Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler Will Be Underwhelming Feud for The Glorious One

Dolph Ziggler will serve as Bobby Roode's lackluster welcoming committee to the WWE SmackDown stage.

The Showoff's current gimmick will limit the sparks between him and the former NXT champ. And WWE's lack of commitment to Ziggler will push this feud down the card.

After weeks of Ziggler mocking other Superstars' entrances, there was finally an endgame in sight. Roode stepped out to confront the former world champ on Tuesday's SmackDown. A tense confrontation led to a challenge.

And now it's official: Roode will face Ziggler at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on Oct. 8.

Fans of The Glorious One should keep their expectations low, though. This doesn't promise to be a barnburner of a rivalry.

For one, the current incarnation of Ziggler, where he's angry that everyone else is using gimmicks and hype to get over, is uninspiring. The heel's promos feel forced. This persona has remained one-dimensional. 

This is the least interesting Ziggler has been since he was Kerwin White's caddy.  

The desperate "holding onto his career by his fingernails" version of Ziggler thrilled. It made his rivalry with The Miz can't-miss. This time around, the story will be far flatter.

And Ziggler is fresh off being Shinsuke Nakamura's first main-roster rival in a feud that never hit a high gear. 

Both the matches and the promos were average. Overall, Ziggler's heel work never clicked. There's a real danger of that happening again. 

Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports remarked that Nakamura may have been better off tangling with The Miz instead: 

Ziggler hasn't had a great stretch in the ring of late. Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer Newsletter star ratings aren't gospel, but they're a good jumping-off point for discussion. And Meltzer hasn't been very generous with The Showoff recently.

His Backlash match against Nakamura garnered a 2.75 rating out of 5.0, (h/t Internet Wrestling Database). He notched a 2.0 against Apollo Crews and a 1.75 at the Elimination Chamber PPV. 

Is he going to snap out of that against Roode who employs such a methodical style?

Credit: WWE.com

Roode vs. Ziggler is bound to be a low-card fixture, too. The Showoff's days as a WWE title contender feel like they happened a million years ago. After challenging Dean Ambrose for the company's top prize last summer, he moved onto a long battle with The Miz. Since then, Ziggler has often been a low priority.

Being asked to clash with the likes of Crews and Mojo Rawley says a lot. As does missing out on several PPVs this year, including SummerSlam.

SmackDown's other feuds are poised to get more airtime. This midcard affair will get minimal effort from WWE Creative.

All that will add up to Roode hitting the ground jogging, beginning his run on the blue brand in ho-hum fashion.