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When thinking of the best double turns in professional wrestling, most fans would point toward the match at WWE WrestleMania 13, when Bret “The Hitman” Hart turned heel, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin turned face, during one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time. This may be the best double turn in all of wrestling, but one which goes under the radar at times happened between Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler at the 2013 Payback PPV. It may be one of the best executed double turns in history, just behind the notorious Hart/Austin match.

The Fans Were Behind Dolph Ziggler’s Money In The Bank Cash-In

Over 2012, Dolph Ziggler had emerged as one of the most promising performers on the roster, who was just on the cusp of the main event scene. As 2012 closed out, he picked up a victory in the main event of TLC over John Cena, and it felt like just a matter of time before he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. Due to his talents, Ziggler had secured a lot of fans despite being a heel at the time, with crowds chanting his name through various World Heavyweight Championship matches – even at WrestleMania 29.RELATED: Looking Back At When Dolph Ziggler Truly Was A Main Eventer In WWE

On the Raw following WrestleMania, when champion Alberto Del Rio was in a vulnerable state, Ziggler’s music hit to one what may be one of the biggest pops of the modern era. The crowd went crazy as Ziggler won the World Heavyweight Championship, which felt long overdue. It was certainly a stunning moment, with the crowd firmly on his side. With the show having the typically raucous crowd, where WWE claims that “they boo the superstars that they normally cheer” and vice versa, it was expected that WWE would just continue with the current face and heel dynamic of Del Rio and Ziggler.

Dolph ZIggler Cashes In

Unfortunately, Ziggler had picked up a concussion shortly after his win, ruling him out of action for a month or so. He still held the title, and a match was set for the pair at Payback. Ziggler’s crowd reactions were still positive, and Del Rio wasn’t the most over babyface in the world, but for the most part, the presentations were still consistent with their characters – that was until Payback when everything was flipped on its head.

The Double Turn Between Ziggler & Del Rio Was Executed To Perfection

Ziggler and Del Rio are two great in-ring workers anyway, so they were bound to have a good match anyway, but the way this match was told was great. It was common knowledge of Ziggler’s concussion, so Del Rio targeted his head. It was a strong-style type of match – hard-hitting and impactful, with Del Rio’s shots to Ziggler feeling authentic and brutal. This was unrelenting at times, with it clear that Del Rio wanted to do harm to Ziggler, rather than just win the match.

RELATED: Stone Cold Vs Bret Hart & 9 Other Great Double Turns In Wrestling History

Dolph Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio WWE Payback

The crowd became restless and uncomfortable, but that was desired intention. Throughout the match, Del Rio became the aggressor, and Ziggler came across as a defiant champion, unwilling to give up despite the referee giving him the option to. Ziggler’s selling was sensational, and he managed to garner a lot of sympathy from the audience to the point where the crowd changed within the match to support him and boo Del Rio. At the end of the match, Del Rio put Ziggler through so much punishment that he couldn’t kick out, and he shockingly won back the World Heavyweight Title, cutting a promo post-match to further cement his heel turn by berating the audience and bragging.

The Aftermath For Dolph Ziggler In WWE Was Underwhelming

The in-ring psychology and performance of both men allowed this double turn to seamlessly happen without any question of who the fans should align with once it was over, and accomplishing this is incredibly difficult, but it was done so brilliantly. The fans wanted to cheer for Ziggler, so WWE didn’t fight this, turning him babyface and doing what the audience wanted.

RELATED: 10 Times WWE Could Have Made Dolph Ziggler A Star (But Didn’t)

Dolph Ziggler Alberto Del Rio

This set up the possibility of a great babyface journey for Ziggler to reclaim the title at Money in the Bank. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen, which in the long run made the double turn rather insignificant. If Ziggler had eventually won the title back, then perhaps this match would be looked back on with a greater appreciation, but it has ultimately faded into the past as a title match on a B-PPV at a time when the World Heavyweight Championship was treated like an afterthought. In a vacuum, disregarding the aftermath of Ziggler’s time in WWE, this was a masterfully told match, execution to perfection, and done so in a way that makes it one of the greatest ever double turns.