This past Sunday at the Payback PPV, an instance occurred which isn’t normally seen in the WWE. In today’s professional wrestling, especially in the WWE, there are no grey shades. There are good guys, and there are bad guys and it’s that simple. WWE doesn’t believe in making a guy interesting anymore. But back in the 90s, things were different.
More than decade and a half ago at WrestleMania, Bret Hart took on Stone Cold Steve Austin in a match which was universally praised. The interesting fact in the match wasn’t just the technically sound bout itself, but the events that unfolded during the match. Bret Hart went into the bout as a face, or a good guy, and Steve Austin went into the match as a heel, or a bad guy. But by the end of the bout, both the performers did not come out the same, and that was when things got interesting. Bret Hart turned heel, and Steve Austin turned face, which saw the birth of American’s favorite redneck and America’s most hated villain of that year.
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As things turned out at Payback, one of the major talking points coming out of it was the Alberto Del Rio – Dolph Ziggler match. Alberto won the World Heavyweight title from Dolph Ziggler, and it wasn’t just the title change that made the buzz. In doing so, Del Rio turned heel. Del Rio debuted as a heel, and has been a heel for the most part of his career.
So what’s the big deal you might ask, and the answer to that is a double switch happening in the match. During the course of the bout, Ziggler turned face for the first time in his career, and even though he lost the World Heavyweight title, this is arguably the most important match/phase in both these performers’ careers.
Alberto Del Rio cannot be a good guy, as the fans don’t buy his routine. He’s a natural heel, and that’s when he plays his character well. Del Rio has been a heel for the majority of his career, and was an aristocrat, coming out in his limousines and flaunting his wealth. Fans got tired of his gimmick, as it has been stale since JBL’s similar character nearly a decade ago! So the WWE tried turning him face, and while that worked in areas with a large Hispanic demographic, he failed to generate any kind of reaction elsewhere.
Del Rio was pushed too early in his career, and he ended up being one of the biggest let downs in the past couple of years. With Vince and the WWE wanting him to replace Rey Mysterio as the top Latino performer on the card, Del Rio faced a stiff task, and didn’t perform to the expectations. But now, Del Rio has evolved into something else, with him turning on the fans. So instead of coming out in fancy cars, WWE gave him the most simple task, and that is to make the fans hate him, and the beginning of that at least has been perfect.
Ziggler on the other hand has been a heel throughout his career. With the fans slowly getting behind Ziggler, he won the title on the RAW after WrestleMania to a huge ovation from the live crowd. It was then that the WWE thought about turning him face, and it came about at the perfect time with his concussion. With Ziggler being more over with the crowd than half of the entire locker room, the WWE can now write a perfect script for Dolph Ziggler, something which used to happen long ago, which is the babyface character defying the odds in the pursuit of the title and facing his arch rival. If you had asked me before the PPV how things would go, I wouldn’t have predicted this outcome, which came about as a pleasant surprise.
Now comes the best part. How will WWE carry on with this feud? Will they put the title back on Ziggler? Or will ADR hold the title for a longer duration? If WWE decides to go for a rematch at Money in the Bank PPV and put the title back on Ziggler, that would take away all the ‘overcoming the odds’ aspect, and completely kill any sympathy Ziggler has from the fans. Rumors are going around that Ziggler will be a part of the Smackdown! MiTB match and will go on to get the briefcase, thus can cash in the briefcase for a title match.
Although, that would be one way of looking at things, I would be interested in the feud if Ziggler goes on a ‘title hunt’, the way Randy Savage did in the past or how Chris Benoit was booked back in ’04. There are endless possibilities that can make this feud very interesting, and from the circumstances surrounding both the performers, this is the major feud in either of their careers, and can arguably elevate them to the next level if all the cards are played right. Ziggler can go on to become a mega babyface, while Del Rio has the opportunity to become the number 1 heel in the company. We can only wait and see how the storyline plays out, and hope that the WWE lays out a long – term plan for both the performers.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
