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What's the story?
We recently ran a story about Dolph Ziggler almost leaving WWE, after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view was done. We also ran a story about his massive new salary, which amounts to $1.5 million a year.
According to a rumour that first surfaced on Sports Illustrated and was reported in the 'Rumor Roundup' column of Cageside Seats, Ziggler received a $500,000 hike in pay. This was merely to keep him with the company, and not because WWE wanted to use him differently.
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Ziggler, in storyline, walked away as he relinquished his championship on SmackDown Live in December, after winning the United States Championship at Clash of Champions in a triple threat match.
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He was not seen for weeks, only to make an anti-climatic return during the Royal Rumble match. He returned to much fanfare and will be contesting for AJ Styles' WWE Championship when Fastlane comes around.
Ziggler has a variety of interests aside from wrestling, the predominant one being stand-up comedy, an art he's dabbled in before.
The heart of the matter
The fact that Ziggler has been misused for a man of his talent and calibre has been the internet's favourite topic of discussion, for a long time now. Ziggler was on the verge of exploring avenues beyond WWE when he was made an offer he couldn't refuse.
As financially beneficial as this offer is, it seems like not much will change for the man, when it comes to storylines. He will still be someone in the upper mid-card, a gatekeeper who works with fresh talent that gets called up.
What's next?
Ziggler will compete against Styles, Owens, Zayn and Corbin in a Fatal 5-Way match in the main event of Fastlane, which is the final pitstop for the SmackDown Live brand on the road to WrestleMania 34.
Author's take
Ziggler should have reinvented his career outside WWE, in my opinion. As great as he is, some time away would have given fans a renewed sense of respect for him.
He'll remain an underutilized player in WWE, considering nothing's set to really change!
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