WWE: Comparing the Careers of Chris Jericho & Dolph Ziggler

Earlier this month, WWE.com posted an article highlighting the vast similarities between Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler. Now that Ziggler has officially sent Jericho packing, I thought I'd offer my own analysis that compares the careers of the two ruthless rivals and predicts the path Ziggler might take going forward.

Before Chris Jericho was the best in the world at what he does, he was nothing more than a "vanilla midget" who consistently fought for the Cruiserweight Championship in WCW. Despite his tremendous abilities, he was often relegated to the undercard due to his smaller stature along with the likes of Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko.

Dolph Ziggler didn't kick off his career as a top name either, working as both a caddy and a male cheerleader before debuting under the Ziggler name in September 2008. Although his previous gimmicks didn't last long, they helped him gain exposure as well as experience before finally finding his true fit.

Upon seeing Ziggler for the first time, I honestly believed he was one of Ric Flair's sons and thought he'd be mostly utilized as a glorified jobber. Sure, that was the case in his first few months on Raw, but he made an impact during his in-ring debut in late 2008 as he took Batista to the limit.

After leaving WCW, Jericho was quickly signed by WWE, where his debut for the organization was hyped months in advance as a major happening. Jericho's memorable millennium countdown clock struck zero in late 1999, where he made his presence felt during a verbal exchange with The Rock.

Moreover, Y2J's promo with Rocky as well as Ziggler's debut match against the Animal were both successful attempts in jump-starting their respective careers into super stardom.

Although neither Jericho nor Ziggler received a major push following their strong showings against the former WWE Champions, they both entered the Intercontinental Championship picture shortly thereafter.

Over the course of his illustrious career, Jericho has won the Intercontinental title a record-setting nine times. His unforgettable feuds with Chyna, Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit and Shelton Benjamin helped elevate him to main event status over time.

Ziggler, on the other hand, has only held the IC title once, but his numerous failed attempts to capture the belt in 2009 made his title victory in the summer of 2010 that much sweeter. He reigned as Intercontinental Champion for nearly five months, defending the strap against the likes of Kof Kingston, MVP, and Jack Swagger.

Immediately following their losses of the Intercontinental Championship, they were both quickly placed in contention for a World Championship. It might not have been the smartest move at the time, but it gave fans a glimpse of what was to come in the future.

After being in the WWE for only two years, Jericho defeated both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night at 2001's Vengeance event to become the inaugural WWE Undisputed Champion. His reign consisted mostly of fluke victories before dropping the title to Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania 18.

On the premiere edition of SmackDown in 2011, Ziggler's reign as Intercontinental Champion came to an abrupt end at the hands of Kofi Kingston, but he somehow managed to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship later in the night.

This lead to a feud with Edge over the title, where Ziggler came up short of winning the belt each time. However, due to Edge going against the rules set by Interim General Manger Vickie Guerrero, the Rated-R Superstar was stripped of the championship.

On the historic 600th edition of SmackDown, the Show-Off was awarded the golden prize, but his reign came to an end a mere 15 minutes later once Edge was re-signed to the blue brand and won back what was rightfully his.

Sadly, Ziggler's reign as World Heavyweight Champion is officially in the record books, which means that he'll forever be remembered as one of the shortest reigning title holders in history. Thankfully, not many people remember that fateful night (who can blame them?), so Ziggler's eventual World title win will still feel like a big deal.

Nonetheless, Ziggler has since recovered from that minor setback with a huge Money in the Bank victory this past July, which guarantees him a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at any time of his choosing. Despite having created the concept, Jericho himself was never able to win the opportunistic briefcase.

In my opinion, I find that the only thing holding Ziggler back from taking that next big step is Vickie Guerrero, who's been managing the former Spirit Squad member for over two years now. Of course, she's helped him garner heat, but he's more than capable of holding his own without her services.

The Ziggler-Vickie pairing is somewhat reminiscent of when Jericho was with Stephanie McMahon, who managed Y2J during his run as Undisputed Champion and a bit beyond. She helped make him into the most hated heel in the company but ultimately was the go-to girl for helping him win matches.

In recent months, Ziggler has needed no help in defeating Superstars cleanly. His Contract vs. Contract match with Jericho last week on Raw is a prime example, as Ziggler hit Jericho with the Zig-Zag for the three count without the use of any shenanigans.

The similarities in the careers of both Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler is simply uncanny, which leads me to believe that Ziggler could be following in Jericho's footsteps. Both amazing athletes started off as nobodies, but quickly rose to the top as two recognizable names who fell on their faces quickly with lackluster reigns as World Champion.

Despite all that, Jericho and Ziggler rebounded from their World title losses, built themselves back up in the mid-card during their respective reigns as Intercontinental and United States Champion, and are now among the two most decorated wrestlers in WWE today.

Am I speculating that Dolph Ziggler will be the next Chris Jericho. Absolutely not, as there will be only one Chris Jericho, but he will indeed be the first Dolph Ziggler.

Through his 13-year WWE tenure, Jericho is now often as one of the most trusted workers in the business, as he has a tendency to help put over younger Superstars tremendously. Ziggler is no exception, as Y2J allowed Ziggler to pin him clean last Monday night, effectively putting an end to Jericho's wrestling career for the time being.

Similar to Jericho, Ziggler has always been a team player throughout his career. Prior to winning Money in the Bank, Ziggler jobbed out to basically everyone (and still does to this day). He's paid his dues, and has earned the right to be called one of the best and brightest stars WWE has to offer.

Also, Jericho made it clear in his novels that he never felt he had a true WrestleMania moment until he faced Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 19. Up to this point, Ziggler hasn't been able to shine on the grandest stage of them all, but it'd be ironic to see him do so with Jericho at WrestleMania 29 over the golden prize ten years following Jericho's show-stealing performance.

If Jericho's legendary career has been any indication, I'm confident that Ziggler will also find success as his time at the top nears. By the time Jericho returns to the squared circle, one can only imagine that Ziggler will be the reigning World Heavyweight Champion.

Thanks for reading, Bleachers, and make sure to drop a comment below with your thoughts on the contrasting careers of Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler. As always, your criticism and overall feedback on my latest piece is welcomed and greatly appreciated.

GSM out.

Visit my website at Next Era Wrestling, as well as listen to my SAVE US GSM radio show every Thursday at 10/9c for more of my thoughts and writings, along withWWE/TNA news, reviews, recaps and more.

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