10 DUMB WWE Name Changes (That We Didn't Want To Admit Were GENIUS)
4. Nick Nemeth/Nicky > Dolph Ziggler
"Hi, I'm Dolph Ziggler!".
Various wrestling magazines, websites and forums discussed the chances of this twin handshaking gimmick and name change being a rib on the former Nicky of Spirit Squad fame back in 2008. After all, Dolph Ziggler sounded like an appalling bit of branding that'd possibly nuke a promising career completely.
Instead, being called something so stupid put spotlight on Dolph straight away. People were intrigued by the bleach-blonde Dolph Lundgren and Dirk Diggler amalgamation, and everyone wanted to see if Ziggler's natural talent could overcome such an in-your-face burial job from WWE's creative team.
Recently, there was a lot of fanfare about Nic Nemeth's (where did the 'k' go?!) debut in TNA. That wouldn't have been possible without his stunning body of work under the Ziggler name. By 2010-ish, fans were over the ridiculousness of it all, and had embraced Dolph as one of the best young stars of his generation.