WWE: Dolph Ziggler Deserves to Be a Top Guy, but Is WWE Behind Him Being One?

Dolph Ziggler is a bona fide superstar just waiting to happen, but every time the WWE creative team puts its finger on the trigger that would make him a main-eventer, it pulls back before pushing it all the way.

Let’s just call it “The Curious Case of Dolph Ziggler” because I sure as hell can’t figure out what’s going on with the WWE and why it won’t go full speed ahead with the push of one of the most talented superstars in the entire company. 

Seriously, there’s no single quality that Ziggler doesn’t have or something that’s missing that should be holding him back. 

He can wrestle his ass off, he’s got a great gimmick as “The Showoff,” he oozes charisma, and in 2011, he stepped up his mic work to a main event level. 

Ziggler is what we like to call the total package. Yet, every time it seems like the WWE creative team will recognize that and reward him with a sustained main event run, it gets nervous at the last second and pulls the plug on his push. 

It’s clear that the WWE is behind Ziggler being an upper midcarder and a short-term main-eventer when needed, but what isn’t clear is whether the company is willing to keep him in the World title picture, because every time that Ziggler finds himself hovering around the main event scene, he’s gone from it almost as quickly as he gets there. 

In early 2011, Ziggler was competing for the World Heavyweight Championship against Edge at the Royal Rumble, but only a few months later, he was relegated to a mixed tag team match featuring Snooki at WrestleMania 27. 

Later that year, he would pull double duty at multiple pay-per-views, including Survivor Series, in route to yet another World title opportunity at the 2012 Royal Rumble, this time facing CM Punk for the WWE Championship. 

Now? Ziggler's slide down the card continues. Much like in 2011, 2012 has seen Ziggler go from No. 1 contender for a World title to afterthought on Monday Night Raw. 

Ziggler was the third wheel (to Punk and John Laurinaitis) when feuding with Punk, and though he was involved in Raw’s Elimination Chamber, he was nothing more than filler who was used to give the match another athletic superstar. 

Roughly a year after getting to the highest point of his career, Ziggler should be a consistent main-eventer by now. But he’s not. 

Ziggler is in basically the same spot now that he has been in for most of his WWE career. He’s an upper midcarder who’s not going to job, but is still sort of suck in no man’s land.

And I blame no one but Vince McMahon and the creative team. 

Ziggler has done anything and everything that you could ask for out of a guy in his position. He’s put on some great matches, developed a solid gimmick and improved his mic skills. 

Yet, the WWE is so hesitant to take a risk, to push Ziggler to the highest point of his career and to give him what he undoubtedly deserves: a chance to be a permanent main-eventer. 

Obviously, Ziggler could be in a much worse position than he is currently in. He could be on a lengthy losing streak or relegated to Superstars like Jack Swagger. 

But “The Showoff” is in the unfortunate position of WWE management having enough faith in him to make him an upper midcarder, but not so much where they’ll elevate him to the main event for more than a month. 

I know that WrestleMania 28 is right around the corner and that likely has something to do with Ziggler being de-pushed lately, but this start-and-stop nature of Ziggler’s pushes has to, well, stop. 

Make up your mind, WWE. Either push the guy or don’t.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions on Formspring.