WWE Reportedly Trying to Transition Dolph Ziggler Out of In-Ring Competition

For some reason, Dolph Ziggler's contractual status is one of the more speculated topics in WWE history. However, we can add another rumor to the list: WWE wants Ziggler out of the ring.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE pitched Ziggler on the idea of taking a non-wrestling role as a backstage producer.

"He signed a new contract last year and there is talk they want to take him out of the ring and make him a producer, and he's been off television the past few weeks," wrote Dave Meltzer.

Earlier this month, a report surfaced indicating that Ziggler could be on his way out of the company altogether. The 38-year-old's contract reportedly expires at the end of the month, and if that's the case he'd quite an attractive free agent — second only to Kenny Omega.

It's worth noting that Ziggler's status has been perpetually ambiguous for at least a year. Reports of a new contract with sweet perks were denied by Ziggler himself, and it wasn't long until the "Dolph is Leaving" rumor mill started back up.

Ziggler seems to enjoy the gray area in which he resides as he's half-acknowledge his inconclusive status on Twitter. However, Ziggler did bemoan his WWE existence in late 2017 during an appearance on Edge and Christian's podcast.

"Now, my job of making somebody that should be ready for a world title picture becomes harder and it's not as much of a shove and if you see the last six months, a year of TV, basically, I'm a gatekeeper to the guys from NXT coming up that they have high expectations for, but if I lose for eight consecutive months before they show up, they are no longer getting that pat on the back to go up a notch, so I almost feel like it's taking back from my role. So I don't know what the change would be, either be to switch things up, disappear here and there, or, I've said this to the boss on several occasions, I go, 'I've made a career out of almost never winning, which is awesome,' but I go, 'at some point, I have to be seen as someone who can win," he said.

Since that interview, Ziggler won both the Intercontinental Championship and the Raw Tag Team Championship with Drew McIntyre. However, Ziggler has essentially been written off TV since December is reportedly not even traveling with Vince McMahon's circus at this time.

"I hate it," Ziggler said "But also I'm someone who, I hate that I'm not the champion. I hate that the show is not about me because that's the mentality you should have if you're in the business. If you're the 'Hey I want to be the opening guy who works for 10 years and saves a bunch of money,' (guy) that's great. But there's a thousand other guys in the back that say, 'I want to be the best. I want to main event WrestleMania, I want the show to be about me.'