Dolph Ziggler

At 44 years old, Dolph Ziggler has this physical status:

Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and stand-up comedian.

He is currently signed to WWE, where he appears on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Dolph Ziggler. Nemeth began working with WWE in 2004 and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he wrestled under his real name.

In 2005, he was introduced to WWE's Raw brand as the caddy sidekick to Kerwin White.

He was sent back to OVW shortly after, being named Nicky and joining the cheerleading-themed Spirit Squad, who debuted on Raw in January 2006 and lifted the World Tag Team Championship twice before returning to OVW in November.

In September 2007, Nemeth was sent to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where he competed with Brad Allen and later Gavin Spears in the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship twice. Nemeth was repackaged as Dolph Ziggler on his return to the main roster in September 2008.

Since then, he has appeared in the World Heavyweight Championships twice, the Intercontinental Championship six times, the United States Championship twice, and the Raw Tag Team Championship twice.

His other accomplishments include being the sole survivor of two Survivor Series elimination matches and the 2012 Money in the Bank champion, as well as numerous WWE pay-per-view events.

Early life

Nicholas Theodore Nemeth was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 27, 1980. He has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was five years old, and he became a professional wrestler at the Richfield Coliseum at age 12. On Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling Podcast, he chose "Dolph" because it was his great-grandfather's name, and his friend suggested the surname "Ziggler." Nemeth was a student wrestler at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, where he held the school record for most pins in a career as 82 years old. He was a St. Edward fellow with Gray Maynard and Andy Hrovat.

The wrestling team won the National Championships on two occasions during his time in St. Edward. He was a wrestler at Kent State University and went on to set a record for the most career victories in the team's history. His record was broken in 2006, but he now ranks second in all-time victories at Kent State as of 2010. Between 2000 and 2003, he won 121 times in his career. With a pre-law minor, he concentrated in political science. He had been accepted to the law school at Arizona State University, where he was set to begin his first semester, prior to his WWE tryout. In three years, Nemeth has won the NCAA Division I wrestling championships in a row. He was a three-time All-Mid-American Conference champion, winning the 165 lb (75 kg) tournament in 2000, 2002, and 2003; as of 2010, he is the last wrestler from Kent State University to have won three amateur wrestling championships.

Personal life

Nemeth lives in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a huge fan of the Cleveland Browns.

Nemeth has two brothers. Ryan, his younger brother, is now a professional wrestler who competed with WWE in NXT under the ring name Briley Pierce. After pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, kidnapping, and robbery for his part in a botched robbery attempt that resulted in the death of a former Marine in January 2016, his older brother, Donald, was sentenced to 15 years in jail.

Nemeth is a good friend with his former Spirit Squad teammates, especially Michael Brendli, who lived in Florida until 2008. He dated comedian Amy Schumer, who ended up with him because she thought he was "too athletic" in bed.

Nemeth is fluent in American Sign Language.

Source

Professional wrestling career

In 2004, Nemeth agreed to a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). "Nick Nemeth" was given to their new territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). On August 12, 2005, he feuded with Paul Burchill and auditioned unsuccessfully for the OVW Television Championship, losing a championship match against then-champion Ken Doane.

Nemeth was called up to the Raw crew shortly after, making his television debut on Sunday Night Heat's September 19, 2005 episode. Chavo Guerrero Jr., who was wearing a golfer in-ring appearance and going by the ring name of "Kerwin White," was made the enforcer and sidekick for him. Nemeth became White's caddie as a result. He made his wrestling debut on Sunday Night Heat, teaming up with White against Shelton Benjamin and Matt Striker in a tag team match. Chavo Guerrero's death, Eddie Guerrero's "Kerwin White" was no longer a role, and Nemeth no longer played the role of his caddie and tag partner. He was returned to OVW after a few months of wrestling in dark matches and at home shows.

Nemeth joined the Spirit Squad group, a group of five wrestlers who used the male cheerleader's in-ring personas, and in 2005, she adopted the word Nicky in OVW. To ensure their characters were realistic, Spirit Squad members were trained with real cheerleaders and gymnasts. They made their WWE debut as a group on January 23, 2006, when Jonathan Coachman defeated Jerry "The King" Lawler in a Royal Rumble qualifying match against Jerry "The King" Lawler by cheering for Coachman and distracting Lawler. They became involved in the ongoing scripted feud between WWE chairman Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels. On several occasions, McMahon sent Michaels to assault Michaels, including placing them in various handicap matches.

They also competed in the tag team division, and Kenny and Mikey defeated Big Show and Kane on Raw on April 3, and they then progressed to the World Tag Team Championship on Raw. All five members of the Spirit Squad were named champions after winning the championship, allowing any combination of them to defend the country under Freebird Rule.

McMahon played in another Handicap match against Michaels in May. The match never started, but instead the Spirit Squad attacked Michaels, and the storyline ended with him shattering his knee with a steel chair. McMahon brought Triple H to the ring to assault Michaels with a sledgehammer, but the Squad had disregarded him, and McMahon attacked the squad. Triple H and Michaels were instrumental in the reforming of D-Generation X (DX) and sparked a rivalry with the Spirit Squad, XD). DX performed several sophomoric jokes on the 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 on Saturday Night's Main Event XXIII.

The Squad also wrestled other teams in Raw's tag division over their World Tag Team Championship, winning the championship against Jim Duggan, Eugene, Charlie Haas and Viscera's teams, as well as Val Venis and Snitsky and Val Venis. They followed a long rivalry with The Highlanders, who they eventually lost to keep the championship at the Unforgiven pay-per-view on September 17. The Squad as a whole began losing on consecutive episodes of Raw, with separate members losing singles matches to Ric Flair, before Kenny managed to defeat him on October 23. The team then announced that Flair and a WWE legend, who had been chosen by online voting, would battle the team for the World Tag Team Championship on Sunday. The fans selected Roddy Piper, and the two teams defeated Kenny and Mikey to win the championship at the Fall Festival on November 5.

On the November 27 episode of Raw, the group disbanded when they were defeated in a five-on-three handicap match between DX and Flair. All members were rolled into a crate stamped "OVW, Louisville, Kentucky," a reference to the Squad's geographical area from which the Squad had originated in a backstage segment later that night.

Nemeth, the television tapings, and Mike Mondo, formerly Mikey in the Spirit Squad, as the "Frat Pack," as the "Frat Pack" was returned to OVW on January 17, 2007. In a match against Seth Skyfire, Shawn Spears, and Cody Runnels, the pair teamed up with Mike Kruel. In the early parts of 2007, the team was disbanded. Before the OVW television tapings, Nemeth competed in several dark matches, including Chris Cage, Bradley Jay, and Jake Hager, before joining Mondo for the first time in August.

Nemeth and Mike Mondo were relocated to the Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) developmental territory in August, and Nemeth's debut there earned the nickname "The Natural" and defeated Hade Vansen. Nemeth hired Big Rob as their boss in November 2007, but the relationship was short lived. He changed his name to "Nic Nemeth" and began working with Brad Allen, with Taryn Terrell as their valet at the start of 2008. With Terrell as a sorority girl, Nemeth and Allen created a frat boy type ring figure. Nemeth and Allen captured the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship on March 22, defeating defending champion Eddie Colón and Eric Pérez, but Colón and Pérez lost the championship to Colón and Pérez on April 15. Nemeth competed in several dark matches before coming out tumbling to Kofi Kingston and Ron Killings on several occasions during April and May 2008. He renamed "Nic Nemeth" shortly after and began working with Gavin Spears shortly thereafter. The pair won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship against Colón and Pérez on August 16, but Heath Miller and Joe Hennig took the crown less than a month later.

Nemeth re-debuted on Raw (as a heel), debuting himself in a backstage segment under the name "Dolph Ziggler" on September 15, 2008. Nemeth was banned for 30 days for breaching WWE's Wellness Policy guidelines on October 10. He returned to Raw on November 17 for a backstage interview with Rey Mysterio and Shawn Michaels. He lost to Batista in his first match on Raw under the Ziggler name. Ziggler's first victory over R-Truth came next week. When he defeated Charlie Haas next week, he won his first televised pinfall victory on Raw. At the eponymous 2009 game, Ziggler would face Kane after 21 seconds, but he would not qualify for the Royal Rumble match.

As part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft, Ziggler was drafted to the SmackDown brand on April 15, 2009. He made his debut on SmackDown on April 17, defeating Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) in a non-title match, and as a result, the following week he requested a match for the championship. On the May 1 episode of SmackDown, however, he failed to win the championship after being pinned by MVP. After destroying Khali with a steel chair, Ziggler ignited a rivalry with The Great Khali, losing by disqualification to him. As a result, Khali began to compete during and after Ziggler's matches in an attempt to regain revenge and stop Ziggler from cheating. Ziggler will defeat Khali by countout and disqualification over the next two weeks, making it appear that Khali had struck him with a steel chair. Ziggler defeated Khali in a No Disqualification match by pinfall at The Bash pay-per-view on June 28, after Kane interfered and assaulted Khali.

After Ziggler began an on-screen relationship with WWE Diva Maria, she became his valet. Rey Mysterio, the Intercontinental Champion who defeated Ziggler at Night of Champions on July 26, and SummerSlam on August 23, started a scripted rivalry with Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio, who retained the title against SummerSlam on August 26 and September 23. Mysterio won the Intercontinental Championship to John Morrison in September, and Ziggler became 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. Ziggler ended his on-screen friendship with Maria after she mistakenly cost him a match against Morrison for the Intercontinental Championship. Ziggler made a public appearance at Breaking Point on September 13, during whom Ziggler attacked Patterson before Morrison made the save. On the November 13 episode of SmackDown, he failed to win the Intercontinental Championship from Morrison twice, bringing him to a double count out and losing a two-out-of-three falls match the following week to bring an end to the feud. On the XXVI episode of SmackDown, Ziggler defeated John Morrison and R-Truth in a triple threat qualifying match against money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXVI on February 26, 2010, but the match was ultimately unsuccessful.

Vickie Guerrero, who was accompanying him to the ring in June 2010, began a romantic taleline with him in June 2010. Ziggler defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Montel Vontavious Porter in a triple threat match on July 9 to qualify for the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match, where he failed to win the tournament for the third time. For the first time, SmackDown Ziggler defeated Kofi Kingston on the tapings of the August 6 episode of SmackDown Ziggler, defeating him in the WWE Intercontinental Championship for the first time. He retained the title against Kingston on August 15, but it was not a no contest due to interference from The Nexus in his first title defense at SummerSlam. On September 19, and on November 21, Ziggler was able to make a good title defense against Kingston at the Night of Champions pay-per-view and against Kaval at Survivor Series. Ziggler was selected as a Pro for the fourth season of NXT, with Jacob Novak as his Rookie. Ziggler won the right to choose a new rookie on January 4, 2011, and chose Byron Saxton. Novak, his rookie, was the first rookie to be disqualified later that night. Byron Saxton, Ziggler's second rookie, was also voted off of NXT on February 8, 2011.

Ziggler won the Internal Championship in three-way ladder match against Kingston and Jack Swagger on December 19 but lost the title to Kingston on January 4, 2011, ending his reign at 160 days. Ziggler made the World Heavyweight Championship that night a four-way match against Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, and Big Show. In his title match against Edge, Ziggler was dissatisfied with the outcome. In a losing battle against Edge and Randy Orton, he teamed up with WWE Champion The Miz on January 28, a losing proposition. Vickie Guerrero, the acting General Manager of SmackDown, banned the spear and determined that if Edge used it, Ziggler would win the championship. On the February 11 episode of SmackDown, Ziggler was defeated again by Edge, but Guerrero declared Ziggler the new champion, but the Ziggler was still champion on the February 14 episode of Raw. Guerrero fired Edge several weeks before Ziggler's formal coronation ceremony on SmackDown on February 18, alleging that he assaulted SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long several weeks before. Long interrupted Ziggler's marriage and accused Guerrero of orchestrating the assault, causing Guerrero to name Ziggler as the perpetrator and Long to rehire Edge. Long ruled Edge against Ziggler, who lost the championship back to Edge and was then dismissed by Long.

Ziggler was introduced as the new member of the Raw roster and defeated John Morrison in a singles match, but Ziggler was later fired from SmackDown; she was later forced to prove her place on the Raw roster. Ziggler, as well as Guerrero and LayCool, later feuded with Morrison, Trish Stratus, and Jersey Shore guest star Snooki, culminating in a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania XVII on April 3, which Ziggler and his team lost. Vickie introduced the "new and Improved" Ziggler, who came out with his hair cut short and brown and then went on to defeat Evan Bourne in a singles match on April 18. By the May 23 episode of Raw, Ziggler's hair had re-bleached his hair.

Ziggler defeated United States Champion Kofi Kingston in a non-title match on May 30 of Raw, leading to a championship match between Capitol Punishment and Ziggler on June 19 with Ziggler winning his first United States Championship by a sleeper hold submission. Kingston invoked his rematch clause in a two out of three falls matches and gained disqualification, allowing Ziggler to keep. A cynical Ziggler teased tension with Swagger after Jack Swagger suggested to Vickie Guerrero that she should control him in lieu of Ziggler. Ziggler was able to defend and keep his United States Championship in a tense four-way match against Swagger, Riley, and John Morrison at Night of Champions on September 18. This, as well as Ziggler's ongoing rivalry with Alex Riley, caused him to defend and keep his United States Championship. Ziggler lost a non-title match to Zack Ryder after guest star Hugh Jackman helped with the Ziggler attack in the face. Despite Ziggler's stamina, it was later revealed that the suspected injury was fake. Guerrero officially started controlling Swagger later that night, and Swagger began participating in Ziggler's games to help him win. Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully protested 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 defended the United States Championship against Ryder. On November 20, he continued to successfully defend the championship against Morrison at Survivor Series. On December 18, Ziggler lost the United States Championship to Ryder, putting an end to his reign at 182 days.

Following interference from John Laurinaitis, Ziggler defeated WWE Champion CM Punk in a gauntlet match for a championship chance on December 26. Raw, Ziggler defeated Punk by a countout after Laurinaitis intervened once more; as a result, Ziggler did not win the championship. Ziggler failed to capture the WWE Championship from CM Punk at the Royal Rumble on January 29, 2012. After being disqualified second by Chris Jericho, Ziggler failed to win the WWE Championship on February 19. In an interview for The Score Television Network, Nemeth said that the Elimination Chamber left him with multiple minor injuries, and that it is a match he least looks forward to attending.

Primo & Epico were defeated by Ziggler and Swagger in a Triple Threat tag team match, which also involved Kofi Kingston and R-Truth. On the 19th Raw, Ziggler and Swagger were announced as the new newest members of Team Johnny for the 12-man tag team match at WrestleMania XXVIII, and Santino Marella was 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 assaulted Ziggler with a headbutt after he and Swagger threatened Marella. Clay and Marella defeated Zegger and Swagger in a tag team match on the following episode of Raw, Ziggler, and Swagger. In singles and tag matches, Ziggler and Swagger lost to Clay and Hornswoggle in the following weeks. On April 29, Ziggler was defeated by Clay at Extreme Rules. On the May 28 episode of Raw, Ziggler and Swagger unsuccessfully challenged Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for WWE Tag Team Championship, first at Over the Limit and second, with Ziggler and Swagger showing signs of wanting to break away from Guerrero and Swagger.

On the 11th episode of Raw, Ziggler defeated The Great Khali, Swagger, and Christian in a crucial four-way elimination match that would crown the World Heavyweight Championship, but No Way Out defeated her champion Sheamus in the title match. Guerrero and Ziggler got to a match between them on the following Raw, Guerrero, who had been sick of Ziggler and Swagger; Ziggler won the match and Guerrero's affections; the pair's union was broken; Guerrero won the match and Guerrero's togetherness came to an end. On the June 29 SmackDown, Ziggler had a second shot at the World Championships, but Sheamus defeated him once more in a triple threat match, also involving Alberto Del Rio.

Ziggler qualified for a spot in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match on July 3rd. Ziggler, Zack Ryder, and Justin Roberts were involved in a car accident in San Diego on July 13; none of them sustained serious injuries; none of them was injured. Ziggler won the Money in the Bank ladder match, giving him the opportunity to compete for the World Heavyweight Championship at a time of his choosing within the next year. After Alberto Del Rio attacked him during their match, Ziggler attempted to profit in the briefcase on Sheamus, but Del Rio barred Ziggler from cashing in. Following a tag team match against Del Rio that was tagged, Ziggler attempted to cash in the briefcase involving Sheamus, but Rey Mysterio and Sheamus stopped him from doing so. During this period, Ziggler began a feud with Chris Jericho, resulting in Jericho crashing him on two occasions and then losing him in a singles match at SummerSlam on August 19. In a rematch, SummerSlam, Ziggler defeated Jericho; as a result, Ziggler kept his Money in the Bank deal, and Jericho's WWE deal was terminated. Following this, Ziggler started feuding with Randy Orton on SmackDown four days after Orton struck him with an RKO as Ziggler attempted to cash his money in the Bank contract on a vulnerable Sheamus. Ziggler defeated Orton in a match on Raw that was not won by him, but Ziggler stunned him by tying his tights. On September 16, Ziggler met Orton again at Night of Champions, where he lost for the second time, bringing an end to the feud. Ziggler captained the traditional 5-on-5 elimination tag team match against Mick Foley on November 18 at Survivor Series, beating him by the time's sole survivor of the match.

After he sided with Vickie Guerrero to help defame Cena and AJ Lee by alleging a romantic affair, Ziggler began feuding with John Cena. Since AJ interfered and turned on Cena on December 16, TLC's Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, Ziggler retained his money in the Bank briefcase. AJ unexpectedly kissed Ziggler during Raw's next night, leaving him confused. After being attacked by Sheamus, Ziggler managed to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Big Show, but Cena did not threaten him before the match could begin. Ziggler joined AJ later to face Cena and Vickie Guerrero, but the match ended in a disqualification after the debuting Big E Langston assaulted Cena, sparking a dialogue between Dolph and AJ. Ziggler had lost the second most TV/PPV matches of the year with 90, but he had the most TV/PPV matches of the year with 57. Despite outside interference from AJ and Langston in both matches, Ziggler put an end to his feud with Cena on January 7, 2013 episode of Raw and in a singles match and a steel cage match the following week. On the January 21 episode of Raw, Ziggler won a Beat the Clock Challenge to earn the right to choose whether number he will enter in the Royal Rumble match, first or second. The Royal Rumble, Ziggler, six days later, deposed Chris Jericho and The Godfather, and sheamus lasted almost fifty minutes before being disqualified by Sheamus. Ziggler resurfaced his rivalry with returning Jericho during the game. The following night, Raw, Ziggler, and Jericho were scheduled in a "Strange Bedfellows" match against WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No. 1 (Daniel Bryan and Kane), but they lost when Kane choked Ziggler and pinned him for pushing Kane after Jericho framed him for pushing Kane. Ziggler was disqualified by World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio by submission in a non-title match, and then Langston assaulted Del Rio and then Ziggler attempted to cash in his Bank briefcase after Del Rio's ring announcer Rigogod ran away with it on the February 18 episode of Raw. After losing in singles matches due to a combination between Langston, Ziggler, and Langston, the three professional champions were given a shot at their respective titles. On April 7 at WrestleMania 29, where Ziggler and Langston unsuccessfully challenged Bryan and Kane for the WWE Tag Team Championship.

Ziggler, the bank worker on an injured Alberto Del Rio, won his second World Heavyweight Championship the following night. Ziggler began battling Del Rio and Jack Swagger over the World Heavyweight Championship after winning the World Heavyweight Championship. On May 19, Ziggler was supposed to face Del Rio and Swagger in a three-way ladder match at Extreme Rules, but Ziggler sustained a valid concussion, effectively ending their match from the pay-per-view bracket and leaving Ziggler off the market for a month. Ziggler's first title defense of the World Heavyweight Championship took place on June 16 at Payback; during the match, the two sides collided; Ziggler turned face by displaying a never-say-die attitude, while Del Rio pulled his head on to win the match and snap Ziggler's reign at 69 days. AJ Cost Ziggler his title rematch against Alberto Del Rio on July 14 after she snuckled into the tournament and fell short of deposing Del Rio with her own name.

Ziggler ended his relationship with AJ because of her behavior the night before, and AJ demanded revenge by costing Ziggler a non-title match against Del Rio, which she unleashed on Langston. After AJ Lee assaulted Ziggler on July 29, 2013, Ziggler defeated Big E Langston via disqualification. Ziggler was defeated by Langston in a rematch the following week after AJ and Kaitlyn caused a tumultuous reaction. On August 18, Ziggler and Kaitlyn defeated Big E and AJ in a mixed tag team match at SummerSlam, The Miz.

Ziggler was later unsuccessful in winning the United States Championship after losing to Dean Ambrose at Night of Champions on September 15 and then again on the October 16 episode of Main Event, bringing an end to 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 November 11 of Raw. Ziggler defeated two number one contender matches in the Intercontinental Championship in December, first to Damien Sandow and later to Fandango.

Ziggler competed in the Royal Rumble tournament on January 26, 2014, but Roman Reigns ended it. Ziggler participated in the 31-man Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on April 6 in WrestleMania XXX, but Alberto Del Rio defeated him. Ziggler competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract on June 29 at Money in the Bank, but Seth Rollins won the match. On July 20 at Battleground, Ziggler later competed in a Battle Royal for the vacant Intercontinental Championship; however, he was abruptly kicked out from behind by The Miz. Ziggler defeated Miz in a non-title match on Raw the night before, he rematched SummerSlam on August 17, where he defeated Miz to win the championship for the second time. After being counted out, Ziggler maintained his status against Miz on Raw next night. On Night of Champions on September 21, Ziggler lost the title to Miz, but Ziggler took it back to finish it the next night on Raw. In a triple threat match against Cesaro and Miz next week on Raw and at Hell in a Cell on October 26, Ziggler then retained the championship against Cesaro on September 26 in a three-out-of-three falls match against Cesaro on September 26.

The Authority interpreted this as a contract to plot against them on the backstage of Raw, Ziggler, and John Cena's episode on October 28, 2014, which The Authority interpreted as a deal to plot against them. As a result, Ziggler was placed in a match against Kane that Ziggler won. At Survivor Series, Ziggler was on Team Cena. Ziggler was brutally attacked by returning Luke Harper on the November 10 episode of Raw. Harper was deemed eligible for a championship match against Ziggler the following week, which Harper won with The Authority's assistance, snapping Ziggler's reign at 56 days. For the second time at Survivor Series, Ziggler emerged as the sole survivor for a second time. Ziggler was responsible for Rusev's death and then pinned Kane and Luke Harper after all his colleagues were disqualified. Triple H twice barred Ziggler from qualifying final opponent Seth Rollins, but the debuting Sting helped Ziggler beat Ziggler, effectively stripping the Authority from office. Ziggler won his fourth Intercontinental Championship at TLC on December 14, defeating Harper in a ladder match. After losing multiple times before, Ziggler finally defeated Seth Rollins in a singles match on December 16 of SmackDown. Ziggler was dubbed the Best Wrestler of the Year by Rolling Stone three days later. The recently restored Authority coerced Ziggler to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Bad News Barrett, which he had previously won. Barrett defeated Ziggler for the title after Barrett first assaulted and injured Ziggler's shoulder. The Authority shot Ziggler, Ryback, and Erick Rowan later that night.

Sting was a second assist on Raw's January 19 episode, as John Cena saved Ziggler, Ryback, Rowan's jobs back. By defeating Barrett in a non-title match, Ziggler qualified for the Royal Rumble match and qualified for the next SmackDown and qualified for the Royal Rumble match. On January 25, Ziggler emerged as the last entrant in the Royal Rumble match, excluding Bad News Barrett and Cesaro, but Big Show and Kane quickly dismissed him. Ziggler and Rowan and Ryback competed together in a six-man tag team match against Rollins, Big Show, and Kane, which they lost. Ziggler was announced as a participant in the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 31, which was won by Daniel Bryan on March 5th.

Following Daniel Bryan's Intercontinental Championship match against him on the Raw, Ziggler was attacked and Brogue kicked by the returning Sheamus. Sheamus and Ziggler clashed in a Extreme Rules match on April 26, which Ziggler beat firmly, claiming that "the era of underdogs (like Ziggler) is over," sheamus and Ziggler began. Sheamus, on the other hand, refused to comply with the rules and instead made Ziggler kiss his buttocks. On May 17, Ziggler lost the rematch against Sheamus at Payback. Ziggler competed in the Elimination Chamber match for the vacated Intercontinental Championship; other participants included Ryback, King Barrett, R-Truth, Sheamus, and Mark Henry at Elimination Chamber on May 31. On June 14, Ziggler competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match, which was won by Sheamus. Ziggler and John Cena defeated King Barrett and Kane in the main event at The Beast in Japan on July 4th.

When Ziggler kissed Lana, the former Rusev's boss, while Lana performed as Ziggler's valet during his matches, she became involved in an on-screen love affair. During this period, Ziggler began mixing elements of 80's glam rock fashion into his entrance and ring attire, reminiscent of 80's bands like Mötley Crüe and Poison. Summer Rae joined Rusev to even the odds in June, after Ziggler and Lana announced their storyline friendship. Ziggler suffered a bruised trachea in the storyline, which was supposed to give him some time to shoot a new WWE Studios film, titled 6:42. On the August 17 episode of Raw, Ziggler appeared, assisting Lana in a brawl against Rusev and Summer Rae. This altercation sparked a match between Ziggler and Rusev at SummerSlam on August 23, which culminated in a double countout due to interference from Lana and Rae. Ziggler emerged victorious in a match at Night of Champions on September 20. This officially ended their feud on October 11, when TMZ revealed Rusev and Lana's real-life involvement. After losing to John Cena in the United States Championship the following night, Ziggler defeated him in the U.S. Championship.

Ziggler began a feud with debuting Tyler Breeze, who sided with Summer Rae and threatened Ziggler on the October 22 episode of SmackDown. Ziggler qualified for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship after defeating The Miz in the first round match before being disqualified by Dean Ambrose. Ziggler and Breeze continued their feud, which culminated in a match between the two teams at Survivor Series on November 22, which Ziggler lost. With the two trading victories throughout December and the beginning of 2016, Ziggler would then begin a feud with Kevin Owens. Ziggler entered the Royal Rumble on January 24th as the 28th entrant, lasting 7 minutes, but Triple H, the upcoming champion, was defeated in a losing bid, but Ziggler continued to lose, but he was defeated the following two weeks in a row. Ziggler was involved in a deadly five-way match for the Intercontinental Championship on February 15, where Owens regained the title after defeating Tyler Breeze. On February 21, Ziggler met Owens in a match for the Intercontinental Championship, which he lost. Ziggler began to reignite his feud with The Authority, and on the Thursday episode of Raw, he confronted Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. This resulted in Ziggler being granted a match against Triple H, where if he wins, he'd pick his match at WrestleMania (excluding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match). On April 3, Ziggler defeated Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, The Miz, Stardust, Sin Cara, and Zack Ryder in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championships, which Ryder won.

On the April 4 episode of Raw, Ziggler got a double count out with Baron Corbin, bringing Corbin's End of Days outside of the match to Ziggler, igniting a feud in the process. Ziggler defeated Baron Corbin in a thrilling contest at the Payback pre-show on May 1. On May 22, the two teams had a no disqualification match at Extreme Rules, where Corbin prevailed after hitting a low blow on Ziggler. Following Extreme Rules on the May 23 episode of Raw, Ziggler had a clash backstage with Corbin and threatened him to a technical wrestling match next week. When Ziggler kicked Corbin in the groin right after the match started, he disqualified him completely. Money in the Bank threw a rubber match on June 19, which Corbin would have ended in a feud.

Ziggler was drafted to SmackDown on July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft. Ziggler defeated AJ Styles, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Bray Wyatt, and John Cena on July 26 to become the top contender for the WWE World Championship. Ziggler defended his opponent against Bray Wyatt on August 2nd of SmackDown. Ziggler won the game but was attacked later by Wyatt and Erick Rowan, who also beat Dean Ambrose while trying to rescue Ziggler. Ambrose defeated Ziggler at SummerSlam on August 21. Ziggler's Intercontinental Championship was the start of a feud over the Miz' Intercontinental Championship, which ended in frustration at Backlash on September 11 after Maryse sprayed something at Ziggler, but Miz distracted the referee. Ziggler would defeat The Miz at No Mercy on October 9 to win the title in a match where he will have to recover if he lost if he lost. On the 900th episode of SmackDown, however, he lost the championship 37 days against The Miz. The feud came to an end in a Ladder match at TLC: Tables, Ladders, Chairs, and Chairs, which was also on December 4 for the championship, where Ziggler was defeated.

Ziggler pinned Dean Ambrose in a crucial four-way elimination match involving both The Miz and Luke Harper on December 13, becoming the top contender to AJ Styles' WWE Championship. Baron Corbin met Ziggler the following week, and the two teams had a match against Ziggler's number one challenger. The game came to an end with a double count-out, and Daniel Bryant made the WWE Championship match between Styles, Ziggler, and Corbin a triple-threat on December 27. Styles retained the WWE Championship after defeating Ziggler in that match.

Kalisto saved Ziggler after a post-match attack by Corbin on January 3, 2017, turning heel for the first time since 2013. In a two-on-one handicap match at Elimination Chamber on February 12, Ziggler defeated Apollo Crews and Kalisto. Ziggler stomping on Crews' ankle after placing it in a chair following the match. Ziggler was victorious in a chairs match on February 28 SmackDown, where he was victorious. Ziggler was part of the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on April 2nd, defeating R-Truth, Rhyno, and Tian Bing, who had been ruled out by eventual champion Mojo Rawley. Shinsuke Nakamura lost at Backlash on May 21.

After a long absence from television, Ziggler returned to SmackDown Live on August 22 to reveal that he will have a gimmick change on the following week's version. The entrances of current and former wrestlers such as John Cena, Naomi, Shawn Michaels, and Randy Savage were mocked beginning a week after week. Fans only cared about elaborated entrances, not the in-ring performances, where he claimed to be the best. This resulted in a brawl between Bobby Roode and him in a Cell on October 8, but Clash of Champions defeated Baron Corbin and Roode in a triple threat match on December 17 to win his second United States Championship. On the following episode of SmackDown, Ziggler held a retrospective of his WWE career; he said the fans did not respect him and placed the title belt in the ring before leaving. Daniel Bryan, the general manager of the company, vacated the position a week later.

On January 28, 2018, Ziggler returned to the Royal Rumble as the surprise #30 entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match. Ziggler was dealt out by Finn Bálor after destroying Goldust, but not before eliminating Goldust. He'll be at Fastlane on March 11 in a six pack challenge for the WWE Championship, where champion AJ Styles will remain. On April 8, Ziggler competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34, but did not win the trophy.

Ziggler was sent to Raw as part of the Superstar Shake-Up on April 16, and that night, he joined Drew McIntyre and the returning Drew McIntyre to threaten Titus Worldwide (Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews), who were defeated the following week. Ziggler answered Seth Rollins' open challenge for the Intercontinental Championship on June 18 and defeated Rollins for a sixth time. Dean Ambrose returned to Rollins after weeks of McIntyre assisting Ziggler in all situations, including Extreme Rules on July 15, where Ziggler shocked Rollins 5–4 in sudden death overtime of a 30-Minute Iron Man match. Ziggler lost the championship to Rollins on August 19, who had Ambrose in his corner at SummerSlam.

With Braun Strowman's "The Dogs of War" to fight the newly reunited The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose), a temporary stable was established on September 3rdyre's "The Dogs of War" was briefly formed on the 3rd episode of Raw, Ziggler and McIntyre). The B-Team defeated The B-Team later that night, defeating The B-Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel). They then defended their titles in a Cell against Rollins and Ambrose on September 16th. In a losing effort to The Shield in a six-man tag team match on October 6, Ziggler teamed with McIntyre and Strowman. The two teams clashed on Raw over the next two weeks, with The Dogs of War winning the first match but losing the latter after Ziggler was pinned by Ambrose. During both matches, tensions between Ziggler, McIntyre, and Strowman, who felt he was leading the team, arose. After losing the previous match, the Strowman turned on Ziggler and assaulted him, before being confronted by McIntyre.

On the October 22 episode of Raw, Ziggler and McIntyre lost the Raw Tag Team Championship to Rollins and Ambrose after Braun Strowman interfered. The Ziggler-McIntyre relationship came to an end on December 3's Raw show when McIntyre said that Ziggler was "a way to an end to get him into a powerful position" and ended their association. In a match that Ziggler won after Finn Bálor's interference, the two teams then met again. McIntyre defeated Ziggler in a cage match on the December 31 episode of Raw after the three men had traded wins among each other and interfered in each other's matches over the next two weeks.

After this, Ziggler was off television until his appearance at the Royal Rumble match on January 27, 2019, defeating McIntyre and lasting until the final three before being eliminated by Braun Strowman. Following the Royal Rumble, he would then disappear from WWE television without notice.

On the May 21 episode of SmackDown Live, Ziggler returned from a four-month absence to challenge WWE Champion Kofi Kingston. On June 7, Ziggler failed to win the crown from Kingston at Super ShowDown and Stomping Grounds in a steel cage match, bringing an end to the long-running feud. On July 14, he lost to Kevin Owens in just 17 seconds and failed to win the WWE Championship from Kingston in a triple threat match that also featured Samoa Joe at Smackville. Ziggler interrupted Miz TV starring Shawn Michaels and attacking Michaels and The Miz on July 23 episode of SmackDown Live. On August 11, a match against Goldberg at SummerSlam was called off for a short match.

Ziggler defeated Robert Roode in a tag-team battle on August 26, earning a Raw Tag Team Championship match at Battle of Champions. Ziggler and Roode were named at the October 15 match as Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman's titles. The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) won the titles on October 14 on Raw, Ziggler, and Roode, putting their reign to an end at 29 days. As part of the 2019 WWE Draft, they were drafted to the SmackDown brand. Ziggler and Roode were crowned champions of a 10-team Interbrand Tag Team Battle Royal at Survivor Series on November 24, 2017. During King Corbin's civil war against Roman Reigns, they aligned with him in the ensuing weeks. Ziggler was ranked 19 in the Royal Rumble match on January 26, 2020, but Reigns dismissed him. Ziggler defeated Mansoor in Super ShowDown on February 27, according to Mansoor. 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, where the champions were unveiled. Roode was forced to stay in his native Canada in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, placing the team on suspension.

Ziggler entered a conflict with Otis over Mandy Rose's affections, but the two were soon revealed. On the second night of WrestleMania 36, Ziggler lost to Otis. The feud came to an end when Otis defeated Ziggler in a Money in the Bank qualifier match after a few more assaults and promotions. It was announced on Raw's June 22 episode that Ziggler and Roode had been traded to A.J.'s Raw brand. Styles. Ziggler posted a challenge to WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, who McIntyre accepted The Horror Show at Extreme Rules on Saturday night. Ziggler didn't win the title at the time, but it was in the event on July 19th.

Both Ziggler and Roode were drafted back to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2020 Draft in October. SmackDown, Ziggler and Roode won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship on January 8, 2021; with this victory, Ziggler and Roode defeated The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championships; Ziggler defeated Ziggler and Roode's sixth wrestler (along with Kofi Kingston, The Miz, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, and John Morrison) defeated the original World Tag Team, Ziggler and &Whe defeated SmackDown Tag Team Championships, Ziggler and &WW; Ziggler and he became the sixth wrestler, &WWKelo Dawkins) and Morgan, Ziggler and the SmackDown Tag Team, Ziggler and Mobo Dawkins; Ziggler and Tom Watson) and John Morrison (a) and &Mo Dawkins, Matthew, and Morrison) and John Morrison, and Morrison, and Morrison) to win; Ziggler and Morrison (SmackDown Tag Team, Matthew Morrison) to win, SmackDown, Tom Morrison) and Hanover, Ziggler and Morrison) in the SmackDown Tag Team, Gilbert, Ziggler and Morrison (Britiz Ford); Ziggler and John Morrison) in the SmackDown, Gilbert, Gilbert, Moz, MitchDown. Ziggler made the Royal Rumble match at #6, dismissing Jeff Hardy but not defeated by Kane at the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2021. Roode and Ziggler defeated Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis), Rey & Dominik Mysterio, and The Street Profits in a dramatic four-way battle on April 8, retaining the titles. The titles against The Street Profits were retained on the April 16 episode of SmackDown, Ziggler, and Roode. Ziggler and Roode lost the titles to Rey and Dominik Mysterio, who both lost their reigns at 128 days at WrestleMania backlash on May 16, 1996. In the 2021 Draft, they were introduced to the Raw brand. In a top contender's match for the Raw Tag Team Championship, Ziggler and Roode defeated The Street Profits and Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis), facing the champions, RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) later that night in a losing bid. On November 21, Ziggler appeared in a 25-man dual-branded battle royal to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Rock's debut at the 1996 Survivor Series, defeating Mansoor before he was eliminated by AJ Styles. On January 29, 2022, Ziggler entered the Royal Rumble at #16, but Bad Bunny and Rey Mysterio later cut him off, but he was disqualified by Bad Bunny and Rey Mysterio.

On the February 8 episode of NXT 2.0, Ziggler made a surprise appearance during a segment with Bron Breakker and Santos Escobar. Ziggler won the NXT Championship in a triple threat match on March 8, defeating Tommaso Ciampa and defending champion Breakker in his first world championship in nearly nine years, while becoming the first NXT champion not to be a part of NXT. He defended his title against L. A. Knight the following week. He defended the title against Breakker despite Roode's interference at Stand & Deliver on April 2nd. However, Ziggler lost his title to Breakker on April 4th, snaping his tenure at 27 days.

On the 27th episode of Raw, Ziggler competed in a Money in the Bank qualifying fight royal, which was won by Riddle. Ziggler assisted Bobby Lashley and Riddle against Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Theory's underhanded tactics during a tag team match, and Ziggler's after-match analysis revealed the truth about the match for the first time since 2017. Theory defeated Ziggler after weeks of Ziggler interrupting Theory's matches on the August 15 episode of Raw, putting an end to their feud.

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