WWE Elimination Chamber 2012: Dolph Ziggler Will Continue to Flirt With Stardom

For the past few months, Dolph Ziggler has made the slow transition from upper-mid-card performer to main-event star. While he isn't quite at that level just yet, he will come one step closer at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

Ziggler challenged CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble, and while Punk went over clean, Ziggler turned in another great performance.

On top of that, he went on to compete in the Rumble match itself and lasted from No. 18 until the final five. That was just the latest example of Ziggler pulling double duty.

He has wrestled multiple matches on several cards, and it has really helped get him over as a legitimate threat. He even beat Punk four times in various matches leading up to the Royal Rumble, and while they were all by dastardly means, a win over the champ is still impressive.

Ziggler has long been underrated, as he has probably been one of the company's top in-ring competitors for the last few years. It is only now that he is beginning to get credit for it, though.

Where Ziggler has made the most progress, however, is in the development of his character as a show-off, as well as his prowess on the microphone.

Many have realized for a long time that Ziggler is extremely talented, but it was always thought that his mic skills were holding him back. Ziggler has made great strides in that area, though, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he is one of the better promo guys currently on the roster. That much was evident in his dressing down of Mick Foley on RAW ahead of the Royal Rumble.

Ziggler is now being presented with a golden opportunity to get himself over with the crowd even more. He will be competing in RAW's chamber match against Punk, Chris Jericho, R-Truth, The Miz and Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship.

Truth be told, the only two competitors with an actual shot at winning the match are Punk and Jericho, since they figure to have a match at WrestleMania. That doesn't mean that Ziggler can't still make a major impact, though.

Chamber matches tend to be good for showcasing incredible athletic ability, and it's fair to say that Ziggler is the best athlete in the WWE. There is no doubt in my mind that Ziggler will one day be a true world champion, and I say that because I don't recognize his cup-of-coffee World Heavyweight Championship run from last year.

With that said, Ziggler still has to bide his time before he gets to that point. The WWE Championship picture is a bit too muddled right now, so there isn't a real avenue for him at the moment. If he continues to turn in great performance after great performance, though, he will eventually be rewarded.

The best-case scenario for Ziggler at Elimination Chamber is that he scores one or two eliminations and lasts until the final three along with Punk and Jericho. He and Jericho could work together in an effort to eliminate Punk.

This would lead to Punk overcoming the odds and eliminating Ziggler, but soon after Jericho will sneak up from behind, hit Punk with a Codebreaker and win the title. This would ensure that Ziggler lasts almost until the very end of the match, and if he gets any eliminations it will be icing on the cake.

Ziggler unquestionably has all the tools to be a major star, and barring some unforeseen issue, he will be. His performance at Elimination Chamber is just another rung on the ladder that is leading him to the pinnacle of the company.