating at the bottom of the barrel, one level up.
Drew McIntyre is waging the main battle on RAW. Ziggler could embark on some side-quests in video game parlance.
They have to fill three hours of content, after all.
#2 Dolph Ziggler's untimely injury
In my opinion, this is what probably happened. Dolph Ziggler, unfortunately, got injured ahead of the last episode of RAW. Last minute plans had to be made and McIntyre was paired with Corbin and Lashley.
But then, it turned out that Dolph Ziggler's injury wasn't all that serious. And this resulted in him returning to RAW the very next week, this time without a real partner. But because he's one of the best workers in the roster, he was put into the Intercontinental Championship Open Challenge against Seth Rollins.
This is just guesswork but I suppose that the untimely injury may have caused Ziggler to lose out on the primary storyline on RAW. Let's hope that whatever else RAW plans for Ziggler pans out for the best because he's way too talented a star to be wasted.
#1 Ziggler is not a believable opponent against Braun Strowman
The newfound team of McIntyre, Lashley, and Corbin are feuding against Braun Strowman. The trio has been portrayed as utterly dominant. Dolph Ziggler would not be able to size up against someone as monstrous as Strowman if you consider how WWE books their monsters. And therefore, he may have been left out of the mix, this time.
Let's hope that both McIntyre and Ziggler continue to do great things in the company. While they may have been separated, both could have a fantastic run ahead of them in the coming weeks. Each man is in his prime and can certainly steal the show if given the opportunity.
Why do you think the two were separated, readers? I would love to hear your take in the comments section below.
Feel free to share your thoughts.
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