Dolph Ziggler Talks WWE WrestleMania 31, Daniel Bryan and More

As Dolph Ziggler continues his quest to climb the ladder to professional wrestling immortality, he recognizes he must first build and cement his legacy at WrestleMania. The next rung on the ladder to greatness for the Show Off involves stealing the show at WrestleMania 31 on Sunday, March 29, when he competes in a multi-man ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

In addition to training and preparing for the hellacious match on the road to WrestleMania, Ziggler is also making the media rounds to hype his highly anticipated appearance, as well as the pay-per-view extravaganza itself. Earlier this week, he spoke with Ring Rust Radio (quotes courtesy of the News of Delaware County’s Joe Arcidiacono) to discuss competing for Bad News Barrett's intercontinental title, igniting buzz on social media for a potential match with Daniel Bryan earlier this year and more.

WWE fans have been calling for seemingly a decade for the creative team to highlight midcard storylines and championships. This year, the company has attempted to do just that with John Cena competing against Rusev for the WWE United States Championship, in addition to placing some of the most skilled wrestlers in the world into one ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Though Barrett may be the reigning champion, Ziggler has emerged as a favorite heading into the match. Last December, he defeated Luke Harper for the intercontinental belt in a ladder match, which was regarded by many fans as one of the best matches of 2014. Ziggler seemed to leave it all on the line in that match, proving once again that he is every bit the "show-off" he announces himself to be.

Fans thought prestige would be restored to the WWE Intercontinental Championship after that show-stealing match, but that proved to be wishful thinking. However, Ziggler understands what it would take to ultimately restore prestige to what was once seen as a highly coveted championship:

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Well to restore prestige, you’d have to do something similar to what I did a couple of months ago. I finally beat Miz for the title, and then constantly, The Authority wanted to take it off me. So it became that much more exciting because every Monday, every Thursday, every weekend, every pay-per-view I was defending that title. They were trying to stick it to me, and you didn’t know if I was going to win it or if I was going to lose it because the odds were stacked against me. Or you thought that whether they are trying to take it off him or not, it’s constantly being defended, and I think that was the right track in starting it to get seen as the workhorse title that gets put on the line all the time.

Brock Lesnar is not always around, this could be the up-and-coming title, and for a couple of months I defended that thing 20 times and that’s the absolute way to get that title more prestigious. It’s obviously on the back burner right now; there’s other stories going on, it’s not the top story right now, and I’m not going to pretend it is.

My goal is when I’m given an inch I try to take a mile. So when I had that title, I was always wanting to defend it, tell Triple H to call whoever he wants, have him at ringside, because the more I defended it, it slowly began to gain prestige as a title that wasn’t just a workhorse title, but a title that was going to be defended sometimes, and that’s what needs to happen.

"

Winning and restoring prestige to the WWE Intercontinental Championship isn't Ziggler's only focus at WrestleMania. He has his sights set on a much grander scale, possibly one with far greater importance for fans and for his career: to ultimately steal the show and be remembered the next day.

With WrestleMania serving as the biggest show each year, every wrestler looks to outdo his peers to become the most discussed Superstar following the event. He has stiff competition to emerge from the Show of Shows as 2015's Mr. WrestleMania, not just in the ladder match but also at the top of the card. Regardless of who else is on the card, Ziggler is confident in himself to show them up:

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Here’s the deal, ladder matches are crazy; the Intercontinental title is starting to barely mean something again, not just to me, but the fans. I’ll say what I always say going into WrestleMania: You’re going to see Sting, you’re going to see Brock Lesnar, you’re going to see John Cena, so my goal and the chip on my shoulder's goal is to have you talking about my match the next day.

I promise you, there are so many hungry guys in there who want to prove to everyone just how damn good they really are. It’s going to be hard for me to keep up, but trust me I will.

"

Often compared to Shawn Michaels, the man heralded as the all-time Mr. WrestleMania, Ziggler knows the many classic HBK matches from WrestleMania and recognizes what it takes to rise to the top at the storied event. However, he also understands the pressure and difficulty of doing so in a multi-man match.

Still, it's clear he would prefer to wrestle a one-on-one affair to showcase his skills and attempt to rival Michaels for the moniker of Mr. WrestleMania:

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For me, I would have to get a singles match at some point. We’re going on 10 years of being under contract and five-and-a-half of them being on television full time. To become Mr. WrestleMania, it doesn’t have to be a premier match, you can just be a standout, but at some point you need to be in an important match whether you earned it yourself or you got it handed to you, but you need to be in an important match. It needs to be a singles match.

Stealing the show is one thing; everyone’s going out to do that, but you need to stand out though and make your own WrestleMania moment. Everybody’s is different, and I’ve got to find a way to stand out against six or seven upcoming Superstars who want to outperform each other. I have to do that, and once that happens, then I have a chance to stand out as a Mr. WrestleMania.

"

Many fans hoped, possibly even prayed, Ziggler would have an opportunity to showcase his skills in a guaranteed show-stealing singles match when he offered to be Daniel Bryan's opponent for WrestleMania following the Royal Rumble. Although they've wrestled before, both have become massive fan favorites over the past year as fans feel they are often overlooked and misused by the company.

Ziggler vs. Bryan could be seen as a dream match at this point given their immense popularity. Not only has their popularity increased, but they have also both clearly raised their game to the point that fans often debate which of them is the top wrestler in the world. Ziggler was fully aware how the match would have been perceived and explained why facing Bryan at WrestleMania was so important to him:

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I randomly suggested it. I was pissed at my Royal Rumble match, I was pissed. I felt bad about Daniel Bryan with the entire world behind him and getting shot out after a couple of minutes. So I thought I have this chip on my shoulder, he’s got a chip on his shoulder, why the hell don’t we show people who the real main event match should be?

If you want to pretend that there is no story, what are you kidding me? This guy went from nothing to being the biggest chanted name in this business; he changed history in the main event of WrestleMania that he was not supposed to be in.

I, on the other hand, on a slightly smaller scale, was told that I would never be champion. I would never be Money in the Bank winner, I would never have the chance to be on top here, and damn it I earned it. I said, You know what? Daniel without these people behind you, I don’t know what type of situation you would be in right now, maybe mine, but if you want to prove who is better, this isn’t about who can steal the show—this is about who the real main event is in this business should be.

I sure as hell wasn’t going out there to shake his hand and shake his hand after. I was out there to kick his ass and prove that I’m the best. It’s unfortunate it didn’t happen because there was a little buzz all based on me suggesting to him let's show the WWE Universe what a main event should be, and I dare someone to try to follow that.

It didn’t happen, but I don’t quit. I come up with my own stuff on my own time before, that almost turned into something, so that means maybe next time it will turn into something.

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Whether or not Ziggler wins the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania, fans will still call for him to emerge as a main event player and contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, as they should. It certainly appeared he was heading in that direction following Survivor Series. 

Ziggler has every skill necessary to be a megastar in the wrestling industry and beyond. He has the in-ring skills and larger-than-life rock-'n'-roll-star aura and is also one of the more quick-witted wrestlers, as he proves every day on Twitter and in his stand-up comedy.

Perhaps more importantly, Ziggler has a true passion for wrestling, which shows whenever he speaks so passionately about wanting to show off for the fans. He has been one of the most improved wrestlers in the past decade, and fans recognize his dedication to improve and break through the glass ceiling to be a mainstay in the main event scene. 

"There’s been a lot of guys who weren’t supposed to be champs that actually were. I will have the drive like I have had every single day since Day 1 to be there and be the best," Ziggler said. "If I have to prove myself without that title, I’ll continue to do that until I get the chance to get that title."

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player below (some language NSFW).