Former WWE Writer Says Vince McMahon Didn’t Want To Push Dolph Ziggler

Sunday night Money in the Bank will air on the WWE Network, and the event features two Money in the Bank ladder matches. One match will feature the men of SmackDown Live competing for a contract, while the other match will feature the ladies of the blue brand battling for a briefcase as well.

Dolph Ziggler is competing in a Money in the Bank ladder match this year, and it just so happens that Money in the Bank is a match he’s won in the past.

Ziggler won the Money in the Bank briefcase a few years ago, and the night after WrestleMania 29, he cashed in his title shot on Raw and defeated Alberto Del Rio to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Ziggler got a huge pop when he won he title, and his cash in is one of the most memorable Money in the Bank cash ins so far.

Former WWE writer Kevin Eck recently shared some interesting stories in an article he wrote for Sporting News, and he talked a little bit about how Dolph Ziggler’s cash in came to fruition.

According to Eck, there was some concern that Ziggler may end up cashing in and losing, as Vince McMahon had lost faith in Dolph.

“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, Eck goes on to say that Pat Patterson was a big fan of Dolph Ziggler, and he pitched the idea of Dolph cashing in at WrestleMania 29. Vince didn’t buy the idea, but he apparently started the next production meeting for Raw by stating that Ziggler would win the title on Raw after WrestleMania because he wanted a big moment for the show.

Dolph Ziggler’s cash in was great, but unfortunately his title reign was pretty forgettable due to the fact that he suffered a concussion and then he dropped the belt when he returned and he hasn’t won a World Title since.

The decision to have Dolph drop the belt so soon seemed kind of strange, but Eck says that McMahon had no plans to push Dolph Ziggler.

“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.”

Ziggler will get his chance to become Mr. Money in the Bank once again on Sunday, but right now he seems to be an unlikely candidate to win the briefcase.

It’s rumored that Dolph Ziggler could be leaving WWE soon, so it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Roxy Astor and Sunny The California Girl from GLOW joined this week’s episode of Still Real Radio to talk about what’s going on with the GLOW girls, their AfterGLOW cruise and more. Jeff Timmons from the band 98 Degrees also randomly makes an appearance, and we run down our predictions for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. You can subscribe to Still Real Radio on iTunes and you can also check out the latest episode below.