"Vince McMahon doesn’t see it in you" - Former World Champion recalls his early struggles in WWE
WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler recently spoke about the sentiments backstage, especially those of Vince McMahon during his early days on the main roster.
Initially, Ziggler struggled to hit the ground running and found opportunities to shine hard to come by. The OVW product eventually found his footing in WWE and has become one of the company's longest-tenured wrestlers.
Ziggler was in an exclusive interview with SevenVenues to talk about the upcoming episode of SmackDown from Norfolk, Virginia on November 12th.
He also spoke about his struggles in his early days and mentioned that he would often hear from higher-ups in the WWE that Vince McMahon didn't see him as a main event player. The Show Off remembered how he would hope to get 30 seconds of TV time so that he could show his skills inside the ring.
Ziggler mentioned that over time, things started falling into place for him and he started winning a few matches. He added that he set little goals for himself and worked on them.
“Sometimes it was second-hand by other people but not in a condescending way. ‘Hey man Vince (McMahon) doesn’t see it in you.’ A few times it was pretty close to the top. ‘Hey man, we just don’t see it. It just doesn’t work for you.’ Every day it was like I can take it but if I can get just 30 seconds let me try to prove them wrong. So, for the next couple of years something would happen, somebody would get hurt, they would put me in that spot, and I would go out and if they could put me into that spot a little more, after that if I could just win a few times and after that maybe I could just retain. So it was baby steps, little goals all the way through. Somehow the timing worked out and sometimes it happens.”
WWE Superstar Dolph @heelZiggler shares the story of his wrestling dreams turning into reality and more in this interview with Flagship Newspaper: bit.ly/39cVQPo
See him in action at @WWE SmackDown at Scope Arena on November 12, tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10am! https://t.co/cDOVWXG9Gx
Dolph Ziggler's advice for younger WWE talent
With a career spanning over 16 years, Dolph Ziggler is somewhat of a veteran in the WWE. Ziggler also shared some pearls of wisdom for younger talent coming up the ranks in the WWE.
He said that to succeed, one needed to be the first one in and the last one out. Ziggler added that he wanted younger talents to stick to their game even if things were not initially going the way they planned.
Ziggler's own story is an example of how perseverance leads to glory in the course of time.
Dolph Ziggler's cash in was incredible, I'll never forget the reaction he got! #Showoff #MITB https://t.co/y7bYHG9c16
Do you think Dolph Ziggler is a main event player? Has he been mistreated by the WWE? Let us know in the comments below.