Nic Nemeth may be one of TNA Wrestling’s biggest names, but the ‘Wanted Man’ has been ‘suspended’ for four weeks after an incident on iMPACT. The drama unfolded on the February 13, 2025, episode of iMPACT after Joe Hendry retained the TNA World Championship against Jake Something. After the match, Nic and Ryan Nemeth arrived with Ryan demanding a title opportunity for his brother.
Things quickly spiraled out of control when Nic accidentally superkicked Jake Something, inadvertently taking out Santino Marella in the process. After the commercial break, TNA shared that Nic Nemeth has been suspended for four weeks due to striking Santino, TNA’s on-screen Director of Authority.
With Nemeth benched for the time being, it remains to be seen who’ll fill his place and challenge Joe Hendry for the TNA World Championship next. It also begs the question as to what Nemeth will be like once he is back, as his efforts to have a shot at the gold have been snuffed out for the time being.
Nemeth won the TNA World Championship in July 2024 and held the gold until Hendry dethroned him at Genesis last month. While Hendry is proudly representing TNA, both in and outside of the promotion, fans are eager to see what’s to come for the former champion after his four-week suspension is up.
Could John Cena’s farewell to in-ring competition see him compete in TNA Wrestling? World Champion Nic Nemeth certainly hopes so. Speaking to The Takedown on SI, Nemeth said that Cena appearing for the promotion would be special, no matter who he worked with.
“As much as I would like to hog it, no matter who was in that moment with him, that would be cool as hell, because he’s done so much for so many.”
Nemeth compared Cena to Hiroshi Tanahashi, who is also on a retirement tour. With “everyone dying to get in the ring” with the icon, Nemeth believes Cena in TNA would be groundbreaking for the promotion.
“It’d be game-changing for [TNA]. It would just help us one more notch at kicking ass, if we got John here on that deal, on that partnership.”
Cena kicked off his farewell tour on WWE Raw’s debut on Netflix by declaring himself for the 2025 Men’s Royal Rumble match. In addition to the February 1, event, Cena has been announced for March’s Elimination Chamber PLE as well as WrestleMania 41. Several Superstars have put themselves forward as potential opponents, including The Miz, Randy Orton, and Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker.
WWE and TNA have announced a multi-year partnership, meaning fans can’t count out an appearance by John Cena in the Impact Zone. Stay tuned to SEScoops for the latest on John Cena and what will be a massive send-off to the Greatest Of All Time.
For any WWE Superstar, being the 30th and final entrant into a Royal Rumble match is a win in and of itself. After all, the #30 spot is mathematically the best position to be in and has produced winners including John Cena, Triple H, The Undertaker, and Cody Rhodes. But we’re not here to talk about the winners.
While #30 has produced plenty of winners, entering last is far from a guaranteed Rumble victory. Over the decades, we’ve seen plenty of #30 entrants be eliminated as quickly as they entered.
Here are some Superstars who squandered their coveted spot as the #30 entrant.
The Warlord (1992)
Despite his size, The Warlord had some terrible luck in the Royal Rumble match.
Until Santino Marella broke the record in 2009, the Warlord’s name was synonymous with having the shortest stint in a Royal Rumble with 2 seconds at the 1989 Rumble. Well two years later, the Warlord had better luck, but still had an abysmal performance. Lasting 1:43, Warlord scored no eliminations in the 1991 Rumble before being eliminated for the third time in his career by Hulk Hogan.
Adam Bomb (1994)
When Adam Bomb made his way to the ring as part of the 1994 Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon on commentary declared “ADAM BOMB IS GOING TO WIN THE ROYAL RUMBLE!” Now mind you, the match still had Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Lex Luger all in the bout.
As you’ve figured out by now, Bomb didn’t live up to McMahon’s declaration as he was flattened and thrown out by the bigger stars in 4:55.
Duke ‘The Dumpster’ Droese (1996)
Nobody believed that Duke Droese would be headlining WrestleMania 12 by winning the 1996 Rumble.
We can’t help but wonder what the fans in Fresno’s Selland Arena felt when Duke Droese was the final participant in the 1996 Royal Rumble match. Seriously, did a single person think it’d be Bret Hart Vs ‘The Dumpster’ at WrestleMania 12?
Droese eliminated nobody before being thrown out by Diesel and Kama after 1:10.
Vader (1998)
Once a top star of Japan and WCW, Vader’s WWF run did not do the superheavyweight justice. Never was that more evident than the 1998 Royal Rumble match, in which Vader lasted just 2:15.
His sole elimination saw Vader throw out comedy cameo The Honky Tonk Man, making it clear that the powerhouse was not meant to be taken seriously as a possible winner.
Chyna (1999)
The first woman to enter a Royal Rumble match, Chyna did score a single elimination in the 1999 match, which is more than what most people on this list can boast.
But at 35 seconds, it felt like WWE wanted Chyna out of the match as quickly as she came in.
Booker T (2002)
Booker T’s Royal Rumble debut would be a bad night for the former WCW World Champion.
Perhaps the biggest name who joined WWF after WCW’s 2001 demise, Booker T had a rough start in the promotion. While he was Vince McMahon’s pick in the 2002 Rumble match, Booker would last just 33 seconds before being tossed out. It’d be a long time before the talented wrestler would be treated as a main eventer.
Rey Mysterio (2014)
8 years on from his 2006 win, Rey Mysterio entered to a chorus of boos in the 2014 Rumble match.
One of wrestling’s most beloved heroes, Rey Mysterio’s entrance as the #30 entrant in 2014 was quite a shock to behold.
Simply put, fans wanted Daniel Bryan, and Rey’s arrival snuffed out their last hope. Rey lasted 2:10 and scored 0 eliminations, making his role seem even more egregious.
Dolph Ziggler (2018)
Dolph had vacated the U.S. title weeks before his lackluster role in the 2018 Men’s Rumble match.
After surrending his newly-won U.S. title in late 2017, fans were curious as to what was to come for Dolph Ziggler. For months, Ziggler was nowhere to be seen, until he returned to programming as the #30 entrant in the 2018 Men’s Rumble match.
Unfortunately for the Show-Off, his return was entirely anti-climactic, and he would be eliminated in 2:01 by Finn Balor. Ziggler’s only elimination would see him toss out the cameoing Goldust, who lasted longer in the match than Dolph himself.
Nia Jax (Men’s 2019)
Nobody expected R-Truth, the original #30 entrant in the 2019 Men’s Rumble to win, but the decision to replace him with Nia Jax was entirely bizarre.
The following sequence which saw a bunch of male Superstars hit their finishers on Jax wouldn’t help matters either, especially as some fans online seemed too eager to watch her get ganged up on. Jax would eliminate Mustafa Ali before being dumped out herself at 3:09.
Nia Jax (Women’s 2023)
Four years on from her bizarre entry into the Men’s Royal Rumble, Nia Jax made a surprise return to WWE during the 2023 Women’s Rumble.
Her big return is probably best remembered for WWE displaying graphics with her name over ten seconds before her return. Jax eliminated nobody in her 1:57 stint in the match.
Nic Nemeth says getting people to give TNA a try is the biggest challenge for him as the company’s current world champion.
The wrestling veteran recently spoke to RG Bro Entertainment to promote TNA Genesis from Garland Texas and TNA Rebellion from Los Angeles in 2025. He discussed things such as his time in the Spirit Squad, his friendship with Lance Storm and more.
The former WWE star made his debut for the Anthem-owned promotion at Hard To Kill in January. He won a six-way match at Slammiversary in July, to become the World Champion. When asked what challenges he has faced in TNA in his first year with the company, Nemeth explained how a lot of people are just not aware of the brand:
“Challenges? I just…getting the word out. Every once in a while, people [will be] like, ‘Hey, we love Impact, we love the pay-per-views, we watch what you’re doing’ and then someone will go, ‘I follow you on social media, I’ve watched everything you’ve ever done, do you still wrestle?’ and I go, ‘Ugh, come on man.’ I go, ‘Bro, AXS TV, YouTube, TNA plus app, check out the show.’”
Explaining why people should give TNA a chance, Nic Nemeth said that they’re the happy medium between WWE and AEW. Per the World Champion, people can expect both good storylines and genuine surprises at their shows:
“Sometimes people will say AEW is a little fast with stuff, sometimes WWE goes way too slow in molasses with the same predictable stuff, we are someone that I feel like we’re this happy medium of, you check out, you don’t know what’s going to happen one day, but then you see the slow progression of a story and you know where they’re going and then the other half is, you don’t know who’s gonna show up, you don’t know what’s gonna happen.”
Nemeth also talked about the surprise appearance of WWE Hall of Famer JBL at recent shows. While he didn’t reveal what Layfield said to him during the Emergence PPV, Nic noted that the wrestling legend seems to be in hunt for talents for a new stable.
Nic Nemeth says he’d only want to do a Royal Rumble appearance to promote TNA.
The TNA World Champion recently had an interview with Daily Star. Among other questions, he was asked about a potential Royal Rumble cameo and whether he’d like to show up as Dolph Ziggler or Nic Nemeth.
The wrestling veteran first discussed how he didn’t want to make an appearance on NXT while TNA partnered up with them because he had already worked the show and left WWE on his own accord. He believed that young talents from the TNA roster could benefit much more from such an opportunity.
On the topic of a potential Royal Rumble appearance, Nemeth mentioned that he wouldn’t mind busting out his old ring gear for one night, but only so he can use that buzz to promote TNA:
“To do something fun. Wear my old trunks, get the old music to play, come out there, and kick somebody in the face? That would be awesome. But the most important, it would just be something to have a viral moment, so I could talk about TNA. That’s the only reason I’d want to do it.”
Mickie James was the first TNA champion to represent the company with a Royal Rumble appearance in 2022. Jordynne Grace then followed in her footsteps with a cameo in the 2024 edition of the battle royal.
If Nic Nemeth does show up at the Royal Rumble, he’d become the first male champion from TNA roster to make a main roster appearance for the Endeavor-owned promotion.
Before he can do so, however, Nemeth will have to overcome the challenge of Joe Hendry who’d be challenging him in a championship rematch at the Genesis event on January 19, 2025.
Posted December 22nd, 2024 in TNA. Tagged: Nic Nemeth.
Nic Nemeth has explained why he decided to leave WWE.
The former Dolph Ziggler ended his 19-year tenure with the Endeavor-owned promotion in September 2023. Entering the independent circuit for the first time in his wrestling career, Nemeth has since made it a mission to prove that he can still be a top guy for any promotion in the world.
The current TNA World Heavyweight Champion spoke to Daily Star recently to promote the 2025 Genesis event. He discussed things such as the growth of TNA in 2024, the progression of his Genesis opponent Joe Hendry, and more.
When asked if leaving WWE has reignited his passion for wrestling, Nic Nemeth revealed that he had more than a year left on his deal with the company. The 44-year-old noted how he was being booked very rarely during the last couple years of his stint with the company and that he wanted to spend whatever prime years he had left to prove that he could still go:
“WWE was so great. I had a year and a half on my contract still, and I said, ‘Please.’ I go, ‘I’m not doing anything here. I’m just hanging out and doing cold five-minute matches.’ I said, ‘I don’t know how much longer I’m a believable world champion for any other company. I might have five more years, I might have two, I might have ten, I don’t know.’
But I go ‘Sitting here collecting a paycheck and working for five minutes a week is not helping WWE, and it sure as hell is not helping me.’ So luckily, they gave me the chance to get out of there because I had some time left on my contract.”
Nemeth said that he was still giving his full effort to whatever position WWE put him in. Now he is able to do a lot more of it as a center figure of TNA roster with a lot more opportunity to talk and then back his words up in the ring. The current TNA World Champion also claimed that he would have given up the title long ago if he felt he couldn’t back up what he was saying with his performance.
The former WWE star won the TNA title at Slammiversary in July and his reign stands at 154 days. Joe Hendry won a fatal four-way match at Final Resolution this month to become the #1 contender for Nemeth’s title.
Posted December 21st, 2024 in TNA. Tagged: Nic Nemeth.
WWE is no stranger to running their PLEs in major markets, but now the smaller promotions are following suit, including TNA.
The 22-year old company announced to fans on Wednesday to mark their calendars as the company plans to run some of its major PPVs in both Los Angeles and New York City. Not only that, but the PPVs will take place at notable arenas in both cities. TNA Rebellion will take place on April 27, 2025 at the Galen Center, home of USC Trojans basketball, and TNA Slammiversary will hail from the UBS Center, the homebase of the New York Islanders on July 20, 2025.
In the press release, TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth expressed his enthusiasm for the forthcoming year with TNA.
“I am beyond excited to defend the TNA World Championship from coast to coast, in the two of the most iconic cities in the world, Los Angeles and New York City. This is a groundbreaking day for TNA Wrestling. I cannot wait for the ride that TNA will be on in 2025.”
BREAKING: Due to no overwhelming winner, TNA is bringing big PPV events to BOTH Los Angeles and New York in 2025. #TNARebellion is coming to the Galen Center in LA on April 27 while #TNASlammiversary is coming to the UBS Arena in New York on July 20.
Major market announcements have been the ongoing trend for wrestling as 2024 comes to a close. WWE is just on the cusp of returning to New York City for Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 14 and just this week, MLW revealed they’ll be heading to Los Angeles for Battle Riot VII in early April. MLW will also be back in NYC this weekend for One-Shot which will have Eric Bischoff steering the ship.
Dolph Ziggler says his Money In The Bank Cash in was only made possible because the fans stuck by him even when he was constantly losing.
The Nemeth Brothers were the most recent guests on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw podcast. They talked about things such as their inspiration to get into wrestling, training under names such as Dusty Rhodes, and more.
JBL who was on commentary for Ziggler’s big moment mentioned how has never experienced anything like that. Dolph explained that before the cash in people had started thinking that he would lose the briefcase:
“The reason that reaction and that moment happened was 100% the fans. Like at the time, I was the guy with the briefcase who always kept trying to cash in—would catch a brogue kick or something in the face.
It got to a point where they thought they were either going to take it off of me or when I came to cash in, that I wasn’t going to get it. I was going to lose the match or something. But the reason the crowds were so great, even leading up to that, was Vince at the time,
He said, ‘Listen, I know you lose a lot’—[I’m like] about 99% of the time—but he goes, ‘I know you lose a lot and now with this briefcase, you’re going to lose even more, and it’s going to be a bigger deal. But the next day after you finally cash this in, everything changes.’ So we did that, kept [losing] more and more.”
I’ve Never Heard Anything Like That: Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler won the Money In The Bank during the namesake PPV in July 2012. He held on to the briefcase for almost 9 months before cashing it in during the April 8, 2013 episode of Raw. He defeated Alberto Del Rio to win his second world title.
Per the former World Champion, he was hoping the crowd would react favourably to him. The people in the arena did not disappoint:
“[I] finally cashed in. I was like, ‘Man, I hope this crowd’s into it. They seem kind of lively and fun.’ I’ll never forget my music hit—it was a two-second delay—and it’s just like prickers all over my body.
I went, ‘Whoa! what’, and I still had to stay focused and be in the moment, walk down there to do it. But I’ve never heard anything like that in person ever.
It was because they stuck by the guy who kept losing and kept failing to cash in. They said, ‘All right, we’re going to help this guy,’ and they did. We got it, and they lost their minds. It was so fun.”
Ziggler also revealed that the original plan was for him to just cash in the briefcase and win at once. He had to convenience Vince McMahon to let the match go a little longer and have several false finishes before he finally defeated Del Rio.
Frankie Kazarian is set to serve as the special guest referee for the World title match between Joe Hendry and Nic Nemeth at TNA Bound for Glory pay-per-view. TNA made the announcement during Thursday’s TNA iMPACT!
Kazarian had lost the title opportunity after losing the one contender’s match as Hendry won the bout. Kazarian is now seeking revenge as the special guest referee after losing to Hendry.
The veteran star launched an assault on the champion after the latter defeated Matt Cardona on last night’s edition of TNA iMPACT! However, Hendry came to the aid of Nemeth and Kazarian announced that he would be the special guest referee for the World Title match next weekend at TNA Bound for Glory. Another match was also announced on the show.
Nic Nemeth became the World Champion at TNA Slammiversary in July when he defeated Moose, Josh Alexander, Steve Maclin, Frankie Kazarian, and Joe Hendry in a Six-way elimination match. His latest title defense took place against Moose at TNA Victory Road. 2024
The Bound for Glory 2024 will be the 20th annual of the show. This year, the show is set to emanate from the Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit, Michigan.
Lineup for TNA Bound for Glory
TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth defends against Joe Hendry w/Frankie Kazarian as special guest referee
TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Masha Slamovich
Full Metal Mayhem for the TNA Tag Team Championship: ABC vs. The Hardys vs. The System
Monster’s Ball match for the TNA Digital Media and International Wrestling Championships: PCO defends against Matt Cardona
TNA X-Division Champion Mike Bailey defends against El Hijo del Vikingo
TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion Spitfire defend against Wendy Choo & Rosemary
The main event of the show featured Nic Nemeth defending the TNA World Championship against Josh Alexander in a 60-minute Iron Man match.
Nemeth picked up early pins in the match to take a 2-0 lead but Alexander evened the score with two consecutive C4 spike piledrivers.
The former WWE star hit the Danger Zone on Josh when only 1 minute was remaining in the match. Instead of going for the pin, however, he executed a C4 spike piledriver of his own to get the score to 3-2 and win the match.
The champion couldn’t celebrate his victory for long as he was interrupted by JBL making his TNA debut. The WWE Hall of Famer entered the ring and whispered something in Nemeth’s ear. The world champion nodded his head in agreement and the show went off air with the debuting star exiting the ring.
Apart from this, the show also featured the return of the X Division match. Mike Bailey entered the bout as champion but it was Zachary Wentz who came out victorious.
Joe Hendry was in action teaming up with The Hardy Bros & Mike Santana. This team was defeated by Moose, Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards, & Johnny Dango Curtis in the 8 men tag team match.
As John Cena approaches his WWE retirement, many fans are speculating that his farewell will involve passing the torch to a new generation of wrestlers. However, TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth believes that this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.
Nic Nemeth’s Perspective on Cena’s Retirement
During a recent episode of the Busted Open Radio show, Nic Nemeth shared his views on Cena’s upcoming retirement, set to take place in 2025 after a series of around 30-40 appearances.
While it’s usually common for a retiring legend to pass the torch to an emerging talent, Nemeth argues that Cena’s departure doesn’t have to follow this tradition.
“Not everything has to be a pass the torch kind of thing,” Nemeth said, emphasizing that Cena’s retirement doesn’t need to involve a match against a rising star like Bron Breakker or another NXT newcomer.
The Case for Cena vs. Orton
Instead of introducing a fresh face to WWE fans, Nemeth suggests that Cena’s final chapter could revolve around his storied rivalry with Randy Orton.
The idea of Cena facing Orton one last time is compelling, as it would bring a sense of closure to one of WWE’s most iconic rivalries.
“We all know they were rivals. We all know [we want to] see it,” Nemeth commented. He added that seeing Cena and Orton face-to-face in the ring during Cena’s final moments would be a fitting end for both superstars, especially if it marks the last match for either of them.
A Different Kind of Farewell
As WWE prepares for Cena’s retirement, starting with his appearance on the first episode of RAW on Netflix in January 2025, fans eagerly anticipate how his farewell will unfold.
Whether Cena passes the torch or not, Nemeth’s perspective opens the door for a more nostalgic and memorable conclusion to Cena’s legendary career.
Plenty went down at AAA TripleMania XXXII: Mexico City, including surprising debuts, returns, and plenty of title changes. The show was the third TripleMania event of this year and followed on from the Monterrey show in April and the Tijuana event in June.
Nic Nemeth Finds Ally, Loses Title
The show saw AAA Mega Champion Nic Nemeth in action as the ‘Wanted Man’ continues to be a highlight in various promotions. Ahead of his championship match with Nic Nemeth, it was revealed that WWE Hall of Famer John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield had aligned with Nic.
Despite this newfound ally, the show did not go as Nemeth had hoped. In a rematch of the bout that saw Nemeth win the gold, Alberto El Patron captured the title from his former WWE rival.
— Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (@luchalibreaaa) August 18, 2024
Matt Riddle Wins Gold
Matt Riddle was also a part of AAA TripleMania XXXII: Mexico City and left the city with some new hardware. The Original Bro captured the AAA Cruiserweight Championship from Komander in a Trios match that included Laredo Kid.
— Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (@luchalibreaaa) August 18, 2024
Raj Dhesi & Satnam Singh Win Tag Titles
Since his release from WWE in September 2023, Raj Dhesi has been making an impact and captured the Black Label Pro title in July of this year. Now the former Jinder Mahal has more gold as he and Satnam Singh have won the AAA Tag Team Championships.
— Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (@luchalibreaaa) August 18, 2024
WWE Superstars Return
TripleMania XXXII: Mexico City also saw former CMLL World Heavyweight Champion Marco Corleone (previously known as Mark Jindrak in WWE) make his return to AAA. Corleone last appeared for AAA in 2010 and this year was part of the Copa Bardhal.
Nic Nemeth’s ‘Wanted Man’ moniker fits him like a glove these days as the reigning TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Nemeth has vowed to be a fighting champion, and he’s not just waiting for top competitors to call him out. The company is asking fans on social media who they want to see step up and put themselves to the test. Nemeth wasted no time chiming in with his own pick for a future challenger: AEW star Kenny Omega.
If his World Title win was any indication, Nemeth has made the most of his opportunities outside of WWE, fully embracing his free agency by wrestling on the independents, but also in New Japan Pro-Wrestling before finding more of a residence in TNA. Nemeth has also flexed his commetary and comedic muscles by staying busy in stand-up comedy and as a host on Busted Open Radio.
Omega vs. Nemeth would certainly draw some eyes as Kenny happened to have a memorable heel run as TNA World Champion during the global pandemic. Omega took on several challengers while champion after he defeated Rich Swann for the title. Omega’s timetable for an in-ring return is quite blurry as he’s been aiming to recover from a bout with diverticulitis.
TNA is currently working relationship with WWE, which is the biggest factor prohibiting this TNA vs. AEW dream match. We’ll follow up if Kenny Omega replies to Nemeth’s call-out.
More has come to light around the main event of TNA Slammiversary 2024 which saw the coronation of Nic Nemeth as the company’s top star. Nemeth won the gold in a six-man elimination match that featured former champion Moose, Joe Hendry, Josh Alexander, Steve Maclin, and Frankie Kazarian. This win fulfilled a promise by Nemeth to win the title shortly after he arrived in TNA at January’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view.
While this was a monumental win for Nemeth, the Wanted Man was not originally planned to win the gold, Fightful Select reports. Instead, it’s claimed that the plan back in May was for Josh Alexander to win the title at Slammiversary. Alexander, the longest reigning TNA World Champion, was forced to vacate the gold due to a torn triceps injury in March 2023.
Some expected Joe Hendry to win the title, given his immense popularity in both TNA and WWE NXT. It’s reported that TNA feels that Hendry and Alexander’s current feud was strong enough to not need the title, and thus Nemeth was crowned the champion. Hendry eliminated Moose in the title match, guaranteeing a new World Champion, before being eliminated by Alexander who turned heel in the process.
Speaking after TNA Slammiversary 2024 went off the air, Nemeth spoke about his 20-year journey in wrestling that has brought him to TNA. Nemeth admitted that he faced five of the very best TNA has to offer and on “any other night, you flip that coin and someone else wins.”
“Look in these eyes and tell me you don’t think this [the TNA World Championship] is the premier championship in this business. And if you don’t, you’re wrong. And if you don’t believe me, try me. Any day, anytime, any place, I will be there.”
These comments come at an interesting time for TNA, as the company has been enjoying a crossover with WWE NXT. Nemeth recently told ComicBook Nation’s Liam Crowley that he does not have “unfinished business” with the gold brand but should the main roster come calling, then “let’s talk.”
Nic Nemeth’s Championship Wins
Nemeth’s title victory at TNA Slammiversary 2024 is just the latest championship that the ‘Wanted Man’ has obtained post-WWE. One month after debuting in New Japan Pro Wrestling, Nemeth captured the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship in his debut match.
TNA Wrestling has a brand new World Champion and his name is Nic Nemeth! The ‘Wanted Man’ won the gold at Slammiversarty 2024 in the show’s six-way elimination main event. The bout consisted of Nemeth, Moose, Joe Hendry, Steve Maclin, Frankie Kazarian, and Josh Alexander.
Maclin was the first name eliminated from the match. A former Impact World Champion, Maclin was eliminated after being flattened by Moose’s spear. Up next, it was Moose who was eliminated by Joe Hendry, guaranteeing that a new TNA World Champion would be crowned.
Though the crowd was firmly behind the Scottish star, Slammiversary wouldn’t be Hendry’s night, as he was eliminated by Josh Alexander after a low-blow and a C4 Spike.
Even after eliminating Hendry, Alexander continued his assault on the former TNA/NXT star. Josh also got in the face of the official and showed a side to himself that fans (who chanted a**hole at their fellow Canadian) had never seen before.
Alexander had little time to relish in what he had done, as he was eliminated thanks to a superkick from Nic Nemeth. With just Nemeth and Kazarian left, neither man held anything back, but it was a Danger Zone by Nemeth who secured him the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
Nic Nemeth won’t let a partially torn labrum keep him from competing at Slammiversary, where he has a chance to capture the TNA World Championship.
On TNA iMPACT, Nemeth shared that the injury took place during last week’s match with Frankie Kazarian. Despite this setback, the ‘Wanted Man’ will be part of the the six-man elimination match against Moose, Joe Hendry, Steve Maclin, Josh Alexander, and Kazarian.
With five challengers, the odds are definitely against Moose who has held the TNA World Championship since the Hard to Kill relaunch show. Both Maclin and Josh Alexander are former TNA World Champions with Alexander boasting the longest reign of any champion at 335 days. Alexander also never lost the title as his reign was cut short due to an injury.
Kazarian is the most tenured TNA wrestler in the match, having debuted in the company back in 2003. In fact, the TNA World Championship is the only title to allude Kazarian in his journey to the TNA triple crown.
Joe Hendry is perhaps the biggest wild card in the upcoming match given his immense popularity in both TNA Wrestling and WWE NXT. The Scottish wrestler has claimed he’ll challenge John Cena should he win the gold at Slammiversary. This would certainly make for a unique match on Cena’s impending retirement tour that will come to an end in 2025.
TNA Slammiversary will take place on July 20, 2024, at Verdun Auditorium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The event will stream live on TrillerTV pay-per-view.
The ‘Wanted Man’ of wrestling Nic Nemeth is once again a World Champion after capturing the AAA Mega Championship at TripleMania XXXII Monterrey.
Nemeth won the title in a hard-fought match with Alberto El Patron, another WWE alum. Nemeth won the title with the Danger Zone and the win marks the first AAA Championship in Nemeth’s career.
— Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (@luchalibreaaa) April 28, 2024
The AAA Mega Championship had previously been held by El Hijo Del Vikingo who had held the title for a record-breaking 833 days. Vikingo surrendered the gold after suffering an injury that has kept him out of action since.
Hopefully, Nemeth can avoid the trend of the AAA Mega Championship being vacated. Kenny Omega, the champion before Vikingo, also had to vacate the title in November 2021 due to injuries. The AEW EVP had held the gold for an impressive 765 days.
Nemeth Vs. El Patron
This was hardly the pair’s first time competing against each other for a World Championship. Nemeth (then Dolph Ziggler) won his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the Raw after WrestleMania 29 by cashing in his Money on the Bank contract on Patron (then Alberto Del Rio.)
Nemeth’s role as AAA Mega Champion continues an impressive run the Wanted Man has been on ever since his lengthy career with WWE ended in 2023. Nemeth is also in his first reign as IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion with NJPW and won the gold at The New Beginning in Sapporo: Night 1. Nemeth is also appearing for TNA and recently unsuccessfully challenged for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
More on Nic Nemeth
Here are some recent articles on Nic Nemeth as the former WWE Superstar continues to take the wrestling world by storm.
TNA is making some big moves when it comes to free agency but unfortunately it isn’t transferring over into PPV buys via television.
Just this past Saturday, the company had it’s Rebellion PPV and it featured the main event of TNA World Champion Moose defending his title against Nic Nemeth. The card also featured Josh Alexander taking on Hammerstone in their rubber match which was a Last Man Standing fight.
According to Dave Meltzer, Rebellion saw a massive drop in PPV purchases in comparsion to TNA’s return PPV earlier in January, Hard To Kill. Hard To Kill had over 66,000 buys on TV and streaming, which happened to be a record for the promotion. Unfortunately, Rebellion had only 500 TV buys at air-time, that’s an 89% drop in comparison to Hard To Kill which had 22,400. However, the streaming buys have yet to be released so TNA should see at least a little boost with the combination.
Although the buys of down, the perception of TNA is very positive with acquisitions such as Nemeth, Hammerstone, AJ Francis and Mustafa Ali. Rebellion also saw the major returns of Matt Hardy and Mike Santana into the company fold.
Nemeth said in an exclusive interview with SEScoops, noting how much he believes in TNA as a company and the promotion’s long-term booking plans. Nemeth isn’t signed to any contract with TNA, but noted his primary goal is getting the company over and its roster of rising stars.
You can check out the full interview with Nemeth below:
Nic Nemeth has shown to be quite the rebel so it’s only fitting that ‘The Most Wanted Man’ is challenging for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Rebellion. Nemeth with go mono-a-mono with Moose, allowing Nic to potentially achieve his first World Championship outside of WWE.
Nemeth has been a busy man since his WWE exit as he’s competed in high-profile independent matches, but also have already achieved big notoriety in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
In a SEScoops exclusive, Nemeth gave some details as to how his TNA deal came to be. Nemeth noted what exactly allured him to the company were several components: the talent, the long-term booking plan, the rebrand back to TNA and the company plan all intrigued him. Nemeth felt like he’d just been through the ringer for nearly two decades with WWE and the former World Champ wanted some time to explore his newfound freedom.
“I go, ‘Man, I don’t want to be tied down.’ I want to be like a hired gun that bounced around because I just got out of a long term relationship. 19 years, most abusive relationship of my life. I just got out of it.’ So I said, ‘I don’t want to like, put down it like, for the next three years I’m stuck in this deal. Whether I hate you or you hate me or it all works out,’
“I go, ‘Let me just do the dates. I’m not going to screw you guys over. I’m rooting for you and I want to help. So I did a certain amount of dates and then re-up for double dates.’ I go, ‘I believe in this product. Let’s go.’”
Ready For Rebellion
Nic Nemeth may have a great deal of notoriety, but he knows he’s not the big man under the TNA umbrella. Both literally and figuratively, Moose is that man, but Nemeth knows he’s ready to square up against the former NFL star.
“He has that break speed like a linebacker and I’m trying to think I go, What the hell do I have that he doesn’t?’ I’m shorter and maybe I’m faster, but here’s the best part: this jaw right here – I can take a punch. So he’s not ready for someone like me to be able to take a punch or a headbutt or a kick or a driver onto the floor because I never stop coming back up.”
IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Nic Nemeth (formerly known as Dolph Ziggler in WWE) has made it clear that he is not looking for any long-term commitments.
Nemeth ended a 19-year run with WWE in September last year. Several promotions contacted him after his release and wanted to bring him on board.
Nemeth’s first post WWE appearance was for NJPW where he debuted his ‘Wanted Man gimmick.’ He also started making appearances for TNA Wrestling shortly after.
In recent times AEW has been the preferred destination for the free agents. Former World Champions like Adam Copeland and Mercedes Mone have decided to join AEW after departing WWE. Nic Nemeth however, chose a different path because he has other plans.
Nic Nemeth doesn’t want to be ‘locked in’
Speaking on Keepin It 100, Nemeth revealed that he had some discussions with AEW but he had some other plans chalked out in mind for his career outside WWE. He claimed that Scott D’Amore insisted him to sign with TNA Wrestling.
Moreover, one of the locker room members had also reached out to him and he eventually decided to sign a short-term deal with the promotion. However, he has the freedom to compete in other promotions as well. Nemeth said:
“In the past, some [talks] but I had a plan that I’ve been working on for probably the last year and a half. I didn’t want to go anywhere. I appreciate that several companies reached out immediately.
I [said] I have this one plan, I want to do this on my own and even so, Scott D’Amore was so insistent because the locker room was so strong and somebody in the locker room of TNA reached out and I go ‘man you guys are really making this hard.'”
The former WWE star made it clear that he wouldn’t sign a long-term deal because he didn’t want to be held down by any promotion. He added:
“[I said] let’s do some dates. I’m not gonna sign for 3 years but I said I just wanna bounce around and be a hired gun. I’ll go with anybody and do anything. [I said] I just got out of a long-term relationship, 19 years. I don’t want to sign a paper that says you can’t do this.
I can still represent companies, I am a great brand ambassador. I just don’t want to be locked in. I did it for too long. I stayed a couple extra years to get the good money.”
Nic Nemeth feels that he is in the best shape of his career and reiterated that he wants to ‘bounce around’ for some more time and eventually settle down at a promotion.
Nic Nemeth is really enjoying the story told between The Rock and Cody Rhodes, even getting himself worked up talking about it.
On Friday’s edition of Busted Open Radio, Nemeth was asked by Dave LaGreca what he thought of The Rock’s promo last Friday night on SmackDown where he went babyface on the city of Memphis, but heel on the mother of Cody Rhodes.
Nemeth says if being a heel was your play, it would be helpful to the story to be witty, but you have to make some moments count. Nemeth said he’d just like to see a little bit less of the “90’s jokey humor” and understand there’s some real life behind-the-scenes arch taking place right now.
“Let’s have it be where it’s so personal, it’s not jokey, it’s not catchphrase-y, it’s not ‘let’s sell t-shirts’, it’s ‘let’s sell this story and put a**es in seats even more than it already is, everyone is doing great, but there’s just something about that, man, I wish there could be just that little more realism that we’re kind of getting little teases of.”
He did say that times are different now where wrestling roles have been blurred, but he would like to see The Rock take another harrowing stab at the ribs of Rhodes.
“I would love just one more little twist of the knife of realism into the guts of Cody just to give one last piece to go, ‘You have to beat all these people to get by. Let’s do it.’”
Nemeth then also went on to say that he loved Rhodes’ rebuttal to The Rock as a whole on WWE Raw. Just seeing the clips out of context, he thought at first that they were trying to go “Attitude Era,” but then once he did the homework and watched the full segment, he really liked it.
Please credit “Busted Open Radio” and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.
WWE released Dolph Ziggler in September 2023, along with a list of talented performers. The former World Champion has found other things to do, but he still has stories about his time in WWE.
Now going as Nic Nemeth, he recounted WWE’s reaction to his fabricated tweet about a minor injury, noting the pressure to retract his statement. Despite the initial tension. What made this interesting was that Hugh Jackman was involved.
WWE Threatened To Fire Dolph Ziggler For Working An Angle
During a recent episode of Busted Open Radio, the former Dolph Ziggler detailed a confrontation with WWE after a tweet he posted after Hugh Jackman’s appearance on WWE RAW. He that he alluded to having a fractured jaw, a fabrication of a minor injury to align with the storyline. He had so much buzz wound it, that he just couldn’t resist.
Nic Nemeth recounted, “I said, ‘I have to go for x-rays. I may have a slight fractured jaw’ and by the time the next morning came around, I was being threatened with being fired from WWE because I had lied and TMZ was calling them to check on it and I go, ‘I’m just trying to protect the storyline.’ I said, ‘I didn’t say Hugh Jackman put me in a hospital or I’m having a heart attack. I was like, oh, there’s a chance there’s a hairline fracture and I’m gonna get x-rays to keep it vague’, because it’s wrestling.”
Things certainly took a turn when a very upset call came from WWE, because TMZ was sniffing around the kayfabe story. After WWE’s pressure to retract his statement, Ziggler eventually complied, but he was just protecting the business with his tweet.
I was so excited. It all worked out and Broski was on a tear, I was so excited about it, I go, ‘Let me add a little extra to it’ and then the second-in-command was like, ‘I don’t wanna have to fire you but you’re gonna have to recant and take this down…’”
“Meanwhile, cut to two years later or the rest of WWE’s existence, they’d be begging for that kind of publicity but whatever and I said it in a nice way but I took it down but, for the next couple of weeks, I wore mouthguards and did Miz’s punch in the face gimmick that he did for a month or whatever… and it was really, really fun. I think I had matches with Miz anyway or Broski and it was like, the whole thing was not to not punch me in the face because my jaw might be broken and it was the best. That stuff makes it so much fun on the weekends.
Dolph Ziggler After WWE
Nic Nemeth is now working for TNA Wrestling and NJPW. He is also appearing on Busted Open Radio as a co-host, and that is a position he fits into very well.
Nemeth’s stand-up comedy goals are still going as well. He opened up for Mick Foley on his recent comedy tour. That is a profession and side hustle that the Show-Off has been perfecting for years now.
SEScoops will have even more coverage of this story and so much more in the pro wrestling world. You never know what will break next, but we will be here with all the headlines you need.
Nic Nemeth continues to make moves since becoming a name free agent and his most recent might have put himself between a “Stone Pitbull” and a hard place.
The IWGP Global Champion took to social media to lay down a challenge New Japan makes its way to Chicago, IL on April 12,, but before he did, he made clear that he wants a piece of NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi when he’s healthy, and he’s willing to put his gold on the line against “The Ace.”
“I will take on anyone, any time, any place and I see New Japan has a show in Chicago, April 12, Windy City Riot! You better believe ‘The Wanted Man’ is gonna be there, and I’m calling you out cause I want the hardest hitters there are! Tomohiro Ishii! Ishii vs. ‘The Wanted Man’, Windy City Riot – you hit hard, but I hit harder. Chicago, April 12, let’s rock.”
Nic Nemeth was released by WWE back in September of 2023, and once he officially became a free agent, the former Dolph Ziggler hit the ground running by making an appearance at January’s Wrestle Kingdom and later showing up at TNA Hard To Kill.
Nemeth later did become the IWGP Global Champion by defeating David Finlay at New Beginning. As for TNA, Nemeth just defeated former TNA World Champion Steve Maclin at Sacrifice and is set to face Moose for the World Title at Rebellion.
Nic isn’t just keeping his wrestling work inside the ring ropes, however. Just last week he made his debut as a new co-host on Busted Open Radio.
A battle of former WWE Superstars will culminate with either Nic Nemeth or Alberto El Patron emerging as the next AAA Mega Champion next month.
The title was recently vacated by El Hijo del Vikingo, who boasted the records for the longest individual reign and for the most title defenses. Vikingo, who also appears for AEW, gave up the gold after suffering a leg injury last month which resulted in that night’s match ending abruptly.
New AAA Mega Champion
In an announcement, AAA confirmed that El Patron, who won a spot in the upcoming title match via winning a three-way, will face Nic Nemeth. Their match will go down at AAA TripleMania XXXII which will take place on April 27. The show will take place from the Mobil Super Stadium and will serve as the first of three TripleMania events this year.
Nemeth Vs. Patron
Though they’ve yet to face off under their current names, Nic Nemeth and Alberto El Patron are no strangers. The pair feuded in 2013 after Nemeth (Dolph Ziggler) cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Patron (then Alberto Del Rio.) The World Heavyweight Championship win is still considered one of the best Money in the Bank cash-ins in the 19-year history of the concept.
The pair’s feud would also see the rarely-seen ‘double turn’ during their title match at Payback that same year. The intensity and underhanded tactics of Del Rio would turn him heel while Ziggler’s resilience in the face of adversity turned him face in the process.
