WWE: Dolph Ziggler vs. CM Punk Needs to Happen Again

On last week’s Raw, wrestling fans were treated to one of the best television matches of the year when new WWE Champion CM Punk took on and defeated US Champion Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match.

The bout had been made earlier in the evening by Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis during his opening promo/argument with Punk. Despite the new champion rather stupidly dismissing it as a “match no one wanted to see,” the two title-holders churned out a thrilling, gripping match that served to cement Punk’s credibility as a top guy as well as boost the stock of up-and-comer Ziggler.

Indeed, it did not matter that Ziggler lost clean—his talent shone brightly in the nearly 20-minute match, and it will surely win him some fans in the office.

Ziggler’s villainous manager, Vickie Guerrero, was also at ringside, doing her best to help her man’s chances against his loudmouth foe (the hilarious interaction between Punk and Vickie during the match was one of the highlights of the bout).

Ideally, this will not be the only match between the two and was just a taster of what is to come. Indeed, there was too much potential shown here for the WWE booking team to not do some sort of Ziggler vs. Punk program in the future.

First of all, such a program would virtually guarantee outstanding matches, much needed at a time when WWE’s main event scene is churning out some decidedly patchy in-ring results. 

WWE World Champion Mark Henry has improved in recent months, but his flaws as a performer are still blindingly clear, as his awful, lethargic bout with Big Show at Survivor Series showed.

Similarly, while WWE poster boy John Cena tries incredibly hard, his in-ring skills are as inconsistent as ever, with his sloppy punches and clumsiness continuing to blight most of his matches. With WWE’s talented roster, their in-ring product could be a lot better—and probably should be.

Therefore, a program between Punk and Ziggler would be a boon for WWE’s flagging in-ring product. America’s No. 2 promotion, TNA Wrestling, may (dubiously) bill and market themselves as a company where “Wrestling Matters,” but WWE showcasing more superb Ziggler/Punk bouts would surely establish them once and for all as the real wrestling company to watch for great in-ring action.     

Aside from the fact that the two grapplers have phenomenal in-ring chemistry, any Ziggler/Punk feud would guarantee outstanding promos and interviews.

As his blistering promos throughout the summer of 2011 illustrate, Punk is one of the greatest promo men in the company and, for his part, Ziggler is continuing to make huge strides as a talker and heel personality (Ziggler noted recently that he was taking improv classes in his days off).

No doubt, the witty, dynamic exchanges between the two on the mic could be a highlight of Raw and provide an antidote to the sophomoric, corny promos John Cena unleashes on us every single week.

Additionally, the presence of heat-magnet Vickie Guerrero will also be a great aid to any potential program.  The talented Guerrero is hugely over with the fans and remains one of the company’s top heels, as the vociferous boos she receives every week will readily attest to.

Certainly, the conniving manager’s inevitable attempts to aid her client Ziggler and swing the odds in his favor as he battles Punk would surely be a wildly entertaining part of any potential storyline.  

Summarily, at a time when the main event scene in WWE has grown extremely stale and fans are practically salivating to see some fresh, young faces on top, the WWE creative team would be smart to book Ziggler/Punk feud for the WWE Title in the near future.

Aside from giving a new challenge to Punk, who has seemingly faced everyone in WWE, it could also provide the promising Ziggler with a much-needed push that would hopefully help him graduate into the main event scene.