Ranking WWE's First Ever NXT Class - From Worst To Best

28. Briley Pierce

NXT Roster 2012
FCW.com

As Ryan Nemeth, TAFKA Dolph Ziggler's brother eventually broke through, though it never really happened via the market leader. 

His run in WWE's system was long but wholly uneventful, and he took three years away before returning in 2016 to kickstart the career he now finds himself managing to carve.

Billed "Briley Pierce" for the duration of his two years in FCW and NXT, his penultimate match for the market leader was effectively his peak. Entering a battle royal on a May edition of NXT to become Number One Contender to the brand's top title, Pierce was eliminated in short order. Winner Bo Dallas went on to end Big E's winning streak and take his belt in the same outing. 

A semi-regular on AEW television since 2021, Nemeth's always been kept in relatively low stakes situations, but even within the confines of Dark rather than Dynamite, it's clear that he shares plenty of attributes with his sibling. 

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett