Nic Nemeth, Formerly Dolph Ziggler, Explains Issue With Mercedes Mone's AEW Debut

After much anticipation, Mercedes Mone made her official debut on last week's "AEW Dynamite," taking place in her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. Mone opened the show and cut a promo teasing her plans in the promotion, and later showed up again following the main event. Speaking on "Busted Open Radio," recently-added co-host Nic Nemeth (formerly known as Dolph Ziggler in WWE) offered some slight criticism on how Mone's debut played out.

"I have 20 years of that New York experience from TV in my mind going, 'They won't bring her out first, right? Because then after that there's no reason for extra viewers who are just tuning in to stay,'" Nemeth said. "But also, there's the fan in me that goes, 'We're already chanting for her and this beautifully, terribly-kept secret. ... Maybe she's back out in the main event.'"

Ratings from last week's "Dynamite" seem to back up Nemeth's argument for holding the big debut for later in the show. While more than 1 million viewers tuned in for the start of "Dynamite," that viewership saw a steep drop-off after her segment.

As for the quality of her opening promo, Nemeth seemed to enjoy it, stating that Mone used the opportunity to remind viewers who she was and build up some of the other performers surrounding her. Nemeth also praised Mone's new music for giving fans a built-in reason to chant her new nickname, "CEO," before circling back to his point about her positioning on the show.

"It's not breaking down an algorithm for ratings or people getting a spike or hoping to drag [viewers through] a commercial break," Nemeth continued. "It's just something that is a story that's built into a business model of it. ... I would've put it somewhere in the middle with a tease for the main event also."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.