World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2004–2023) The Spirit Squad (2004–2006) Nemeth signed a contract with
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2004. He was made the
enforcer and sidekick for
Chavo Guerrero, who was using a
golfer
in-ring persona and going by the
ring name of "Kerwin White". After the death of
Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero dropped the "Kerwin White" character, and Nemeth no longer played the role of his caddie and tag partner. After a few months of wrestling in
dark matches and at
house shows, he was sent back to OVW. On January 23, 2006, they had their WWE television debut as a group, appearing on
Raw and helping
Jonathan Coachman win a
Royal Rumble qualifying match against
Jerry "The King" Lawler by performing cheers for Coachman and distracting Lawler. They later became a part of the ongoing scripted feud between WWE chairman
Vince McMahon and
Shawn Michaels. The
heel McMahon brought in the Spirit Squad to attack Michaels on numerous occasions, including placing them in multiple
handicap matches. They also wrestled in the tag team division, and on April 3, on
Raw, won the
World Tag Team Championship when
Kenny and
Mikey, with outside help from the other three Spirit Squad members, defeated
Big Show and Kane. After winning the championship, all five members of the Spirit Squad were recognized as the champions, allowing any combination of them to defend the championship under the
Freebird Rule. This led to Triple H and Michaels reforming
D-Generation X (DX) and they began a feud with the Spirit Squad. DX played various
sophomoric jokes on the Spirit Squad and the McMahons, as well as defeating the Spirit Squad in handicap tag team matches at
Vengeance and a clean sweep in an
elimination handicap match at ''
Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII''. At the same time as their feud with DX and their alignment with McMahon, the Spirit Squad also wrestled other teams in
Raw's tag division over their World Tag Team Championship, successfully defending the championship against the teams of
Jim Duggan and
Eugene,
Charlie Haas and
Viscera, and
Snitsky and
Val Venis. The Spirit Squad as a whole later began a losing streak with separate members losing singles matches to
Ric Flair on consecutive episodes of
Raw, until Kenny managed to defeat him on the October 23 episode. It was then announced that Flair and a WWE legend, selected by interactive voting, would wrestle the team for the World Tag Team Championship at
Cyber Sunday. The group disbanded on the November 27 episode of
Raw, when they were defeated in a five-on-three handicap match by DX and Flair. In a backstage segment later that night, DX placed all members into a crate stamped "OVW,
Louisville, Kentucky", a reference to the developmental territory from which the Spirit Squad had come.
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2007–2008) Nemeth returned to OVW on January 17, 2007, at the television tapings, again using his Nick Nemeth ring name, along with Mike Mondo, formerly Mikey in the Spirit Squad, as the "Frat Pack". The pair teamed with Mike Kruel in a match against Seth Skyfire,
Shawn Spears, and
Cody Runnels. The team disbanded in the early parts of 2007. Nemeth then competed in several dark matches before the OVW television tapings, competing against several wrestlers including
Chris Cage,
Bradley Jay and
Jake Hager, before he began teaming with Mondo again in August. At the end of August 2007, Nemeth and Mike Mondo were moved to the
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) developmental territory and in his debut there, Nemeth gained the
nickname "The Natural" and defeated Hade Vansen. At the start of 2008, he tweaked his name to "Nic Nemeth" and began teaming with Brad Allen, with the pair gaining
Taryn Terrell as their
valet. The pair defeated Colón and Pérez to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on August 16, but lost it to
Heath Miller and
Joe Hennig less than a month later.
Repackaging as Dolph Ziggler (2008–2010) On September 15, 2008, Nemeth re-debuted on
Raw (as a heel), introducing himself in a backstage segment under the name "Dolph Ziggler". On October 10, Nemeth was suspended for 30 days for a violation of WWE's
Wellness Program policy. He returned to
Raw on November 17 in a backstage segment with
Rey Mysterio and
Shawn Michaels. In his first match on
Raw under the Ziggler name, he lost to
Batista on the December 1, 2008, episode. The following week, he got his first victory as Ziggler, by
countout, against
R-Truth. The next week on
Raw, he picked up his first televised
pinfall victory, when he defeated
Charlie Haas. On April 15, 2009, Ziggler was drafted to the
SmackDown brand as part of the
2009 Supplemental Draft. He made his debut on the April 17 episode of
SmackDown, defeating
United States Champion,
Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) in a non-title match, and, as a result, the following week he demanded a match for the championship. On the May 1 episode of
SmackDown, however, he failed to win the championship, after he was pinned by MVP. Ziggler then started a rivalry with
The Great Khali, losing to him by
disqualification after attacking Khali with a
steel chair. As a result, Khali began coming out to the ring during and after Ziggler's matches, in attempt to gain revenge and to stop Ziggler from cheating. Over the next few weeks, Ziggler would defeat Khali by countout and disqualification after making it look like Khali had struck him with a steel chair. At
The Bash pay-per-view on June 28, Ziggler defeated Khali in a
No Disqualification match by pinfall, after Kane interfered and attacked Khali. Ziggler then entered an on-screen relationship with
WWE Diva Maria and she became his valet. In September, Mysterio lost the Intercontinental Championship to
John Morrison, and Ziggler entered a feud with Morrison after defeating him by countout in a non-title match, but lost to him at the
Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 4. On the episode of
SmackDown following Hell in a Cell, Ziggler ended his on-screen relationship with Maria after she accidentally cost him a match against Morrison for the Intercontinental Championship. At
Breaking Point on September 13, Ziggler made an appearance during a promo by
Pat Patterson, in which Ziggler attacked Patterson until Morrison made the save. He again failed to win the Intercontinental title from Morrison twice, wrestling him to a double countout on the November 13 episode of
SmackDown and losing a two-out-of-three falls match the following week to end the feud. On the February 26, 2010, episode of
SmackDown, Ziggler defeated John Morrison and R-Truth in a
triple threat qualifying match to compete in the
Money in the Bank ladder match at
WrestleMania XXVI on March 28, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
Alliance with Vickie Guerrero (2010–2012) at the 2010
Tribute to the Troops event In June 2010, he began a romantic storyline with
Vickie Guerrero, who began accompanying him to the ring. Ziggler won the WWE Intercontinental Championship from
Kofi Kingston on July 28 (aired August 6) at
SmackDown. Ziggler was able to make a successful title defense against Kingston at the
Night of Champions pay-per-view, and against
Kaval at
Survivor Series. During this time, Ziggler was chosen as a "Pro" for the
fourth season of
NXT, with Jacob Novak as his Rookie, but later was changed to
Byron Saxton when Ziggler won a battle royal. Ziggler successfully retained the Intercontinental Championship at
TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 19 in a three-way
ladder match against Kingston and
Jack Swagger. While he lost the title to Kingston at
SmackDown on January 4, 2011, he won the
World Heavyweight Championship from
Edge on the February 14 episode of
SmackDown, but lost it to Edge that same night. The next month, Ziggler was introduced as the newest member of the Raw roster with Guerrero. Ziggler, Guerrero, and
LayCool then feuded with Morrison,
Trish Stratus, and
Jersey Shore guest star
Snooki, culminating in a mixed tag team match at
WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, which Ziggler and his team lost. At
Capitol Punishment, Ziggler defeated Kingston via a
sleeper hold submission to earn his first WWE United States Championship. The next night on
Raw, Kingston invoked his rematch clause in a
two out of three falls match and won via disqualification, allowing Ziggler to retain. After
Jack Swagger suggested to Vickie Guerrero that she should manage him in addition to Ziggler, a jealous Ziggler teased tension with Swagger. This, coupled with Ziggler's concurrent feud with
Alex Riley, led Ziggler to defend and retain his United States Championship in a
fatal four-way match against Swagger, Riley, and
John Morrison at
Night of Champions on September 18. On the following episode of
Raw SuperShow, Ziggler lost a non-title match to
Zack Ryder when guest star
Hugh Jackman helped Ryder by punching Ziggler in the face. Although Ziggler later claimed to have a broken jaw due to Jackman's punch, it was reported that the supposed injury was fake. Later that night, Guerrero officially began managing Swagger, and Swagger began interfering in Ziggler's matches to help him win. Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged Air Boom for the
WWE Tag Team Championship at
Hell in a Cell on October 2 and at
Vengeance on October 23, where Ziggler also successfully defended the United States Championship against Ryder. He went on to successfully defend the championship against Morrison at
Survivor Series on November 20. At
TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 18, Ziggler lost the United States Championship to Ryder, ending his reign at 182 days. On the December 26 episode of
Raw SuperShow, Ziggler defeated WWE Champion
CM Punk in a gauntlet match for a championship opportunity following interference from
John Laurinaitis. The following
Raw SuperShow, Ziggler defeated Punk by countout after Laurinaitis interfered again; as a result, Ziggler did not win the championship. At the
Royal Rumble on January 29, 2012, Ziggler failed to capture the WWE Championship from CM Punk. At the
Elimination Chamber on February 19, Ziggler failed again to capture the WWE Championship after being eliminated second by
Chris Jericho. Nemeth noted to
Arda Ocal in an interview for
The Score Television Network that the Elimination Chamber left him with multiple minor injuries and it is a match he least looked forward to working. On the February 27
Raw SuperShow, Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged
Primo & Epico for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a Triple Threat tag team match, also involving Kofi Kingston and
R-Truth. On the March 19
Raw SuperShow, Ziggler and Swagger were announced as the newest members of Team Johnny for the 12-man tag team match at
WrestleMania XXVIII and on the April 2
Raw SuperShow, Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged
Santino Marella for the United States Championship in a triple threat match. After the match, Ziggler began a feud with
Brodus Clay, who attacked Ziggler with a
headbutt after he and Swagger tried to attack Marella. In the following weeks, Ziggler and Swagger lost to Clay and
Hornswoggle in singles and tag matches. At
Extreme Rules on April 29, Ziggler was again defeated by Clay. Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for WWE Tag Team Championship, first at
Over the Limit on May 20 and second on the May 28 episode of
Raw SuperShow, resulting in Ziggler showing signs of wanting to break away from Guerrero and Swagger. On the June 11 episode of
Raw SuperShow, Ziggler defeated
The Great Khali, Swagger and
Christian in a fatal four-way elimination match to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, but at
No Way Out on June 17, Ziggler lost the title match to champion
Sheamus. On the following
Raw SuperShow, Guerrero, finally tired of the bickering between Ziggler and Swagger, arranged for a match between them; Ziggler won the match and Guerrero's affections, ending their partnership. Ziggler received another shot at the World Heavyweight Championship on the June 29
SmackDown, but was again defeated by Sheamus in a triple threat match, also involving
Alberto Del Rio.
World Heavyweight Champion (2012–2013) and his
Money in the Bank briefcase in February 2013 On the July 3
SmackDown, Ziggler defeated
Alex Riley to qualify for a spot in the
World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match. On July 13, Ziggler,
Zack Ryder and
Justin Roberts were involved in a car accident in
San Diego while driving from
Comic-Con; none of them suffered severe injuries. Two days later at the
Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Ziggler won the Money in the Bank ladder match to guarantee him the opportunity to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at a time of his choosing within the next year. Later that night, Ziggler attempted to cash in the briefcase on
Sheamus after
Alberto Del Rio attacked him after their match, but Del Rio stopped Ziggler from cashing in. During this time, Ziggler began a feud with
Chris Jericho after claiming he had lost his touch, which resulted in Jericho attacking him on two occasions, and defeating him in a singles match at
SummerSlam on August 19. The night after SummerSlam, Ziggler defeated Jericho in a rematch; as a result Ziggler retained his Money in the Bank contract and Jericho's WWE contract was terminated. Following this, Ziggler began feuding with
Randy Orton on
SmackDown four days later, after Orton hit him with an
RKO when Ziggler tried to cash his Money in the Bank contract on a vulnerable Sheamus. The following week on
SmackDown, Ziggler faced Orton in a match that was won by Orton, Ziggler defeated him in a rematch on
Raw by pinning him while holding his tights. Ziggler faced Orton again at
Night of Champions on September 16 where he lost again, ending the feud. On November 18 at
Survivor Series, Ziggler captained the traditional 5-on-5 elimination tag team match opposite
Mick Foley and won the match by last pinning Orton, making him the sole survivor of the match. Ziggler then began feuding with
John Cena after he sided with
Vickie Guerrero to help defame Cena and AJ Lee by alleging they had a romantic relationship. On December 16 at
TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, Ziggler retained his Money in the Bank briefcase in a ladder match after AJ interfered and turned on Cena. The following night on
Raw, while trying to diffuse an argument between Vickie and AJ, AJ unexpectedly kissed Ziggler, leaving him confused. Ziggler then attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on
Big Show after Show was assaulted by Sheamus, but he was attacked by Cena before the match could start. Later, Ziggler teamed with AJ to face Cena and Vickie Guerrero, however, the match ended in a disqualification after the debuting Big E Langston attacked Cena, also starting an on-screen relationship between Dolph and AJ. Ziggler ended 2012 having wrestled the second most TV/PPV matches that year with 90; however, he had the most TV/PPV losses with 57. Ziggler ended his feud with Cena after losing to him on the January 7, 2013, episode of
Raw, in a singles match and in steel cage match the following week, despite outside interference from AJ and Langston in both matches. On the January 21 episode of
Raw, Ziggler won a Beat the Clock Challenge to earn the right to choose what number he can enter in the Royal Rumble match, first or second. Six days later at the
Royal Rumble, Ziggler entered at number one, eliminating Chris Jericho and
The Godfather and lasted nearly fifty minutes before being eliminated by Sheamus. During the match, Ziggler resumed his feud with the returning Jericho. The following night on
Raw, Ziggler and Jericho were placed in a "Strange Bedfellows" match against WWE Tag Team Champions
Team Hell No (
Daniel Bryan and
Kane), but they lost when Kane hit a
chokeslam on Ziggler and pinned him after Jericho framed him for pushing Kane. On the February 18 episode of
Raw, Ziggler was defeated by World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio by submission in a non-title match, and afterwards Langston attacked Del Rio and then Ziggler made a failed attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase after Del Rio's ring announcer
Ricardo Rodriguez ran off with it. After defeating WWE Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan and Kane in singles matches due to interference from Langston, Ziggler and Langston were given a shot at their titles. The title match took place on April 7 at
WrestleMania 29, where Ziggler and Langston unsuccessfully challenged Bryan and Kane for the WWE Tag Team Championship. making his entrance with AJ Lee and
Big E Langston The following night on
Raw, Ziggler cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on an injured Alberto Del Rio to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. After gaining the World Heavyweight Championship, Ziggler began feuding with Del Rio and
Jack Swagger over the title. Ziggler was originally booked to face Del Rio and Swagger in a three-way ladder match at
Extreme Rules on May 19; however, Ziggler suffered a legitimate concussion at a
SmackDown taping, thus removing their match from the pay-per-view and resulting in Ziggler being absent from television for a month. On June 16 at
Payback, Ziggler faced Del Rio in his first title defense of the World Heavyweight Championship and during the match, a double turn took place; Ziggler turned
face by displaying a never-say-die attitude while Del Rio turned
heel by repeatedly and ruthlessly targeting his head to take advantage of his concussion, win the match, and end Ziggler's reign at 69 days. On July 14 at
Money in the Bank, AJ cost Ziggler his title rematch against Alberto Del Rio, after she prematurely snuck into the ring and hit Del Rio with her own title, prompting a disqualification. On the following
Raw, Ziggler ended his relationship with AJ due to her actions the previous night and AJ exacted revenge by costing Ziggler a non-title match against Del Rio, then she attacked Ziggler and unleashed Langston on him. On the July 29, 2013, episode of
Raw, Ziggler defeated Big E Langston via disqualification after AJ Lee attacked Ziggler. In a rematch on the following week, Ziggler was defeated by Langston after a distraction by AJ and
Kaitlyn. This led to the host of
SummerSlam,
The Miz creating a mixed tag team match at SummerSlam on August 18, where Ziggler and Kaitlyn defeated Big E and AJ.
Feud with The Authority (2013–2015) during a WWE
house show in November 2013 Ziggler was later unsuccessful in capturing the
United States Championship, when he lost to
Dean Ambrose at
Night of Champions on September 15 and on the October 16 episode of
Main Event, ending their feud. After that rivalry was over, Ziggler lost several matches during the late-2013 calendar year when he also failed to win the
Intercontinental Championship from
Curtis Axel on the November 11 episode of
Raw. In December, Ziggler lost two number one contender matches for the Intercontinental Championship, first to
Damien Sandow and later to
Fandango. At the
Royal Rumble on January 26, 2014, Ziggler entered the
Royal Rumble match, but was eliminated by
Roman Reigns. On April 6 at
WrestleMania XXX, Ziggler competed in the 31-man
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but was eliminated by
Alberto Del Rio. On June 29 at
Money in the Bank, Ziggler competed in the
Money in the Bank ladder match for a
WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract, but the match was won by
Seth Rollins. Ziggler later competed in a Battle Royal for the vacant Intercontinental Championship on July 20 at
Battleground; however, he was abruptly eliminated from behind by
The Miz. After Ziggler defeated Miz in a non-title match the following night on
Raw, he received a rematch at
SummerSlam on August 17, where he defeated Miz to win the championship for a second time. The next night on
Raw, Ziggler successfully retained his title against Miz, after he was counted out. At
Night of Champions on September 21, Ziggler dropped the title to Miz, only for Ziggler to win it back the following night on
Raw. Ziggler then retained the championship against
Cesaro on September 26 episode of
SmackDown, in a triple threat match against Cesaro and Miz the next week on
Raw and at
Hell in a Cell on October 26 against Cesaro in a 2-out-of-3 falls match. On the October 28, 2014, episode of
Raw, Ziggler and
John Cena shook hands together backstage, which
The Authority interpreted as a deal to plot against them. As a result, Ziggler was put in a match against
Kane, which Ziggler won. Ziggler then joined Team Cena at
Survivor Series. On the November 10 episode of
Raw, Ziggler was brutally attacked by the returning
Luke Harper. The following week, Harper was awarded a title match against Ziggler, which Harper won with assistance from The Authority, ending Ziggler's reign at 56 days. At Survivor Series on November 23, Ziggler emerged as the sole survivor for a second time. Ziggler contributed to
Rusev being counted out, then after all his teammates were eliminated, he pinned Kane and Luke Harper.
Triple H twice prevented Ziggler from pinning final opponent Seth Rollins, but the debuting
Sting provided an assist to help Ziggler win the match, thus ousting the Authority from power. At
TLC on December 14, Ziggler defeated Harper in a
ladder match to win his fourth Intercontinental Championship. On the December 16 episode of
SmackDown, Ziggler finally defeated Seth Rollins in a singles match after failing numerous times before. Three days later,
Rolling Stone named Ziggler as the 2014 WWE Wrestler of the Year. On the first
Raw of 2015 (dated January 5), the recently reinstated Authority forced Ziggler to defend his Intercontinental Championship against
Bad News Barrett and he initially won. After Barrett then attacked and injured Ziggler's shoulder, Kane declared the match as
two-out-of-three falls, Barrett proceeded to defeat Ziggler for the title after Kane distracted him. Later that night, Ziggler alongside
Ryback and
Erick Rowan were fired by the Authority. On the January 19 episode of
Raw, Sting provided another assist, as John Cena won Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan's jobs back. Ziggler returned to television on the next
SmackDown and qualified for the
Royal Rumble match by beating Barrett in a non-title match. In the Royal Rumble match on January 25, Ziggler entered as the last entrant, eliminating Bad News Barrett and Cesaro but was quickly eliminated by
Big Show and Kane. At
Fastlane on February 22, Ziggler competed together with Rowan and Ryback in a six-man tag team match against Rollins, Big Show and Kane, which they lost. On the March 5 episode of
SmackDown, Ziggler was announced as a participant in the 7-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship at
WrestleMania 31 on March 29, which was won by
Daniel Bryan.
Storyline with Lana and Rusev (2015–2016) Between March and June, Ziggler feuded with
Sheamus, facing him in a
Kiss Me Arse match at
Extreme Rules and at
Payback, while also participated in the Elimination Chamber match for the vacated Intercontinental Championship at
Elimination Chamber and the
Money in the Bank ladder match at
Money in the Bank, which was won by Sheamus. Ziggler became involved in an on-screen love affair with
Lana, the former manager of
Rusev, when she kissed him at
Raw on May 25, with Lana serving as Ziggler's
valet during his matches. In June, after Ziggler and Lana confirmed their
storyline relationship,
Summer Rae allied with Rusev to even the odds. After an attack by Rusev, Ziggler suffered a bruised
trachea in storyline, which was to give him some time off to film a new
WWE Studios movie, titled
6:42. While Ziggler and Rusev match at
SummerSlam ended in a double countout due to interference from Lana and Rae, Ziggler won the rematch at
Night of Champions, but the storyline was cancelled after
TMZ reported the real–life engagement of Rusev and Lana. On the October 22 episode of
SmackDown, Ziggler started a feud with the debuting
Tyler Breeze, who aligned with Summer Rae and attacked Ziggler. Ziggler entered a
tournament for the vacant
WWE World Heavyweight Championship, defeating
The Miz in the first round match before being eliminated by
Dean Ambrose. Ziggler and Breeze continued their feud, which culminated in a match between the two at
Survivor Series on November 22, which Ziggler lost. Ziggler would then enter a feud with
Kevin Owens with the pair trading victories throughout the rest of December and beginning of 2016. Ziggler entered the
Royal Rumble on January 24 as the 28th entrant, lasting 7 minutes, but was eliminated by the eventual winner,
Triple H. The next night on
Raw, Ziggler faced Kevin Owens in a losing effort, but defeated him the following two weeks in a row. On the February 15
Raw, Ziggler was involved in a fatal five-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, where Owens regained the title after pinning Tyler Breeze. At
Fastlane on February 21, Ziggler challenged Owens to a match for the Intercontinental Championship, which he lost. In the following weeks, Ziggler began to re-ignite his feud with
The Authority, and on the March 14 episode of
Raw, he confronted Triple H and
Stephanie McMahon. This resulted in Ziggler being granted a match against Triple H where if he won, he could pick his match at WrestleMania (excluding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match); however, Ziggler lost. After WrestleMania 32, Ziggler went to a double countout with
Baron Corbin on the April 4 episode of
Raw, leading to Corbin hitting an
End of Days outside of the ring to Ziggler, igniting a feud in the process. At the
Payback pre-show on May 1, Ziggler faced Baron Corbin in a winning effort. The two then had a
no disqualification match at
Extreme Rules on May 22 where Corbin won after hitting a low blow on Ziggler. Following Extreme Rules, on the May 23 episode of
Raw, Ziggler had a confrontation backstage with Corbin and challenged him to a technical wrestling match the next week. In that match, Ziggler intentionally got himself disqualified when he kicked Corbin in the groin immediately after the match began. This led to a rubber match at
Money in the Bank on June 19, which Corbin won to end their feud.
Championship reigns (2016–2018) On July 19 at the
2016 WWE draft, Ziggler was drafted to
SmackDown. Working on SmackDown, he reignited his feud with The Miz over the Intercontinental Championship, failing to capture the title at
Backlash. At
No Mercy, Ziggler won the title in a match where he would have to retire if he lost, but lost it 37 days later against The Miz on the 900th episode of
SmackDown. The feud culminated in a
Ladder match at the
TLC: Tables, Ladders, & Chairs in what was advertised as their final match, where Ziggler was defeated. Ziggler also wrestled for the
WWE World Championship over the year, but was defeated by
Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam, and by AJ Styles on SmackDown. In 2017, Ziggler On the January 3, 2017, episode of
SmackDown, after he lost to Baron Corbin,
Kalisto came to the save of Ziggler during a post match assault by Corbin, he superkicked Kalisto, turning
heel for the first time since 2013. At
Elimination Chamber on February 12, Ziggler lost to
Apollo Crews and Kalisto in two-on-one handicap match. Following the match, Ziggler attacked the victors, stomping on Crews' ankle after placing it in a chair. After some time away from TV, Ziggler returned on August under a new character, where he mocked the entrances of current and former wrestlers such as
John Cena,
Naomi,
Shawn Michaels and
Randy Savage. He won his second United States Championship at
Clash of Champions, but the title was vacated weeks later. Ziggler returned at the
Royal Rumble on January 28, 2018, as the surprise #30 entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match. He would be involved at
Fastlane on March 11 in a
six pack challenge for the WWE Championship, where the champion AJ Styles retained.
Alliance with Drew McIntyre (2018–2019) On April 16, Ziggler was moved to Raw as part of the
Superstar Shake-up, and he began to work with
Drew McIntyre as tag team. On the June 18 episode of
Raw, Ziggler answered
Seth Rollins' open challenge for the Intercontinental Championship and defeated Rollins to capture the title for a sixth time. After weeks of McIntyre assisting Ziggler in all situations, including
Extreme Rules on July 15 where Ziggler defeated Rollins 5–4 in sudden death overtime of a 30-Minute
Iron Man match,
Dean Ambrose returned on the August 13 episode of
Raw to even the odds for Rollins. At
SummerSlam on August 19, Ziggler lost the championship to Rollins, who had Ambrose in his corner. On the September 3 episode of
Raw, Ziggler and McIntyre temporarily formed a stable with
Braun Strowman known as "The Dogs of War" to combat the newly reunited
The Shield (
Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose). Later that night, they won the
Raw Tag Team Championship by defeating The B-Team (
Bo Dallas and
Curtis Axel). They then successfully defended their titles at
Hell in a Cell on September 16 against Rollins and Ambrose. At the
Super Show-Down event on October 6, Ziggler teamed with McIntyre and Strowman in a losing effort to The Shield in a six-man tag team match. Over the next two weeks, the respective groups faced each other again on
Raw, with The Dogs of War winning the first match, but losing the latter after Ziggler got pinned by Ambrose. During both matches, tensions arose between Ziggler, McIntyre and Strowman, who felt he was carrying the group. After losing the last match, Strowman turned on Ziggler and attacked him, before being attacked by McIntyre. On the December 3 episode of
Raw, the alliance between Ziggler and McIntyre ended when McIntyre claimed that Ziggler was "a means to an end to get him into a prominent position" and ended their association. The two later faced each other in a match which Ziggler won after interference from
Finn Bálor. After the three men had traded wins among each other and interfered in each other's matches over the next few weeks, McIntyre defeated Ziggler in a cage match on the December 31 episode of
Raw. After this, Ziggler was off television until his appearance at the Royal Rumble match at the
titular event on January 27, 2019, as participant number 28, eliminating McIntyre and lasting until the final three, before being eliminated by Braun Strowman. He would then disappear again from WWE television without notice due to a
stand-up comedy tour that started following the Royal Rumble.
The Dirty Dawgs (2019–2022) After a four-month hiatus, Ziggler returned on the May 21 episode of
SmackDown Live, attacking
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston. Ziggler failed to win the title from Kingston at
Super ShowDown on June 7 and
Stomping Grounds on June 23 in a
steel cage match, ending their long-time feud. At
Extreme Rules on July 14, he lost to
Kevin Owens in only 17 seconds and failed to win the WWE Championship from Kingston in a triple threat match also including
Samoa Joe at
Smackville on July 27. On the July 23 episode of
SmackDown Live, Ziggler interrupted
Miz TV featuring
Shawn Michaels and attacked Michaels and
The Miz. This led to a match against
Goldberg at
SummerSlam on August 11, being defeated in a short match. On the August 26 episode of
Raw, Ziggler teamed with
Robert Roode to win a tag-team turmoil match, earning a
Raw Tag Team Championship match at
Clash of Champions. At the event on September 15, Ziggler and Roode won the titles from
Seth Rollins and
Braun Strowman. On the October 14 episode of
Raw, Ziggler and Roode lost the titles to
The Viking Raiders (
Erik and
Ivar), ending their reign at 29 days, and they were drafted to the
SmackDown brand as part of the
2019 WWE Draft. At
Survivor Series on November 24, Ziggler and Roode won a 10-team
Interbrand Tag Team Battle Royal. In the following weeks, they aligned themselves with
King Corbin during his feud against
Roman Reigns. On January 26, 2020, at the
Royal Rumble, Ziggler entered the Royal Rumble match at number 19, but was eliminated by Reigns. At
Super ShowDown on February 27, Ziggler lost to
Mansoor. At
Elimination Chamber on March 8, Ziggler and Roode competed in the
namesake match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, where the champions
The Miz and John Morrison retained. In March, due to the outbreak of the
COVID-19 pandemic, Roode was forced to stay in his native
Canada, putting the team on hiatus. At the same time, Ziggler entered a feud with
Otis over the affections of
Mandy Rose, using underhanded tactics to secure a
Valentine's Day date and short-term relationship; however, this was soon exposed. On the second night of
WrestleMania 36 on April 5, Ziggler lost to Otis. After a few more assaults and promos, the feud ended when Otis defeated Ziggler in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. On the June 22 episode of
Raw, it was announced that Ziggler and Roode were traded to the Raw brand for
A.J. Styles. On that night, Ziggler issued a challenge to WWE Champion
Drew McIntyre, which McIntyre accepted for
The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. At the event on July 19, Ziggler failed to win the title. As part of the
2020 Draft in October, both Ziggler and Roode were drafted back to the SmackDown brand. On the January 8, 2021, episode of
SmackDown, Ziggler and Roode defeated
The Street Profits (
Angelo Dawkins and
Montez Ford) to win the
SmackDown Tag Team Championship. They retained the titles until
WrestleMania Backlash, where they lost the titles to Rey and Dominik Mysterio. They were drafted to the
Raw brand in the
2021 Draft. On the October 25 episode of
Raw, Ziggler and Roode defeated The Street Profits and Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) in a #1 contender's match for the
Raw Tag Team Championship, facing the champions,
RK-Bro (
Randy Orton and
Riddle) for the titles later that night in a losing effort. At
Survivor Series on November 21, Ziggler participated in a 25-man dual-branded battle royal to commemorate the 25th anniversary of
The Rock's debut at the
1996 Survivor Series, eliminating Mansoor before he was eliminated by
AJ Styles. Ziggler competed in the
Royal Rumble on January 29, 2022, entering at No. 16 but was eliminated by
Bad Bunny and
Rey Mysterio.
NXT Champion (2022–2023) On the February 8 episode of
NXT 2.0, Ziggler made a surprise appearance during a segment with
Bron Breakker and
Santos Escobar. At
NXT Roadblock on March 8, Ziggler defeated
Tommaso Ciampa and defending champion Breakker in a
triple threat match to win the
NXT Championship. The following week, he successfully defended his title against
LA Knight. At
Stand & Deliver on April 2, he retained the title against Breakker due to interference from Roode. However, on the April 4 episode of
Raw, Ziggler lost his title to Breakker, ending his reign at 27 days. On the July 11 episode of
Raw, Ziggler helped
Bobby Lashley and Matt Riddle against
Seth "Freakin" Rollins and
Theory's underhanded tactics during a tag team match, and after the match, Ziggler superkicked Theory, turning face for the first time since 2017. At the
2023 WWE Draft, he was undrafted. On the May 15 episode of
Raw, Ziggler competed in a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship at
Night of Champions, eliminating
JD McDonagh, but would later get eliminated by
Von Wagner. After getting eliminated, McDonagh would attack Ziggler, beginning a feud between the two. On the May 29 episode of
Raw, Ziggler wrestled McDonagh, which ended in a double countout. McDonagh would once again attack Ziggler after the match. On September 21, 2023, it was announced that Ziggler was released by WWE, ending his 19-year tenure with the company.
One-night return (2025) While being contracted to TNA, Ziggler returned to WWE as part of a one-off, as he entered John Cena's
The Last Time Is Now Tournament on the November 17, 2025 episode of
Raw, where he lost to
Solo Sikoa in the first round.
Independent circuit (2023–present) at
GCW The Coldest Winter 2 in February 2024. On December 10, 2023, Nemeth made his debut for
World Wrestling Council (WWC) in
Puerto Rico on January 20, 2024, against
Ray González.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2024) Nemeth made his debut for
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) at
Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4, 2024, appearing ringside as a spectator along with his brother Ryan. Nemeth confronted the new IWGP Global Champion
David Finlay, defeating him for the title at
The New Beginning in Sapporo. Nemeth retained the title against Hiroshi Tanahashi on night 1 of
Wrestling Dontaku, but lost it the next night back to Finlay, ending his reign at 71 days.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2024–present) Nemeth made his debut for
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) at the
Hard To Kill PPV on January 13, 2024, confronting the new
TNA World Champion Moose. Nemeth's first rivalry in TNA was against
Steve Maclin, defeating him at
Sacrifice. Nemeth would move into a rivalry with Moose's new faction,
The System. Nemeth challenged for Moose's
TNA World Championship at
Rebellion, in a losing effort. After being attacked by The System and not cleared to wrestle at
Under Siege, Nemeth would team with his brother,
Ryan Nemeth, to challenge The System's
Eddie Edwards and
Brian Myers for the
TNA World Tag Team Championship at
Against All Odds, but would be defeated, after interference from
JDC. At
Slammiversary, Nemeth won a six-way to win the TNA World Championship. He would retain the title during the following months against
Mustafa Ali on the August 1 episode of
Impact!,
Josh Alexander on the August 15th episode of
Impact! and in a 60-minute
Iron Man match at
Emergence, Moose at
Victory Road,
Joe Hendry at
Bound for Glory,
Eddie Edwards at
Turning Point, and
A. J. Francis at
Final Resolution. At
Genesis, Nemeth would lose his TNA World Championship to Joe Hendry, ending his reign at 183 days. On March 14, 2025, at
Sacrifice, Nic attacked Matt Hardy alongside his brother Ryan, turning heel in the process. The Nemeths would then go on to win the titles from the Hardys a month later at
Rebellion, only to lose them back to the Hardys at
Slammiversary.
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2024) On March 18, 2024, it was announced that Nemeth would make his debut for
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) at
Triplemanía XXXII: Monterrey, to face
Alberto El Patron for the vacant
AAA Mega Championship. At the event, Nemeth defeated El Patron to win the AAA Mega Championship. At the same event in Mexico City on August 17, accompanied by
John Layfield, Nemeth lost the title to El Patron. ==Professional wrestling style and persona==