Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Dolph Ziggler in Desperate Need of Character Change

1. Dolph Ziggler Awaiting the Next Stage of His Evolution

The Showoff showed a darker side of himself on Monday's Raw, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Ziggler pinned Kevin Owens by illegally putting his foot on the ropes for extra leverage. The move was one straight out of Ric Flair's playbook. It's by no means a tactic a self-respecting babyface would employ.

That one act stirred up interest in Ziggler that has been fading of late. It points to something happening with a character that has grown stagnant. 

LaToya Ferguson of the A.V. Club wrote, "If Ziggler is as desperate and obsessed with 'entertaining' as we're constantly led to believe he is, then what's to stop him from cheating when the going gets tough?"

Maybe all that desperation is affecting him, forcing him to adjust his moral code. That would be a wise move to make Ziggler more compelling.

For now, The Showoff is a guy who never gives up. He is looking to steal the show each night. He's a gutsy, tough competitor who ultimately loses a lot.

That's who he's been for a few years after turning face during his feud with Alberto Del Rio in 2013.

There has been little exploration of that character since. Ziggler has started paying tribute to Motley Crue with his ring gear and doing his very best to maximize every backstage interview he gets, but we haven't seen much of an arc with him.

He's in the same place he was in 2013, while others have evolved. Seth Rollins has since morphed into a corporate suck-up and opportunist. Sheamus has founded The League of Nations, donned a gladiator look and has taken to hating underdogs. Big E has gone from brooding bodyguard to gyrating irritant as a member of The New Day.

Ziggler needs growth of his own. 

It's hard to invest in his journey at the moment because it's in the same point that it was for so long. He's being overshadowed by new acts and rising stars. 

Whether WWE goes with a full-blown heel turn or not, it needs to give Ziggler a spark by tweaking his act. Perhaps he could grow angrier and more vicious, fed up with coming in second so often. Maybe he could become intent on proving his mat acumen and incorporate more submission holds, filling his bouts with showboating displays of his technical skill.

A new alliance or return to villainy would be welcome, too.

The worst thing WWE can do in this situation is move on and act like that bit of cheating didn't happen. It should instead be the catalyst for a change Ziggler badly needs.

2. What on Earth is Going On with Titus O'Neil?

It's hard to believe that this is not some elaborate practical joke, but WWE is reportedly suspending Titus O'Neil for 90 days. Apparently this stems from an incident during Monday's Raw where O'Neil grabbed Vince McMahon's arm.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported, "We are told that McMahon was angry at being grabbed and that led to the suspension. 

If that's the sole reason for shelving O'Neil, that is absolutely insane. As Denny Burkholder of CBS Sports pointed out, that's a steeper punishment than failing the Talent Wellness Program:

McMahon has to rethink this. Suspending O'Neil so long for something so minor will negatively affect the work environment. Wrestlers have to be nervous that any little offense could cost them valuable airtime. In O'Neil's case, it could cost him a spot on the WrestleMania card.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Paul Van Dale

Carmella's storyline path to wrestling is that she was Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady's hairdresser, and her boys got her into the business. In real life, she's a second-generation wrestler. Her father, Paul Van Dale, worked for WWE in the '90s as an enhancement talent.

In the following clip, he helps to showcase Razor Ramon:

Van Dale is just a WWE footnote, but Carmella is poised to be much more. She's progressed in a hurry and is now firmly planted in the NXT Women's Championship picture.

4. Hard to Get Hyped About Mojo 

NXT's tag team division features a number of teams capable of making a major impact on the main roster. The Hype Bros are not one of them.

Placing Zack Ryder in this duo was a smart move, as he had nothing else going on. It's Mojo Rawley who will ultimately hold them back. The effervescent, high-energy former football player is still as limited and one-dimensional as when he debuted.

The "giddy partygoer" shtick isn't connecting. 

And while it's easy to imagine American Alpha, Amore and Cassidy or even the Vaudevillains entertaining as half a rivalry with one of WWE's top teams, it takes more imagination to see Rawley and Ryder thriving in that spot. Rawley can't hang in the ring with The Usos. He can't cut it on the mic to hold his own against The New Day.

5. The Multitalented Finn Balor

Balor can do just about anything in the ring—mat wrestling, soaring from the top rope, using expert showmanship.

Add singing to the list. Balor entertained an NXT crowd recently with a bit of comedic crooning:

The NXT champ nailed the American accent until he had to say the word "throat." If that's his most glaring weakness, he's going to be just fine.

6. Breaking Down an Upset

With all the more high-profile happenings on Monday's Raw, fans may have skipped over the fact that Adam Rose pinned Titus O'Neil.

WWE has treated those two wrestlers like two completely different species. This was a mouse overwhelming a cat.

The victory was Rose's first win on Raw since April 27 of last year. O'Neil, meanwhile, hadn't lost a singles match since last November in the first round of the WWE title tournament. Rose has just a .286 winning percentage in 2016; O'Neil boasted a .818 mark so far this year.

The Social Outcasts have been a moderately fun team up to this point. A few more upsets like this will force fans to take them more seriously.

Heath Slater already owns a win over Dolph Ziggler. Rose downed O'Neil. It's time for Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas to provide their own shockers. 

7. The Boss of the Underground

Lucha Underground's Catrina (known as Maxine while competing in WWE's developmental system) has been tremendous as the promotion's dangerous, wicked femme fatale.

Her character is a prime example of how to utilize sex appeal in a more compelling way than WWE often does. A part of her presentation is that her attractiveness is just a small part of who she is. Catrina is sadistic, power-hungry, callous and calculating.

This is the kind of well-rounded role for which Lana would be perfect, should the company decide to start highlighting her again.

8. Daniel Bryan Early WWE Hit List

Bryan's retirement has the WWE fanbase scrambling for old clips of him to savor. There are heaps of great matches to sort through, despite his hanging it up at just 34 years old.

Much of his stellar Ring of Honor run is worth revisiting. The same goes for his WWE peak, where he killed it against guys like Cesaro, Seth Rollins and Triple H.

The following, though, is a list of recommended bouts from his first few years at WWE:

• Daniel Bryan vs. Batista: Raw, May 3, 2010 (Beat the Clock Challenge)
• Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison: Hell in a Cell 2010 (Submissions Count Anywhere)
• Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler: Bragging Rights 2010
• Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase Jr.: Survivor Series 2010
• Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton: SmackDown, Nov. 25, 2011

Notice how much excellence he crammed into such a short match with Batista. And it says a lot about his skills that he helped lead The Miz and DiBiase to some of the best work of their careers.

9. Charlotte vs. Brie Bella In Need of Major Work

After a hugely engaging rivalry between Becky Lynch and Charlotte wrapped up, the Divas champ is now in the midst of a story WWE is neglecting.

Putting Brie into the No. 1 contender's spot for now is fine, while WWE seemingly looks to build toward a Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte WrestleMania clash, but it has to put more effort into it. Why is the audience supposed to root for Brie here? She's suddenly a babyface just because her sister is recovering from neck surgery.

That generates sympathy for Nikki, but Brie needs her own angle.

Leading up to Fastlane, WWE should have Charlotte ambush Brie, leaving her hurt and vulnerable. It should show her fighting on despite being injured to play up her courage. Brie should talk about her career ending soon, saying that she wants badly to win the Divas title one more time before she and Daniel Bryan start their post-WWE lives together.

WWE should take the opportunity to elevate Charlotte as a heel before her eventual collision with Banks. Violently breaking away from her father would aid the build to Fastlane and WrestleMania, making her look like a true cold-blooded villain.

10. Samoa Joe on Daniel Bryan

The entire wrestling world saluted Bryan when he announced his retirement. His old Ring of Honor rival tweeted a heartfelt message that included a note about Bryan's influence on the next generation of in-ring performers:

Joe wrote:

"

Though you may not realize it today somewhere in the world a young man or woman is endlessly obsessing over videos displaying your body of work. They are studying your every technique much like yourself when you studied the masters of our past, but most important of all they are filled with uncontainable optimism at the path you have paved before them.

"

Joe is exactly right. Bryan was the type of wrestler who made one fall in love with the art in a deep, complete way. That and the fact that he had so many tremendous showings is sure to lead aspiring wrestlers to emulate him, trying to recreate the magic he produced between the ropes.

Match statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.