Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is signed toTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs under his real name, stylized asNic Nemeth. Widely regarded as one of greatest professional wrestlers of all time,[10] he also makes occasional appearances on theindependent circuit, and is best known for his tenure inWWE from 2004 to 2023, where he performed under thering namesNicky andDolph Ziggler.
After a career inamateur wrestling, where he established several school records forKent State University, Nemeth signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2004 and was sent toOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he wrestled under his real name. He was promoted to WWE'sRaw brand shortly afterwards in 2005, playing thecaddie sidekick toKerwin White. He was sent back to OVW shortly afterwards, being given the nameNicky and joining the cheerleading-themedSpirit Squad, who debuted onRAW in January 2006 and won theWorld Tag Team Championshiponce before returning to development.
Nicholas Theodore Nemeth was born inCleveland, Ohio, on July 27, 1980.[11] He has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was five years old, when he attended a wrestling event at theRichfield Coliseum, and he decided to become a professional wrestler at age 12. He later revealed onColt Cabana'sArt of Wrestling Podcast that he chose his WWE name "Dolph" because that was his great-grandfather's name, and his friend suggested the surname "Ziggler". Nemeth attendedSt. Edward High School inLakewood, Ohio, where he was anamateur wrestler and holds the school record for mostpins in a career with 82.[11] At St. Edward, he was teammates withGray Maynard andAndy Hrovat.[12]
During his time at St. Edward, the wrestling team won the National Championships on two occasions.[13] He was acollegiate wrestler atKent State University, eventually setting what was then the record for most career wins in the team's history.[11][14] His record was passed in 2006; as of 2010, he stands second all-time in career victories at Kent State.[14] He had 121 career wins between 2000 and 2003.[14][15] Hemajored inpolitical science with apre-lawminor.[16] Prior to his WWE tryout, he had been accepted tothe law school atArizona State University, where he was due to start his first semester.[17] He was a three-time All-Mid-American Conference champion, winning the 165 lb (75 kg) tournament in 2000, 2002, and 2003; as of 2010, he is the last wrestler from Kent State University to have won three wrestling conference championships.[13]
Nemeth became a part of theSpirit Squad faction, a group of five wrestlers who used the in-ring personas of male cheerleaders, and adopted the name Nicky in OVW during late 2005.[11] The Spirit Squad members trained with real cheerleaders and gymnasts to ensure their characters were believable.[22] On January 23, 2006, they had their WWE television debut as a group, appearing onRaw and helpingJonathan Coachman win aRoyal Rumble qualifying match againstJerry "The King" Lawler by performing cheers for Coachman and distracting Lawler.[23] They later became a part of the ongoing scripted feud between WWE chairmanVince McMahon andShawn Michaels. Theheel McMahon brought in the Spirit Squad to attack Michaels on numerous occasions, including placing them in multiplehandicap matches.[24][25]
They also wrestled in the tag team division, and on April 3, onRaw, won theWorld Tag Team Championship whenKenny andMikey, with outside help from the other three Spirit Squad members, defeatedBig Show and Kane.[26][27] After winning the championship, all five members of the Spirit Squad were recognized as the champions, allowing any combination of them to defend the championship under theFreebird Rule.[11]
In May, McMahon signed another Handicap match, with the Spirit Squad facing Michaels. The match never started, however; instead the Spirit Squad attacked Michaels, and, as part of thestoryline, shattered his knee with asteel chair.[28] McMahon broughtTriple H to the ring to attack Michaels with a sledgehammer; however, after Triple H felt that the Spirit Squad had disrespected him, he attacked the group.[28] This led to Triple H and Michaels reformingD-Generation X (DX) and they began a feud with the Spirit Squad.[29][30] DX played varioussophomoricjokes on the Spirit Squad and the McMahons, as well as defeating the Spirit Squad in handicap tag team matches atVengeance and a clean sweep in anelimination handicap match atSaturday Night's Main Event XXXIII.[30][31][32][33]
At the same time as their feud with DX and their alignment with McMahon, the Spirit Squad also wrestled other teams inRaw's tag division over their World Tag Team Championship, successfully defending the championship against the teams ofJim Duggan andEugene,Charlie Haas andViscera, andSnitsky andVal Venis.[31] They then entered a lengthy feud withThe Highlanders, whom they eventually defeated to retain the championship at theUnforgivenpay-per-view on September 17.[34][35] The Spirit Squad as a whole later began a losing streak with separate members losing singles matches toRic Flair on consecutive episodes ofRaw, until Kenny managed to defeat him on the October 23 episode.[36][37][38][39][40] It was then announced that Flair and a WWE legend, selected by interactive voting, would wrestle the team for the World Tag Team Championship atCyber Sunday.[40] The fans choseRoddy Piper, and he and Flair defeated Kenny and Mikey to win the championship at the event on November 5.[41]
The group disbanded on the November 27 episode ofRaw, when they were defeated in a five-on-three handicap match by DX and Flair. In a backstage segment later that night, DX placed all members into a crate stamped "OVW,Louisville, Kentucky", a reference to the developmental territory from which the Spirit Squad had come.[42]
Nemeth returned to OVW on January 17, 2007, at the television tapings, again using his Nick Nemeth ring name, along with Mike Mondo, formerly Mikey in the Spirit Squad, as the "Frat Pack". The pair teamed with Mike Kruel in a match against Seth Skyfire,Shawn Spears, andCody Runnels.[43][unreliable source?] The team disbanded in the early parts of 2007.[44] Nemeth then competed in several dark matches before the OVW television tapings, competing against several wrestlers includingChris Cage,Bradley Jay andJake Hager, before he began teaming with Mondo again in August.[45][46][47][48]
At the end of August 2007, Nemeth and Mike Mondo were moved to theFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) developmental territory and in his debut there, Nemeth gained thenickname "The Natural" and defeated Hade Vansen.[11][49] At the start of 2008, he tweaked his name to "Nic Nemeth" and began teaming with Brad Allen, with the pair gainingTaryn Terrell as theirvalet.[15] Nemeth and Allen started afrat boy typering character with Terrell as a sorority girl. On March 22, Nemeth and Allen won theFCW Florida Tag Team Championship by defeating defending championsEddie Colón andEric Pérez, but lost the championship to Colón and Pérez on April 15.[15][50] The pair defeated Colón and Pérez to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on August 16, but lost it toHeath Miller andJoe Hennig less than a month later.[51]
On September 15, 2008, Nemeth re-debuted onRaw (as a heel), introducing himself in a backstage segment under the name "Dolph Ziggler".[52] On October 10, Nemeth was suspended for 30 days for a violation of WWE'sWellness Program policy.[53] He returned toRaw on November 17 in a backstage segment withRey Mysterio andShawn Michaels.[54] In his first match onRaw under the Ziggler name, he lost toBatista on the December 1, 2008, episode.[55] The following week, he got his first victory as Ziggler, bycountout, againstR-Truth.[56] The next week onRaw, he picked up his first televisedpinfall victory, when he defeatedCharlie Haas.[57]
On April 15, 2009, Ziggler was drafted to theSmackDown brand as part of the2009 Supplemental Draft.[58] He made his debut on the April 17 episode ofSmackDown, defeatingUnited States Champion,Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) in a non-title match, and, as a result, the following week he demanded a match for the championship.[59][60] On the May 1 episode ofSmackDown, however, he failed to win the championship, after he was pinned by MVP.[61] Ziggler then started a rivalry withThe Great Khali, losing to him bydisqualification after attacking Khali with asteel chair.[62] As a result, Khali began coming out to the ring during and after Ziggler's matches, in attempt to gain revenge and to stop Ziggler from cheating.[63][64] Over the next few weeks, Ziggler would defeat Khali by countout and disqualification after making it look like Khali had struck him with a steel chair.[65][66] AtThe Bash pay-per-view on June 28, Ziggler defeated Khali in aNo Disqualification match by pinfall, after Kane interfered and attacked Khali.[67]
Ziggler then entered an on-screen relationship withWWE DivaMaria and she became his valet.[11] He simultaneously started a scripted rivalry withIntercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio, who defeated Ziggler atNight of Champions on July 26 andSummerSlam on August 23 to retain the championship.[68] In September, Mysterio lost the Intercontinental Championship toJohn Morrison, and Ziggler entered a feud with Morrison after defeating him by countout in a non-title match, but lost to him at theHell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 4.[69] On the episode ofSmackDown following Hell in a Cell, Ziggler ended his on-screen relationship with Maria after she accidentally cost him a match against Morrison for the Intercontinental Championship. AtBreaking Point on September 13, Ziggler made an appearance during a promo byPat Patterson, in which Ziggler attacked Patterson until Morrison made the save. He again failed to win the Intercontinental title from Morrison twice, wrestling him to a double countout on the November 13 episode ofSmackDown and losing a two-out-of-three falls match the following week to end the feud. On the February 26, 2010, episode ofSmackDown, Ziggler defeated John Morrison and R-Truth in atriple threat qualifying match to compete in theMoney in the Bank ladder match atWrestleMania XXVI on March 28, but was ultimately unsuccessful.[70][71]
In June 2010, he began a romantic storyline withVickie Guerrero, who began accompanying him to the ring.[72] Ziggler won the WWE Intercontinental Championship fromKofi Kingston on July 28 (aired August 6) atSmackDown.[73][74] In his first title defense atSummerSlam on August 15, he retained the championship against Kingston when the match ended in a no contest due to interference fromThe Nexus.[75] Ziggler was able to make a successful title defense against Kingston at theNight of Champions pay-per-view, and againstKaval atSurvivor Series.[76][77] During this time, Ziggler was chosen as a "Pro" for thefourth season ofNXT, with Jacob Novak as his Rookie, but later was changed toByron Saxton when Ziggler won a battle royal.[78][79][80]
The next month, Ziggler was introduced as the newest member of the Raw roster with Guerrero.[86] Ziggler, Guerrero, andLayCool then feuded with Morrison,Trish Stratus, andJersey Shore guest starSnooki, culminating in a mixed tag team match atWrestleMania XXVII on April 3, which Ziggler and his team lost.[87][88]
In 2011, Ziggler teased a new look with brown hair
AtCapitol Punishment, Ziggler defeated Kingston via asleeper holdsubmission to earn his first WWE United States Championship.[89][90][91] The next night onRaw, Kingston invoked his rematch clause in atwo out of three falls match and won via disqualification, allowing Ziggler to retain. AfterJack Swagger suggested to Vickie Guerrero that she should manage him in addition to Ziggler, a jealous Ziggler teased tension with Swagger.[92][93] This, coupled with Ziggler's concurrent feud withAlex Riley, led Ziggler to defend and retain his United States Championship in afatal four-way match against Swagger, Riley, andJohn Morrison atNight of Champions on September 18.[94] On the following episode ofRaw SuperShow, Ziggler lost a non-title match toZack Ryder when guest starHugh Jackman helped Ryder by punching Ziggler in the face.[95] Although Ziggler later claimed to have a broken jaw due to Jackman's punch, it was reported that the supposed injury was fake.[96] Later that night, Guerrero officially began managing Swagger, and Swagger began interfering in Ziggler's matches to help him win.[97] Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged Air Boom for theWWE Tag Team Championship atHell in a Cell on October 2 and atVengeance on October 23, where Ziggler also successfully defended the United States Championship against Ryder.[98][99] He went on to successfully defend the championship against Morrison atSurvivor Series on November 20.[100] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 18, Ziggler lost the United States Championship to Ryder, ending his reign at 182 days.[101]
On the December 26 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Ziggler defeated WWE ChampionCM Punk in a gauntlet match for a championship opportunity following interference fromJohn Laurinaitis.[102] The followingRaw SuperShow, Ziggler defeated Punk by countout after Laurinaitis interfered again; as a result, Ziggler did not win the championship.[103] At theRoyal Rumble on January 29, 2012, Ziggler failed to capture the WWE Championship from CM Punk.[104] At theElimination Chamber on February 19, Ziggler failed again to capture the WWE Championship after being eliminated second byChris Jericho.[105] Nemeth noted toArda Ocal in an interview forThe Score Television Network that the Elimination Chamber left him with multiple minor injuries and it is a match he least looked forward to working.[106]
On the February 27Raw SuperShow, Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challengedPrimo & Epico for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a Triple Threat tag team match, also involving Kofi Kingston andR-Truth.[107] On the March 19Raw SuperShow, Ziggler and Swagger were announced as the newest members of Team Johnny for the 12-man tag team match atWrestleMania XXVIII and on the April 2Raw SuperShow, Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challengedSantino Marella for the United States Championship in a triple threat match.[108] After the match, Ziggler began a feud withBrodus Clay, who attacked Ziggler with aheadbutt after he and Swagger tried to attack Marella.[108] On the following episode ofRaw SuperShow, Ziggler and Swagger were defeated by Clay and Marella in a tag team match.[109] In the following weeks, Ziggler and Swagger lost to Clay andHornswoggle in singles and tag matches.[110][111] AtExtreme Rules on April 29, Ziggler was again defeated by Clay.[112] Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for WWE Tag Team Championship, first atOver the Limit on May 20 and second on the May 28 episode ofRaw SuperShow, resulting in Ziggler showing signs of wanting to break away from Guerrero and Swagger.[113][114]
On the June 11 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Ziggler defeatedThe Great Khali, Swagger andChristian in a fatal four-way elimination match to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship,[115] but atNo Way Out on June 17, Ziggler lost the title match to championSheamus.[116] On the followingRaw SuperShow, Guerrero, finally tired of the bickering between Ziggler and Swagger, arranged for a match between them; Ziggler won the match and Guerrero's affections, ending their partnership.[117] Ziggler received another shot at the World Heavyweight Championship on the June 29SmackDown, but was again defeated by Sheamus in a triple threat match, also involvingAlberto Del Rio.[118]
On the July 3SmackDown, Ziggler defeatedAlex Riley to qualify for a spot in theWorld Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match.[119] On July 13, Ziggler,Zack Ryder andJustin Roberts were involved in a car accident inSan Diego while driving fromComic-Con; none of them suffered severe injuries.[120] Two days later at theMoney in the Bank pay-per-view, Ziggler won the Money in the Bank ladder match to guarantee him the opportunity to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at a time of his choosing within the next year.[121] Later that night, Ziggler attempted to cash in the briefcase onSheamus afterAlberto Del Rio attacked him after their match, but Del Rio stopped Ziggler from cashing in.[121] On the following episode ofSmackDown, Ziggler again attempted to cash in the briefcase on Sheamus following a tag team match with Del Rio, but was laid out byRey Mysterio and Sheamus before he could do so.[122] During this time, Ziggler began a feud withChris Jericho after claiming he had lost his touch, which resulted in Jericho attacking him on two occasions,[123][124] and defeating him in a singles match atSummerSlam on August 19.[125] The night after SummerSlam, Ziggler defeated Jericho in a rematch; as a result Ziggler retained his Money in the Bank contract and Jericho's WWE contract was terminated.[126] Following this, Ziggler began feuding withRandy Orton onSmackDown four days later, after Orton hit him with anRKO when Ziggler tried to cash his Money in the Bank contract on a vulnerable Sheamus.[127] The following week onSmackDown, Ziggler faced Orton in a match that was won by Orton,[128] Ziggler defeated him in a rematch onRaw by pinning him while holding his tights.[129] Ziggler faced Orton again atNight of Champions on September 16 where he lost again, ending the feud.[130] On November 18 atSurvivor Series, Ziggler captained the traditional 5-on-5 elimination tag team match oppositeMick Foley and won the match by last pinning Orton, making him the sole survivor of the match.[131]
Ziggler then began feuding withJohn Cena after he sided withVickie Guerrero to help defame Cena and AJ Lee by alleging they had a romantic relationship. On December 16 atTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Ziggler retained his Money in the Bank briefcase in a ladder match after AJ interfered and turned on Cena.[132] The following night onRaw, while trying to diffuse an argument between Vickie and AJ, AJ unexpectedly kissed Ziggler, leaving him confused. Ziggler then attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase onBig Show after Show was assaulted by Sheamus, but he was attacked by Cena before the match could start. Later, Ziggler teamed with AJ to face Cena and Vickie Guerrero, however, the match ended in a disqualification after the debuting Big E Langston attacked Cena, also starting an on-screen relationship between Dolph and AJ.[133] Ziggler ended 2012 having wrestled the second most TV/PPV matches that year with 90; however, he had the most TV/PPV losses with 57.[134] Ziggler ended his feud with Cena after losing to him on the January 7, 2013, episode ofRaw, in a singles match and in steel cage match the following week, despite outside interference from AJ and Langston in both matches.[135][136] On the January 21 episode ofRaw, Ziggler won a Beat the Clock Challenge to earn the right to choose what number he can enter in the Royal Rumble match, first or second.[137] Six days later at theRoyal Rumble, Ziggler entered at number one, eliminating Chris Jericho andThe Godfather and lasted nearly fifty minutes before being eliminated by Sheamus. During the match, Ziggler resumed his feud with the returning Jericho.[138] The following night onRaw, Ziggler and Jericho were placed in a "Strange Bedfellows" match against WWE Tag Team ChampionsTeam Hell No (Daniel Bryan andKane), but they lost when Kane hit achokeslam on Ziggler and pinned him after Jericho framed him for pushing Kane.[139] On the February 18 episode ofRaw, Ziggler was defeated by World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio by submission in a non-title match, and afterwards Langston attacked Del Rio and then Ziggler made a failed attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase after Del Rio's ring announcerRicardo Rodriguez ran off with it.[140] After defeating WWE Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan and Kane in singles matches due to interference from Langston,[141][142] Ziggler and Langston were given a shot at their titles.[143] The title match took place on April 7 atWrestleMania 29, where Ziggler and Langston unsuccessfully challenged Bryan and Kane for the WWE Tag Team Championship.[144]
The following night onRaw, Ziggler cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on an injured Alberto Del Rio to win his second World Heavyweight Championship.[145] After gaining the World Heavyweight Championship, Ziggler began feuding with Del Rio andJack Swagger over the title.[146][147][148] Ziggler was originally booked to face Del Rio and Swagger in a three-way ladder match atExtreme Rules on May 19;[149] however, Ziggler suffered a legitimate concussion at aSmackDown taping, thus removing their match from the pay-per-view and resulting in Ziggler being absent from television for a month.[150][151][152][153] On June 16 atPayback, Ziggler faced Del Rio in his first title defense of the World Heavyweight Championship and during the match, a double turn took place; Ziggler turnedface by displaying a never-say-die attitude while Del Rio turnedheel by repeatedly and ruthlessly targeting his head to take advantage of his concussion, win the match, and end Ziggler's reign at 69 days.[154][155][156] On July 14 atMoney in the Bank, AJ cost Ziggler his title rematch against Alberto Del Rio, after she prematurely snuck into the ring and hit Del Rio with her own title, prompting a disqualification.[157]
On the followingRaw, Ziggler ended his relationship with AJ due to her actions the previous night and AJ exacted revenge by costing Ziggler a non-title match against Del Rio, then she attacked Ziggler and unleashed Langston on him.[158] On the July 29, 2013, episode ofRaw, Ziggler defeated Big E Langston via disqualification after AJ Lee attacked Ziggler.[159] In a rematch on the following week, Ziggler was defeated by Langston after a distraction by AJ andKaitlyn.[160] This led to the host ofSummerSlam,The Miz creating a mixed tag team match at SummerSlam on August 18, where Ziggler and Kaitlyn defeated Big E and AJ.[161]
Ziggler posing at thering during a WWEhouse show in November 2013
Ziggler was later unsuccessful in capturing theUnited States Championship, when he lost toDean Ambrose atNight of Champions on September 15[162] and on the October 16 episode ofMain Event, ending their feud.[163] After that rivalry was over, Ziggler lost several matches during the late-2013 calendar year when he also failed to win theIntercontinental Championship fromCurtis Axel on the November 11 episode ofRaw.[164] In December, Ziggler lost two number one contender matches for the Intercontinental Championship, first toDamien Sandow and later toFandango.[165]
At theRoyal Rumble on January 26, 2014, Ziggler entered theRoyal Rumble match, but was eliminated byRoman Reigns.[166] On April 6 atWrestleMania XXX, Ziggler competed in the 31-manAndre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but was eliminated byAlberto Del Rio.[167] On June 29 atMoney in the Bank, Ziggler competed in theMoney in the Bank ladder match for aWWE World Heavyweight Championship contract, but the match was won bySeth Rollins.[168] Ziggler later competed in a Battle Royal for the vacant Intercontinental Championship on July 20 atBattleground; however, he was abruptly eliminated from behind byThe Miz.[169] After Ziggler defeated Miz in a non-title match the following night onRaw, he received a rematch atSummerSlam on August 17, where he defeated Miz to win the championship for a second time.[170] The next night onRaw, Ziggler successfully retained his title against Miz, after he was counted out.[171] AtNight of Champions on September 21, Ziggler dropped the title to Miz, only for Ziggler to win it back the following night onRaw.[172][173] Ziggler then retained the championship againstCesaro on September 26 episode ofSmackDown,[174] in a triple threat match against Cesaro and Miz the next week onRaw[175] and atHell in a Cell on October 26 against Cesaro in a 2-out-of-3 falls match.
Dolph Ziggler, the 2011 winner... has been the victim of as many stop-and-startpushes of anyone in history. The crowds always get behind him for the start, no matter how many false teases there are, and then a few weeks later,the company always takes him back down.
On the October 28, 2014, episode ofRaw, Ziggler andJohn Cena shook hands together backstage, whichThe Authority interpreted as a deal to plot against them. As a result, Ziggler was put in a match againstKane, which Ziggler won. Ziggler then joined Team Cena atSurvivor Series.[177] On the November 10 episode ofRaw, Ziggler was brutally attacked by the returningLuke Harper.[178] The following week, Harper was awarded a title match against Ziggler, which Harper won with assistance from The Authority, ending Ziggler's reign at 56 days.[179] At Survivor Series on November 23, Ziggler emerged as the sole survivor for a second time. Ziggler contributed toRusev being counted out, then after all his teammates were eliminated, he pinned Kane and Luke Harper.Triple H twice prevented Ziggler from pinning final opponent Seth Rollins, but the debutingSting provided an assist to help Ziggler win the match, thus ousting the Authority from power.[180] AtTLC on December 14, Ziggler defeated Harper in aladder match to win his fourth Intercontinental Championship.[181] On the December 16 episode ofSmackDown, Ziggler finally defeated Seth Rollins in a singles match after failing numerous times before. Three days later,Rolling Stone named Ziggler as the 2014 WWE Wrestler of the Year.[182] On the firstRaw of 2015 (dated January 5), the recently reinstated Authority forced Ziggler to defend his Intercontinental Championship againstBad News Barrett and he initially won. After Barrett then attacked and injured Ziggler's shoulder, Kane declared the match astwo-out-of-three falls, Barrett proceeded to defeat Ziggler for the title after Kane distracted him. Later that night, Ziggler alongsideRyback andErick Rowan were fired by the Authority.[183]
On the January 19 episode ofRaw, Sting provided another assist, as John Cena won Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan's jobs back.[184] Ziggler returned to television on the nextSmackDown and qualified for theRoyal Rumble match by beating Barrett in a non-title match.[185] In the Royal Rumble match on January 25, Ziggler entered as the last entrant, eliminating Bad News Barrett and Cesaro but was quickly eliminated byBig Show and Kane.[186] AtFastlane on February 22, Ziggler competed together with Rowan and Ryback in a six-man tag team match against Rollins, Big Show and Kane, which they lost.[187] On the March 5 episode ofSmackDown, Ziggler was announced as a participant in the 7-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship atWrestleMania 31 on March 29, which was won byDaniel Bryan.[188]
They've 50/50ed the roster to death to the point where no one isover. Dolph Ziggler's character is dead. He used to get a greatpop coming out, but now the fans are conditioned to know that he's gone as far as he'll ever go, so they sit on their hands when his music hits now.
— —Mike Tedesco, writing for WrestleView.com in 2015, describing Ziggler's slump into irrelevance[193]
Ziggler became involved in an on-screen love affair withLana, the former manager ofRusev, when she kissed him atRaw on May 25, with Lana serving as Ziggler'svalet during his matches.[194][195] In June, after Ziggler and Lana confirmed theirstoryline relationship,Summer Rae allied with Rusev to even the odds.[196][197] After an attack by Rusev, Ziggler suffered a bruisedtrachea in storyline,[198][199] which was to give him some time off to film a newWWE Studios movie, titled6:42.[200] While Ziggler and Rusev match atSummerSlam ended in a double countout due to interference from Lana and Rae,[201][202] Ziggler won the rematch atNight of Champions,[203][204][205] but the storyline was cancelled afterTMZ reported the real–life engagement of Rusev and Lana.[206][207]
Ziggler in April 2016
On the October 22 episode ofSmackDown, Ziggler started a feud with the debutingTyler Breeze, who aligned with Summer Rae and attacked Ziggler.[208] Ziggler entered atournament for the vacantWWE World Heavyweight Championship, defeatingThe Miz in the first round match[209] before being eliminated byDean Ambrose.[210] Ziggler and Breeze continued their feud,[211] which culminated in a match between the two atSurvivor Series on November 22, which Ziggler lost.[212] Ziggler would then enter a feud withKevin Owens with the pair trading victories throughout the rest of December and beginning of 2016. Ziggler entered theRoyal Rumble on January 24 as the 28th entrant, lasting 7 minutes, but was eliminated by the eventual winner,Triple H.[213] The next night onRaw, Ziggler faced Kevin Owens in a losing effort, but defeated him the following two weeks in a row.[214][215] On the February 15Raw, Ziggler was involved in a fatal five-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, where Owens regained the title after pinning Tyler Breeze.[216] AtFastlane on February 21, Ziggler challenged Owens to a match for the Intercontinental Championship, which he lost.[217] In the following weeks, Ziggler began to re-ignite his feud withThe Authority, and on the March 14 episode ofRaw, he confronted Triple H andStephanie McMahon.[218] This resulted in Ziggler being granted a match against Triple H where if he won, he could pick his match at WrestleMania (excluding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match); however, Ziggler lost.[218] AtWrestleMania 32 on April 3, Ziggler competed against Kevin Owens,Sami Zayn, The Miz,Stardust,Sin Cara andZack Ryder in aladder match for the Intercontinental Championship, which Ryder won.[219][220]
After WrestleMania 32, Ziggler went to a double countout withBaron Corbin on the April 4 episode ofRaw, leading to Corbin hitting anEnd of Days outside of the ring to Ziggler, igniting a feud in the process.[221] At thePayback pre-show on May 1, Ziggler faced Baron Corbin in a winning effort.[222] The two then had ano disqualification match atExtreme Rules on May 22 where Corbin won after hitting a low blow on Ziggler.[223] Following Extreme Rules, on the May 23 episode ofRaw, Ziggler had a confrontation backstage with Corbin and challenged him to a technical wrestling match the next week.[224] In that match, Ziggler intentionally got himself disqualified when he kicked Corbin in the groin immediately after the match began.[225] This led to a rubber match atMoney in the Bank on June 19, which Corbin won to end their feud.[226]
On July 19 at the2016 WWE draft, Ziggler was drafted toSmackDown.[227] Working on SmackDown, he reignited his feud with The Miz over the Intercontinental Championship, failing to capture the title atBacklash.[228] AtNo Mercy, Ziggler won the title in a match where he would have to retire if he lost,[229] but lost it 37 days later against The Miz on the 900th episode ofSmackDown.[230] The feud culminated in aLadder match at theTLC: Tables, Ladders, & Chairs in what was advertised as their final match, where Ziggler was defeated.[231] Ziggler also wrestled for theWWE World Championship over the year, but was defeated byDean Ambrose at SummerSlam,[232] an by AJ Styles on SmackDown.[233]
In 2017, Ziggler On the January 3, 2017, episode ofSmackDown, after he lost to Baron Corbin,Kalisto came to the save of Ziggler during a post match assault by Corbin, he superkicked Kalisto, turningheel for the first time since 2013.[234] AtElimination Chamber on February 12, Ziggler lost toApollo Crews and Kalisto in two-on-one handicap match. Following the match, Ziggler attacked the victors, stomping on Crews' ankle after placing it in a chair.[235] After some time away from TV, Ziggler returned on August under a new character, where he mocked the entrances of current and former wrestlers such asJohn Cena,Naomi,Shawn Michaels andRandy Savage. He won his second United States Championship atClash of Champions,[236] but the title was vacated weeks later.[237][238] Ziggler returned at theRoyal Rumble on January 28, 2018, as the surprise #30 entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match.[239] He would be involved atFastlane on March 11 in asix pack challenge for the WWE Championship, where the champion AJ Styles retained.[240]
On April 16, Ziggler was moved to Raw as part of theSuperstar Shake-up, and he began to work withDrew McIntyre as tag team.[241] On the June 18 episode ofRaw, Ziggler answeredSeth Rollins' open challenge for the Intercontinental Championship and defeated Rollins to capture the title for a sixth time.[242] After weeks of McIntyre assisting Ziggler in all situations,[243] includingExtreme Rules on July 15 where Ziggler defeated Rollins 5–4 in sudden death overtime of a 30-MinuteIron Man match,[244]Dean Ambrose returned on the August 13 episode ofRaw to even the odds for Rollins.[245] AtSummerSlam on August 19, Ziggler lost the championship to Rollins, who had Ambrose in his corner.[246]
On the September 3 episode ofRaw, Ziggler and McIntyre temporarily formed a stable withBraun Strowman known as "The Dogs of War" to combat the newly reunitedThe Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose). Later that night, they won theRaw Tag Team Championship by defeating The B-Team (Bo Dallas andCurtis Axel).[247] They then successfully defended their titles atHell in a Cell on September 16 against Rollins and Ambrose.[248] At theSuper Show-Down event on October 6, Ziggler teamed with McIntyre and Strowman in a losing effort to The Shield in a six-man tag team match.[249] Over the next two weeks, the respective groups faced each other again onRaw, with The Dogs of War winning the first match,[250] but losing the latter after Ziggler got pinned by Ambrose.[251] During both matches, tensions arose between Ziggler, McIntyre and Strowman, who felt he was carrying the group. After losing the last match, Strowman turned on Ziggler and attacked him, before being attacked by McIntyre.[251]
Ziggler and McIntyre lost the Raw Tag Team Championship to Rollins and Ambrose on the October 22 episode ofRaw after interference from Braun Strowman.[252] On the December 3 episode ofRaw, the alliance between Ziggler and McIntyre ended when McIntyre claimed that Ziggler was "a means to an end to get him into a prominent position" and ended their association. The two later faced each other in a match which Ziggler won after interference fromFinn Bálor.[253] After the three men had traded wins among each other and interfered in each other's matches over the next few weeks,[254][255][256] McIntyre defeated Ziggler in a cage match on the December 31 episode ofRaw.[257]
After this, Ziggler was off television until his appearance at the Royal Rumble match at thetitular event on January 27, 2019, as participant number 28, eliminating McIntyre and lasting until the final three, before being eliminated by Braun Strowman.[258] He would then disappear again from WWE television without notice due to astand-up comedy tour that started following the Royal Rumble.[259][260][261]
At the same time, Ziggler entered a feud withOtis over the affections ofMandy Rose, using underhanded tactics to secure aValentine's Day date and short-term relationship; however, this was soon exposed.[277] On the second night ofWrestleMania 36 on April 5, Ziggler lost to Otis.[278] After a few more assaults and promos, the feud ended when Otis defeated Ziggler in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.[279] On the June 22 episode ofRaw, it was announced that Ziggler and Roode were traded to the Raw brand forA.J. Styles.[280] On that night, Ziggler issued a challenge to WWE ChampionDrew McIntyre, which McIntyre accepted forThe Horror Show at Extreme Rules.[281] At the event on July 19, Ziggler failed to win the title.[282][283]
On the July 11 episode ofRaw, Ziggler helpedBobby Lashley and Matt Riddle againstSeth "Freakin" Rollins andTheory's underhanded tactics during a tag team match, and after the match, Ziggler superkicked Theory, turning face for the first time since 2017.[299] At the2023 WWE Draft, he was undrafted.[300] On the May 15 episode ofRaw, Ziggler competed in a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship atNight of Champions, eliminatingJD McDonagh, but would later get eliminated byVon Wagner. After getting eliminated, McDonagh would attack Ziggler, beginning a feud between the two.[301] On the May 29 episode ofRaw, Ziggler wrestled McDonagh, which ended in a double countout. McDonagh would once again attack Ziggler after the match.[302] He was released on September 21, 2023, ending his 19-year tenure with the company.[303]
While being contracted to TNA, Ziggler returned to WWE as he enteredThe Last Time Is Now Tournament on the November 17, 2025 episode ofRaw, where he lost toSolo Sikoa in the first round.[304]
AtGenesis, Nemeth would lose his TNA World Championship to Joe Hendry, ending his reign at 183 days.[322] On March 14, 2025, atSacrifice, Nic attacked Matt Hardy alongside his brother Ryan, turning heel in the process.[323] The Nemeths would then go on to win the titles from the Hardys a month later atRebellion, only to lose them back to the Hardys atSlammiversary.[citation needed]
Sports Illustrated described Nemeth as "phenomenal in the ring, with the ability to carry an entertaining match with practically anyone on the WWE roster" and added that his "mic work is top-notch... and there is a genuine believability in his work".[326] He is also noted for his "elite" ability tosell for his opponents.[327]Jim Cornette praised Nemeth and stated, "I knew he was a good athlete, [but] I never dreamed he was going to be the second coming ofCurt Hennig."[328]
Nemeth's most commonly utilizedfinishing maneuvers are ajumping reverse bulldog,[329] known as theZig Zag (now known as theDanger Zone),[330][331] as well as asuperkick.[332][333][334][335] In the early run of his Dolph Ziggler character, he also used asleeper hold as asubmission finisher.[89][90][91] While still in developmental, he also utilized a jumpingreverse STO namedBlonde Ambition.[15][51] Due to his athleticism and intense showmanship, Nemeth has been referred to as "The Showstealer" and "The Showoff",[336][337] while in his earlier career he was referred to as "The Natural".[11][338] Upon teaming withVickie Guerrero, he was nicknamed either "Blonde Ambition" or "Blonde Perfection".[339] Consequently, his theme music was named "I Am Perfection" during this period of his career, while later on it was changed to "Here to Show the World."[336]
In the early stages of his career, Nemeth was introduced to the audiences as a sidekick with acaddie gimmick. This, however, lasted only a few weeks becauseChavo Guerrero aborted his golfer gimmick after the death of his uncleEddie Guerrero.[11][336] While there were initial plannings within the company to give him a new gimmick based on his successful career inamateur wrestling and pair him withKurt Angle, this idea never surfaced.[336] Instead, his first longer lasting gimmick became that of malecheerleader Nicky, where he was partnered with four other wrestlers asThe Spirit Squad. To ensure their characters were believable, they trained with real cheerleaders andgymnasts.[22] With this gimmick, he saw moderate success, winning theWorld Tag Team Championship once. After the disbanding of the Spirit Squad he was again sent back to developmental, where he and fellow Spirit Squad memberMike Mondo tweaked the gimmick into ajock andfraternity based new gimmick, now going by the name of "Frat Pack".[340][44] He would continue this gimmick alongside Brad Allen andGavin Spears, with whom he won theFCW Florida Tag Team Championship once each.[15][51] In a 2020 interview, Nemeth voiced amusement as well as creative frustration towards his early gimmicks, stating that he tried to make them work, knowing they could only fail, just to break through in professional wrestling.[336]
By 2008, Nemeth was repackaged as Dolph Ziggler, a bleached-blonde and self-absorbednarcissist. Debuting as a heel, Ziggler repeatedly declared himself as "perfection" and would display an extremely arrogant attitude, while at the same time using dirty tactics. When he turned face in 2013, his character shifted towards a man out to prove himself and never giving up. In September 2017, Ziggler would begin a new short-lived gimmick where he would come out to the entrance themes and dress as other popular wrestlers and legends to irritate the crowd.[341] After that, his gimmick tweaked towards a whiny heel who believed he was destined for greatness, constantly blaming his bad luck or others for his lack of opportunity and would always come up short, culminating in his feud withKofi Kingston in 2019, where he would blame Kingston (and laterDrew McIntyre) for stealing his chance to become WWE champion while stating "it should've been me",[263][264] whereas with McIntyre, he would also claim to be the one entirely responsible for McIntyre's success, stating that McIntyre is successful "because of me".[342]
In 2018, Nemeth started seriously moonlighting as a stand-up comedian while still wrestling for WWE.[347] This led to him headlining shows close to the arenas for the 2018SummerSlam andSurvivor Series pay-per-views; he used the big WWE events to piggyback on for his first major shows, due to there being a lot of wrestling fans in the area.[348] Following the 2019 Royal Rumble event, he embarked on his first headlining tour from the end of January to the end of March. He took a break from WWE television to focus on the tour.[259] He later continued the tour, announcing two shows in Texas taking place in late May.[349]
On February 1, 2012, Nemeth debuted WWEFanNation'sWWE Download and was the host of the YouTube series. The officialWWE Download playlist onYouTube[353] described the series as "Dolph Ziggler's sarcastic wit vs. your videos" and each episode consisted of Ziggler reviewing both viral and WWE videos. A new episode ofWWE Download was uploaded every Monday until the show ended on January 28, 2013, after 53 episodes but returned for one time only on September 30, 2014. In August 2013, Nemeth was cast byMax Landis to appear in the 2015 filmMe Him Her.[354]
In 2016, Nemeth would appear in a series of ads advertisingKFC.[355] and 2017[356] In the ads, he dressed as KFC founderColonel Sanders. The first ad notably had Nemeth cutting a promo on The Miz, who was dressed as a chicken. This led to adark match where Nemeth, as Colonel Sanders, defeated Miz in asquash match.[citation needed]
Nemeth began appearing on the Fox Business Network programKennedy hosted byLisa Kennedy Montgomery in 2017. As of 2018, he has appeared on the show 6-8 times.[357]
Nemeth has two brothers. His younger brotherRyan is also a professional wrestler that he teams with inTNA. Ryan previously worked with both WWE inNXT under the ring name Briley Pierce in the former promotion, and inAEW.[372] His other brother, Donald,[373] was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter, kidnapping, and robbery for his role in a botched robbery attempt that led to the murder of a formerMarine in January 2016.[374][375]
Nemeth is good friends with his formerSpirit Squad teammates, particularlyMichael Brendli, with whom he lived in Florida until 2008.[376] He previously dated comedianAmy Schumer, who split up with him because she considered him "too athletic" in bed.[377][378]
Nicholas also maintains a close friendship with another professional wrestler,Ryback.[379][380]
^"Cesaro And Dolph Ziggler Are The Greatest Wrestlers In The World Says Natalya".Inside The Ropes. January 26, 2021.I think Dolph Ziggler is one of the greatest WWE Superstars that's ever been in our company. I watch every performance that he has, and Dolph is a friend of mine, but I'm speaking from my heart, when I watch Dolph perform, every single match he pours his heart into. He never phones it in, he goes out there and leaves it all in the ring. He really is somebody that reminds me a lot of my favourites from the past, he has an element of Bret Hart to him, he has an element of Shawn Michaels, he has elements from old time wrestlers from our past – so many of those great qualities, but he's also so modern. He's really relatable, he's hip and he's awesome in the ring! He's really really good.
^"411MANIA".Dolph Ziggler Wasn't Told He Would Be at Royal Rumble Until Night Before, Is Still 'On Vacation'.Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. RetrievedOctober 18, 2019.
^TNA Wrestling Staff (August 30, 2024)."TNA Emergence 2024 Results". TNA Wrestling.Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. RetrievedAugust 31, 2024.
^TNA Wrestling Staff (September 13, 2024)."TNA Victory Road 2024 Results".TNA Wrestling.Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 14, 2024.
^Tedesco, Mike."Superstars Results – 9/17/09".Wrestling News and Results, WWE News, TNA News, ROH News. Wrestleview. RetrievedOctober 25, 2012.Ziggler then hits his Zigzag (Reverse Bulldog) for the win!
^Waldman, Jon."Smackdown: re-writing a good show".SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. RetrievedOctober 25, 2012.Ziggler wins after what can best be described as a reverse bulldog
^Danylko, Ryllie (April 28, 2016)."Brother of WWE wrestler Dolph Ziggler is suspect in Cleveland deadly shooting, records show".Cleveland.com.Police issued a warrant Tuesday for the arrest of 29-year-old Donald Nemeth, who is reportedly the brother of the professional wrestler whose real name is Nick Nemeth. Public records show the two men lived at the same West Side Cleveland address in the past. Ryan Nemeth, also a professional wrestler, posted a tweet on Jan. 10 that refers to both Ziggler and Donald Nemeth as his brothers.
^abMeltzer, Dave (January 30, 2012). "Jan 30 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Gigantic year-end awards issue, best and worst in all categories plus UFC on FX 1, death of Savannah Jack, ratings, tons and tons of news".Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, CA.ISSN1083-9593.
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