Dolph Ziggler Joins NJPW - Nic Nemeth Debuts At Wrestle Kingdom 18!
Former WWE star makes first major move since 2023 release.
The artist formerly known as Dolph Ziggler has joined New Japan Pro Wrestling! Or, at very least, has shown up there.
Midway through the Wrestle Kingdom 18 card, Nic Nemeth turned up to the Tokyo Dome to take a ringside seat for the action alongside brother and All Elite Wrestling roster member Ryan Nemeth. Cameras remained trained to the former World Heavyweight Champion, drawing some polite applause for his surprise appearance in the process.
As of writing, there was no further confirmation of his status or potential matches with the promotion, but it's reasonable to assume an announcement will be forthcoming following the appearance. NJPW often uses the January 4th supercard (and/or "New Year Dash!!" the next day) to generate big headlines with new stars and stories. Both Nemeth brothers could feature in the latter, and after a long tenure with wrestling's market leader, Nic could absolutely be considered one of the former.
Nemeth landing in New Japan comes months removed from his surprising exit from WWE in September of 2023 after almost two decades in the system. He was the headline release from the first batch of cuts made since the company merged with UFC to form the new TKO brand.