Dolph Ziggler has always been a very good heel. From his Intercontinental Championship run from 2009-2011 to his 2011-2012 run as the United States Champion, Ziggler has never had any trouble getting the crowd to boo him. He had everything going for him; a great physique, insane wrestling ability, good on the microphone… oh, and he knew just how good he was too, and loved to remind everyone about it.
Then everything changed when he won the Money In The Bank ladder match to gain a chance to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship, at any moment he chose within one full calendar year. After that, the majority of arenas cheered the #HEEL, #ShowOff. Don’t get me wrong, on most nights he got his fair share of cheers, especially in smark towns, but for the most part he always received a chorus of boos and heckling from the crowd. To make matters worse for a heel trying to sustain heat, they then put his briefcase on the line in a match against John Cena at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. He won, thanks in part to AJ Lee’s help and a Super Kick that Shawn Michaels would be proud of, and was cheered relentlessly by a crowd that should be cheering for Not-so-babyface John Cena. They didn’t. Instead, they sided with Ziggler.
The night after Wrestlemania, fans got exactly what they wanted. Dolph Ziggler cashed in his briefcase and defeated World Heavyweight Champion (at the time) Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio, who was a face at the time, sat in the ring and watched Ziggler come down to the ring to an ovation reserved only for the biggest of babyfaces in the company. After hitting the Zig Zag, Ziggler heard the crowd echo the pinfall as he covered Del Rio, followed by another round of loud cheers.
He had done it. Dolph Ziggler became World Heavyweight Champion and one of the biggest faces in the WWE, all in one night. One of them, unintentionally
While the face turn wasn’t officially made until Payback in a double face/heel turn involving Del Rio, it become more evident that Ziggler’s popularity was increasing every time he made an appearance on television. Although it was hurt somewhat when Ziggler suffered a concussion and was left off television for a few weeks, his presence upon returning made things crystal clear to management — it’s time to give this guy a run as face… officially.
So what is working? Usually you see a heel to face transition as one that is tricky to pull off. Del Rio, for one, could never got the crowd to fully cheer him as a face but then again, they never really boo him as a heel either — which is what earned him the nickname of Alberto No-Heato. The Miz is still stuck in limbo where crowds don’t like him as a face but don’t care enough to boo him either. Yet here comes Ziggler, booed as a heel when the time called for it and cheered heavily as a face.
For one, fans nowadays have become very smarky. We all know wrestling is scripted now so instead of getting lost in the moment of a wrestling match, we look for someone who has the wrestling ability of a God. Ziggler has that. If it’s selling a move or finishing one himself, there is none better than Ziggler. His dropkick is among the best in the company, even the industry. His character? Cocky, arrogant, smug… now much of a change since his run as a heel, only it’s been accelerated to a whole new level and fans are loving it. Think Shawn Michaels when he was a face. He was good and he knew it too. So does Ziggler, hence the ShowOff character. His promos don’t hold him back either, as he is usually quite entertaining and fun to listen to. There are also times where he uses his quickness to evade a situation, like a potential beatdown at the hands of a superior opponent or a multitude of wrestlers. His “you can’t catch me” style plays in perfectly to his gimmick and fans love it.
So in summary, you have;
-Wrestling ability
-Look
-Mic ability
-Character
-Credentials
-Charisma
It’s a wonder why they didn’t make the transition sooner. Sure, everyone loves their heels but when it works as much, if not better, the other way around then you go for it. Dolph Ziggler as one of the good guys is working so far and it doesn’t look like it will lose steam at any time.
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