Nic Nemeth was about to leave WWE because of his match against Goldberg

Nic Nemeth, known for years in WWE as Dolph Ziggler, confessed that he was about to leave the company before his match against Goldberg at SummerSlam 2019. In an interview with Chris Van Vliet for the Insight podcast, the former world champion explained that the initial plan was for an immediate squash, which led him to confront Vince McMahon directly.

"They told me: 'ding, ding, ding, Spear, Jackhammer'", Nemeth recalled. "And I replied: 'Vince, why am I in this match if anyone could take a Spear and a Jackhammer? If I can't contribute something to the match, I have to leave this company right now. If I'm just a scarecrow to take the hit, I don't want to work here'".

Nemeth explained that his goal was to bring some excitement to the match and not turn it into a simple televised humiliation. "I argued with them to give the match some story. I told them there had to be some back and forth, that I should at least be able to hit a superkick or my finisher. There had to be more than just the bell ringing and falling down".

Finally, an agreement was reached: Nemeth would start the match with a Superkick as the bell rang, achieve a false count, and repeat the move before Goldberg destroyed him with the Spear and Jackhammer. "At least that was something, a little story," he admitted. He also revealed that the match was originally going to be his last in WWE. "I was offered the match with Goldberg because I was going to leave. But that same day they told me I wouldn't be allowed to leave".

Nemeth remained in the company for four more years before being released in September 2023. Today, the wrestler continues his career in TNA, where he has regained the prominence he sought for years in Vince McMahon's company. However, this weekend he will not be part of Bound For Glory.