WWE News: Ric Flair Praises Dolph Ziggler, Is Dolph Leaving WWE After No Mercy?
Current WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler has been the talk of the WWE news and rumors on the internet lately. Basically, fans and websites have been speculating about whether or not Dolph is officially done wrestling with the company after his upcoming pay-per-view match. On Tuesday’s SmackDown Live show, a stipulation was added to that No Mercy championship matchup, making it seem an even stronger possibility that Dolph is on the way out. A former star of the ring who pops up in WWE from time to time also gave his thoughts about Dolph Ziggler’s career.
As reported by Wrestling News, WWE legend Ric Flair recently weighed in on the subject and had quite a bit of praise for Dolph Ziggler on his podcast. Flair, who has been involved in backstage segments with Dolph Ziggler, said he’d heard the rumors that Dolph’s on the way out and hoped it wasn’t true. He didn’t stop there with his talk about Ziggler, though.
The “Nature Boy” also mentioned how great of a worker Ziggler is and the fact that he has a job with the company based on his work ethic. However, Flair added some interesting tidbits, as Wrestling News stated.
“Flair said that he doesn’t want to let the cat out of the bag but he thinks that WWE wants Ziggler to work in the office. I presume that Flair means that he would be welcome as a producer/agent. Flair said that Ziggler loves Phoenix (where he resides) so he doesn’t know if that will happen. Flair praised Ziggler for being a nice guy and being so good that he can have a job as long as he wants.”
With that said, it seems that Flair hasn’t necessarily confirmed that Ziggler is on the way out, but a lot of information is pointing to that. His stipulation at No Mercy in the Intercontinental Championship match against The Miz is that Ziggler must retire if he loses the match. That right there is enough for those checking out rumors and speculation to feel it gives Dolph an out.
However, it would seem like a strange way to end his career. Dolph has been shuffled around the card from main event matches to mid-card matches. He held the major championship a few times, as well as the United States and Intercontinental titles. A win over Miz would be his fifth reign with that particular title. Ziggler failed to win in two other attempts which would certainly put Miz over and make Ziggler seem like the “failure” or “loser” that Miz has been calling him during promos.
If Miz gets the victory, it gives his character plenty to brag about going forward. It could also help put a lot more heat on Miz Mizanin as one of the more booed and hated heels on the roster. WWE is always looking to bolster their talent in order to have top heels to draw from. Miz has certainly been there but sending Dolph into retirement would help elevate him even more. Doing it with some sort of cheating, trickery, or antics would help even more.
The What Culture website mentions that Ziggler actually has about a year left on his current contract. That doesn’t necessarily mean he will leave WWE if he loses a career-ending match. There’s been talk that he could always lose this particular match to The Miz at No Mercy and then return with a new gimmick. There’s also that lingering possibility that Dolph wins the Intercontinental Championship and says he proved what he needed to. After that he “rides off into the sunset” to retire, putting the title into a tournament.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the booking decisions go with this match and Dolph Ziggler’s career. No Mercy takes place on Sunday, October 9. The WWE creative team and writers are known for throwing out swerves and changing things up on a dime to keep the fans guessing. Could this latest angle with Dolph Ziggler be leading to something big, or should fans take it for exactly what it is, the end of his career?
[Featured image by WWE.com]
