Dolph Ziggler reveals bizarre WWE ring name he was almost given

WWE signed the former Dolph Ziggler in mid-2004 where he began his journey, but fans almost knew him as something else.

Nic Nemeth's WWE run went 19 years until he was released last September. The Show-Off used the 'Nick Nemeth' ring name in OVW years ago, and after back-and-forth trips to the main roster, Nemeth eventually became Nicky of The Spirit Squad. The group found brief success and even feuded with DX. The company finally called Nemeth to WWE RAW in September 2008 and re-packaged him as the Dolph Ziggler that fans knew and loved.

The #Heel almost went by another name and fans we can thank Mr. McMahon for what happened. Speaking to Ace Steel, Lars Frederiksen, and Dennis Farrell on The Wrestling Perspective podcast, Nemeth was asked to describe the reaction to what he thought his first WWE ring name would be.

The WWE Triple Crown winner recalled how he was almost called 'David Diggler' and what he was told by one WWE official before his debut.

"Heartbroken, absolutely heartbroken [laughs], and I am heartless, but I had to get a heart and then smash it in front of myself. I hope I’m remembering this right. I get a call on a Saturday night after an OVW show. ‘Hey, you’re debuting on Monday. Your name is David Diggler.’ Yeah, you thought Dolph Ziggler was bad. ‘Your name’s David Diggler. We’re not exactly sure what you’re doing, but just bring your gear,'" he said. [H/T to Fightful]

Ziggler continued:

"Im like, ‘What, David Diggler?’ They’re like, ‘What, do you have a problem with that?’ I go, ‘Man, that sucks. Why is that the name?’ They go, ‘Well, we needed a name with the same with the same consonant.’ I go, ‘My name’s Nic Nemeth! We’re going with the reality era, it’s n-n. What?’ They go, ‘Nah, you can’t use your real name anymore.’ I go, alright," he said.

The Wanted Man also remembered how the officials secured him a quick meeting with the boss to pitch what he wanted. The former Spirit Squad member also recalled bumping into McMahon backstage for their first meeting, and how the 1999 Royal Rumble winner denied his pitch.

"They go, ‘Alright, we’re going back in to talk to Vince in 15 minutes. You got 15 minutes to pitch him something else.’ So I text everybody in my phone. ‘Guys, I need a double D name.’ So my dad’s name was Don. I had that down there, I had Dolph for Dolph Lundgren. I pitched all these different things, and they go, ‘It’s probably gonna be David Diggler, but we’ll see you on Monday.’ So I get there, it says, ‘Dolph Diggler.’ I’m kind, ‘What?'" he said.

Ziggler added:

"So I find Vince for the first time in my life, I bump into him and say, ‘Sir, we just went to reality-based. We got John Cena, Randy Orton, this says David Diggler or Dolph Diggler. My name is Nic Nemeth. You can Google my name, I broke these records. I would love to be the best possible reason that you have legitimacy in this new era.’ He goes, ‘Nope, Dolph Ziggler. It stands out. That’s it.’ He walked away, and I went, ‘Okay, here we go.'"

Nemeth last wrestled for WWE on the red brand on May 29, 2023. He wrestled JD McDonagh to a double count-out.

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Nic Nemeth, aka Dolph Ziggler, moving on with life outside WWE

Many pro wrestlers get cut from WWE and are unable to get strong momentum by going on the indies, but some thrive in a major way.

Nic Nemeth, aka Dolph Ziggler, is one who really thrives on their own without the benefits of working for a major company like WWE. Nemeth has appeared for NJPW, GCW, and WWC since his 90-day non-compete clause expired following his release from the Stamford-based company in late September.

The Wanted Man also has numerous other bookings, but seems to be focusing on TNA for the most part. This week's TNA Impact saw him defeat Trey Miguel, despite ringside interference by Miguel's Rascalz partner Zachary Wentz. After the match, Nemeth was blindsided by Steve Maclin as he and The Rascalz triple teamed the former WWE champion.

TNA has not announced Nemeth's match for the upcoming No Surrender special on February 23, but it looks like they are building to Nemeth, Mike Bailey, and an unnamed partner vs. Maclin, Wentz, and Miguel in six-man action.

What did you think of Dolph Ziggler's WWE run? What is your bold prediction for Ziggler's career moving forward? Sound off in the comments below!