Nic Nemeth aka Dolph Ziggler Departed from the WWE at the Height of His Career — Why?
"I'm not doing anything here. I'm just hanging out and doing cold five-minute matches."
Published Nov. 18 2025, 1:02 p.m. ET
The WWE is well known for creating legends. Over the decades, the league has become a culture unto itself, and its stars have segued into careers in various other disciplines. But while some stars slid sideways into Hollywood roles and other high-profile famous careers, some stars stayed deeply embedded in the world of wrestling.
Case in point: Nic Nemeth, who goes by the stage name Dolph Ziggler.
Nic abruptly departed from the WWE in the middle of what seemed to be the height of his career, stunning fans and critics alike. Here's what we know about why he chose to leave, and what he had to say about his sudden exit from the league.
Why did Nic Nemeth aka Dolph Ziggler leave the WWE?
When Nic first started wrestling in 2004, he hit the ground running. Throughout his impressive career, the wrestler known as Dolph Ziggler earned World Heavyweight Championship titles twice and six Intercontinental Championship titles. He also achieved the WWE United States Championship twice, the NXT Championship, and four tag team titles.
He first premiered in the WWE in 2004, working as a caddie to Chavo Guerrero as "Kerwin White" and Nicky of The Spirit Squad.
He first premiered his persona "Dolph Ziggler" in 2008, and it stuck. By the time the 2020s rolled around, he was still going strong. As Dolph, Nic appeared in promotions for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and World Series Wrestling (WSW)
This is why it came as such a shock when WWE announced that they were letting Nic go in 2023.
When headlines initially suggested that WWE had fired Nic, fans were understandably shocked. But, the outlet notes, the decision was pretty much mutual.
As it turns out, Nic saw an opportunity to get out at the peak of his career and seek new opportunities.
Nic Nemeth was actually glad to get out while he was still at his peak.
In an interview with The Daily Star, Nic explained his reasoning for leaving when he did. "WWE was so great. I still had a year and a half left on my contract, and I said, 'Please.' I told them, 'I'm not doing anything here. I'm just hanging out and doing cold five-minute matches."
He added, "I said, 'I don't know how much longer I'm a believable world champion for any other company. I might have five more years, I might have two, I might have ten, I don't know. But sitting here collecting a paycheck and working for five minutes a week is not helping WWE, and it sure as hell isn't helping me.'"
Nic mused, "Luckily, they gave me the chance to get out of there because I still had time left on my contract. Being able to get out of that bubble was such a relief."
Since leaving, Nic has won the AAA Mega Championship and the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Additionally, he is the current titleholder for the TNA World Championship and the WSW World Heavyweight Championship.