Dolph Ziggler wanted to leave WWE much earlier.
The former WWE star, now going by the name Nic Nemeth, recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. He talked about things such as his time in WWE, why he chose to join TNA instead of AEW after leaving the promotion, and more.
During the interview, the former World Champion also talked about his infamous match with Goldberg from SummerSlam 2019. Ziggler revealed that originally, he was supposed to get no offence in the bout, and the WCW legend was going to win within seconds of the bell. Upon learning the finish, Dolph went to Vince McMahon and told him that he wanted to quit the company:
I said ‘Vince, why am I in this match when anybody could take a Spear and a Jackhammer?’ What’s the point of Ding, ding, ding, Spear, Jackhammer? I go, a local could do it, anybody could do it. And he was like, ‘Well, I don’t know what he can do with you.’
I go, ‘If I can’t be in this match doing something, then I have to leave this company right now.’ And I’m not kidding, if this is purely for someone a scarecrow, to take a spear and a jackhammer, I don’t want to work here.
I Would Not Be Allowed: Dolph Ziggler
The match ultimately saw Dolph Ziggler surprise Goldberg with a couple of superkicks before losing the bout as originally planned. The Show-off would continue mocking the wrestling veteran after the bell and would end up eating two more spears before the whole thing ended.
The current TNA star would put over The Miz in a singles match the next night on Raw. Per Ziggler, it was actually supposed to be his last match in the company but the officials went back on their word:
I was like, oh yeah, you know what? Damn it. Goldberg on Sunday, and that Monday, I wrestle Miz with my career on the line, and he beats me. I wanted to make sure he tapped me out with his version of the figure four, but some version of that to like I’m helping my friend on the way out.
I’m giving his figure four the best sell that he’ll ever have. So that gets passed on to him. And I lost on Sunday to Goldberg, I’ll lose there to Mike, and then I was out of the company and on a handshake deal, I was out. And that day I was told that I would not be allowed to be out.
Dolph Ziggler would stay with the company for 4 more years before finally being let go in September 2023. The 45-year-old noted during the interview that he timed his request for a release with the looming sale of the company and he believes it’s the reason he was finally allowed to leave.
