Dolph Ziggler On If 17 Second Loss To Kevin Owens Hurts Him More Than It Helps Owens
Dolph Ziggler has been in the middle of the WWE Championship picture for most of the summer, despite only having one televised victory this year. Since starting a feud with WWE Champion Kofi Kingston in late May, Ziggler has found himself on the losing end of every one of their encounters.
Ziggler spoke to Chris Van Vliet today ahead of tonight's Smackdown Live at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, which you can watch in the video above. During the interview, Ziggler discussed his feud with Kingston and admitted that he "is genuinely jealous" that Kingston has the WWE Championship.
"I'm genuinely jealous that Kofi got this, he has everyone behind him, he has the locker room behind him but then he went above and beyond to get that Kofi Mania a real-life thing happen to where people in the back are cheering," Ziggler said. "I was out and to get behind that and still be rooting for someone else, it's weird because we're all wanting ourselves to be the champion."
While Ziggler will get another shot at the WWE Championship this Saturday as part of the Smackville WWE Network special, he has been transitioning into a program with Kevin Owens. The feud hasn't started off well for Ziggler, as he was beaten by Owens in just 17 seconds at WWE Extreme Rules earlier this month. Despite the quick loss, Ziggler said that he was happy to be a part of the match and feels that it did more to help Owens than hurt himself.
"I think that helps him and he was in a position the last couple of months [that] he wasn't doing too much," Ziggler said. "He was just being Kevin Owens and being around. I know a lot of people are rooting for me or against me or don't care and that's fine but to be part of a catalyst that sent him into a different direction, as much as it kills me, I was happy to be a part of it. We could have done a 15-minute match, two-thirds of the way through that pay-per-view, where people were exploding through walls and going through tables and it would have been okay and fine. That was a special moment for Kevin Owens so I think that's better for the business and the company and the show."
Ziggler will face Kingston and Samoa Joe for Kingston's WWE Championship this Saturday on Smackville. The event will take place from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN at 9pm ET and will air live on the WWE Network.