Nic Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler in WWE) recently appeared on Konnan’s “Keepin’ It 100” podcast to discuss whether he’s been asked to join AEW, why he decided to sign with TNA Wrestling, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On if he’d been asked about coming into AEW: “In the past, some, but I had a plan that I’ve been working on the probably the last year and a half that I wanted. I didn’t want to go anywhere, and I appreciate that several companies reached out immediately but I didn’t — I go, I just have this one plan, I just want to do this thing on my own and even so, Scott D’Amore was so insistent because the locker room was so strong and so many of the locker room [people] in TNA reached out and I go, ‘Man, you guys are really making this hard. Okay, let’s do some dates.’ I’m not gonna sign for three years but I go, ‘I just want to bounce around and be a hired gun. I’ll go with anybody and do anything.’”
On not wanting to sign a long-term deal right away: “I just really wanted to — I just got out of a long term relationship, I don’t want to sign a paperwork that says you can’t do this, you can’t do that. I could still represent the company, I am a great brand ambassador, I just don’t want to be locked in just in case. I did it for too long, I stayed a couple extra years just to get the good money, and then now I’m rested up, I’m in the best shape of my life mentally and physically and I’m like, really good at wrestling.
“I think I timed it out perfectly no matter what any fans tell me on Twitter. I did my plan exactly how I wanted to do it and I want to bounce around. I thought I was going to bounce around about six months and then look around, I think I’m going to do a year, maybe longer and then settle down somewhere. But so far, Japan has treated me so well, that locker room is awesome. TNA I’ve been to a few more times than Japan. The business model behind the scenes is so close to WWE, like long-term booking, having plans in place, having people where you don’t just always have to go to Vince. You can go to someone and go to someone else and make a move here. I don’t always want to bother the most important boss with a small thing because I’m new, but I really like all the pieces in place in that business model with the long-term booking and storytelling, that’s what I can sink my teeth into the most.”
Al Snow was a recent guest on the “Busted Open Radio” podcast to discuss a variety of topics, including his belief that wrestling has lost its art in the current era.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On what he dislikes about current wrestling: “I guess what I don’t like about it is the loss of the real art of what it is, you know. The art of selling. The misunderstandings, the lack of intrinsic things that are of the true nature of what we do… The objective of selling is selling who you are and selling your intent, your sense of urgency, that you’re really attempting to try to win and not lose a match.”
On selling a character: “It’s not what these athletes do, it’s the who the athlete is that you can believe in. And what’s at stake? Why does this one game matter? Why should you as an audience care?”
In a recent appearance on Konnan’s “Keepin’ It 100” podcast, Nic Nemeth, also known as Dolph Ziggler in WWE, discussed his decision to sign with TNA Wrestling and whether he had been approached by AEW. Nemeth revealed that while he had been asked about joining AEW in the past, he had a plan of his own and wanted to do things on his own terms.
Nemeth explained that he didn’t want to sign a long-term deal right away because he had just gotten out of a long-term relationship and didn’t want to be tied down. He wanted the freedom to explore different opportunities and be a hired gun for various promotions. However, he did agree to work with TNA Wrestling after being persuaded by the strong locker room and the support he received from the wrestlers there.
The wrestler emphasized that he wanted to bounce around and be able to work with different companies. He mentioned that he thought he would only be bouncing around for about six months, but now it seems like he may stay for a year or longer before settling down somewhere. Nemeth praised the locker room in Japan and the business model of TNA Wrestling, which he found similar to WWE in terms of long-term booking and having plans in place. He appreciated not always having to go to the top boss and being able to make moves with other people involved in the decision-making process.
Nemeth also shared that he had timed his plan perfectly, despite criticism from fans on Twitter. He mentioned that he was in the best shape of his life both mentally and physically and felt really good about his wrestling abilities.
In another podcast appearance on “Busted Open Radio,” former wrestler Al Snow expressed his dissatisfaction with the current era of wrestling. Snow believed that the art of wrestling had been lost and that there was a lack of focus on selling and storytelling. He emphasized the importance of selling who you are as a character and creating a sense of urgency in the matches.
Snow argued that it’s not just about the athletic abilities of the wrestlers, but also about the believability of the characters and the stakes involved. He questioned why audiences should care about a match and what is at stake for the wrestlers.
Both Nemeth and Snow’s podcast appearances shed light on different aspects of the wrestling industry. While Nemeth discussed his decision-making process and desire for freedom in his career, Snow highlighted his concerns about the current state of wrestling and the need to focus on the art of storytelling and selling. These insights provide fans with a deeper understanding of the industry and the perspectives of those involved.