Dolph Ziggler Reveals WWE's Original Name For Him
It's not always important where your name comes from in wrestling. Just ask Dolph Ziggler.
Just ask WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler, it's not always important where your name comes from if you make it work.
During a recent interview with Lilian Garcia on the latest episode of "Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia", Ziggler discussed a number of topics, but perhaps the most interesting was the origin of the name "Dolph Ziggler".
He said it was not the first idea pitched to him and that while he tried to get it changed and shot down other ideas he thought were even worse, Vince McMahon is a difficult person to move off of an idea if he likes it.
Ziggler said:
"So I randomly got a call saying, 'You're going to TV to introduce something. We're going into a meeting right now, we're letting you know now your name is David Diggler, what do you think about that?' In my head, I've been fired twice, this is my last shot, I go, 'I hate it, this is the Reality Era and I'm going to be David Diggler? Do I have any say in this?' They go, 'Well, we're going into a meeting right now, if you can have something in 15 minutes, but it's got to be a 'D' first name and a 'D' last name." I texted everyone I knew and I tried to think of things. I knew a great great grandfather who was Rudolph and Dolph Lundgren was from Rocky IV and I needed a 'D' and I go, 'Dolph?' and then I go, 'Is there any way I can not do Diggler at the end?' So then I got to RAW and there was a little piece of paper that said, 'Dolph Ziggler' on it.
He added that he still wasn't in love with the idea of Dolph Ziggler and made one final attempt to plea for something else. Ziggler explained:
"They didn't really have long term plans for me which is fine, but I go, 'Man, this might be my last chance.' I found Vince and I go, 'Vince, its Reality Era, we're doing the stuff, you can google my name, we can mix my name up and switch it a little bit. Dolph Ziggler sounds like a cartoon wrestling name!' And he goes, 'It's different. People are going to remember it. I love it!' And he walked off before he finished the sentence. I go, 'Alright. I tried.'