The in-ring work may be that of a heroic, embattled babyface... but Dolph Ziggler is a natural heel. That presents a problem for the performer behind the character, in that his style doesn't mesh with his persona, because Nick Nemeth is really, really bad at playing a good guy. Part of the problem is that Nemeth has the gift of the gab. There's a reason why he's so keen on the improv classes and the stand-up open mic nights; he can talk fast and he can talk funny, all off the top of his head. It makes for highly entertaining interviews, especially when he works a little kayfabe in there and cuts a promo out of nowhere. However, mix that in with a show-off character - The Show-Off, in fact - and what you've got is an arrogant and unlikeable man, obnoxious and way too pleased with himself. To make matters worse, Ziggler has a track history with women that makes Tiger Woods look like Tom Hanks. He's a cheat and a player, the kind of guy that gives all of us a bad name. Since debuting, he's been linked with Maria, AJ Lee, Kaitlyn, Vickie Guerrero, Summer Rae and Layla, none of which were exactly stable, happy relationships. Last year, he managed to half-inch Lana from Rusev, despite having never been seen on television with her at any point before that. That's just ridiculous. It's not even like he's that good-looking. His hair's like a bowl of linguini and he looks like a Cabbage Patch Kid on a gymnastics scholarship. It's the Ziggler Catch 22 - when he's in the ring, you can't help but root for him to win, but when he's doing literally anything else you just want to punch him and leave cartoon punch marks in his punchable face.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.