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By Andrew Ravens
Contributing Sports Writer
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Nic Nemeth, who made a name for himself as Dolph Ziggler in WWE, delivered a truly surprising moment for fans recently. Nemeth was announced as the final participant in the "Last Time is Now" tournament. He served as the mystery opponent for Solo Sikoa. This major surprise had been cleverly teased to the audience the Monday prior to the event, when his name was drawn but not publicly revealed.
The tournament itself was announced on November 1st, giving the organizers and the star himself a short window to maintain the secrecy. During an interview with Busted Open Radio, Nemeth was asked about the timeline surrounding his return. He detailed the extreme measures he took to ensure the surprise was not leaked prematurely.
Nemeth was asked when he first became aware of his involvement in the high-stakes tournament. He indicated that the knowledge was kept strictly under wraps for several weeks.
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“Two, three weeks, perhaps,” he said (H/T to Fightful).
For Nemeth, preserving the mystery was paramount to the success of the reveal. He noted that wrestling is built on these major surprise moments that fans remember for years. To protect this huge moment, he admitted that he didn't even tell his own parents about his booking. The only person he confided in was his brother.
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He stated, “There is a handful of surprises and big moments that everybody remembers. I didn’t tell my parents. I told my brother. ‘If anybody finds out, I’ll know you told them because I told nobody else .’” Nemeth is part of a high-profile group chat with fellow wrestlers Bobby Roode, Zack Ryder, and Bryan Myers. Despite their close friendship, he and Ryder both agreed to keep the secret from everyone in the group.
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He explained, “I’m in a group chat with Bobby Roode, Zack Ryder, and Bryan Myers. I didn’t say anything. Me and Zack didn’t say anything. He said nothing ." This deep commitment to secrecy ensured that the surprise would land with maximum impact. The former World Champion also recalled having to actively deny his involvement while speaking to the media in the weeks leading up to the tournament.
The massive event was scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden and was being billed as John Cena’s last Raw appearance. Being around the wrestling community, Nemeth was frequently asked about his presence at the Garden show. He had to mislead interviewers about his status to maintain the integrity of his mystery opponent role.
Nemeth recounted the awkward interviews: “A couple interviews at The Big Event, they were like, ‘Are you wrestling on Monday at the Garden ?’ ‘Pshhh, I wish. That would be cool. Cena’s last Raw.’” The lengths he went to in order to preserve the surprise paid off, delivering a shocking and memorable moment for the WWE fans in attendance.
Since his departure from WWE, Nic Nemeth has been exceptionally active, specifically focusing on his commitments to TNA Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Nemeth has secured championship gold across various international companies, demonstrating his ability to thrive outside of the strict schedule of a singular promotion. He is currently expected to play a key role in the upcoming TNA Final Resolution event, which is typically a pivotal show in December for the organization.
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- Released WWE Star Wants To Join AEW
For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.
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