Before he does battle with Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler is going to bat against the WWE Universe.
Many fans have pined for "The Showoff" to finally get a push in the WWE, but now that he has emerged as the No. 1 contender against "The Lunatic Fringe" at SummerSlam on Aug. 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, many of those same WWE Universe members have voiced their displeasure.
Ziggler defeated John Cena, AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews and Bray Wyatt in a Six Pack Challenge match on the first post-WWE Draft edition of "SmackDown Live" last Tuesday. The win earned him the right to face the reigning WWE Champion at "The Biggest Event of the Summer."
Though many fans have groaned over the way Ziggler has been used in recent years, many others expressed anger over his win on "SmackDown Live." Ziggler took to Twitter to comment on the odd behavior of the WWE Universe:
#TFW they wish you got a shot,
then they complain that you got it pic.twitter.com/JxQeNAHCQk— Dolph Ziggler (@HEELZiggler) July 31, 2016
Perhaps it's not the choice of Ziggler as much as it is the lack of storytelling. "The Showoff" was involved in a program with Baron Corbin and treated as pre-show fodder at the most recent major events for the WWE.
To go from losing to a former NXT star in Corbin to the main event without so much as a change in direction or hint of momentum was certainly a jarring move. Still, the point of the WWE Draft and brand extension was to help create new stars and reestablish those who have been lost in the shuffle.
Ziggler is fantastic in the ring and has put on great matches while always giving it his all in the squared circle. He makes a logical choice to face Ambrose for many reasons and it provides a fresh matchup for the Blue Brand.
Thus far, SummerSlam is shaping up to be a tremendous event with three main event-level matches. Those bouts pit Ambrose against Ziggler, Brock Lesnar versus Randy Orton in an interpromotional match and a bout to crown the first ever WWE Universal Champion on "RAW" as Seth Rollins takes on Finn Balor.
It seems there are some members of the WWE Universe who will never be happy. Ziggler had two runs with the World Heavyweight Championship -- the last of which came in 2013.
One run lasted just one day, while the other ended due to an untimely injury.
Since then, he's toiled around in the midcard, racking up four Intercontinental Championships and a United States Championship, but has most recently been absent from major storylines.
Ziggler is finally getting his deserved chance to shine at SummerSlam, which is what most fans wanted to begin with.
