Dolph Ziggler discloses original finish for his major WWE Title win
Dolph Ziggler (now Nic Nemeth) spilled the tea on how WWE originally envisioned him winning the World Heavyweight Championship.
Back in 2013, Ziggler held the coveted Money in the Bank briefcase, which guaranteed him a championship match anytime and anywhere. On the April 8th episode of Monday Night RAW, the then-World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio had just competed in a grueling match, leaving him hurt in the ring.
Seizing the opportunity, The Showoff cashed in his MITB contract and ruthlessly targeted his opponent's injured leg. He hit a brutal move, but Del Rio kicked out. This thrilling three-minute match saw both men hit their finishers back-to-back and pin each other until Dolph Ziggler hit the Zig Zag to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career.
Speaking on the Keepin' It 100 podcast, Nic Nemeth revealed that WWE wanted him to just go out and batter Alberto Del Rio with his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the title. However, the 43-year-old star was not on board with the idea and fought with the company for an exhilarating finish since he wanted the moment to be special.
"Little inside thing, what they (WWE) wanted it to be was, ADR's hurt, I come down, hit him with the briefcase five or six times, and just pin him. And I feel I go, 'We're missing out on a couple of moments here.' So I fought to have this like three-minute match that has five or six ups and downs in them and they gave me two and half of the three minutes to make it happen," Ziggler said. [From 03:51 to 04:15]
Check out the full video below:
Dolph Ziggler revealed that backstage struggles impacted his WWE push
During the same conversation, wrestling veteran Konnan asked the former United States Champion if backstage drama was the main reason behind his WWE push being impacted.
Nemeth agreed to the fact that complications backstage with some people or management had something to do with his momentum in the Stamford-based promotion. He said:
"Absolutely, yeah! No one would tell me, and it's the usual couple of things: one, out of context, sure, somebody, some people, or a group. whatever an idea. But also, it's showbiz, and if they [WWE] don't want to go with you, they can make a better excuse; they can find an excuse; they have an excuse; there could be legitimate ones; and it's out of your hands at some point."
After his time in WWE, The Showoff bagged the IWGP Global Championship from David Finlay at NJPW's The New Beginning event. He also appears on TNA Wrestling regularly, which has got the wrestling world wondering if he will show up at All Elite Wrestling soon.