WWE Rumors: Backstage details on Dolph Ziggler's attack on Shawn Michaels

What's the story?

Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso is reporting that Shawn Michaels advocated for Dolph Ziggler to mock his 2018 return during their promo segment on WWE SmackDown Live.

In case you didn't know…

WWE originally advertised that Shawn Michaels would appear on the July 23 episode of SmackDown Live as a commentator. However, for reasons that have still not been explained, the two-time Hall of Famer took part in a segment on Miz TV with The Miz and Dolph Ziggler instead.

The conversation began with Miz and Michaels recalling the previous night’s Raw Reunion episode of Monday Night Raw. Ziggler then interrupted and unleashed a series of insults towards Michaels – somebody who he has been compared to throughout his career.

The two-time World Heavyweight Champion told Michaels that he can no longer be considered “the greatest performer of all time” following his 2018 retirement U-turn, which saw HBK team with Triple H against Kane & The Undertaker at Crown Jewel.

He went on to repeatedly call the 54-year-old's return “embarrassing”, prompting Michaels to describe Ziggler as a “second-rate Shawn Michaels”. The segment then ended with Ziggler hitting Michaels with his trademark superkick.

The heart of the matter

The general consensus amongst fans is that Shawn Michaels hardly disgraced himself on his return to in-ring action at Crown Jewel, but that has not stopped people from criticising his decision to come out of retirement in the first place.

Following this week’s SmackDown Live segment, Justin Barrasso wrote in his ‘Week in Wrestling’ column that Michaels wanted Dolph Ziggler to aim a dig at him for performing at Crown Jewel.

"Michaels, who was originally slated to do color commentary on the show, advocated for Ziggler to use the line slamming his 2018 return, Sports Illustrated has learned."

What's next?

Although the segment has led to speculation that WWE could build towards Shawn Michaels vs. Dolph Ziggler, it looks as though we will see a rivalry between The Miz and Ziggler unfold as we get closer to SummerSlam on August 11.