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Nic Nemeth recently stated that he had been planning for his WWE release for months. The former Dolph Ziggler is now speaking out on his departure from the pro wrestling company where he made his name.
The Showoff was released by WWE on September 21, 2023, ending his 19-year run with the company. The future Hall of Famer held numerous titles while with the company and is their 22nd Triple Crown Champion. After a program for the NXT Championship in early 2022, the 43-year-old wasn't featured often on weekly television and was booked to help improve up-and-coming talents.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Nemeth finally broke his silence on leaving WWE. After working just ten TV matches in 2023, the two-time Slammy Award winner knew his run with the company was winding down. He was asked to describe how it felt to be free from Stamford-based company.
"It’s weird because I was preparing for the last six, eight, ten months, going, 'At some point, I have to make a change here.' Once that started happening, even a couple years ago, when [Bobby] Roode and I were tagging, I was starting to think, 'Hey man, at some point, I need to be ready to go. Will my shape and stamina still be there?'" he said. [H/T WrestleZone]
Nemeth said the outcome had been on his mind for half of his last contract with the company. He knew the release would come at some point because he was being paid "way too much money" to sit at home. He recalled sending e-mails to "the boss" for the last six months of his contract.
"It wasn’t out of the blue, and I had sent a few emails to the boss for the last 6 months, definitively saying, 'I have to move on somewhere else. Can you let me do this?' Eventually, without exact back and forth, that’s how it worked out. So it wasn’t weird because it was so, 6, 8, 10 months in place for me, going, 'Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes,'" he said.
Ziggler's last match in WWE ended in a double countout against JD McDonagh on the May 29, 2023, edition of RAW. He worked a Battle Royal two weeks before that, but his only other post-WrestleMania 39 TV appearance was a Main Event win over Tyler Bate in mid-April. He also worked on several non-televised live events in April and May.
Post-WWE plans revealed for Nic Nemeth, aka Dolph Ziggler
Nic Nemeth is set to wrestle his first post-WWE match on Saturday, January 20, in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council promotion's Euphoria event. He will wrestle Puerto Rican wrestling legend Ray Gonzalez.
The former Dolph Ziggler will continue his stand-up comedy career now that he's done with WWE, but he's also focused on moving forward with wrestling. Nemeth made his NJPW debut at Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4, appearing at ringside with his brother, Ryan Nemeth.
The Natural confronted David Finlay after he became the inaugural IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion, and the two got into it. Nemeth then attacked Finlay at the post-show press conference and delivered a promo.
Nemeth also released a "Wanted Man" vignette to coincide with his NJPW appearance. The cinematic teaser has received rave reviews from fans on social media.
What are your favorite memories of Dolph Ziggler in WWE? Do you think AEW should hire Nic Nemeth? Sound off in the comments below!
