Dolph Ziggler is here to show the world what some fans may have forgotten in recent years: “The Showoff” remains one of the most remarkable stars on the WWE roster.
Before he started feuding with Bron Breakker, the then-reigning NXT Champion, Ziggler wasn’t featured in a prominent spot on WWE RAW. But since he picked a fight with the young powerhouse, he has firmly stepped back into the spotlight. The veteran stunned the wrestling world when he dethroned Breakker and won the NXT Championship on the special “Roadblock” episode of WWE NXT 2.0 on March 8. Now, the 41-year-old is the brand’s top champion heading into NXT Stand & Deliver.
During an appearance on WWE’s The Bump, Ziggler reflected on his victory and made it clear that he didn’t even plan on winning the gold. Instead, he described how his trip to NXT 2.0 began as a scouting mission, as he wanted to see WWE’s brightest prospects up close and personal.
“I had no idea I was going to be NXT Champion,” said Ziggler. “I didn’t plan on it. All I wanted to do was check out some talent, scout ‘em out, see who’s got what it takes to go to the next level at some point. Maybe report back, say, ‘Hey RAW, hey SmackDown, hey Vince McMahon, I see something in these guys, these gals, they can do something big in the future, let me get my hands on them.’ Next thing you know, two weeks later, I’m the NXT Champion. I would say it’s crazy to me, but I guess I got like 30 or 40 titles.”
Everyone was surprised that @HEELZiggler won the #WWENXT Championship, but it just made winning the title that much more special. #WWETheBump pic.twitter.com/sW2P6FVfIZ
— WWE (@WWE) March 23, 2022
While the veteran has enjoyed some success on the main roster over the years, one of his last major milestone came in 2013, when he won the World Heavyweight Championship. As the only man who has held both the NXT Championship and the latter title, Ziggler was asked to compare the two victories. He responded by explaining that he had been feeling somewhat stale on the main roster prior to this new chapter of his career, and he wanted to remind everyone what he’s capable of.
“The absolute, most important part of this business, I’m richer,” said Ziggler. “No, the difference in those two, one, that moment, I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. I won’t forget this one either. Because I didn’t plan on it. All I wanted to do was set an example, show everyone what I can do when I want to, and I caught everyone by surprise. So this so many years later, you go, I felt a little stale. I don’t ever get out of practice, I’m never out of shape, I will never, ever be tired, even if I did a two-hour Iron Man Match for WWE. I will always be there to deliver 100%.
“I felt stale as in you’d see me for two or three minutes on RAW and you go, oh, Dolph’s pretty good, ah he got beat, okay. And I said to [Robert] Roode, we’re too good to just be sitting here because you kept yourself, you can say complacent, the world’s complacent is nothing like mine. I don’t sleep, I go to the gym. I plot, I think, and I go we need to make something happen. Because it’s what have you done for me lately. People can pat you on the back that happened eight years ago. But they wanna know what you’re doing right now. Why aren’t we talking about you? And you have to make them talk about you. You can’t just hope for the best because no one else is looking out for you.”
Ziggler will defend the NXT Championship against Breakker at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 2.
