What if CM Punk left WWE in 2011?

#1 A Sooner Break For Dolph Ziggler

The

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might have gotten his big break in Punk's absence.

Dolph Ziggler very arguably goes down as the most talented, longest tenured star of his generation to have never had a sustained opportunity holding a world title. Yes, he was champ twice, but the first a short-term gimmick reign before he was necessarily ready, booked largely as a set up for face Edge to overcome the odds and win the title back from him. His next reign got cut short due to a head injury, and bad timing as WWE consolidated down to one world title before he might have fully realized his comeback story.

While Ziggler didn’t have the size of Ryback or the sizzle of Brock Lesnar, he would have been well positioned to have gotten at least a few-month reign as either WWE or World Heavyweight Champion without Punk in the mix. Though Ziggler is still active and performing at a high level today, it’s hard to imagine his time hasn’t passed now.