Nick Nemeth
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Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
. He is signed to
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA), where he performs under his real name, stylized as Nic Nemeth, where he is one-half of the
TNA World Tag Team Champions The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship which is owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion. The current champions are The Nemeth Brothers (Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth), w ...
in his first reign. He also makes occasional appearances on the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
. He is best known for his tenure in
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
from 2004 to 2023, where he performed under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
Dolph Ziggler. After a career in
amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic Games, Olympic, Collegiate wrestling, collegiate, Scholastic wrestling, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games, fr ...
, where he established several school records for
Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...
, Nemeth signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2004 and was sent to
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promotion and former developmental territory based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow, Matt Jones (radio host), Ma ...
(OVW), where he wrestled under his real name. He was promoted to WWE's Raw brand shortly afterwards in 2005, playing the
caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...
sidekick to Kerwin White. He was sent back to OVW shortly afterwards, being given the name Nicky and joining the cheerleading-themed
Spirit Squad The Spirit Squad was an American professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) consisting of Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky, and Mikey. The team's ring personas were those of an all-male cheerleading squad. Before forming ...
, who debuted on '' RAW'' in January 2006 and won the
World Tag Team Championship In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...
once Once may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Once'' (film), a 2007 Irish musical film by John Carney ** ''Once'' (musical), a 2011 stage adaptation of the film * ''Once'' (TV series), a 2017–2019 Argentine telenovela * Canal Once (Mex ...
before returning to development. After working in OVW and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), he returned to the main roster, repackaged as Dolph Ziggler, in September 2008. Since then, he held the World Heavyweight Championship
twice Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...
, the
NXT Championship The NXT Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended as the top men's championship of NXT (WWE brand), NXT, the promotion's Farm team, de ...
once Once may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Once'' (film), a 2007 Irish musical film by John Carney ** ''Once'' (musical), a 2011 stage adaptation of the film * ''Once'' (TV series), a 2017–2019 Argentine telenovela * Canal Once (Mex ...
, the Intercontinental Championship six times, the United States Championship
twice Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...
, the
Raw Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's main r ...
twice Twice (; Japanese language, Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Tuwaisu''; commonly stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon ...
, and the
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's m ...
once Once may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Once'' (film), a 2007 Irish musical film by John Carney ** ''Once'' (musical), a 2011 stage adaptation of the film * ''Once'' (TV series), a 2017–2019 Argentine telenovela * Canal Once (Mex ...
. His other accomplishments include becoming the sole survivor of two Survivor Series elimination matches and the
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
Money in the Bank winner as well as headlining multiple WWE
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
events. Nemeth was released from WWE in September 2023, ending his 19-year run with the company. After WWE, Nemeth would debut on the independent circuit using his real name. In January 2024, he would make his debut in
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
(NJPW) appearing in the crowd alongside his younger brother, Ryan, at Wrestle Kingdom 18, and made his TNA debut at
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
's
Hard To Kill ''Hard to Kill'' is a 1990 American vigilante action-thriller film directed by Bruce Malmuth, written by Steven McKay, and starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler and Frederick Coffin. Seagal's second film after '' Above the La ...
. One month later, he won the
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" are the initials of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was created when the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship wa ...
, his first major non-WWE championship, in his NJPW debut match. On April 27, at
Triplemanía XXXII Triplemanía XXXII was a three-day professional wrestling supercard event produced and scripted by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Three shows were held across April 27, June 15, and August 17, 2024. ...
, he won the vacant
AAA Mega Championship The AAA Mega Championship (often referred to as the AAA World Heavyweight Championship in English and known as the Mega Campeonato AAA in Spanish) is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by Mexican promotion Luc ...
. Three months later on July 20, he would win the
TNA World Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won ...
at that year's
Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of TNA pay-per-view events, event produced by the American promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It is one of TNA's “Big Four” PPV events (along with TNA Hard To Kill, Hard ...
. In 2025, he would win the TNA World Tag Team Championship for the first time with Ryan.


Early life

Nicholas Theodore Nemeth was born in
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, on July 27, 1980. He has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was five years old, when he attended a wrestling event at the
Richfield Coliseum Richfield Coliseum, also known as the Coliseum at Richfield, was an indoor arena located in Richfield Township, between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. It opened in 1974 as a replacement for the Cleveland Arena, and had a seating capacity of 20,27 ...
, and he decided to become a professional wrestler at age 12. He later revealed on
Colt Cabana Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same ...
's ''Art 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 attended St. Edward High School in
Lakewood, Ohio Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs and part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropolitan area. The popula ...
, where he was an
amateur wrestler Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic, collegiate, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the worl ...
and holds the school record for most
pins A pin is a device, typically pointed, used for fastening objects or fabrics together. Pins can have the following sorts of body: *a shaft of a rigid inflexible material meant to be inserted in a slot, groove, or hole (as with pivots, hinges, an ...
in a career with 82. At St. Edward, he was teammates with
Gray Maynard Bradley Gray Maynard (born May 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight and Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Between 2008 and 2011, he competed in a noted rivalry with forme ...
and
Andy Hrovat Andy Hrovat (born January 21, 1980) is an American former freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. In college, he was a 3-time NCAA wrestling All-American and later wrestled for the U.S. Team in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Olympic Games. High s ...
. During his time at St. Edward, the wrestling team won the National Championships on two occasions. He was a collegiate wrestler at
Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...
, eventually setting what was then the record for most career wins in the team's history. His record was passed in 2006; as of 2010, he stands second all-time in career victories at Kent State. He had 121 career wins between 2000 and 2003. He majored in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
with a
pre-law In the United States and Canada, pre-law (or prelaw) refers to any course of study taken by an undergraduate in preparation for study at a law school. The American Bar Association (ABA) requires law schools to admit only students with an accredi ...
minor Minor may refer to: Common meanings * Minor (law), a person not under the age of certain legal activities. * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Mathematics * Minor (graph theory), a relation of one graph to an ...
. Prior to his WWE tryout, he had been accepted to the law school at
Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
, where he was due to start his first semester. He was a three-time All-Mid-American Conference champion, winning the 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.


Professional wrestling career


World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2004–2023)


Ohio Valley Wrestling (2004–2006)

Nemeth signed a contract with
World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
(WWE) in 2004. He was assigned to its
developmental territory Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitos ...
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promotion and former developmental territory based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow, Matt Jones (radio host), Ma ...
(OVW), debuting on November 3, 2004, under his real name, stylized as "Nick Nemeth". After briefly teaming with Steve Lewington, Nemeth went on to
feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...
with
Paul Burchill Paul Birchall (born 8 October 1979), better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English professional wrestler, currently making appearances for the National Wrestling Alliance under the ring name Burchill (shortened from his previous rin ...
. In August 2005, he unsuccessfully challenged
Ken Doane Kenneth George Doane (born March 16, 1986) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a Producer (wrestling), producer and as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. During his past time in WWE, ...
for the
OVW Television Championship The OVW Television Championship was the secondary championship of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), started on January 5, 2005. When the title was originally conceived, the champion defended against randomly selected opponents, with the winner receivin ...
. In September 2005, he unsuccessfully challenged
Johnny Jeter John Jeter (born December 14, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2006 as Johnny, a member of The Spirit Squad. Jeter was trained by Nick Dinsmore (also k ...
for the
OVW Heavyweight Championship The OVW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling World heavyweight championship owned by the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) promotion. The original championship was designed and created in 1997 by Reggie Parks. The title was introduced o ...
. In October 2005, he began wrestling on main roster
house shows A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their ...
. After joining WWE's main roster as a member of the
Spirit Squad The Spirit Squad was an American professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) consisting of Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky, and Mikey. The team's ring personas were those of an all-male cheerleading squad. Before forming ...
in January 2006, Nemeth continued to wrestle sporadically for OVW until April 2006.


Alliance with Kerwin White; Spirit Squad (2005–2006)

Nemeth made his main roster television debut on the September 25, 2005, episode of '' Sunday Night Heat''. He was made the enforcer and sidekick for
Chavo Guerrero Salvador Guerrero IV (born October 20, 1970) better known by his ring names Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Jr., is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling Fe ...
, who was using a
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
er in-ring persona and going by the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
of "Kerwin White". As such, Nemeth became White's
caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...
. His wrestling debut came on an episode of ''Sunday Night Heat'', teaming up with White in a
tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
against
Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champ ...
and
Matt Striker Matthew Kaye (born June 26, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, professional wrestling Sports commentator, commentator, actor and former high school teacher, signed to Major League Wrestling, using the ring name ...
. After the death of
Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling ...
, Chavo Guerrero dropped the "Kerwin White" character, and Nemeth no longer played the role of his caddie and tag partner. After a few months of wrestling in
dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...
es and at
house show A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...
s, he was sent back to OVW. Nemeth became a part of the
Spirit Squad The Spirit Squad was an American professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) consisting of Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky, and Mikey. The team's ring personas were those of an all-male cheerleading squad. Before forming ...
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. The Spirit Squad members trained with real cheerleaders and gymnasts to ensure their characters were believable. On January 23, 2006, they had their WWE television debut as a group, appearing on ''Raw'' and helping
Jonathan Coachman Jonathan William Coachman (born August 12, 1973), also known as "The Coach", is an American sports analyst and former professional wrestling personality. Early life Before embarking on an announcing career in professional wrestling, Coachman w ...
win a
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
qualifying match against
Jerry "The King" Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federation ( ...
by performing cheers for Coachman and distracting Lawler. They later became a part of the ongoing scripted feud between WWE chairman
Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon ( ; born August 24, 1945) is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his later-estranged wife Linda McMahon, Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest ...
and
Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...
. The
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
McMahon brought in the Spirit Squad to attack Michaels on numerous occasions, including placing them in multiple
handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
es. They also wrestled in the tag team division, and on April 3, on ''Raw'', won the
World Tag Team Championship In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...
when
Kenny Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names. In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith". ...
and Mikey, with outside help from the other three Spirit Squad members, defeated
Big Show and Kane Big Show and Kane were an American tag team active in professional wrestling during 2001–2002, 2005–2006, 2011 and 2014–2016 consisted of Paul Wight (Big Show) and Glenn Jacobs (Kane). Using their gigantic statures and power to dominate o ...
. 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 the
Freebird Rule The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team who attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed ...
. 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 the storyline, shattered his knee with a steel chair. McMahon brought
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
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. This led to Triple H and Michaels reforming
D-Generation X D-Generation X (DX), is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of various members mostly Generation X wrestlers, most notably Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ch ...
(DX) and they began a feud with the Spirit Squad. DX played various sophomoric
jokes A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laughter, laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with ...
on the Spirit Squad and the McMahons, as well as defeating the Spirit Squad in handicap tag team matches at
Vengeance Vengeance may refer to: *Vengeance (concept) or revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Film * ''Vengeance'' (1930 film), action adventure film directed by Archie Mayo * ''Vengeance'' (1937 film) or ''W ...
and a clean sweep in an elimination handicap match at '' Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII''. At the same time as their feud with DX and their alignment with McMahon, the Spirit Squad also wrestled other teams in ''Raw'''s tag division over their World Tag Team Championship, successfully defending the championship against the teams of
Jim Duggan James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best-known for his time in World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), where he won the first ...
and
Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...
,
Charlie Haas Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American Professional wrestling, professional and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000 to 2009 and Ring of H ...
and
Viscera In a multicellular organism, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to a ...
, and
Snitsky Eugene Alan Snisky (born January 14, 1970) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Gene Snitsky, who is best known for his time with WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment. He played colle ...
and
Val Venis Sean Allen Morley (born March 6, 1971), better known by his ring name Val Venis, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) from 1998 to 20 ...
. They then entered a lengthy feud with The Highlanders, whom they eventually defeated to retain the championship at the
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American revisionist Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by David Webb Peoples. It stars Eastwood as William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job years after ...
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
on September 17. The Spirit Squad as a whole later began a losing streak with separate members losing singles matches to
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...
on consecutive episodes of ''Raw'', until Kenny managed to defeat him on the October 23 episode. It was then announced that Flair and a WWE legend, selected by interactive voting, would wrestle the team for the World Tag Team Championship at Cyber Sunday. The fans chose
Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his work with the Wo ...
, and he and Flair defeated Kenny and Mikey to win the championship at the event on November 5. The group disbanded on the November 27 episode of ''Raw'', 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 Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
", a reference to the developmental territory from which the Spirit Squad had come.


Return to developmental (2007–2008)

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 Ronnie William Arneill (born February 19, 1981), better known by his ring name Shawn Spears, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and trainer. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the WWE NXT, NXT WWE brand extension, ...
, and Cody Runnels. The team disbanded in the early parts of 2007. Nemeth then competed in several dark matches before the OVW television tapings, competing against several wrestlers including
Chris Cage Kris Pavone (born May 2, 1980) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned a ...
, Bradley Jay and
Jake Hager Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist. He currently performs on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenures in WWE as Jack Swagger an ...
, before he began teaming with Mondo again in August. At the end of August 2007, Nemeth and Mike Mondo were moved to the
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until ...
(FCW) developmental territory and in his debut there, Nemeth gained the
nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
"The Natural" and defeated Hade Vansen. In November 2007, Nemeth gained Big Rob as his
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
, but their alliance was short-lived. At the start of 2008, he tweaked his name to "Nic Nemeth" and began teaming with Brad Allen, with the pair gaining
Taryn Terrell Taryn Nicole Dryden (née Terrell; born December 28, 1985) is an American model, actress, stuntwoman, ring announcer and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), under her real nam ...
as their
valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, ''valet de chambre'' was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "va ...
. Nemeth and Allen started a
frat boy In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...
type ring character with Terrell as a sorority girl. On March 22, Nemeth and Allen won the
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The c ...
by defeating defending champions
Eddie Colón Eddie may refer to: *Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Linux and Mac OS X *Eddie (crater), a crater on Mars *Eddie (given name) *The Eddie, a surfing tournament Arts and entertainment * ''Eddie'' (film), a 1 ...
and
Eric Pérez Eric Alexander Pérez (born December 18, 1979) is a Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler who currently performs under the ring name Escobar. In 2005, Pérez signed a developmental contract with WWE, Wor ...
, but lost the championship to Colón and Pérez on April 15. Throughout April and May 2008, Nemeth wrestled in several dark matches prior to ''Raw'', losing to
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
and
Ron Killings Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under his real name, stylized as Ron Killings and R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...
on several occasions. Soon after, he returned to the name "Nic Nemeth", and began teaming with Gavin Spears. The pair defeated Colón and Pérez to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on August 16, but lost it to
Heath Miller Earl Heath Miller Jr. (born October 22, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons from 2005 to 2015. Miller played college foot ...
and Joe Hennig less than a month later.


Repackaging as Dolph Ziggler (2008–2010)

On September 15, 2008, Nemeth re-debuted on ''Raw'' (as a heel), introducing himself in a backstage segment under the name "Dolph Ziggler". On October 10, Nemeth was suspended for 30 days for a violation of WWE's Wellness Program policy. He returned to ''Raw'' on November 17 in a backstage segment with
Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Widely regarded as both one of the greatest '' luch ...
and
Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...
. In his first match on ''Raw'' under the Ziggler name, he lost to
Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player João Batista da Silva * Dave Bautista, Batista (wrestler) (Dave ...
on the December 1, 2008, episode. The following week, he got his first victory as Ziggler, by
countout Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
, against
R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under his real name, stylized as Ron Killings and R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...
. The next week on ''Raw'', he picked up his first televised
pinfall In professional wrestling, a pin is a move where a wrestler holds an opponent's shoulders to the mat in an attempt to score a fall. A pinfall is a common victory condition, where the attacker pins an opponent and the referee makes a three count ...
victory, when he defeated
Charlie Haas Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American Professional wrestling, professional and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000 to 2009 and Ring of H ...
. Ziggler would compete in the
Royal Rumble match The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic battle royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...
at the eponymous
event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...
on January 25, 2009, in which he was eliminated by
Kane Kane or KANE may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Fictional entities *Kane (comics), the main character of the eponymous comic book series by Paul Grist * Kane (''Command & Conquer''), Tiberium universe character in the ''Command & Conquer'' ...
after 21 seconds. On April 15, 2009, Ziggler was drafted to the
SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. He made his debut on the April 17 episode of ''SmackDown'', defeating United States Champion,
Montel Vontavious Porter Hassan Hamid Assad (born Alvin Antonio Burke Jr.; October 28, 1973), better known by his ring name Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Manager (professional wrestling), manager, and sub ...
(MVP) in a non-title match, and, as a result, the following week he demanded a match for the championship. On the May 1 episode of ''SmackDown'', however, he failed to win the championship, after he was pinned by MVP. Ziggler then started a rivalry with
The Great Khali Dalip Singh Rana (born 27 August 1972), better known by his ring name The Great Khali, is an Indian-born American former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, promoter, and actor. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he be ...
, losing to him by disqualification after attacking Khali with a steel chair. 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. 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. At
The Bash The Bash was the sixth annual Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and 20th Great American Bash event overall. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, S ...
pay-per-view on June 28, Ziggler defeated Khali in a
No Disqualification match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
by pinfall, after Kane interfered and attacked Khali. Ziggler then entered an on-screen relationship with
WWE Diva Throughout its history, women have served in various onscreen roles in the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. In the 1990s, WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation) introduced the term Diva to refer to its female performers ...
Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
and she became his valet. He simultaneously started a scripted rivalry with
Intercontinental Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world championships, and ...
Rey Mysterio, who defeated Ziggler at
Night of Champions WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took pl ...
on July 26 and
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 23 to retain the championship. In September, Mysterio lost the Intercontinental Championship to John Morrison, and Ziggler entered a feud with Morrison after defeating him by countout in a non-title match, but lost to him at the
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
pay-per-view on October 4. On the episode of ''SmackDown'' 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. At Breaking Point on September 13, Ziggler made an appearance during a promo by Pat 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 of ''SmackDown'' and losing a two-out-of-three falls match the following week to end the feud. On the February 26, 2010, episode of ''SmackDown'', Ziggler defeated John Morrison and R-Truth in a triple threat qualifying match to compete in the
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First performed at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate WWE Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank event w ...
at
WrestleMania XXVI WrestleMania XXVI was a 2010 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 26th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 28, ...
on March 28, but was ultimately unsuccessful.


Alliance with Vickie Guerrero (2010–2012)

In June 2010, he began a romantic storyline with
Vickie Guerrero Vickie Lynn Benson (formerly Guerrero, née Lara;Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'', p. 53. born April 16, 1968), better known as Vickie Guerrero, is an American former professional wrestling personality ...
, who began accompanying him to the ring. Ziggler won the WWE Intercontinental Championship from
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
on July 28 (aired August 6) at ''SmackDown''. In his first title defense at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 15, he retained the championship against Kingston when the match ended in a no contest due to interference from The Nexus. Ziggler was able to make a successful title defense against Kingston at the
Night of Champions WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took pl ...
pay-per-view on September 19, and against
Kaval The kaval is a Diatonic and chromatic, chromatic end-blown flute, end-blown oblique flute traditionally played throughout the Balkans (in Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Southern Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Northern Greece, and elsewhere) and ...
at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 21. During this time, Ziggler was chosen as a "Pro" for the fourth season of '' NXT'', with Jacob Novak as his Rookie, but later was changed to
Byron Saxton Bryan Jesús Kelly (born August 20, 1981) is an American professional wrestling Sports commentator, commentator, ring announcer, and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he works as a backstage interviewer on ''WWE SmackDown, ...
when Ziggler won a battle royal. Ziggler successfully retained the Intercontinental Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 19 in a three-way
ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
against Kingston and
Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently performs on the independent circ ...
, but lost the title to Kingston at ''SmackDown'' on January 4, 2011, ending his reign at 160 days. That same night, Ziggler won a four-way match against
Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (born June 30, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. As of April 2022, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He is also known for co-fou ...
,
Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. Galloway began ...
and
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 30, Ziggler was unsuccessful in his title match against
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
. On February 4, Ziggler's storyline girlfriend Vickie Guerrero, who was the acting General Manager of SmackDown, banned the
spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...
– Edge's
finishing move Finishing can refer to: *Finishing (whisky), a whisky making method that involves aging of multiple casks *Finishing (bookbinding), the process of embellishing a book *Finishing (manufacturing), processes that are applied to a workpiece's surface ...
– and decided that if Edge used it, Ziggler would be awarded the championship. Ziggler was again defeated by Edge in a rematch on the February 11 episode of ''SmackDown'', but because Edge used the spear, Guerrero declared Ziggler the new World Heavyweight Champion on the February 14 episode of ''Raw''. That same night, Ziggler lost the title to Edge and, following the storyline, Theodore Long fired him. The next month, Ziggler was introduced as the newest member of the Raw roster with Guerrero. Ziggler, Guerrero, and
LayCool LayCool (sometimes stylized Lay-Cool) was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Layla and Michelle McCool. The team worked for WWE and were featured primarily on the SmackDown brand but appeared on the Raw brand on some occasions, whi ...
then feuded with Morrison,
Trish Stratus Patricia Anne Stratigeas (; born December 18, 1975), better known by the ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, yoga instructor, actress and former fitness model. She is signed to WWE. An inductee of the 2013 WWE Hall ...
, and ''
Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...
'' guest star
Snooki Nicole Elizabeth LaValle (née Polizzi; born November 23, 1987), best known by her nickname Snooki ( ), is an American reality television personality. She is best known for being a cast member of the MTV reality show ''Jersey Shore (TV series ...
, culminating in a mixed tag team match at
WrestleMania XXVII WrestleMania XXVII was a 2011 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 27th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 20 ...
on April 3, which Ziggler and his team lost. At Capitol Punishment, Ziggler defeated Kingston via a sleeper hold
submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...
to earn his first WWE United States Championship. The next night on ''Raw'', Kingston invoked his rematch clause in a
two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
and won via disqualification, allowing Ziggler to retain. After
Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently performs on the independent circ ...
suggested to Vickie Guerrero that she should manage him in addition to Ziggler, a jealous Ziggler teased tension with Swagger. This, coupled with Ziggler's concurrent feud with
Alex Riley Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. (born April 28, 1981) is an American former professional wrestler and commentator. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, under the ring name Alex Riley, where he was a participant in the second season of '' NXT''. Pr ...
, led Ziggler to defend and retain his United States Championship in a
fatal four-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
against Swagger, Riley, and John Morrison at
Night of Champions WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took pl ...
on September 18. On the following episode of ''Raw SuperShow'', Ziggler lost a non-title match to
Zack Ryder Matthew Brett Cardona (born May 14, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is a freelancer who competes on the independent circuit as well as making in ring appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), All Elite Wrestling (AEW) ...
when guest star
Hugh Jackman Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian and British actor, singer, and producer. Beginning in theatre and television, Jackman landed his breakthrough role as Wolverine in the ''X-Men'' film franchise and the Marvel Cinem ...
helped Ryder by punching Ziggler in the face. Although Ziggler later claimed to have a broken jaw due to Jackman's punch, it was reported that the supposed injury was fake. Later that night, Guerrero officially began managing Swagger, and Swagger began interfering in Ziggler's matches to help him win. Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged Air Boom for the
WWE Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE ...
at
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
on October 2 and at
Vengeance Vengeance may refer to: *Vengeance (concept) or revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Film * ''Vengeance'' (1930 film), action adventure film directed by Archie Mayo * ''Vengeance'' (1937 film) or ''W ...
on October 23, where Ziggler also successfully defended the United States Championship against Ryder. He went on to successfully defend the championship against Morrison at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 20. At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 18, Ziggler lost the United States Championship to Ryder, ending his reign at 182 days. On the December 26 episode of ''Raw SuperShow'', Ziggler defeated WWE Champion
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
in a gauntlet match for a championship opportunity following interference from
John Laurinaitis John Hodger Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1962), also known by his former ring name Johnny Ace, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and business executive. He has wrestled for such promotions as World Championship ...
. The following ''Raw SuperShow'', Ziggler defeated Punk by countout after Laurinaitis interfered again; as a result, Ziggler did not win the championship. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 29, 2012, Ziggler failed to capture the WWE Championship from CM Punk. At the
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
on February 19, Ziggler failed again to capture the WWE Championship after being eliminated second by
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
. Nemeth noted to
Arda Ocal Arda Ocal (; born May 7, 1981) is a Canadian television personality, broadcaster, announcer, and writer. He previously worked in WWE under the stage name Kyle Edwards, as well as the host of ''Aftermath TV'' on Sportsnet 360 and ''The MSG Hockey ...
in an interview for
The Score Television Network Sportsnet 360 (SN360) is a Canadian discretionary specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. The channel primarily broadcasts automated blocks of sports news and highlights, along with live sports coverage as an overflow channel for Spo ...
that the Elimination Chamber left him with multiple minor injuries and it is a match he least looked forward to working. On the February 27 ''Raw SuperShow'', Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged Primo & Epico for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a Triple Threat tag team match, also involving Kofi Kingston and
R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under his real name, stylized as Ron Killings and R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...
. On the March 19 ''Raw SuperShow'', Ziggler and Swagger were announced as the newest members of Team Johnny for the 12-man tag team match at
WrestleMania XXVIII WrestleMania XXVIII was a 2012 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It was the 28th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. This was the first WrestleMani ...
and on the April 2 ''Raw SuperShow'', Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged
Santino Marella Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1974), better known by the ring name Santino Marella, is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he works as the on-screen director of authority. He is best kn ...
for the United States Championship in a triple threat match. After the match, Ziggler began a feud with
Brodus Clay George Murdoch (born February 21, 1973) is an American cable news personality, actor, and former professional wrestler known by his ring/stage name Tyrus. As a wrestler, he was formerly signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he i ...
, who attacked Ziggler with a
headbutt A headbutt or butt is a targeted strike (attack), strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's Skull#Humans, cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of ...
after he and Swagger tried to attack Marella. On the following episode of ''Raw SuperShow'', Ziggler and Swagger were defeated by Clay and Marella in a tag team match. In the following weeks, Ziggler and Swagger lost to Clay and
Hornswoggle Dylan Mark Postl (born May 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is best known under the ring name Hornswoggle. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract and performs on the independent circuit, sometimes under the ...
in singles and tag matches. At Extreme Rules on April 29, Ziggler was again defeated by Clay. Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for WWE Tag Team Championship, first at Over the Limit on May 20 and second on the May 28 episode of ''Raw SuperShow'', resulting in Ziggler showing signs of wanting to break away from Guerrero and Swagger. On the June 11 episode of ''Raw SuperShow'', Ziggler defeated
The Great Khali Dalip Singh Rana (born 27 August 1972), better known by his ring name The Great Khali, is an Indian-born American former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, promoter, and actor. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he be ...
, Swagger and
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
in a fatal four-way elimination match to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, but at No Way Out on June 17, Ziggler lost the title match to champion
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...
. On the following ''Raw 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. Ziggler received another shot at the World Heavyweight Championship on the June 29 ''SmackDown'', but was again defeated by Sheamus in a triple threat match, also involving
Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where h ...
.


Money in the Bank; World Heavyweight Champion (2012–2013)

On the July 3 ''SmackDown'', Ziggler defeated
Alex Riley Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. (born April 28, 1981) is an American former professional wrestler and commentator. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, under the ring name Alex Riley, where he was a participant in the second season of '' NXT''. Pr ...
to qualify for a spot in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match. On July 13, Ziggler,
Zack Ryder Matthew Brett Cardona (born May 14, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is a freelancer who competes on the independent circuit as well as making in ring appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), All Elite Wrestling (AEW) ...
and
Justin Roberts Justin Jason Roberts (born December 29, 1979) is an American professional ring announcer signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he regularly announced for its pay-per-vie ...
were involved in a car accident in
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
while driving from
Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic con is a fan convention emphasizing comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events h ...
; none of them suffered severe injuries. Two days later at the Money 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. Later that night, Ziggler attempted to cash in the briefcase on
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...
after
Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where h ...
attacked him after their match, but Del Rio stopped Ziggler from cashing in. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', Ziggler again attempted to cash in the briefcase on Sheamus following a tag team match with Del Rio, but was laid out by
Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Widely regarded as both one of the greatest '' luch ...
and Sheamus before he could do so. During this time, Ziggler began a feud with
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
after claiming he had lost his touch, which resulted in Jericho attacking him on two occasions, and defeating him in a singles match at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 19. 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. Following this, Ziggler began feuding with
Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...
on ''SmackDown'' four days later, after Orton hit him with an ''
RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...
'' when Ziggler tried to cash his Money in the Bank contract on a vulnerable Sheamus. The following week on ''SmackDown'', Ziggler faced Orton in a match that was won by Orton, Ziggler defeated him in a rematch on ''Raw'' by pinning him while holding his tights. Ziggler faced Orton again at
Night of Champions WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took pl ...
on September 16 where he lost again, ending the feud. On November 18 at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
, Ziggler captained the traditional 5-on-5 elimination tag team match opposite
Mick Foley Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and author. He is signed to WWE, under a Legends contract while also serving as an ambassador. Foley worked for many wrestling promotions, including the W ...
and won the match by last pinning Orton, making him the sole survivor of the match. Ziggler then began feuding with
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
after he sided with
Vickie Guerrero Vickie Lynn Benson (formerly Guerrero, née Lara;Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'', p. 53. born April 16, 1968), better known as Vickie Guerrero, is an American former professional wrestling personality ...
to help defame Cena and AJ Lee by alleging they had a romantic relationship. On December 16 at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Ziggler retained his Money in the Bank briefcase in a ladder match after AJ interfered and turned on Cena. The following night on ''Raw'', 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 on
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
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. 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. Ziggler ended his feud with Cena after losing to him on the January 7, 2013, episode of ''Raw'', in a singles match and in steel cage match the following week, despite outside interference from AJ and Langston in both matches. On the January 21 episode of ''Raw'', 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. Six days later at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
, Ziggler entered at number one, eliminating Chris Jericho and
The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...
and lasted nearly fifty minutes before being eliminated by Sheamus. During the match, Ziggler resumed his feud with the returning Jericho. The following night on ''Raw'', Ziggler and Jericho were placed in a "Strange Bedfellows" match against WWE Tag Team Champions
Team Hell No Team Hell No was a professional wrestling tag team in WWE consisting of Kane (wrestler), Kane and Bryan Danielson, Daniel Bryan. The team's name is a reference to the two wrestlers' personas: Kane is portrayed as a violent pyromaniac and described ...
(
Daniel Bryan Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
and
Kane Kane or KANE may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Fictional entities *Kane (comics), the main character of the eponymous comic book series by Paul Grist * Kane (''Command & Conquer''), Tiberium universe character in the ''Command & Conquer'' ...
), but they lost when Kane hit a
chokeslam A chokeslam is a type of body slam in professional wrestling, in which a wrestler grasps an opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerf ...
on Ziggler and pinned him after Jericho framed him for pushing Kane. On the February 18 episode of ''Raw'', 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 announcer Ricardo Rodriguez ran off with it. After defeating WWE Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan and Kane in singles matches due to interference from Langston, Ziggler and Langston were given a shot at their titles. The title match took place on April 7 at
WrestleMania 29 WrestleMania 29, also promoted as WrestleMania NY/NJ, was a 2013 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It was the 29th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 7, 2013, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New J ...
, where Ziggler and Langston unsuccessfully challenged Bryan and Kane for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The following night on ''Raw'', Ziggler cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on an injured Alberto Del Rio to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. After gaining the World Heavyweight Championship, Ziggler began feuding with Del Rio and
Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently performs on the independent circ ...
over the title. Ziggler was originally booked to face Del Rio and Swagger in a three-way ladder match at Extreme Rules on May 19; however, Ziggler suffered a legitimate concussion at a ''SmackDown'' taping, thus removing their match from the pay-per-view and resulting in Ziggler being absent from television for a month. On June 16 at
Payback Payback may refer to: * Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Payback may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shado ...
, Ziggler faced Del Rio in his first title defense of the World Heavyweight Championship and during the match, a double turn took place; Ziggler turned
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
by displaying a never-say-die attitude while Del Rio turned
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
by repeatedly and ruthlessly targeting his head to take advantage of his concussion, win the match, and end Ziggler's reign at 69 days. On July 14 at Money 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. On the following ''Raw'', 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. On the July 29, 2013, episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler defeated Big E Langston via disqualification after AJ Lee attacked Ziggler. In a rematch on the following week, Ziggler was defeated by Langston after a distraction by AJ and Kaitlyn. This led to the host of
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
,
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
creating a mixed tag team match at SummerSlam on August 18, where Ziggler and Kaitlyn defeated Big E and AJ.


Feud with The Authority (2013–2015)

Ziggler was later unsuccessful in capturing the United States Championship, when he lost to
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Champion in his record-setting fourth ...
at
Night of Champions WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took pl ...
on September 15 and on the October 16 episode of ''Main Event'', ending their feud. After that rivalry was over, Ziggler lost several matches during the late-2013 calendar year when he also failed to win the Intercontinental Championship from
Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and performed under his real name, styliz ...
on the November 11 episode of ''Raw''. In December, Ziggler lost two number one contender matches for the Intercontinental Championship, first to
Damien Sandow Aron Steven Haddad (born August 3, 1982) is an American retired professional wrestler working as a manager in the National Wrestling Alliance under the name Aron Stevens. He is best known for wrestling with WWE under the ring name Damien Sandow ...
and later to
Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple metre, triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is u ...
. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 26, 2014, Ziggler entered the
Royal Rumble match The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic battle royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...
, but was eliminated by
Roman Reigns Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...
. On April 6 at
WrestleMania XXX WrestleMania XXX was a 2014 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 30th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 6, 2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This ...
, Ziggler competed in the 31-man Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but was eliminated by
Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to WWE and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where h ...
. On June 29 at Money in the Bank, Ziggler competed in the
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First performed at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate WWE Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank event w ...
for a
WWE World Heavyweight Championship WWE World Heavyweight Championship may refer to: * World Heavyweight Championship (WWE, 2002–2013), a professional wrestling championship that existed between 2002 and 2013 * World Heavyweight Championship (WWE, 2023–present), a professional ...
contract, but the match was won by
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
. Ziggler later competed in a Battle Royal for the vacant Intercontinental Championship on July 20 at
Battleground A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...
; however, he was abruptly eliminated from behind by
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
. After Ziggler defeated Miz in a non-title match the following night on ''Raw'', he received a rematch at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 17, where he defeated Miz to win the championship for a second time. The next night on ''Raw'', Ziggler successfully retained his title against Miz, after he was counted out. At
Night of Champions WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took pl ...
on September 21, Ziggler dropped the title to Miz, only for Ziggler to win it back the following night on ''Raw''. Ziggler then retained the championship against Cesaro on September 26 episode of ''SmackDown'', in a triple threat match against Cesaro and Miz the next week on ''Raw'' and at
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
on October 26 against Cesaro in a 2-out-of-3 falls match. On the October 28, 2014, episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler and
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
shook hands together backstage, which The Authority interpreted as a deal to plot against them. As a result, Ziggler was put in a match against
Kane Kane or KANE may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Fictional entities *Kane (comics), the main character of the eponymous comic book series by Paul Grist * Kane (''Command & Conquer''), Tiberium universe character in the ''Command & Conquer'' ...
, which Ziggler won. Ziggler then joined Team Cena at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
. On the November 10 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler was brutally attacked by the returning
Luke Harper Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an American professional wrestler known as Brodie Lee. Huber performed under the ring name Luke Harper in WWE from 2012 to 2019, and as Mr. Brodie Lee in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) ...
. 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. At Survivor Series on November 23, Ziggler emerged as the sole survivor for a second time. Ziggler contributed to Rusev being counted out, then after all his teammates were eliminated, he pinned Kane and Luke Harper.
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
twice prevented Ziggler from pinning final opponent Seth Rollins, but the debuting
Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...
provided an assist to help Ziggler win the match, thus ousting the Authority from power. At
TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...
on December 14, Ziggler defeated Harper in a
ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
to win his fourth Intercontinental Championship. On the December 16 episode of ''SmackDown'', Ziggler finally defeated Seth Rollins in a singles match after failing numerous times before. Three days later, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' named Ziggler as the 2014 WWE Wrestler of the Year. On the first ''Raw'' of 2015 (dated January 5), the recently reinstated Authority forced Ziggler to defend his Intercontinental Championship against
Bad News Barrett Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English actor and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Wade Barrett as a color commentator on the ''SmackDown'' brand. Barrett won the fi ...
and he initially won. After Barrett then attacked and injured Ziggler's shoulder, Kane declared the match as two-out-of-three falls, Barrett proceeded to defeat Ziggler for the title after Kane distracted him. Later that night, Ziggler alongside
Ryback Ryback Allen Reeves (born Ryan Allen Reeves; November 10, 1981) is an American retired professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed under the ring name Ryback. One of the eight finalists on ' ...
and
Erick Rowan Joseph Ruud (born November 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Erick Rowan. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks. Having previously wrestled ...
were fired by the Authority. On the January 19 episode of ''Raw'', Sting provided another assist, as John Cena won Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan's jobs back. Ziggler returned to television on the next ''SmackDown'' and qualified for the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
match by beating Barrett in a non-title match. In the Royal Rumble match on January 25, Ziggler entered as the last entrant, eliminating Bad News Barrett and Cesaro but was quickly eliminated by
Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) f ...
and Kane. At Fastlane 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. On the March 5 episode of ''SmackDown'', Ziggler was announced as a participant in the 7-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship at
WrestleMania 31 WrestleMania 31 was a 2015 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 31st annual WrestleMania and took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's S ...
on March 29, which was won by
Daniel Bryan Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
.


Storyline with Lana and Rusev (2015–2016)

Between March and June, Ziggler feuded with
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...
, facing him in a Kiss Me Arse match at Extreme Rules and at
Payback Payback may refer to: * Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Payback may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shado ...
, while also participated in the Elimination Chamber match for the vacated Intercontinental Championship at
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
and the
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First performed at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate WWE Money in the Bank, Money in the Bank event w ...
at Money in the Bank, which was won by Sheamus. Ziggler became involved in an on-screen love affair with
Lana Lana may refer to: *Lana (given name) *Francesco Lana de Terzi (1631–1687), Italian Jesuit priest and scientist *Lana Del Rey, American singer-songwriter *Lana Turner, American actress *Lana Rhoades, American former adult film actress * CJ Perr ...
, the former manager of Rusev, when she kissed him at ''Raw'' on May 25, with Lana serving as Ziggler's
valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, ''valet de chambre'' was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "va ...
during his matches. In June, after Ziggler and Lana confirmed their storyline relationship,
Summer Rae Danielle Louise Moinet (born November 28, 1983) is an American model, actress, ring announcer, former professional wrestler, manager and American football player. She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2011 to 2017, under the ring name Sum ...
allied with Rusev to even the odds. After an attack by Rusev, Ziggler suffered a bruised
trachea The trachea (: tracheae or tracheas), also known as the windpipe, is a cartilaginous tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi of the lungs, allowing the passage of air, and so is present in almost all animals' lungs. The trachea extends from ...
in storyline, which was to give him some time off to film a new
WWE Studios WWE Studios Inc. (formerly known as WWE Films) is an American film studio owned by the professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor (company), Endeavor Group Holdings. WWE Studios ...
movie, titled ''6:42''. While Ziggler and Rusev match at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
ended in a double countout due to interference from Lana and Rae, Ziggler won the rematch at
Night of Champions WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took pl ...
, but the storyline was cancelled after ''
TMZ ''TMZ'' is an American entertainment-focused tabloid news organization owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested ...
'' reported the real–life engagement of Rusev and Lana. On the October 22 episode of ''SmackDown'', Ziggler started a feud with the debuting
Tyler Breeze Mattias Clement (born January 19, 1988) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under the ring name Tyler Breeze as a member of the UpUpDownDown channel and as a writer for the NXT brand. He also wrestles on the independent ...
, who aligned with Summer Rae and attacked Ziggler. Ziggler entered a
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
for the vacant
WWE World Heavyweight Championship WWE World Heavyweight Championship may refer to: * World Heavyweight Championship (WWE, 2002–2013), a professional wrestling championship that existed between 2002 and 2013 * World Heavyweight Championship (WWE, 2023–present), a professional ...
, defeating
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
in the first round match before being eliminated by
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Champion in his record-setting fourth ...
. Ziggler and Breeze continued their feud, which culminated in a match between the two at
Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...
on November 22, which Ziggler lost. Ziggler would then enter a feud with
Kevin Owens Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of April 2025, he is on hiatus due to a neck injury. Steen began his ...
with the pair trading victories throughout the rest of December and beginning of 2016. Ziggler entered the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 24 as the 28th entrant, lasting 7 minutes, but was eliminated by the eventual winner,
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
. The next night on ''Raw'', Ziggler faced Kevin Owens in a losing effort, but defeated him the following two weeks in a row. On the February 15 ''Raw'', Ziggler was involved in a fatal five-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, where Owens regained the title after pinning Tyler Breeze. At Fastlane on February 21, Ziggler challenged Owens to a match for the Intercontinental Championship, which he lost. In the following weeks, Ziggler began to re-ignite his feud with The Authority, and on the March 14 episode of ''Raw'', he confronted Triple H and
Stephanie McMahon Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...
. 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. At
WrestleMania 32 WrestleMania 32 was a 2016 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 32nd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 2016, at the AT&T ...
on April 3, Ziggler competed against Kevin Owens,
Sami Zayn Rami Sebei (born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Sami Zayn. Sebei made his professional wrestling debut in 2002 under the ring name Stevie McFly. Pr ...
, The Miz,
Stardust Stardust may refer to: * A type of cosmic dust, composed of particles in space Entertainment Songs * “Stardust” (1927 song), by Hoagy Carmichael * “Stardust” (David Essex song), 1974 * “Stardust” (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), 2012 * ...
,
Sin Cara Sin Cara may refer to: * Místico (born 1982), Mexican professional wrestler, wrestled as Sin Cara in WWE between 2011 and 2013 * Cinta de Oro (born 1977), American professional wrestler, wrestled as Sin Cara in WWE during 2011 and between 2013 ...
and
Zack Ryder Matthew Brett Cardona (born May 14, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is a freelancer who competes on the independent circuit as well as making in ring appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), All Elite Wrestling (AEW) ...
in a
ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
for the Intercontinental Championship, which Ryder won. After WrestleMania 32, Ziggler went to a double countout with
Baron Corbin Thomas Pestock (born September 14, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, former professional football player and former amateur boxer. He is wrestling as a freelancer under the ring name Bishop Dyer, appea ...
on the April 4 episode of ''Raw'', leading to Corbin hitting an ''
End of Days End of days may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''End of Days'' (film), a 1999 supernatural film * '' Carnival: At the End of Days'', an upcoming fantasy film Music * '' The End of Days'', a 2010 album by Abney Park * ''En ...
'' outside of the ring to Ziggler, igniting a feud in the process. At the
Payback Payback may refer to: * Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Payback may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shado ...
pre-show on May 1, Ziggler faced Baron Corbin in a winning effort. The two then had a
no disqualification match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
at Extreme Rules on May 22 where Corbin won after hitting a low blow on Ziggler. Following Extreme Rules, on the May 23 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler had a confrontation backstage with Corbin and challenged him to a technical wrestling match the next week. In that match, Ziggler intentionally got himself disqualified when he kicked Corbin in the groin immediately after the match began. This led to a rubber match at Money in the Bank on June 19, which Corbin won to end their feud.


Championship reigns (2016–2018)

On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, Ziggler was drafted to ''SmackDown''. On the July 26 episode of ''SmackDown'', Ziggler won a
six-pack challenge Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
against
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (or A.J. Styles), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, ...
,
Apollo Crews Sesugh Isaac Uhaa (born August 22, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Apollo Crews. As of February 2025, he is out of action due to a torn pectoral muscl ...
,
Baron Corbin Thomas Pestock (born September 14, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, former professional football player and former amateur boxer. He is wrestling as a freelancer under the ring name Bishop Dyer, appea ...
,
Bray Wyatt Windham Lawrence Rotunda (May 23, 1987 – August 24, 2023), better known by his ring name Bray Wyatt, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in WWE from 2009 until his death in 2023. Rotunda was a third-generati ...
, and
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
to become the number one contender for the
WWE World Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand ...
. On the August 2 edition of ''SmackDown'', Ziggler defended his contendership against
Bray Wyatt Windham Lawrence Rotunda (May 23, 1987 – August 24, 2023), better known by his ring name Bray Wyatt, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in WWE from 2009 until his death in 2023. Rotunda was a third-generati ...
. Ziggler won the match, but was attacked afterwards by Wyatt and
Erick Rowan Joseph Ruud (born November 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Erick Rowan. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks. Having previously wrestled ...
, who also laid out
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Champion in his record-setting fourth ...
when he attempted to save Ziggler. On August 21 at SummerSlam, Ziggler was defeated by Ambrose. Next, Ziggler started a feud over
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
's Intercontinental Championship, failing to capture the title at
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
on September 11 after
Maryse Maryse is a given name. Notable persons with this name include: *Maryse Alberti, cinematographer *Maryse Condé, author *Maryse Dauvray, actress *Maryse Lassonde, neuropsychologist *Maryse Liburdi (formerly Maryse Thomas), CEO *Maryse Marpsat, soci ...
sprayed something at Ziggler whilst Miz distracted the referee. After failing to win the Intercontinental title in the following weeks, Ziggler would defeat The Miz at No Mercy on October 9 to win the title in a match where he would have to retire if he lost. However, he lost the title 37 days later against The Miz on the 900th episode of ''SmackDown''. The feud culminated in a
Ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
at the TLC: Tables, Ladders, & Chairs event on December 4 for the championship in what was advertised as their final match, where Ziggler was defeated. On the December 13 edition of ''SmackDown'', Ziggler pinned Dean Ambrose in a fatal four-way elimination match also involving The Miz and
Luke Harper Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an American professional wrestler known as Brodie Lee. Huber performed under the ring name Luke Harper in WWE from 2012 to 2019, and as Mr. Brodie Lee in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) ...
, to become the number one contender to AJ Styles' WWE Championship. The following week, Baron Corbin confronted Ziggler, and the two had a match with Ziggler's number one contender's spot on the line. The match ended in a double count-out and
Daniel Bryan Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs on a part time basis. He is also known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under t ...
made the December 27 episode's WWE Championship match a triple-threat between Styles, Ziggler, and Corbin. In that match, Styles retained the WWE Championship after pinning Ziggler. On the January 3, 2017, episode of ''SmackDown'', after he lost to Baron Corbin, Kalisto came to the save of Ziggler during a post match assault by Corbin, he superkicked Kalisto, turning
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...
for the first time since 2013. At
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...
on February 12, Ziggler lost to
Apollo Crews Sesugh Isaac Uhaa (born August 22, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Apollo Crews. As of February 2025, he is out of action due to a torn pectoral muscl ...
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. This led to a chairs match on the February 28 ''SmackDown'', where Ziggler was victorious. On April 2 on the
WrestleMania 33 WrestleMania 33 was a 2017 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 33rd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 2, 2017, at Camping Wo ...
kickoff show, Ziggler was part of the
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is a namesake battle royal held as part of WrestleMania Weekend by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match receives the André the Giant Memorial Trophy. The inaugura ...
, managing to eliminate
R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under his real name, stylized as Ron Killings and R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...
,
Rhyno Terrance Guido Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Rhyno (or Rhino). He is a freelancer, appearing for various promotions such as All Elite Wrestling (AEW), National Wrestling Alliance ...
and Tian Bing, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner
Mojo Rawley Dean Muhtadi (; born July 17, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former American football player. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Mojo Rawley. He has also become known in football bettin ...
. He lost to
Shinsuke Nakamura is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former 3-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his first rei ...
at
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
on May 21. After some time away from TV, Ziggler returned on the August 22 edition of ''SmackDown Live'' to declare that he would undergo a gimmick change on the following week's edition. He later started mocking, week after week, the entrances of current and former wrestlers such as
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
,
Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...
,
Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...
and
Randy Savage Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...
. Ziggler believed that fans only cared about elaborated entrances, and not about the in-ring performances, where he claimed he was the best. This led to a feud with
Bobby Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...
, being defeated by him at
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...
on October 8, but at Clash of Champions on December 17, he defeated Baron Corbin and Roode in a triple threat match to win his second United States Championship. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'' on December 19, Ziggler held a celebration that was a retrospective of his WWE career; he said that the fans did not deserve him and placed the title belt in the ring before leaving. A week later, general manager Daniel Bryan vacated the title. Ziggler returned at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
on January 28, 2018, as the surprise #30 entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match. After eliminating
Goldust Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes, with a nickname of "The Natural" and is a member of The Sons of ...
, however, Ziggler was eliminated by
Finn Bálor Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler. As of May 2014, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Finn Bálor (). He is a member of The Judgment Day stable. Devitt began his car ...
. He would be involved at Fastlane on March 11 in a six pack challenge for the WWE Championship, where the champion AJ Styles retained. Next month, Ziggler took part in the
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is a namesake battle royal held as part of WrestleMania Weekend by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match receives the André the Giant Memorial Trophy. The inaugura ...
at
WrestleMania 34 WrestleMania 34 was a 2018 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 34th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, held for ...
on April 8, but did not win the trophy.


Alliance with Drew McIntyre (2018–2019)

On April 16, Ziggler was moved to Raw as part of the Superstar Shake-up, and that night, he allied himself with the returning
Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. Galloway began ...
to attack Titus Worldwide (
Titus O'Neil Thaddeus Michael Bullard (born April 29, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and former arena football player. He is signed to WWE as a Global Ambassador. Described by the company as "one of the most philanthropic superstars in WWE hist ...
and
Apollo Crews Sesugh Isaac Uhaa (born August 22, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Apollo Crews. As of February 2025, he is out of action due to a torn pectoral muscl ...
), whom they defeated the following week. On the June 18 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler answered
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
' open challenge for the Intercontinental Championship and defeated Rollins to capture the title for a sixth time. After weeks of McIntyre assisting Ziggler in all situations, including Extreme Rules on July 15 where Ziggler defeated Rollins 5–4 in sudden death overtime of a 30-Minute Iron Man match,
Dean Ambrose Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is the current AEW World Champion in his record-setting fourth ...
returned on the August 13 episode of ''Raw'' to even the odds for Rollins. At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
on August 19, Ziggler lost the championship to Rollins, who had Ambrose in his corner. On the September 3 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler and McIntyre temporarily formed a stable with
Braun Strowman Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Strongman (strength athlete), strongman. As a wrestler, he is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2013 to 2025, where he performed un ...
known as "The Dogs of War" to combat the newly reunited The Shield (professional wrestling), The Shield (
Roman Reigns Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...
, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose). Later that night, they won the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship by defeating The B-Team (Bo Dallas and
Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and performed under his real name, styliz ...
). They then successfully defended their titles at Hell in a Cell (2018), Hell in a Cell on September 16 against Rollins and Ambrose. At the WWE Super Show-Down, Super 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. Over the next two weeks, the respective groups faced each other again on ''Raw'', with The Dogs of War winning the first match, but losing the latter after Ziggler got pinned by Ambrose. 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. Ziggler and McIntyre lost the Raw Tag Team Championship to Rollins and Ambrose on the October 22 episode of ''Raw'' after interference from Braun Strowman. On the December 3 episode of ''Raw'', 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 from
Finn Bálor Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler. As of May 2014, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Finn Bálor (). He is a member of The Judgment Day stable. Devitt began his car ...
. After the three men had traded wins among each other and interfered in each other's matches over the next few weeks, McIntyre defeated Ziggler in a cage match on the December 31 episode of ''Raw''. After this, Ziggler was off television until his appearance at the Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble (2019), titular event on January 27, 2019, as participant number 28, eliminating McIntyre and lasting until the final three, before being eliminated by Braun Strowman. He would then disappear again from WWE television without notice due to a #Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedy tour that started following the Royal Rumble.


The Dirty Dawgs (2019–2022)

After a four-month hiatus, Ziggler returned on the May 21 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', attacking WWE Championship, WWE Champion
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
. Ziggler failed to win the title from Kingston at Super ShowDown (2019), Super ShowDown on June 7 and WWE Stomping Grounds, Stomping Grounds on June 23 in a steel cage match, ending their long-time feud. At Extreme Rules (2019), Extreme Rules on July 14, he lost to
Kevin Owens Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of April 2025, he is on hiatus due to a neck injury. Steen began his ...
in only 17 seconds and failed to win the WWE Championship from Kingston in a triple threat match also including Samoa Joe at Smackville on July 27. On the July 23 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', Ziggler interrupted ''Miz TV'' featuring
Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...
and attacked Michaels and
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...
. This led to a match against Bill Goldberg, Goldberg at SummerSlam (2019), SummerSlam on August 11, being defeated in a short match. On the August 26 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler teamed with Bobby Roode, Robert Roode to win a tag-team turmoil match, earning a WWE Raw Tag Team Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship match at Clash of Champions (2019), Clash of Champions. At the event on September 15, Ziggler and Roode won the titles from
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
and
Braun Strowman Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Strongman (strength athlete), strongman. As a wrestler, he is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2013 to 2025, where he performed un ...
. On the October 14 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler and Roode lost the titles to The Viking Raiders (Erik (wrestler), Erik and Ivar (wrestler), Ivar), ending their reign at 29 days, and they were drafted to the SmackDown (brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand as part of the 2019 WWE Draft. At Survivor Series (2019), Survivor Series on November 24, Ziggler and Roode won a 10-team Glossary of professional wrestling terms#I, Interbrand Battle royal (professional wrestling)#Team variations, Tag Team Battle Royal. In the following weeks, they aligned themselves with King Corbin during his feud against
Roman Reigns Leati Joseph Anoaʻi ( ; born May 25, 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns, is an American professional wrestler and former gridiron football, football player. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he performs on the Sm ...
. On January 26, 2020, at the Royal Rumble (2020), Royal Rumble, Ziggler entered the Royal Rumble match at number 19, but was eliminated by Reigns. At Super ShowDown (2020), Super ShowDown on February 27, Ziggler lost to Mansoor (wrestler), Mansoor. At Elimination Chamber (2020), Elimination Chamber on March 8, Ziggler and Roode competed in the elimination chamber, namesake match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, where the champions The Miz and John Morrison retained. In March, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Roode was forced to stay in his native Canada, putting the team on hiatus. At the same time, Ziggler entered a feud with Otis (wrestler), Otis over the affections of Mandy Rose, using underhanded tactics to secure a Valentine's Day date and short-term relationship; however, this was soon exposed. On the second night of WrestleMania 36 on April 5, Ziggler lost to Otis. After a few more assaults and promos, the feud ended when Otis defeated Ziggler in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. On the June 22 episode of ''Raw'', it was announced that Ziggler and Roode were traded to the Raw brand for A.J. Styles. On that night, Ziggler issued a challenge to WWE Champion
Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. Galloway began ...
, which McIntyre accepted for The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. At the event on July 19, Ziggler failed to win the title. As part of the 2020 WWE Draft, 2020 Draft in October, both Ziggler and Roode were drafted back to the SmackDown brand. On the January 8, 2021, episode of ''SmackDown'', Ziggler and Roode defeated The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) to win the
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's m ...
. They retained the titles until WrestleMania Backlash (2021), WrestleMania Backlash, where they lost the titles to Rey and Dominik Mysterio. They were drafted to the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand in the 2021 WWE Draft, 2021 Draft. On the October 25 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler and Roode defeated The Street Profits and Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) in a #1 contender's match for the
Raw Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's main r ...
, facing the champions, RK-Bro (
Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...
and Matt Riddle, Riddle) for the titles later that night in a losing effort. At Survivor Series (2021), Survivor Series on November 21, Ziggler participated in a 25-man dual-branded battle royal to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Dwayne Johnson, The Rock's debut at the Survivor Series (1996), 1996 Survivor Series, eliminating Mansoor before he was eliminated by
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (or A.J. Styles), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, ...
. Ziggler competed in the Royal Rumble (2022), Royal Rumble on January 29, 2022, entering at No. 16 but was eliminated by Bad Bunny and
Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Widely regarded as both one of the greatest '' luch ...
.


NXT Champion (2022–2023)

On the February 8 episode of NXT 2.0, Ziggler made a surprise appearance during a segment with Bron Breakker and Santos Escobar. At NXT Roadblock (2022), NXT Roadblock on March 8, Ziggler defeated Tommaso Ciampa and defending champion Breakker in a triple threat match to win the
NXT Championship The NXT Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended as the top men's championship of NXT (WWE brand), NXT, the promotion's Farm team, de ...
. The following week, he successfully defended his title against LA Knight. At NXT Stand & Deliver (2022), Stand & Deliver on April 2, he retained the title against Breakker due to interference from Roode. However, on the April 4 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler lost his title to Breakker, ending his reign at 27 days. At the 2023 WWE Draft, he was undrafted. On the May 15 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler competed in a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship at Night of Champions (2023), Night of Champions, eliminating JD McDonagh, but would later get eliminated by Von Wagner. After getting eliminated, McDonagh would attack Ziggler, beginning a feud between the two. On the May 29 episode of ''Raw'', Ziggler wrestled McDonagh, which ended in a double countout. McDonagh would once again attack Ziggler after the match. This would end up being Ziggler's final appearance for the company. He was released on September 21, 2023, ending his 19-year tenure with the company. Nemeth's non-compete clause with the WWE expired on December 20, 2023.


Independent circuit (2023–present)

On December 10, 2023, it was announced that Nemeth would be making his debut for World Wrestling Council (WWC) on January 20, 2024, against Ray González.


New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2024)

Nemeth made his debut for
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
(NJPW) at Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4, 2024, appearing ringside as a spectator along with his brother Ryan. Nemeth confronted the new IWGP Global Champion David Finlay (wrestler), David Finlay, defeating him for the title at The New Beginning in Sapporo (2024), The New Beginning in Sapporo. Nemeth retained the title against Hiroshi Tanahashi on night 1 of Wrestling Dontaku 2024, Wrestling Dontaku, but lost it the next night back to Finlay, ending his reign at 71 days.


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2024–present)

Nemeth made his debut for
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
(TNA) at the Hard To Kill (2024), Hard To Kill PPV on January 13, 2024, confronting the new TNA World Championship, TNA World Champion Moose (wrestler), Moose. Nemeth's first rivalry in TNA was against Steve Maclin, defeating him at Sacrifice (2024), Sacrifice. Nemeth would move into a rivalry with Moose's new faction, The System (professional wrestling), The System. Nemeth challenged for Moose's
TNA World Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won ...
at Rebellion (2024), Rebellion, in a losing effort. After being attacked by The System and not cleared to wrestle at Under Siege (2024), Under Siege, Nemeth would team with his brother, Ryan Nemeth, to challenge The System's Eddie Edwards (wrestler), Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers for the TNA World Tag Team Championship at Against All Odds (2024), Against All Odds, but would be defeated, after interference from Fandango (wrestler), JDC. At Slammiversary (2024), Slammiversary, Nemeth won a six-way to win the TNA World Championship. He would retain the title during the following months against Mustafa Ali on the August 1 episode of ''Impact!'', Josh Alexander on the August 15th episode of ''Impact!'' and in a 60-minute Iron Man match at Emergence (2024), Emergence, Moose at Victory Road (2024), Victory Road, Joe Hendry at Bound for Glory (2024), Bound for Glory, Eddie Edwards (wrestler), Eddie Edwards at Turning Point (2024 wrestling), Turning Point, and A. J. Francis at Final Resolution (2024), Final Resolution. At TNA Genesis (2025), Genesis, Nemeth would lose his TNA World Championship to Joe Hendry, ending his reign at 183 days. On March 14, 2025, at TNA Sacrifice (2025), Sacrifice, Nic attacked Matt Hardy alongside his brother Ryan, turning heel in the process. The Nemeths would then go on to win the titles from the Hardys a month later at TNA Rebellion (2025), Rebellion.


Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2024)

On March 18, 2024, it was announced that Nemeth would make his debut for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) at Triplemanía XXXII, Triplemanía XXXII: Monterrey, to face Alberto El Patron for the vacant
AAA Mega Championship The AAA Mega Championship (often referred to as the AAA World Heavyweight Championship in English and known as the Mega Campeonato AAA in Spanish) is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by Mexican promotion Luc ...
. At the event, Nemeth defeated El Patron to win the AAA Mega Championship. At the same event in Mexico City on August 17, accompanied by John Bradshaw Layfield, John Layfield, Nemeth lost the title to El Patron.


Professional wrestling style and persona

''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". He is also noted for his "elite" ability to glossary of professional wrestling terms#sell, sell for his opponents. 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 of Curt Hennig." Nemeth's most commonly utilized Finisher (wrestling), finishing maneuvers are a professional wrestling throws#Reverse bulldog, jumping reverse bulldog, known as the ''Zig Zag'', as well as a Professional wrestling attacks#Superkick, superkick. In the early run of his Dolph Ziggler character, he also used a sleeper hold as a
submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...
finisher. While still in developmental, he also utilized a jumping reverse STO named ''Blonde Ambition''. Due to his athleticism and intense showmanship, Nemeth has been referred to as "The Showstealer" and "The Showoff", while in his earlier career he was referred to as "The Natural". Upon teaming with
Vickie Guerrero Vickie Lynn Benson (formerly Guerrero, née Lara;Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'', p. 53. born April 16, 1968), better known as Vickie Guerrero, is an American former professional wrestling personality ...
, he was nicknamed either "Blonde Ambition" or "Blonde Perfection". 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." In the early stages of his career, Nemeth was introduced to the audiences as a sidekick with a
caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...
gimmick. This, however, lasted only a few weeks because Chavo Guerrero aborted his golfer gimmick after the death of his uncle
Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling ...
. While there were initial plannings within the company to give him a new gimmick based on his successful career in
amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced at Olympic Games, Olympic, Collegiate wrestling, collegiate, Scholastic wrestling, scholastic, and other levels. There are two international wrestling styles performed at the Olympic Games, fr ...
and pair him with Kurt Angle, this idea never surfaced. Instead, his first longer lasting gimmick became that of male cheerleader Nicky, where he was partnered with four other wrestlers as The Spirit Squad. To ensure their characters were believable, they trained with real cheerleaders and gymnasts. With this gimmick, he saw moderate success, winning the
World Tag Team Championship In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...
once. After the disbanding of the Spirit Squad he was again sent back to developmental, where he and fellow Spirit Squad member Mike Mondo tweaked the gimmick into a jock (stereotype), jock and fraternity based new gimmick, now going by the name of "Frat Pack". He would continue this gimmick alongside Brad Allen and Gavin Spears, with whom he won the
FCW Florida Tag Team Championship The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The c ...
once each. 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. By 2008, Nemeth was repackaged as Dolph Ziggler, a bleached-blonde and self-absorbed narcissist. 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. 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 with
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
in 2019, where he would blame Kingston (and later
Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. Galloway began ...
) for stealing his chance to become WWE champion while stating "it should've been me".


Stand-up comedy

Nemeth grew up as a fan of comedians such as Johnny Carson, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Jon Lovitz, Brian Regan (comedian), Brian Regan, Adam Sandler, and George Wallace (American comedian), George Wallace. He decided to start performing comedy around the year 2010. He performed stand-up comedy for the first time in a small Los Angeles venue in 2013, and began getting offers to perform at various comedy clubs nearby WWE events. At this point, he had been studying comedy almost a decade in preparation for a comedy career. He also began hosting a monthly improv comedy show called Flying Chuck alongside fellow professional wrestlers John Morrison and his brother Ryan Nemeth. A few years later, he started working as an opening act for his long-time friend Sarah Tiana. In July 2018, he appeared on Comedy Central's ''Roast Battle III'' to face off against Tiana. In 2018, Nemeth started seriously moonlighting as a stand-up comedian while still wrestling for WWE. This led to him headlining shows close to the arenas for the 2018
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
and Survivor Series (2018), Survivor 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. 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. He later continued the tour, announcing two shows in Texas taking place in late May.


In other media

Ziggler appeared on the November 3, 2009, episode of ''Deal or No Deal (American game show), Deal or No Deal'' with Maria Kanellis and Eve Torres. He appeared on ''Lopez Tonight'' on August 9, 2010. Nemeth appeared in a 2011 episode of ''Silent Library (MTV series), Silent Library'' alongside Chris Masters, Trent Beretta, Trent Baretta, JTG, Caylen Croft, and Brian Myers, Curt Hawkins. Nemeth made regular appearances on fellow WWE wrestler Matt Cardona, Zack Ryder's YouTube web series, ''Z! True Long Island Story'', via his own segment named 'Ask Z Heel'. On February 1, 2012, Nemeth debuted WWEFanNation's ''WWE Download'' and was the host of the YouTube series. The official ''WWE Download'' playlist on YouTube 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 of ''WWE 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 by Max Landis to appear in the 2015 film ''Me Him Her''. In 2016, Nemeth would appear in a series of ads advertising KFC. and 2017 In the ads, he dressed as KFC founder Colonel Sanders. The first ad notably had Nemeth cutting a promo on The Miz, who was dressed as a chicken. This led to a dark match where Nemeth, as Colonel Sanders, defeated Miz in a squash match. Nemeth began appearing on the Fox Business Network program ''Kennedy'' hosted by Kennedy (commentator), Lisa Kennedy Montgomery in 2017. As of 2018, he has appeared on the show 6-8 times.


Video games


Personal life

Nemeth has two brothers. His younger brother Ryan is also a professional wrestler that he teams with in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA. Ryan previously worked with both WWE in NXT Wrestling, NXT under the ring name Briley Pierce in the former promotion, and in All Elite Wrestling, AEW. His other brother, Donald, 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 former U.S. Marines, Marine in January 2016. Nemeth is good friends with his former The Spirit Squad, Spirit Squad teammates, particularly Mike Mondo, Michael Brendli, with whom he lived in Florida until 2008. He previously dated comedian Amy Schumer, who split up with him because she considered him "too athletic" in bed. Nicholas also maintains a close friendship with another professional wrestler,
Ryback Ryback Allen Reeves (born Ryan Allen Reeves; November 10, 1981) is an American retired professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed under the ring name Ryback. One of the eight finalists on ' ...
. Nemeth is fluent in American Sign Language. Nemeth is an avid supporter of his hometown American football, football team Cleveland Browns.


Filmography


Championships and accomplishments

file:DZ WWE WHC.png, 175px, In WWE, Ziggler is a two-time World Heavyweight Championship (WWE, 2002–2013), World Heavyweight Champion... file:Dolph Ziggler 2011 United States Champion.jpg, 175px, ...and a two-time United States Champion file:Dolph Ziggler (53896318805).jpg, 175px, In Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA, Nemeth is a former TNA World Championship, TNA World Champion *
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until ...
** FCW Florida Tag Team Championship (FCW Florida Tag Team Championship#Title history, 2 times) – with Brad Allen (1) and Tye Dillinger, Gavin Spears (1) *Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide **
AAA Mega Championship The AAA Mega Championship (often referred to as the AAA World Heavyweight Championship in English and known as the Mega Campeonato AAA in Spanish) is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by Mexican promotion Luc ...
(List of AAA Mega Champions, 1 time) *
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
**
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" are the initials of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was created when the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship wa ...
(IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) * ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' ** Ranked No. 9 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500'' in 2013 * ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ** Wrestler of the Year (2014) ** Worst Storyline (2015) – with Rusev (wrestler), Rusev,
Summer Rae Danielle Louise Moinet (born November 28, 1983) is an American model, actress, ring announcer, former professional wrestler, manager and American football player. She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2011 to 2017, under the ring name Sum ...
and
Lana Lana may refer to: *Lana (given name) *Francesco Lana de Terzi (1631–1687), Italian Jesuit priest and scientist *Lana Del Rey, American singer-songwriter *Lana Turner, American actress *Lana Rhoades, American former adult film actress * CJ Perr ...
* Squared Circle Expo ** SCX Championship (1 time) *
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
**
TNA World Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won ...
(List of TNA World Champions, 1 time) ** TNA World Tag Team Championship (List of TNA World Tag Team Champions, 1 time, current) – with Ryan Nemeth * ''WrestleCrap'' ** WrestleCrap#Gooker Award, Gooker Award (2015) – feud with Rusev, Summer Rae and Lana * ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Most Improved, Most Improved (2011) ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Most Underrated, Most Underrated (2011) * World Series Wrestling ** WSW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE ** World Heavyweight Championship (List of World Heavyweight Champions (WWE, 2002–2013), 2 times) **
NXT Championship The NXT Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defended as the top men's championship of NXT (WWE brand), NXT, the promotion's Farm team, de ...
(List of NXT Champions, 1 time) ** WWE Intercontinental Championship (List of WWE Intercontinental Champions, 6 times) ** WWE United States Championship (List of WWE United States Champions, 2 times) ** World Tag Team Championship (WWE), WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (List of World Tag Team Champions (WWE), 2 times) – with
Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. Galloway began ...
(1) and Robert Roode (1) ** WWE Tag Team Championship, WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (List of WWE Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with Bobby Roode, Robert Roode **
World Tag Team Championship In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...
(List of World Tag Team Champions (WWE, 1971–2010), 1 time) – with Johnny Jeter, Johnny,
Kenny Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names. In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith". ...
, Mikey, and Nick Mitchell, Mitch ** Money in the Bank ladder match, Money in the Bank (
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
– World Heavyweight Championship contract) ** Triple Crown (professional wrestling)#List of WWE Men's Triple Crown winners, 22nd Triple Crown Champion ** Slammy Award (2 times) *** Best Twitter Handle or Social Champion (Slammy Award#2014 Slammy Awards, 2014) – @HEELZiggler *** Match of the Year (2014) – * Other titles ** Internet Championship (1 time)


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ziggler, Dolph 1980 births 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers AAA Mega Champions American male comedians American male professional wrestlers American male sport wrestlers American people of Hungarian descent Comedians from Cleveland FCW Florida Tag Team Champions IWGP Global Heavyweight Champions Kent State Golden Flashes wrestlers Kent State University alumni Living people Male actors from Cleveland NWA/WCW/WWE United States Heavyweight Champions NXT Champions Professional wrestlers from Ohio Professional wrestlers from Cleveland St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio) alumni TNA World Heavyweight/Impact World Champions World Heavyweight Champions (WWE) WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions Money in the Bank winners World Tag Team Champions (WWE, 1971–2010) World Tag Team Champions (WWE) WWE Tag Team Champions TNA/Impact World Tag Team Champions