20-year veteran reveals backstage struggles impacted his WWE push

Former WWE wrestler Dolph Ziggler, now known as Nic Nemeth, recently disclosed that conflicts behind the scenes hindered his potential to become a top performer in the WWE while under the management of Vince McMahon.

During his time from 2004 to 2023, Nemeth achieved numerous championships in the Stamford-based promotion. He also competed in the independent circuit, TNA Wrestling, and NJPW, ultimately winning the IWGP Global Championship in his initial reign.

During his appearance on Keepin’ It 100, wrestling veteran Konnan inquired about Nic Nemeth’s experience with backstage complications derailing his momentum in WWE in the past.

“Absolutely, yeah! No one would tell me, and it’s the usual couple of things: one, out of context, sure, somebody, some people, or a group. whatever an idea. But also, it’s showbiz, and if they [WWE] don’t want to go with you, they can make a better excuse; they can find an excuse; they have an excuse; there could be legitimate ones; and it’s out of your hands at some point,”he said.

The Showoff stated that his main event appearances in WWE were akin to “emergency”assignments and he was not the top choice.

“So you keep fighting and hope, okay, ‘If five more people get sick, they are going to shove me in here,’ and then this time at this world title match, they’re gonna have to say I’m the go-to guy, but that wasn’t the case. It was always like a ‘Break Glass in case of emergency and put him in the world title match in the last minute,’”Ziggler continued. [2:12 – 2:50]

Nic Nemeth’s Decision to Stay with WWE

Despite departing from WWE, it was widely speculated among fans that Ziggler would soon join AEW, the promotion owned by Tony Khan.

During their conversation, Konnan learned that the 43-year-old star had spoken with AEW but ultimately chose not to commit due to the various opportunities available to him in free agency.

“In the past, some [talks], but I had a plan that I’ve been working on for probably the last year and a half. I didn’t want to go anywhere. I appreciate that several companies reached out immediately. I [said] I have this one plan; I want to do this on my own, and even so, Scott D’Amore was so insistent because the locker room was so strong, and somebody in the locker room of TNA reached out, and I go, ‘Man, you guys are really making this hard!’”said Nic Nemeth.

On April 27, 2024, the ex-WWE wrestler will take part in AAA’s highly anticipated Triplemania XXXII event, held in Monterrey, Mexico. Nemeth is set to face off against Alberto El Patron (formerly known as Alberto Del Rio) for the AAA Mega Championship.