WWE: 10 Superstars You Will Be Surprised Are 10 Year Company Veterans

4. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler has spent the last six months getting buried on WWE television, leaving him understandably frustrated. The talented star is now in his tenth year under a WWE contract and must be more than a little depressed that the best he can manage in 2014 are pre-show losing three minute matches. Ziggler first signed with WWE in 2004, coming off the back of an outstanding athletic background in amateur wrestling at Kent State University. Right away he got to stealing the show in OVW, picking up pro wrestling like a natural. By 2005 he was appearing on Raw, acting as the enforcer for Chavo Guerrero in his 'Kerwen White' persona. The character role had Ziggler (then going by his real name Nick Nemeth) acting like a golf caddy. It was hardly the best gig and he soon ended up back in OVW. The next big break for the star came when he was introduced as part of the Spirit Squad, who ran on WWE tv from late 2005 to late 2006. Although the male cheer leader gimmick may have seemed like a bad idea, it actually led to considerable exposure for Nemeth. In feuds with D Generation X the group were involved in many major matches and angles. Perhaps it was at this point Ziggler patterned his ring style on the WWE legend Shawn Michaels. A year later and that gig was up too. Nemeth ended up back in OVW for a year before re-emerging as Dolph Ziggler in 2008. Initially he was well pushed, winning the Intercontinetal and World Title in his first two years as The Show Off. Even as recently as TLC 2012 Ziggler main evented the show closing bout with John Cena, and won the World Title again in Spring 2013. Since then his career has stalled, partly because he criticised WWE creative. It has to be said, as a long running Mr Money In The Bank, TLC Main event winner and World title winner, Dolph maybe didn't have that much to be complaining about. It remains to be seen if Ziggler can recover his position with the company and extend his decade in McMahon land still further. One thing that has been certain in the last ten years, this guy is a real athlete and one of the very best in-ring workers of the modern day.