It dawned on me yesterday that I had no memory of AJ Styles wrestling Dolph Ziggler. Well, that’s not entirely true, as I do recall them wrestling, just not in a singles match. They shared a “famous” triple threat bout to close that Wild Card episode of SmackDown. I never understood the reasoning behind that name, but it concluded SmackDown’s 2016 nonetheless. Either way, I have since discovered that Styles and Ziggler indeed battled beyond that.
They actually shared four singles matches, each of which took place on SmackDown Live. With that in mind, I thought I’d revisit that series, getting my few monthly reviews done in the process. These four matches span across just over eighteen months, which will probably result in at least three different versions of Dolph Ziggler. They will all be the same obviously, but commentary will pretend otherwise anyway. Regardless, to the graps!
We begin on August 23rd 2016, two days after The SummerSlam, so pretty early in the development of SmackDown Live’s famed dynasty. I am of course referencing a five month spell of good wrestling television, but history collects such eras. At The Biggest Party of the Summer, Styles toppled John Cena in a famous shootout, while Ziggler lost to WWE Champion Dean Ambrose. The latter was an incredibly disappointing match, particularly after Ziggler’s all or nothing pre-match promos.
It wasn’t a dramatic last stand but instead, a forgettable fall at the first hurdle. Thankfully, this match is everything that the SummerSlam miss should’ve been. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t shift Ziggler’s trajectory much anyway, but it’s a hit regardless. This TV main event is set up throughout the show, with Styles goading Ziggler in the opening segment, eating a headbutt for his troubles. It’s ultimately booked as a #1 contender decider, with Ambrose on commentary.
I should note that this isn’t their first time sharing a ring, previously battling in the six pack challenge that kicked off SmackDown’s brand split reboot. Considering that’s all that had come before this though, they are almost immediately at home with each other. There is one clunky clash, as they get stuck on the way to an ad break, but it’s generally smooth and feels like a mere glance at their PPV main event that’d never come to be.
It’s a match very much about Ziggler, even in defeat. This is framed as his last shot and while that’s obviously not true, he wrestles in a fashion that does an awful lot to confirm that narrative. It’s one of those weird instances that the best wrestling often hosts, where the fiction and reality are in bed with one another. In the world of SmackDown Live and The WWE Universe, Ziggler is mad about losing again but in truth, he’s wrestling for something bigger after such a high profile miss.
He truly rebounds too, producing a great performance that portrays him as Styles’ worthy equal, which I’m not sure would’ve always been the case in 2016. He takes Styles to the mat at the bell, winning the wrestling contest and giving the match an immediate grit. Arn Anderson has often spoke about imploring Ziggler to showcase more of that skill-set and even in a brief burst here, it’s power is obvious. Realistically, that probably wasn’t Dolph’s call anyway, but the point stands.
Unfortunately, the people are mostly with Styles, as he is the hottest wrestler in WWE after working with Cena and before that, Roman Reigns. On the other hand, Ziggler’s connection with the audience began to stumble some in 2015, hurt by the Lana nonsense after having his Survivor Series triumph squandered. They right those wrongs here though, even if just for one night. By the end, the duelling chants are increasingly prevalent and Ziggler has them believing again, because of course.
Styles’ control segment is extended, shutting down multiple hope spots along the way. AJ is at the peak of his powers here, obviously, sporting that very unique presence and just feeling like the world’s finest grappler. I say unique because he’s not charismatic in an overly showy way, even if his work would fit that description. There is absolutely a physical aura to him though, mostly built from a confidence that at this point, couldn’t be shaken.
It’s a long stretch on the sell for Ziggler, but that’s nothing new for him at this point. I will say that this match is a good example of his often underrated development as a worker in that regard though. Ziggler became famous for bumping big, so much so that it became a virtual bit, much as it did for Curt Hennig. However, he did grow in that area and by this point, is much smarter in terms of adding depth to his sell.
The big bumps are placed more deliberately, and he’s not exactly bouncing around in-between. In this match, he actually takes the Bret buckle bump, which is a chapter that I’d forgotten about. Afterwards, he’s shaking out his arms and shoulders, with those even becoming loose targets for Styles’ time in control. Even in a segment that’s longer than necessary, these two are so at home in their roles that the people happily come along for the ride, buying into Ziggler’s frequent rallies.
They build to a Ziggler dropkick, resetting things for an emphatic double down. Ziggler’s comeback follows and it’s at this point that they spread their wings, going into an explosive finishing stretch. After a mostly restrained match, this portion truly jumps off the page, spotlighting the matchup’s physical firepower. Both guys are still dynamite here, athletically, combining for some fabulous spurts of speed. This includes a late Ziggler near fall that totally fools Uncasville, Connecticut, which took some doing considering the obvious result ahead.
Admittedly, the finish isn’t perfect, with Styles’ attempt at a sneaky low blow not quite landing as you’d hope. It doesn’t do much to undercut their effort here though, a really strong TV main event that goes through two ad breaks at twenty minutes or so. While this more aggressive, desperate Ziggler wouldn’t last long, his performance wouldn’t be totally discarded either, instead resulting in a memorable Intercontinental Title win at No Mercy.
Meanwhile, Styles would become WWE Champion mere weeks after this victory, dethroning Ambrose at Backlash. Clearly, there’s a lot going on here but this is a nice piece of history, with two guys that seem like natural opponents proving themselves to be exactly that. Tremendous TV wrestling, a match that probably deserves more love.
Bing Bong's Match Reviews 