Big name on how he got 'punished' by Vince McMahon for trying to help Dolph Ziggler
Hollywood actor and former WWE writer Freddie Prince Jr. once got into an argument with Vince McMahon over Dolph Ziggler's booking.
Ziggler made his WWE debut in 2008. He would introduce himself in backstage segments for multiple weeks before finally getting a chance to step into the ring.
Freddie Prince Jr. revealed that he wasn't a fan of the name 'Dolph Ziggler'. He felt that a name like that would limit his chances of success. McMahon, however, had a clear vision of how he wanted to use The Showoff when he debuted.
Speaking on Wrestling with Freddie, the She's All That star said he tried his best to avoid having Ziggler get that name. He said that the original name discussed for him was Dolph Diggler, which was later changed to Ziggler. Here's what he said about losing 'the good fight' to Vince McMahon:
“So, it was not a long argument. I lost quickly. I suppose my punishment for fighting the good fight was I was assigned the segment to produce the first time we’re ever going to meet this wonderfully named wrestler, superstar, Dolph Ziggler.”
Freddie Prince Jr. on Vince McMahon's ideas for Dolph Ziggler
Prince revealed that Dolph Ziggler's short introduction segments backstage were completely McMahon's idea. However, he was the one tasked with carrying them out. He initially thought McMahon was joking when he explained the concept to him.
“So I get the segment, and Vince tells me what it’s going to be,” Freddie said. “He says, ‘he’s just going to introduce himself.’ I said, I’m laughing, ‘what do you mean he’s just going to introduce himself?’ ‘Every week, he’s just going to come up and say ‘hey, Dolph Ziggler,’ and shake his hand.’ I go, ‘we’re not going to just to do that, that’s a really short segment. That’s not worthy to get on television,'' said Prince.
He felt that this angle was 'unsalvable'. He felt restricted because he couldn't help The Showoff as the gameplan for his character had already been laid out. Prince Jr. wanted to change the name and give the character more depth, which he was unable to do.