Original Plans For Dolph Ziggler At The Royal Rumble

A few days after Dolph Ziggler won the United States Championship at Clash of Champions, he appeared on SmackDown Live, left the title in the ring and then walked out.

Daniel Bryan later announced that a tournament would be held to crown a new champion, and Bobby Roode went on to win the belt after he defeated Jinder Mahal in the finals.

Sunday night Bobby Roode held an open challenge for the belt during the Royal Rumble kickoff show, and some fans expected to see Dolph Ziggler answer the call. However, it was Mojo Rawley who made his way down to the ring to challenge Roode.

Dolph Ziggler later made his surprise return in the Royal Rumble when he entered the match at number 30.

PWInsider is reporting that original plans for Ziggler at the pay-per-view called for him to face Bobby Roode in the open challenge, but over the weekend the decision was made to add him to the Royal Rumble match.

Dolph Ziggler’s return wasn’t just a one time thing, as it’s being reported that he’s set to be part of the SmackDown Live tapings in Philadelphia this weekend.

Where he goes from there is unknown, but it would seem to make sense for him to feud with Bobby Roode over the US Title.