"I'd be a little bit scared!" – Former WWE star on facing Alberto Del Rio (Exclusive)
Alberto Del Rio was one of WWE's most prominent stars during his two spells with the company between 2009-2014 and 2015-2016. In an exclusive interview, Nic Nemeth recently opened up about the in-ring battles he had with his long-time rival in WWE.
Nemeth, formerly known as Dolph Ziggler, worked for WWE between 2004 and 2023. In 2013, the 43-year-old successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Del Rio.
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Nemeth admitted the Mexican legitimately scared him due to his intense in-ring style:
"And that intensity that he had, I don't think I could match it. I think now I could, but I was still learning. But, man, when he beat me down, and you could just see it in his face like, 'Man, this guy means business. This is serious.' I'd be a little bit scared! Like, 'Man, what the hell is going on?!' But he was just so good at feeling these emotions, much like an actor in a movie where you forget that you're watching a movie. You're like, 'Woah, what?' It's like that and you can have that chemistry mixed in with our two different styles, man, those were some fun matches." [7:38 – 8:11]
Nic Nemeth shared the ring with dozens of wrestlers during his 19-year WWE career. Aside from Alberto Del Rio, the two-time World Heavyweight Champion also had good chemistry with Kofi Kingston and The Miz.
"The only thing that rivals it is Kofi and maybe Miz a little bit because we had so many matches together, but we could just feel each other out," Nemeth said. "It made me feel like I was learning because I got to be out there with someone with a little bit more experience than me. It made me like, 'I gotta catch up to this guy, I wanna be better,' and things like that, it drives you to be better. You just want everything to be great, and you wanna go, 'I want the world to think that I'm the best.' Well, you gotta prove it and not just once, you gotta do it every damn night." [8:11 – 8:42]
Watch the video above to hear Nic Nemeth address whether he could appear in AEW one day. He also elaborated on his backstage relationship with Alberto Del Rio.
Why Nic Nemeth gelled so well with Alberto Del Rio
Before working together, Alberto Del Rio and Nic Nemeth hardly interacted behind the scenes. In 2023, Del Rio even admitted he disliked the former United States Champion in real life earlier in their careers.
Nemeth added that he and Alberto Del Rio grew to respect each other once their on-screen feud began:
"We just got this chemistry. There is few people that I have that good a chemistry with, and we got to a point we had so many matches with each other, and we could just feel things out to where the old timers would go, 'Ah, we never talked, whatever.' We got to a point where it was like, 'Hey, you and I tonight in the main event for the world title. I'll see you there, brother.'" [6:50 – 7:12]
Alberto Del Rio was more experienced than Nemeth when they feuded on WWE television in 2013. A decade on, The Showoff thinks he improved as a wrestler thanks to his veteran opponent:
"Because he's so good and because I was getting good at the time, we could feel things out, change something up," Nemeth continued. "Like, 'Hey, normally we do this here, but you hear these guys [fans]? Let's go, let's make it a different thing. I got an idea. Let's take this away right now.' Add that in with two people who want great psychology, a great match, a world title match, and then you wanna outdo each other every night and prove how good you are." [7:13 – 7:38]
On January 20, Nemeth will wrestle Ray Gonzalez in the main event of WWC's Euphoria event in Puerto Rico. He also recently appeared in NJPW and TNA.
Do you have any favorite memories from Alberto Del Rio's feud with Nic Nemeth? Let us know in the comments section below.
WWC presents Euphoria, the largest independent event in Puerto Rico in the last decade, on Saturday, January 20, at 7:00pm (ET) in Puerto Rico's wrestling cathedral, the historic Pepín Cestero Arena at Bayamón.
Tickets are on sale at Rayting Mini Market in Mameyal at Dorado, Puerto Rico. Tickets will also be on sale the same day of the event (January 20) at the Pepín Cestero Arena, starting at 1:00pm (ET).
The event is available to watch on PPV on FITE TV.
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