Nic Nemeth has detailed how Dolph Ziggler came to be in WWE and how the name he was originally pitched was much worse.
Supertstar’s genuine names being used on WWE TV is a scarce exception, meaning that many have been at the mercy of higher-ups and the creative team to assign them a new name and hope it is something they can get over with the audience.
There have been times when a disastrous rename can be a creative misfire, especially in recent years when fans are already familiar with their previous work. One of the more questionable name changes in company history was that of The Showoff. While many still question the choice to name Nic Nemeth Dolph Ziggler, it is arguably somewhat better than David Diggler.
Appearing on the Wrestling Perspective Podcast, Nemeth recalled how dejected he was when he was pitched David Diggler and how it went against the new company direction:
“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.’ I’m 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. They go, ‘Alright, we’re going back in to talk to Vince in 15 minutes. You got 15 minutes to pitch him something else.’
Continuing the story, Nemeth described how he frantically tried to come up with a new name on short notice, but ultimately it was all for nothing:
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?’ 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 said.
In a separate interview, Nic Nemeth recalled a wild alternative Money in the Bank cash-in pitch.
Nic Nemeth Thankful For Former WWE Rival
Following his WWE release in September 2023, Nemeth shocked the world when he made his debut for NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom 18. In a previous interview, Nic Nemeth noted how thankful he was to a current WWE Superstar to make the appearance possible.
H/t to Fightful.