If you’ve been watching SmackDown Live lately, you know that Dolph Ziggler’s latest schtick is, well, interesting.
For weeks now, Ziggler has been impersonating various WWE Superstars by doing their iconic entrances, seemingly for no reason other than to make a fool of himself and fill TV time.
But perhaps it’s us who Ziggler is playing for fools, because this whole thing could very well be a set-up for a collision with the one and only Bobby Roode.
The Entrances
This all started when Ziggler returned from a lengthy absence on the Aug. 22 episode of SmackDown Live. In a backstage interview with Dasha Fuentes, he sarcastically proclaimed that he’d finally figured out “what it takes to be a star in WWE.”
Ziggler vowed to introduce the brand new star-quality version of himself on the following week’s episode of SmackDown; but when Aug. 29 rolled around, he revealed he’d pushed back his re-debut another week.
Finally, the next week on Sept. 5, the entrance impersonations began. That night, Ziggler impersonated John Cena, Randy Savage, and Naomi – complete with glow in the dark Predator hair (sorry, I have no idea what those things are actually called).
The week after that, he performed as Shane McMahon, Bayley, and The Ultimate Warrior.
Finally, on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live, he impersonated Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and D-Generation X.
WWE: Dolph Ziggler mocks Triple H, Shawn Michaels (HBK’s) and Degeneration X (DX) entrance pic.twitter.com/ZTvs98gAgJ
— Demontre’ Dugger (@DuggerIs2017) September 21, 2017
Again: for a wrestler as talented as Ziggler, this storyline just seems embarrassing. But when you think about it, the Bobby Roode theory actually makes a whole lot of sense.
The Roode Theory
Let’s examine the evidence that Ziggler could be heading for a feud with Roode.
“The Show Off” first alluded to Roode in his return interview on Aug. 22. During the interview, Ziggler suggested to Dasha that maybe he should get “one big spotlight on me” and “a big, fancy robe.” While superstars from Damien Sandow to Asuka have all made their entrances in robes, the line about the spotlight is pretty indicative of Roode. Here’s Roode’s debut on SmackDown Live, which notably took place the same day as Ziggler’s return.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbuj6Hmw_VY
As great of a wrestler as Roode is, the most notable thing about him in WWE has 100% been his extremely over-the-top entrance. And in his backstage interview on Aug. 29, Ziggler opined that the fans get so distracted with entrance gimmicks that it ends up being all they really care about.
I have to admit – I agree.
There’s evidence outside of Ziggler’s promos that he’s headed for a storyline with Roode, as well. Roode has not appeared on WWE television since Aug. 29, the week before Ziggler began his copycat entrances. There’s currently a rumor going around that he’s purposefully being kept off TV to build towards a match with Ziggler at Hell in a Cell.
If this rumor is true, I fully support it. Ziggler is a great wrestler who’s been misused for far too long, and a feud with Roode (a Roode feud, if you will), has a TON of potential. With the Raw pay-per-view No Mercy airing this Sunday, expect SmackDown to ramp up next week as they prepare for Hell in a Cell on Oct. 8. I think we’ll be seeing Roode make a GLORIOUS return very soon.
What do you think of Dolph Ziggler’s recent storyline? Do you think he’s headed for a Roode feud? Would you be excited to see a match between them at Hell in a Cell? Share your thoughts and comments below!