Predicting Whether Dolph Ziggler Will Ever Get Back to the Main Event Scene

Following his badly botched run with the World Heavyweight Championship in the spring of 2013, Dolph Ziggler has been languishing in the midcard, seemingly banished from the main event scene.

But will he ever return to main events?

Right now, things look bleak. He has the Intercontinental Championship, but how much does that mean, anyway? Consider how badly the company has marginalized its secondary title. Is giving Ziggler the belt really that much of a promotion? Not exactly.

There are other issues. His current babyface character isn't particularly entertaining or over with the fans. Ziggler had a few funny moments when he mocked Hollywood star The Miz, but, really, his act isn't that much different from usual WWE midcard stuff.

Credit: WWE.com

WWE's inability to write good comedy doesn't help matters. Ziggler actually comes off as a pretty funny and charismatic guy, but he’s rarely allowed to showcase those skills.

Throw in his age—he's 34—and the fact that he can't really be considered one of the “younger guys” anymore, and you can see why many would assume he'll never hold a major title again.

Building him up again for a credible main event run would require a serious and long-term booking commitment from WWE—one it would likely be unwilling to make. The writers seem to have given up on him, as a main eventer at least. They don't seem to see much in him.

However, I wouldn't say the situation is totally hopeless.

Credit: WWE.com

Look at Mark Henry. He spent years stuck in the lower midcard and even participated in a dreadful and infamous romance angle with Mae Young in 1999, but he managed to rebound as a dominant monster heel in 2011. He even had a run with the World Heavyweight Championship.

In the wacky world of WWE, anything is possible. If Henry turned things around, why can’t Ziggler?

Due to the injuries of Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan, WWE is running short on babyfaces right now. If John Cena went down, the company would be royally screwed. It's not impossible to envision a scenario in which the company decides that Ziggler—who is as talented and skilled as he ever was—is deserving of a promotion.

Or maybe the company's mentality toward him will simply change and the bookers will give him a new character and a major push, like they did with Henry.

Is that wishful thinking? Probably. After all, not every midcard wrestler is going to go through the career renaissance Henry did. And it’s certainly not something Ziggler, or his fans, should be counting on.

But no one can entirely rule out that management may come to its senses and push him one day.