Dolph Ziggler Relives Winning MITB And Beating Alberto Del Rio For The WWE Heavyweight Championship
In 2012, Dolph Ziggler stole the show, when climbed to the top of the ladder and won the Money In The Bank briefcase for the first time. With so many great competitors he faced that night, Ziggler recounts how each participant left a mark on his career going forward.
"It's amazing man, being in there at the time. I was a pretty young up-and-coming go-getter," Ziggler proclaimed on WWE's The Bump. "To be out there with someone who I rode up and down the roads with, Christian, I learned so much from that guy – mentally and physically in the ring. Tyson Kidd, I'm a huge fan of his, and I still am. He does so much for us.
"Just know, that little gift that makes everyone laugh, just shows no matter how much you train, no matter how much the Internet likes you or if you're new or been around for 15 years, if you put your body on the line, like I do to that extent, every single time you're in the ring and you're still here today, I don't know anyone like that. I don't know anyone that for 15 years straight keeps setting the bar, knocking it down and stealing the show like I do."
On the RAW after WrestleMania 29, Ziggler shocked the fans and an injured Alberto Del Rio when he cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase and became the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He says if it wasn't for his fanbase that night, his win wouldn't have been as historic as it was.
"It wasn't me cashing it, it was an entire fanbase getting behind someone who they could tell had it. Who they could tell could put the time in, and who they could tell was getting the shaft left and right backstage and continues too," Ziggler noted. "I walked out and I wanted to be all business. When my music hit and I stepped through the curtain, it hit me like 10,000 bees stinging me. I loved that an injured Del Rio almost had me beat three different times. It's a thing of beauty, whether you know how good I am at wrestling, or if you're a fan of the business or if you don't know what the hell is going on, you watch those four minutes, you live and die three different times. I don't know if that could happen to anybody else. It all happened because of the fans."
You can view Dolph Ziggler's full interview here. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE's The Bump with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.