WWE Survivor Series 2011 Predictions: Dolph Ziggler Will Earn Main Event Billing

It wasn't long ago that Dolph Ziggler was playing the role of a male cheerleader as Nicky in the Spirit Squad. It was even a shorter time ago that he was known by his real name Nick Nemeth as a caddy for Kerwin White.

With gimmicks like those, few probably expected Ziggler to ever rise to the heights he has as a former Intercontinental Champion and current United States Champion. Ziggler even had a blink-and-you-missed it run as World Heavyweight Champion last year based off a technicality.

Ziggler has been entrenched as an excellent mid carder for quite some time, but his recent uptick in charisma and his always great in-ring skills prove that it is time for him to take the next step forward. I believe that the wheels will be set in motion at Survivor Series for his push to the main event.

As great as it is for Ziggler to have the United States Championship, it should serve as a stepping stone more than an anchor in his ascent to the top. With that said, Survivor Series is the perfect time for him to finally drop the title to the red-hot Zack Ryder.

Not only will it help in the continued rise of Ryder, but it will free Ziggler of any ties to the mid card and allow him to get involved in some high-profile feuds. Additionally, Ziggler will be pulling double duty at Survivor Series just as he did at Vengeance.

Besides his title match with Ryder, Ziggler will be a part of Team Barrett in a traditional, five-on-five Survivor Series match. While I think the biggest reason for this match is the continued advancement of Wade Barrett, Zigglers stands to get a nice push out of it as well.

Barrett, Ziggler and Cody Rhodes could really benefit from being sole survivors in the match, and that is exactly what I think will happen. Randy Orton, Sheamus and Mason Ryan are all on the opposing team, but Barrett's squad to find cheap ways to eliminate them so as not to make them look weak.

Those wrestlers, Ziggler included, would get a big bump in credibility if they were to indeed take out the likes of Orton and Sheamus. Great Survivor Series performances have helped launch the careers of many legendary superstars, and I expect Ziggler to follow in their footsteps.

The fact that the WWE trusts Ziggler enough to wrestle multiple matches on back-to-back pay-per-view cards speaks volumes with regards to what the company thinks of him. His wrestling ability has never been questioned, but now he finally has the personality to reach the next level, and Survivor Series will only be the beginning.

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