Dolph Ziggler Talks Scripted Promos, Not Wrestling For The WWE Championship, Mr. WrestleMania, More

As noted earlier, Dolph Ziggler recently spoke with Ring Rust Radio about the Intercontinental Title Match at WrestleMania 31, Daniel Bryan, restoring prestige to the Intercontinental title and more. You can check out the full interview in the video above, below are some more highlights:

Brandon Galvin: You pride yourself on being the showoff, the wrestler nobody can outperform in the ring. Who is the consensus measuring stick in the WWE now, and all-time?

Oh wow, I don't know, my opinion all time would be Shawn Michaels. Measuring stick now? I mean, it depends, and do you have to be in the main event scene? Do you have to be one of the handpicked guys to talk every week, or can you be one of those guys that goes out every week whether it's for two seconds or two minutes or twenty minutes or thirty minutes, walks to the back, and says to all the producers and talent in the back "follow that". If that is the case then it's me.

Donald Wood: You are a two-time world heavyweight champion, but many fans believe you have the drawing power to return to the top of the mountain. I know you're fighting for the IC title at WrestleMania, and that's where your focus is now, but where does winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship sit on your priority list and do you believe you'll reach that level again?

I'd like to think so, but also it all depends. Obviously I have to set my sights on the Intercontinental title right now, as I do I focus on that going into WrestleMania. Even if I wasn't focused on that title, I would have to be because I am in no position on the card to say I am next in line for the World Heavyweight title. I am not dumb enough to think I am. Here's the deal though, I can be, I have been, and I will be again one way or another. Whether I get that chance, that is out of my hands. It is in the hands of the WWE Universe, the hands of Vince McMahon, the hands of the Authority, and however you want to view that it's in their hands. Can I pry it out of their hands? Yes. I've done it in the past when I wasn't supposed to. 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 one to be there and be the best. If I have to prove myself without that title, I'll continue to do that until I get the chance to get that title.

Brandon Galvin: With WrestleMania coming up, obviously two names synonymous with the event are The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. What do you think it'll take for you, or any other performer, to become the next Mr. WrestleMania?

For me, I would have to get a singles match at some point. We're going on ten 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 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 6 or 7 upcoming superstars that 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.

Donald Wood: You are widely regarded as one of the best in-ring workers in the wrestling industry. How much pride do you take in your wrestling ability and how much do you focus on keeping your matches fresh when you're on television so much?

I will answer that if each of you can tell me one reason why I'm not wrestling for the championship.

RRR: I think its politics personally.

Take that part out. Any job you will have in your entire life, even when I was a janitor had politics. Think of something else. What do I have that is a weakness?

RRR: I can't think of anything conceivably.

Oh come on its not going to hurt my feelings.

RRR: You're too blonde?

I've actually switched it out to highlights so you're wrong. Most importantly honestly I can't think of anything either. The internet has a different point because they think for some reason I can't talk cause I say show off all the time, to be fair when I get a chance to talk candidly or however I want or how passionate I am about this business I deliver every single time. I can't think of anything either, so one of these days it's going to have to break through.

Mike Chiari: Aside from wrestling, it's well known that one of your passions is stand-up comedy. When you're cutting a promo with WWE how much does improvisation generally come into play for you, and also what's your preference in terms of getting a scripted promo or going completely off the cuff? What are you most comfortable with?

My favorite thing to do is to go on the WWE app. It's not a joke or a plug because you have freedom. It's like the 80's all over again. They say, "hey, you have a match against Luke Harper at the Sportatroium, on December 13th at 7:30 for the USWA title" and you go "got it". They bring you on and you got the bullet points in your head and you have the passion to put over the title, to put over your opponent, to put over how great this match is going to be, how it's going to steal the show, how you're going to walk out of there as the champion, the peoples champion with the title over your shoulder, that's what I love. On the fly, no one can top me. It comes down to a lot of improve. In the ring, obviously it's a television show with a script. Some of us are allowed to deviate from the script and some are not, I am not one of those.

Brandon Galvin: You strive for perfection in the ring and professionally and it's been documented that you're never satisfied with a performance. What would it take for you to be ultimately satisfied with a match or performance?

I honestly don't know that's a great question. Thinking of some of my favorite matches in my entire life, like my match against Edge at the Royal Rumble for the World Heavyweight title. I was a nobody who lost every single week. Going into that match I lost every week for six months. Edge is so good and he was a mentor of mine, and I held my own in that match where he took the lead. For the last twelve minutes of that twenty five, everybody was on the edge of their seats thinking the guy who loses every single night was going to become World Heavyweight champion and damn it I am proud of that. Whenever I see a clip of it, I always think I could have done this better, and being a perfectionist like myself, I may never be happy about it. Is that really a problem if my entire job is to outdo what I've already done? I'm ok with it.

Source: Ring Rust Radio