Dolph Ziggler Was Once Suspended By WWE

Years before he resurfaced on WWE TV with a new name, Nick Nemeth had competed under various gimmicks including Kerwin White’s caddy and a cheerleader as part of the Spirit Squad. However, he wouldn’t truly break out until as a singles performer until late 2008 when he was repackaged as Dolph Ziggler.

Ziggler officially made his Raw re-debut on the September 15, 2008 episode, introducing himself to other members of the roster backstage. Although this continued for a few weeks, he was surprisingly suspended for 30 days as a result of violating the WWE Wellness Policy in October.

He addressed the suspension the following year in an interview with The Herald-Dispatch, a daily newspaper that serves Huntington, West Virginia, and neighboring communities in southern Ohio and eastern Kentucky.

“That was a worse case scenario,” Ziggler said. “Be careful what you get into and who you are associated with. It can easily be taken away. I had month to think it over. I said I won’t make that mistake again.”

Ziggler’s never been known for his size to begin with, but for him to get himself suspended only mere weeks following his return to Raw was mind-boggling. It’s a good thing it didn’t cost him his push, though; he’d eventually wrestle his first match back in December against Batista before making waves on the SmackDown brand the following year.