Nic Nemeth spent nearly 20 years in WWE, making a reputation for himself as Dolph Ziggler before departing the corporate in 2023. Throughout his tenure, he experienced the highs of Money within the Bank cash-ins and the lows of creative frustration. Now, as he carves a brand new path in his profession, Nemeth has been vocal about his views on the wrestling industry, including reminiscing on his support for AEW — even while still under a WWE contract. Speaking on “Busted Open Radio,” Nemeth explained why AEW’s emergence was crucial for the wrestling business.
“I used to be in WWE after I was doing work that I wasn’t really happy with,” Nemeth said. “I am going, man, there’s something not so special happening right away. We want an alternate, and the world wanted one, they usually got one, holy crap… I would like 10 alternatives where I wanna have the ability to go. I do not know which one I can watch this week, because I’m so hooked in any respect these different possibilities.”
Through the years, fan perception of AEW has shifted, especially as WWE has significantly upped its game. What was once seen as a must-watch alternative now faces challenges in maintaining long-term engagement. Nemeth empathizes with this viewpoint.
“But there are such a lot of people like that saying, I used to be rooting for this, it was an awesome alternative, it really made WWE step up their game,” Nemeth said. “Now each time within the last 12 months or so I get similar discussions, [it’s] I’ll at all times love this alternative, it’s cool, I’ll probably watch it sometimes, but it surely’s just not grabbing me. It isn’t keeping me long-term, and a very essential part is it is not forcing me to go, I even have to see this next week.
When you use any quotes from this text, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and supply a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for transcription.
