WWE News

2. Dolph Ziggler Cashing-In To Win The World Title Was Just Meant To Be A Surprise Moment, Not A Main Event Push For Ziggler

During a recent interview with Sporting News, former WWE creative team member Kevin Eck discussed Dolph Ziggler’s Money in the Bank contract victory and the eventual cash-in to become the World Heavyweight Champion on the post-WrestleMania 29 episode of Raw in 2013.

Below is what Kevin had to say about this:

“When Ziggler won the 2012 MITB ladder match for a guaranteed shot at the World Heavyweight Title, there was no specific plan in place as to when he would cash in and win the title. Ziggler actually attempted to cash in the contract several times only to be thwarted before the cash-in match could become official. It started to become a running joke. Much like Bryan, the longer Ziggler carried around the briefcase, the more likely it seemed that his eventual cash-in was going to be unsuccessful. To say McMahon had lost faith in Ziggler during this time would be a major understatement. Even though Ziggler was getting a good reaction from the fans, McMahon was highly critical of Ziggler’s instincts in the ring and his promos. Triple H wasn’t a big Ziggler fan, either. He thought Ziggler didn’t take direction well and was overly obsessed with trying to be the next Shawn Michaels. However, Ziggler did have one important supporter: WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson, who had been a member of McMahon’s inner circle on the creative side for decades and now had emeritus status. Even before Ziggler won the MITB ladder match, Patterson constantly prodded McMahon to give Ziggler a strong push.

Vince McMahon began the Raw production meeting the next day after WrestleMania 29 by announcing that Ziggler would cash in the contract on Alberto Del Rio on that night’s Ra” to become World Heavyweight Champion.

After making the announcement to a roomful of surprised writers and producers, McMahon said he wanted to be clear that “we are not pushing Dolph”. McMahon explained that he was going through with the cash-in and Title switch because he wanted a big, surprise moment for the night after WrestleMania.”


        
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